Thought for the Week: Dancing, Palaces and a Heat Wave.

Ahh what a lekker selfie hey. That is us having a little cycle along the Han River in Seoul South Korea (find out more info here if you want to do it). This was the 3rd time I have done it and I tell you what, it never gets old. What it does get is hot. Korea during the summer is brutal. I have traveled to Mozambique and some say the humidity and heat there is something, but I tell you what Korea wins. Besides the need to change my shirt three times a day, the insects are as big as your hand...well maybe not but they are big. The bike ride despite being done off the back of a night out was great though. I must do some research on the matter, but I cannot think of a bigger park, or at least longer one then the one that runs along both sides of the river. The amount of different activities and facilities that they have is also very impressive. If I wasn't so dead from the night before I am sure I would have taken part. 

So let's rewind to the night before. We started off in Itaewon, a hub of foreign bars and restaurants, but one of the most vibrant places in the capital for me. There is never the worry of growing bored because there is always something better to move to. One of my favourite things about traveling and living in a foreign country, is meeting new people. Your friend group can literally double in a week, and what is more is that these people you have known for such a short time, feel like lifelong friends. 

There are few better things then spending time with friends. Even if some of them are lunatics (Yes Dev I mean you). Below is a pic of the crew in Itaewon, before we decided to take a walk to a roof top apartment "Just over there". It was probably a 2 hour walk and 20km, well that is at least what it felt like. We did stop for a impromptu dance now and then though so maybe that explains it.

We ended the night off in Hongdae, where I witnessed a few friends having a nap or two on the bar. But no matter it was a great night. I found an Irish friend who shared my hatred for belly dancing Americans which was a treat. And I learnt that you can't always out run an old Korean woman, no matter how old she looks.

Next it was off to do some cultural stuff, which included the bike ride already mentioned. But also trips to some of Seoul's most famous Palaces and tourist attractions. Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace. It was pretty cool to see all this stuff, but my word it was hot. In Changdeokgung there was a secret garden that could only be entered in a tour group. Problem was that the English tour group was a 1.30 hour wait. So what did we do, well we joined the Chinese tour. So there we are 60 Chinese tourists and two South Africans. The ticket man looked at us strangely and asked if we knew Chinese to which I responded I was fluent. Turns out the tour guide uses a lot of hand gestures, plus there are English signs on the buildings so it was pretty easy to know where we were going or what we were doing. I would like to know however if more photos were taken of the Secret Garden or of us. We were quiet the attraction. A few photos below. If you go to Seoul I would recommend that you only need to see one of the Palaces as they are all basically the same design and layout. But maybe that is just me. Anyway I am off to find a pool or something, the heat is immense. Also please make sure you vote for me here http://www.bigblogexchange.org/profile/2014/5634387206995968