I once inside the courtyard, I noticed that there were a bunch of motocross banners. John enlightened me by telling me that the grounds were commonly used for a motocross race during the past few years, and it was easier just to leave the banners up year-round I guess. It would be a pretty unique place to watch a race!
Tag: Travel
50¢ Haircuts & Chicken Foot Soup
I noticed quite a few people will ask you, upon finding out that you traveled to Indonesia, Malaysia, and/or Thailand, "what was the weirdest thing you ate?" For me, it was definitely Chicken Foot Soup. Don't get me wrong, the dish was delicious, with fresh veggies and bits of chicken, but it was a little odd putting a chicken foot in my mouth, suckling the fat off it, and spitting the foot bones out. Luckily, by the time I got to the sixth toe, I felt like a natural.
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Bugaksan & Seoul’s Nature
Later on, as I dined on kimchi fried rice in Samcheong-dong, I reflected on my little layover hike, and realized that Seoul is a pretty great place, with its wonderful architecture, pleasant nature escapes, and very nice people. I will gladly return if given the opportunity in the future, and I would love to explore more of the nature of South Korea in the future.
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Sampling Seoul’s Architecture
I meandered back down the street, now heading south towards Gyeongbokgung Palace. Along the way, I passed Cheongwadae, or the Presidential Residence. Similar to Almaty when the President is in town, there were police on every street corner, standing around completely unoccupied. You may have heard that I have not had very good luck with Kazakhstani police, so I did what I've trained myself to do, which is keep my head down and act normal. When I glanced up, one smiled at me (smiled!) and said with a friendly tone, "Hey! How are you? Where are you going?" I cautiously answered, "Ge-ong-bok-gung? The Palace?"
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Пик Амангельды (Amangeldi Peak) – Autumn
Turns out I was to stay on the second floor of the shack, which turned into a night from hell. Russians and Kazakhs have a firm belief that heaters need to be on full blast at all times, and windows should never be opened for any reasons (this is also causing some sweaty problems at my apartment in Almaty). It was a long night between trying to sleep in a sauna and the sound of mice scurrying in the walls.
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Kok-Tobe
There is a tram that starts very close to KIMEP University, and takes you to the top for around 2000 Tenge, which is close to $14. My roommate and I opted instead to go for a little bit of a hike up the hill, which allowed us to save money and take some great photos.
