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Kimchi Kiwis: Motorcycling North Korea
Join Gareth and Jo Morgan and their companions as they rattle and splash their way around North Korea on their epic Motorcycle Adventure. Experience with them the thrill of riding through North Korea, the hermit kingdom itself. Above all, discover with them the truth behind the headlines that define North Korea and its people to the outside world, and sorrow at the tragedy that has prevented one third of the Korean people taking their place in the world.
Ever since the cessation of hostilities in the Korean War in 1953, the Korean Peninsula has been divided into two states. The Armistice Agreement drew a line between North and South Korea, and friends and families found themselves on either side of a jealously guarded political divide, their sorrow part of a macabre relic of the folly that was the Cold War.
Kiwi motorcycle adventurers Gareth and Jo Morgan had been frequent visitors to South Korea before they were invited to travel to North Korea in 2012. While on that trip, they told the North Korean authorities of their wish to ride their motorbikes the length of the Korean Peninsula, as the fitting climax to a ride the were planning along the Road of Bones, the Kolyma Highway in Siberia, Russia. The North Koreans declared themselves willing to help — and in 2013, the Morgans’ dream came true.
Join Gareth and Jo and their companions as they rattle and splash their way around the Kolyma Highway, the main road of the terrible Soviet gulag archipelago. Experience with them the thrill of riding through North Korea, the hermit kingdom itself. Chew your nails as they prepare to cross the Demilitarised Zone between the Koreas, one of the most heavily fortified borders in the world. Rejoice with them as they press on down the length of the Baekdu Daegan, the sacred mountain range that forms the spine of the Korean Peninsula, to complete the first ever motorcycle traverse of both Koreas.
Ever since the cessation of hostilities in the Korean War in 1953, the Korean Peninsula has been divided into two states. The Armistice Agreement drew a line between North and South Korea, and friends and families found themselves on either side of a jealously guarded political divide, their sorrow part of a macabre relic of the folly that was the Cold War.
Kiwi motorcycle adventurers Gareth and Jo Morgan had been frequent visitors to South Korea before they were invited to travel to North Korea in 2012. While on that trip, they told the North Korean authorities of their wish to ride their motorbikes the length of the Korean Peninsula, as the fitting climax to a ride the were planning along the Road of Bones, the Kolyma Highway in Siberia, Russia. The North Koreans declared themselves willing to help — and in 2013, the Morgans’ dream came true.
Join Gareth and Jo and their companions as they rattle and splash their way around the Kolyma Highway, the main road of the terrible Soviet gulag archipelago. Experience with them the thrill of riding through North Korea, the hermit kingdom itself. Chew your nails as they prepare to cross the Demilitarised Zone between the Koreas, one of the most heavily fortified borders in the world. Rejoice with them as they press on down the length of the Baekdu Daegan, the sacred mountain range that forms the spine of the Korean Peninsula, to complete the first ever motorcycle traverse of both Koreas.
280 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2014
About the author
Gareth Morgan
15 books7 followersGareth Morgan is a New Zealand businessman, economist, investment manager, motor cycle adventurer, author, public commentator and philanthropist.
Gareth and his wife Jo are passionate motorcycle travellers and have written 5 titles on their various trips which have taken them around the world. The first, "Silk riders" which took them from Europe to Asia following in the footsteps of Marco Polo, also resulted in a documentary. Gareth and Jo blog about their travel at http://worldbybike.com
Gareth is also the author of a series of books that scrutinise the spending of public money on various public services, including health, tax and welfare, and sustainability issues like fishing and climate change. Gareth publishes a blog on these topics at http://garethsworld.com
Gareth and Jo are UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors.
Gareth and his wife Jo are passionate motorcycle travellers and have written 5 titles on their various trips which have taken them around the world. The first, "Silk riders" which took them from Europe to Asia following in the footsteps of Marco Polo, also resulted in a documentary. Gareth and Jo blog about their travel at http://worldbybike.com
Gareth is also the author of a series of books that scrutinise the spending of public money on various public services, including health, tax and welfare, and sustainability issues like fishing and climate change. Gareth publishes a blog on these topics at http://garethsworld.com
Gareth and Jo are UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 15, 2020
Having recently finished the definitive book on North Korea and its leader Kim Jong Un by New Zealander Anna Fifield, I was interested to pick up the 2014 book by Jo and Gareth Morgan describing their motorcycle adventure down the Korean peninsular. Somewhat disappointingly the first part of the story is devoted to the journey across the Kolyma highway in Siberia. However it is ultimately diverting as they travel the horrendous highway through the area known as the gulag peninsular and describe the desperate lives of a population left behind after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It could be justly described as a holiday in hell. The second leg of the journey begins to answer the question of what life in North Korea is really like. The Morgan’s account is one of an appealing country populated by friendly hard working people and the argument is made for a very different international approach to that of the USA.
Gareth Morgan is known to New Zealanders as a highly educated and thoughtful economist, often opinionated but always interesting. This book is no surprise in that respect. The book itself does not attempt to scale literary heights, and seems almost a travel diary replete with colloquialisms and earthy anecdotes. For all that it is well worth the read for an on the ground view of the Hermit Kingdom.
Gareth Morgan is known to New Zealanders as a highly educated and thoughtful economist, often opinionated but always interesting. This book is no surprise in that respect. The book itself does not attempt to scale literary heights, and seems almost a travel diary replete with colloquialisms and earthy anecdotes. For all that it is well worth the read for an on the ground view of the Hermit Kingdom.
May 4, 2015
If you are really into motorcycle adventures, then you will really enjoy this one. The Morgans and a small crew of friends decided to explore the world by motorbike and this is just one of their journeys. To tell you the truth I was more interested in the North Korea part of the trip so I was a bit disappointed that the first hundred and fifty pages covered their route from Magadan to Vladivostok – which was, to be fair, the longest part of the journey. I was really interested in the difficulties the Morgans had organising the entire trip – I mean a complete journey by motorbike of the Korean peninsula had never been done before, so there was a lot of red tape to contend with, and crossing the demilitarized zone was a whole source of anxiety in itself. There were some good descriptions of everyday life in the areas they passed through as well as some of the pitfalls they encountered along the way. So in all, a very useful book, as well as entertaining. You can follow all of Gareth and Jo Morgan’s adventures on their worldbybike website
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews