Western toilet, also suited for squatters
This picture was taken in Pathankot, India. You can either sit or squat--though squatter may slip and seriously injure themselves.

Squat toilets at Dubai airport
...While we are discussing squat toilets. Note the Muslim showers (hand-held bidets) on the wall, to wash yourself after the deal).

Squatting toilet in Beijing
The male contraption at one end tells you which way you should be facing.

Beijing Fruit seller
With a lot of tropical fruits on his stand.

Beijing traffic
Compared to 1995, when I went to Beijing the first time, the city looks more modern today.

Halal food in Beijing
A hilal (new moon) picture--and sometimes kalma, as seen in this picture--is normally used to tell the customers about the halal aspect of the restaurant. Before leaving for DPRK I had a great meal at a halal restaurant (not this one) for a nominal price.

Another picture of C.M. Naim

C.M. Naim
Just came back from a meeting with C.M. Naim. It was an informal meeting dear friend Ijaz Syed had arranged at a local restaurant in Sunnyvale.

Long lines at immigration counters, Beijing airport

On reaching Beijing

To see 'modernity' the closest place Pakistanis can go to is Dubai. Thanks to cheap workforce from India, Pakistan, Iran and other countries in the neighborhood (where unfavorable conditions have made sure the indigenous workforce is underpaid or out of work) Dubai has transformed itself into a major hub of economic activity.
I flew Dubai-based Emirates Airlines from Karachi to Beijing. This picture was taken on landing at Dubai.

Why go to DPRK?

Because it is the only living example of unadulterated communism in action. I chose Koryo Tours to take me to North Korea. They specialize in trips to DPRK. Making travel arrangements with a company over email and then wiring money to a bank account in another country takes a bit of courage, but I am glad I did that--you can trust Koryo Tours with your money.

Simon Cockerell, our tour coordinator, went with us to DPRK. This young man is easygoing, has a great sense of humor, and is reasonably skillful with a soccer ball. Here is Simon in all his glory.

[I have more than 400 pictures from the DPRK trip. Those pictures along with the observations I have written demand existence on a separate web site. Over the next several months I’ll be building:

http://pyongyang-my-home.blogspot.com/]