Busting Rumours in North Korea
On this episode of 'the Nostalgic Vagabond' podcast, I talk with Whitney Saldava.
Whitney currently works at NATO and before that she worked as a journalist. You can just google her name and you'll discover loads of articles and various works she's written. Being a polyglot (5:30) and competent in six languages has no doubt helped in her career, though Whitney says the use of languages within her current role is a somewhat touchy issue. You'll hear more about that.
In conversation, Whitney explains how she quickly grew too large for her native "small pond" in Latvia and since, her travel addiction (8:30) has taken her to over 60 countries, so far. She always grabs specific souvenirs (14:30) and no country is exempt, no matter how difficult these specific souvenirs can be to find.
Whitney recounts the backstory on how she ended up in North Korea after completing the trans-Siberian Rail journey. She speaks highly of a travel company called Lupine Travel (24:15) who set up her North Korean adventure for her. Having a travel company or tour agent set up a travel itinerary for a North Korean experience is mandatory if anyone ever wants to actually get inside.
I take Whitney through a 9-round rumour busting routine (31:00) and inquire on things regarding clothing and customs in North Korea, religion in North Korea, how the North Korean leaders are honoured and what kind of state surveillance exists, among other things.
Whitney is well-travelled and it takes a lot to deter her, but there was one time when she was actually pretty scared in North Korea while staying at the Yanggakdo International Hotel. It's kind of like an island fortress for tourists in the middle of a river just outside the capital.
The closest Whitney has come to South Korea, country number 60-odd is the DMZ, (48:45) on the North Korean side so no special souvenir from South Korea as yet, but in time...
Enjoy.
You can keep up to date with what Whitney is up to on Instagram, TikTok and Clubhouse.
@vitnijas
Further links:-
Lupine Travel: https://lupinetravel.co.uk/north-korea-holidays-and-tours/
Google Flights: https://www.google.com/travel/flights
Visit Estonia: https://www.visitestonia.com/en/
A big thanks to Tom Forfar for creating the title tracks for the podcast series.
And, any comments or feedback feel free to email
