The Place To Be

If you ever see a few days go by without a post here at Ushanka.us, this is where we'll likely be.

From Calgary Herald through IOTW, Former cargo vessel hosts N. Korea's first 'luxury' cruise.

North Korea may not sound like the ideal tourist destination, but the secretive state has branched into the more luxurious end of the holiday market with its first cruise.

The venture's first 130 passengers arrived at the resort of Mount Kumgang Thursday, just north of the South Korean border, after sailing from the northeastern port city of Rajin. Their mode of transport is a far cry from the glamorous cruise liners that ply the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. The aging 9,700ton cruise ship was formerly used to transport cargo from North Korea to Japan.

The reason for branching out into the evils of capitalism, with our correction:

Increasingly squeezed by international sanctions domestic communist policies, North Korea, which has an estimated six million people at risk of starvation, has been stepping up attempts to woo foreign capital and tourists from overseas.

Did you know Stalin offered free cruises aboard similar cargo ships? It's true.

The cruises were paid for Dalstroy and took the lucky passengers to Magadan, the first stop on the way to Kolyma:



Pics from Calgary Herald. Yes - that second picture is a lavish one-course feast severed on the Good Ship Commie.

U/T: BFH