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Thursday 2006-07-13 - Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Finally!
Quite often during or at the end of a trip I have a pretty good idea where to go next, or at least several ideas. And when the Vacation Fair comes in January, I usually have decided on one or two destinations and scout out the travel options at the fair. But this year it was quite different — and I don’t know why.
My first idea — quite late already — was “Egypt complete”, a private variation on a month’s tour through Egypt, with Coptic monasteries and Roman ruins added into the mix. I had roughly worked out a plan when the bomb attack happened there, making me postpone that idea for a year or so. And leaving me lost for ideas again — or rather, I had ideas, but nothing that really jumped out at me.
Meanwhile I’d been reading about China’s recent history. As I’ve seen, present-day China is developing at break-neck speed and there’s little left of the old-style communism. And suddenly, a trip to North Korea (officially known as Democratic People’s Republic of Korea or DPRK for short) I’d noted a few years before jumped back into my mind. Although North Korea has developed its own flavor of communism with the “Juche” philosophy, from what I’ve read so far it seems to be quite similar to Chinese communism as it was before the cultural revolution; a visit should provide some background for China, too. And Korea has its own unique culture and language, maintained despite strenuous efforts to wipe out at least the language during the Japanese occupation.
One little “problem” about the trip from Koning Aap (Monkey King): it’s only 15 days. But it starts and ends in Beijing where there is much more to see than I’ve been able to during the two times I’ve been there. A phone call to Koning Aap quickly determines that it’s easy to book an extra week in Beijing, and not too expensive. I opt to stay in the same hotel Dong Fang — maybe not the cheapest but I know the hotel and the nice neighborhood and won’t need to move.
Tonight, back in Amsterdam after visiting in Groningen for my mum’s birthday, I take the final decision and book the trip. I’ll be off again. Finally!
