[Review] My Holiday in North Korea
It's such a coincidence that I had barely finished reading "My Holiday in North Korea: The Funniest / Worst Place on Earth" by Wendy E. Simmons when news came about of the historic North and South Korea meeting in Panmunjom in which they agreed to "work toward denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, and declaring a formal end to the Korean War by the end of the year". Talk about impeccable timing!
I first picked up the book at the library due to the catchy title and cover photo which suggests a fun filled read - something I could do with seeing as to how I failed to finish reading the previous book I picked. Fortunately it did not disappoint and I frequently found myself grinning like a mad woman on the train while reading during my daily commute. Thankfully I managed to hold in my laughter so as to not appear deranged to the other passengers.
My impression of North Korea before reading the book, formed from various stories heard and news reported, was that it was a strict communist regime and visitors (other than occasional international reporters) were not allowed in. So it came as a surprise that regular tours were conducted for 'normal folks', i.e. non-officials and non-reporters, such as Simmons and the other tourists she met. However the description and encounters Simmons mentioned were in line with the impression of North Korea I had - which is to say, 'bat-shit crazy'.
It was my first time reading a book by Simmons and I found her writing style relatively easy to follow. Once or twice I did lose track of what she was saying, although that could be attributed in part to my lack of concentration after a long day at work. Simmons' description of her experiences in North Korea was vivid and witty, such as her description of "flash-mob" style of people turning up at amusement parks and her handlers frantic DISCUSSIONS whenever she requested or did something they weren't expecting. Kudos also to the fact that she travelled to North Korea as a single female traveller, something which I don't think I'll ever do. Overall it was quite a fun read and I might look out for more of her travel books.
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| My Holiday in North Korea by Wendy E. Simmons |
I first picked up the book at the library due to the catchy title and cover photo which suggests a fun filled read - something I could do with seeing as to how I failed to finish reading the previous book I picked. Fortunately it did not disappoint and I frequently found myself grinning like a mad woman on the train while reading during my daily commute. Thankfully I managed to hold in my laughter so as to not appear deranged to the other passengers.
My impression of North Korea before reading the book, formed from various stories heard and news reported, was that it was a strict communist regime and visitors (other than occasional international reporters) were not allowed in. So it came as a surprise that regular tours were conducted for 'normal folks', i.e. non-officials and non-reporters, such as Simmons and the other tourists she met. However the description and encounters Simmons mentioned were in line with the impression of North Korea I had - which is to say, 'bat-shit crazy'.
It was my first time reading a book by Simmons and I found her writing style relatively easy to follow. Once or twice I did lose track of what she was saying, although that could be attributed in part to my lack of concentration after a long day at work. Simmons' description of her experiences in North Korea was vivid and witty, such as her description of "flash-mob" style of people turning up at amusement parks and her handlers frantic DISCUSSIONS whenever she requested or did something they weren't expecting. Kudos also to the fact that she travelled to North Korea as a single female traveller, something which I don't think I'll ever do. Overall it was quite a fun read and I might look out for more of her travel books.
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