Are there any restrictions on traveling and shopping in North Korea? notes

North Korea may be the most mysterious country in the world. Due to the long-term closure, the outside world knows little about North Korea, so people who travel to North Korea always have anxiety and expectation. So what should you pay attention to when traveling and shopping in North Korea?

First of all, traveling to North Korea is not allowed to play freely, and you can only choose to join a group. Moreover, the routes are planned in advance, led by local tour guides, and you can only go to designated foreign stores for consumption, and you can't choose other stores yourself.

This is a relatively large shop, which is specially designed for foreign tourists. We met it on the way to visit. At this time, the tour guide said to get off and have a rest, but it was not mandatory to shop, and you could choose to buy or not. China tourists found it very novel and got off the bus one after another, including me.

Some shops here don't allow tourists to shop. We can only aim at tourist shops under the guidance of tour guides. We can see all kinds of goods, from ordinary daily necessities to expensive cosmetics. Of course, souvenirs with local characteristics and costumes with national characteristics are indispensable, but these are not cheap, ranging from 400 to 1200 yuan.

However, incredibly, there is no need to exchange local currency here. Shopping here can be done directly in China currency, and the exchange rate is about 1300 to 1. There are many kinds of cigarettes here, such as Yalu River, Bailongfeng, Lanlongfeng, Jingxiu Jiangshan and so on. Prices range from ten yuan to tens of yuan. I bought two boxes of everything I like, one box of cigarettes. Because the customs stipulates that one person can only take two, the shopping experience here is very advanced. Just like eating in China, first choose the goods, then make a receipt, and then go to the checkout. I think cigarettes taste good. I heard that Jingxiu Jiangshan is equal to Huazi in China, and it is also a big brand, but I think this is a bit spicy.

There are all kinds of goods in foreign shops here, but we need to exchange cash in advance, because our WeChat and Alipay are not smooth, and they are mainly paid in US dollars. The shops and hotels here accept RMB, and the service staff can speak a few words of Chinese simply, so it is not difficult to communicate with each other. There are few private businesses here, which are basically provided by the state, and local people can get daily necessities with bills.

As in most places, the service staff here are young and beautiful girls. They are all professionally trained and show confident smiles to their guests, but they are very kind. Their attitude is also very good, and their sweet voices make people feel very comfortable. Their costumes are also very ethnic, which is nothing more than bright costumes or traditional formal clothes.

Coincidentally, health products are sold everywhere, but this is the favorite of aunts and grandmothers. However, the prices of such things are generally not very cheap. My aunt, seeing the ginseng here, advertised that it was wild and asked for 800 boxes. Aunt asked for the 10 box without saying anything, and the clerk was shocked. It is estimated that this kind of scene is rare, and only China people have such a big customer.

Of course, this is only the choice of a few tourists. Most of the products they choose to buy are medicines. There is an Angong Niuhuang Pill, which promotes authentic rhinoceros horn. More effective, the domestic price is only 1/3. Although it is good and cheap, don't buy more, because if you buy more, you can't bring it back. It is a rule that one person has two boxes.

In addition to these things, alcohol is also very popular, but the price is relatively high, around several thousand yuan, such as Taiping wine, Pyongyang shochu and so on. Clothes are ugly to buy, but the packaging of food is varied and seems authentic in our country. We also passed some big shops, such as jewelry, jade, gold and silver jewelry, so we didn't choose to get off. Before I left, I also bought some local snacks and special foods. However, it should be noted that it is best to keep a good receipt when buying things, and sometimes there will be inspections to avoid unnecessary trouble.