December 2: 10,000

‘Where in the free world can one see 10,000 children dancing in synchronisation, dressed as eggs? Such weirdness makes North Korea, a basket-case state, a must for a certain sort of backpacker. Tourist visas have been available for years; there is even a Lonely Planet chapter on the country. Some 2,000 Westerners will visit in 2007 – a tiny number, but about four times the total in 2002.’