Russian travel blogger "Mark Travel" was deeply moved: This was not just a trip, but a unique adventure.

Taking the first train in years to North Korea, this was also the country's first tourism group organized through railway after a long interruption.

It is important to understand: It is impossible to enter North Korea in a "free tour" way.

The only way is to join an official tourism group, and even within the group, it is absolutely forbidden to walk alone on the streets.

Traveling to the border of North Korea, my journey took place in a classic sleeper car from Russian Railways.

Familiar comfort, polite train attendants, and even working toilets—this would soon be replaced by a completely different reality.

We traveled all night, arriving at the Russian station of Khasan early the next morning—the only railway border crossing between Russia and North Korea.

After one hour of customs inspection by Russian authorities, our carriage slowly started moving. From the distinctive outlines of the neighboring country, one could sense the influence of China—a temple and a military watchtower were barely visible. It seemed that people here showed less enthusiasm for life near the border.

Now everything begins, we are crossing the River Tumen on the Friendship Bridge, a delicate link connecting two worlds.

Behind him is the most isolated country in the world, hidden behind three layers of fences.

To our surprise, the first thing we saw there was ordinary workers, who seemed even happy to wave at tourists.

Looking out of the window, we could see rusted trains, but they seemed to still be in operation.

Everywhere are thoroughly whitewashed portraits of the leader, an indispensable part of the North Korean landscape.

There were already North Korean officers waiting on the platform. One of them was giving orders, and the standard procedures for checking documents and seals began immediately.

I didn't dare to take pictures of this process—the reaction of these captains to cameras was unpredictable.

An interesting detail: A South Korean officer wearing shoulder boards and speaking Russian had a rather special smell, which I can only call "alcohol-like."

The next step was another standard procedure, but this time on the North Korean platform.

Luckily, everything went smoothly, and no "prohibited items" were confiscated. The North Korean train was waiting on the platform, and it would depart inland in a few minutes.

Surrounding us were countless watchful eyes.

Local residents and staff were watching the tourists, their gaze sharp as if scanning them.

I could feel they were very concerned about foreigners' impressions of this country, fearing someone might say something bad.

Even the customs officers carefully placed the suitcases on specially made cute red wooden boards—though it was a small detail, it was representative.

Well, the border inspection was done, and I walked towards the first carriage. I only took pictures of myself because photographing other objects was strictly prohibited.

The train arrived. This train reminded me of Russian trains from twenty years ago.

Signs—Korean and English.

The toilet was slightly worse than the Russian one, but at least there was a TV.

Surprisingly, many beers seemed to be popular among "our side."

The local snacks provided on the train turned out to be Chinese-style.

One of the female guides, dressed in beautiful traditional clothing, immediately attracted attention. "How could you not talk to such a girl?"

The conversation indeed started. The guide began to ask me politely: "What do you do for work? Where did you study? Why did you come? What do you like?"—these were typical questions, but clearly not asked randomly.

Endless fields passed by the window. Surprisingly, oxen were still being used for plowing. Most of the farming here is much the same as it was decades ago.

The female guide told me that they worked six days a week, with Sunday off. They worked eight hours a day. Just like our standard schedule.

Another striking feature was the large number of soldiers. North Korea follows a "military-first" policy, meaning "military priority."

This explains why the country allocates a large amount of resources to the military, despite having a population of only 26 million, but over 1.5 million soldiers.

According to the guide, conscription is mandatory here, including for women.

Males serve for 11 years, while females serve for 5 years.

Within minutes, a meticulously maintained view of North Korea unfolded before our eyes.

No dilapidated houses, no abandoned homes.

Instead, rows of neatly arranged, even somewhat ordinary rural houses, all with the same tiles on their roofs.

"Ah, this is another performance," a thought arose involuntarily, everything was too perfect.

The train stopped.

People on the platform were smiling and welcoming us.

I want to point out that the people here are very friendly.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7617992415497568795/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.