Throwing Snowballs at North Korea

This was a trip that started with a snow storm and thunder and lightning so loud I initially thought North Korea had made good on its threats to annihilate the South, and finished hurtling down a motorway back to Dalian as the snow continued to fall on the already covered road.

In other words, the trip to Dandong was pretty good.

Dandong is a small town of perhaps 700,000 people which also just happens to be the closest you can get to North Korea without actually being in it. It faces North Korea across the Yalun river, with a narrow road bridge connecting the two countries, next to the remains of the former road bridge which was bombed accidentally by the Americans during the Korean war. As one of the few links between the two countries, a substantial proportion of trade to North Korea passes through Dandong, lending it quite a bustling feel, and a fine selection of Korean restaurants. There is also a substantial tourist industry more or less devoted to spying on North Korea, as well as a few military bases to do the spying a little more professionally...

The two bridges, lit up at night.

Hence, myself and Ellen spent a happy snowy day more or less staring at North Korea. We made tracks in the fresh snow off the Broken Bridge and threw snowballs off the end North Korea-wards, spied through the convenient telescope placed in the window of the coffee shop we breakfasted in, took a boat on the river to see closer still, and listened for the sound of artillery fire from the top of the mountain we climbed up.

The Broken Bridge

 North Korea appears in fact to be a little bleak. I'm aware that the snowy landscape, blue grey skies and frozen water may have helped leach the colour from the landscape, but in contrast to the high rises of the Chinese side stood just a few solitary buildings, a folorn ferris wheel looming behind them. The few people we saw mostly looked cold, and were busily unloading packages from rusty boats. Having seen it, it definitely doesn't look like a country ready to live up to belligerent fighting talk.

From the end of the Broken Bridge, looking towards North Korea's ferris wheel

On the left, China and on the right, North Korea

The other attraction of Dandong was the easternmost section of Great Wall, which was deserted and beautiful amid snow covered mountains, save for the  in true Dandong style, turned out to be closer still to North Korea than Dandong proper. Having thrown snowballs off the Great Wall (as you do), we discovered that the North Korean border was just a few metres away, the Yalu river being somewhat more narrow here than at the city. The border was marked with signs declaring 'Just One Step!' and rather more ominous ones telling you not to converse with people on the other side, and beware the barbed wire. Slightly less ominously, much of the barbed wire on the Korean side had fallen down, and it was so tempting just to wade over...

The Great Wall leading down the hill