Photo: Dan Medhurst
This story originally appeared on Amuse.Our guides direct us to our seats as the crowd surges into the stadium round us, jostling for position. People do that meerkat look around as they enter the arena, trying to pick out friends in the upper ranks, while others chat noisily, share snacks or tut as late-comers make whole rows stand up.Across the far side of the pitch, things are much more orderly. Rows of identically-dressed schoolchildren – 17,000 of them in total – walk in in single file, and quickly take their seats. A shout rings out and 2,000 young voices respond in unison. The callers work their way along the length of the stand, taking the register, one whole school at a time. And then the lights dim, the music starts and our side of the arena falls silent. Let the games begin.The Mass Games are among the most famous tourist attractions in North Korea. One glance at the images on this page makes it easy to see why. Part-Olympic Opening Ceremony, part-Trooping the Colour, part-West End show, this spectacle is quite literally like nothing else on Earth.Read the rest of this story on Amuse.