2011 Arirang Mass Games (Part 1/3)

Arirang Mass Games in Pyongyang, DPRK (North Korea). Opening night August 1, 2011. Full trip report and travel blog from our visit at: www.trekfortwo.com

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• arirang
• mass
• games
• pyongyang
• dprk
• north
• korea
• 2011

[DOLCEVITA20000]

The beginning is filmed quite good, but what happens on the 6:48 - you have missed out the most vivid portion of the show! :(( did the battery let you down to film that moment?

[ketafol]

@DOLCEVITA20000 Thanks.... I was using an Olympus PEN (still camera) with manual zoom which unfortunately looked very bad and dizzying whenever I zoomed in or out. I basically trimmed most of the zooms which sometimes occurred at unfortunate spots. I can't attest much to my video skills, but this turned out better than most vacation video I've shot =) I've at least not had family & friends tell me they need to take motion sickness medication to watch, so I'd call that a success!

[iwillhityouback]

Hey - I was in North Korea at the same time as you. In fact I remember seeing the woman at the start of the video in the weird hotel. Looks like you had seats closer to the action than my group had.

Glad to see you shot some great video. One of our guides was a little rigid and told me I wasn't allowed to take video, so at he sat next to me on my left I tried to take it on the sly with a camera pressed against my right side.

I only wish I could've filmed inside the Kumsusan Mausoleum!

[ketafol]

@iwillhityouback I think the rules on what you can/can't take pictures/video of are very dependent on the guides you're with and their comfort level. We met some people who had really strict guides who always seemed very rigid and robotic. I feel really lucky to have had guides who showed a genuine human side to us at times. The "rules" seem more about appearances than actual rules, and really do depend on the guides.

[kayper54]

@ketafol It may also have to do with how the guests behave. If you go in with a humble and respectful spirit and behave like a "guest" ought to, that may encourage the guides relax a little. From what little I've seen just on Youtube, they can very quickly read your intentions. If you go in with an arrogant and superior attitude, you're less likely to be treated kindly. (And it probably helps to NOT be American. ;) )

[ketafol]

@kayper54 I agree with all of that, except for the last part. My wife and I definitely maintained a humble and respectful attitude, and tread carefully on some topics, understanding we're dealing with messengers there's no benefit to anyone being accusatory or confrontational. We had a great visit and our guides definitely went out of their way to accommodate us. That being said, we're both Americans. I think being American actually was a conversation starter in a lot of places in a good way.

[blubegonia]

this is why koreans rock - we've got skillz!

[constantmotionish]

HUMAN SCREEN..because the video in a big screen is too mainstream..

[Hetierd]

Robots.

[xXLightSpeedXx]

This is incredible

[toychopper]

HDTV, North Korea style

[a0921959210]

beautiful

[iwillhityouback]

@ketafol One of our guides was quite interested in my being an American and asked about life in the US, though I felt he wanted to ask a ton more. We talked about his wife and son and he was somewhat lax in regard to the rules. The other guide was a hard-ass and there was no getting through to him. Also, the guide we had at the Korean War Museum gave me attitude when I said where I was from! As you say, it's really dependent on who your guides are, and your approach can be a key factor as well.