https://www.scmp.com/rss/319294/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com “Would you like some soju,” asks Mr Ahn, smiling effusively as he leans across from his cabin. “At eight in the morning?” I ask. I am bewildered. “Ha, we Koreans start any important journey by drinking soju,” insists Ahn, twisting the metal top off a green bottle. He pours the potent, colourless rice wine, consumed widely in both Koreas, into plastic cups. Memories of many painful mornings flash through my mind but, before I can back-pedal, toasts are being raised to this unusual journey. It’s... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/2148393/north-korean-leg-longest-train-journey-offers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/2148393/north-korean-leg-longest-train-journey-offers?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 May 2018 12:15:30 +0000 Beyond the Kim dynasty, which has ruled North Korea for almost 70 years, the nuclear programme and the propaganda, 25 million Koreans live in the “hermit kingdom”, and they want the same things as anyone else: to give their children the best education possible; to picnic in parks and green spaces; to enjoy fashion and the funfair; to dance, laugh and be merry. Since my first visit to the country, in 2012, I have returned on several occasions, whenever a new destination has opened up for... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/2126935/north-korea-exposed-images-everyday-life-worlds-most?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/2126935/north-korea-exposed-images-everyday-life-worlds-most?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jan 2018 01:46:05 +0000 It is an unexpected pit stop in the middle of nowhere; a lonely petrol station on the side of the road. The only other traffic, four camels trot towards the tiny hamlet where, having driven out to the Darvaza gas crater, we are taking turns to wash our SUVs. Sure, the vehicles need it after two days in the Karakum desert, but why now and why here? It turns out that this is the last stop before Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmeni­stan, where the driving of dirty cars is illegal. Surreal? From touch... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/2044390/ashgabat-weird-wonderful-and-eerily-empty-capital?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/2044390/ashgabat-weird-wonderful-and-eerily-empty-capital?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Nov 2016 11:03:05 +0000 Londoners have not always bought their food from the stocked aisles of a supermarket, of course. Once upon a time, they all would have visited street markets where "the bellowing and plunging of the oxen, the bleating of sheep, the grunting and squeaking of pigs, the cries of hawkers … quite confounded the senses", as Charles Dickens put it, in Oliver Twist. Borough Market, Billingsgate Fish Market, Smithfield and Covent Garden are still part of the city's day-to-day existence, albeit without... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/1946728/londons-diverse-food-truck-scene-lesson-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/1946728/londons-diverse-food-truck-scene-lesson-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 May 2016 09:45:15 +0000 What is it? A museum that houses a panoramic mural of Angkor history is the latest tourist attraction in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Situated just a few kilometres from the Angkor Wat temple complex, the Panorama Museum is a grand collaboration between the Cambodian government and North Korea. Yes, you heard right. The cash strapped, H-bomb-testing North Korean government has bankrolled the US$24 million project. Do go on … A large oil painting of a smiling Buddha (think Three Pacific Place, in Hong... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel-leisure/article/1903581/angkor-panorama-museum-north-koreas-us24?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel-leisure/article/1903581/angkor-panorama-museum-north-koreas-us24?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Jan 2016 11:30:15 +0000 We stand in single file, the six of us, with a rope tied to our right ankles. We are aiming to beat three other teams in a synchronised-running race, which means we have to be well coordinated as a team. We get into position, with our feet slightly apart, waiting for the signal. The three referees seem bemused, the crowd amused. The whistle goes and so do we. First the left feet, then the right, left, right, left, right. I struggle to keep up. I hold on to the shoulders of the man in front of me... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1810167/pyongyang-hotel-staff-sports-day-fun-and-games-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1810167/pyongyang-hotel-staff-sports-day-fun-and-games-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 May 2015 14:39:26 +0000