Best I’ve Read So Far: We’re halfway through the year (crazy how time flies!), which top three books are the best you’ve read so far this year?
1. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
2. Life as We Knew It
3. The Snowman
Monthly Archives: June 2012
3 on Thursday
Favorite things about the 4th of July.
1. Fireworks.
2. Cookouts.
3. Time with family and friends.
This will be my first 4th of July in America since 2008 so I’m really looking forward to it!!
Thirsty Thursday
Drink:
Cherry Beer-Garita!
Gossip:
Can’t wait to be home in four days! I am feeling pretty bummy after five weeks of backpacking, so the first thing I’m going to do is go shopping, get a haircut, and get a mani/pedi! Then spend time with family and friends of course. And I have big plans to redecorate my bedroom! Since I’ll be living with my mom for awhile. 🙂
Oh, How Pinteresting!
4. Adorable dress
5. The perfect shade of pink
We Want to Know Wednesday
How many tattoos do you have and if you don’t have any, do you want one and of what?
I don’t have any but I do want to get some, starting with my name in Korean (on the inside of my lower left arm).
What is the best present you ever received?
A car for my high school graduation present.
Tall, dark, and handsome or pretty boys?
Tall, dark, and handsome I suppose.
How did you meet your significant other?
At a bar the night the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004.
Wednesday Hodgepodge
1. What do the words ‘freedom’ and ‘liberty’ mean to you? Does your mind go more in the direction of not being persecuted or discriminated against or does it head in the direction of doing what you please?
I would agree with the former statement more. Freedom shouldn’t mean everyone can just do as they please; there have to be some rules.
2. Nathan’s sponsors a hot dog eating contest every 4th of July. Last year over 40,000 people attended the event and almost 2 million watched it on TV. The winner ate over 60 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. How do you like your hot dogs?
With ketchup and mustard.
3. If you were going to enter an eating contest what would be on the menu?
Fruit seems like an easy way to go. Berries?
4. Do you run your house more as a dictatorship or a democracy?
A little of both at times.
5. Where was your favorite summer place when you were a kid?
Anywhere I could swim (lake, pool, river).
6. Do you have a guest room? Would you want to stay there?
Don’t have one. Don’t even have a home at the moment!
7. Next Wednesday America celebrates her independence. Do you have any special plans for the 4th of July? If you live outside the USA, when and how does your country celebrate its own patriotic holiday?
I plan to go to a party and watch fireworks!
8. Insert your own random thought here.
I have not had a good two days in Moscow. Can’t wait to get home in five days!
Weekly Posts Catch Up
Sunday Stealing
101. Name four things you always have with you.
Money, ID, phone, mirror.
102. How many SERIOUS exes do you have?
None.
103. What causes you to you admire people?
Success.
104. Do you like sports?
Not particularly.
105. Would you have sex after marriage? Why or why not?
What? Ha ha.
106. What is your favorite male name?
Finnegan.
107. Do animals go to heaven?
I don’t know.
108. Last time you had a great time with your dad?
The last time I visited him in Arkansas probably. Bowling or playing some kind of sport.
109. What is your favorite hair style?
Straight and parted in the middle. Boring!
110. Do you like your name?
It’s OK.
111. When was the last time that you quit your job?
January!
112. When you wake up, what is the first thing you think?
What time is it? Or that I have to pee.
113. Have you ever pulled an all-niter?
Sure.
114. What is the perfect day for you?
Not this one.
115. Last time you cleaned the bathroom?
It’s been awhile (I had a cleaner at my last apartment).
116. Have you ever failed a grade? Why?
Nope.
117. Have you met anyone online?
Friends but not guys.
118. Have you ever smoked?
When I was a drunk teenager but it was gross.
119. Do you like celebrities?
Some of them.
120. Do you like traveling?
Duh.
Monday Quiz About Me
1. What was your favorite childhood toy?
Trolls! And Barbies.
2. Where did you go this weekend?
I was on a train in Russia!
3. When was the last time you shopped for yourself? What did you buy?
Today. A purse, a CD, a t-shirt, and a nesting doll set.
4. Paper, plastic, or reusable?
Reusable.
Mingle Monday
What’s your go to appetizer recipe(s)?
Either cream cheese pinwheels or five-layer Mexican dip!
Top 5 Tuesday
Celebrity Crushes:
1. Sean Penn
2. Christian Bale
3. Charlie Hunnam
4. Jeremy Renner
5. Peter Dinklage
Mongolian Steppe & Ger Stay
This was an amazing overnight tour and hands-down the best part of our trip to Mongolia. It was arranged through our travel agent Lupine Travel and Golden Gobi Guesthouse.
We had our own personal driver and guide who picked us up from the hostel in the morning. The first place we stopped was a rock pile shrine. Drivers stop there to walk around it or leave an offering for a safe journey. Some drivers just drive by and honk! We’ve now seen many of these shrines throughout Mongolia and Russia.
Next we stopped at and climbed up two rock formations. The first one had a cave. The second was Turtle Rock. At Turtle Rock we also got to ride a camel!
We had lunch at a family’s ger in Terelj National Park. It was surprisingly good. Bread with fresh cream, meat and potato soup, and khuushuur.
After lunch we hiked to a nearby temple. (OK, Daniel and the guide hiked all the way while the driver and I stopped and chilled about halfway through the hike.) We had some fresh yogurt when we got back to the ger as well.
In the afternoon we visited the enormous Genghis Khan Statue Complex. It was awesome! You can take an elevator to the top of the statue to get up close and personal. We also tried on some imperial Mongolian clothing.
Finally we arrived at the Kazakh family’s ger camp where we were to spend the night. We had tea and snacks, explored their camp, ate dinner, and went to bed! It was an exhausting day.
The next day we listened to one of our hosts play the tovshuur before departing. We drove to another town where Daniel and the guide took a horseback ride to a temple. The driver and I drove to meet them at the temple for a picnic lunch since I am afraid of horses. Then we headed back to Ulan Bator. What a trip!
Ulan Bator, Mongolia
We stopped over in Ulan Bator as part of our Trans-Mongolian trip through Lupine Travel. There isn’t much to see or do there; it’s more of a departure point for trips to the steppe or desert. We managed to entertain ourselves for the two nights we were there. We ate at three good restaurants: Broadway’s, Taj Mahal, and Chinggis Club. We visited several souvenir stores. And we went to both the Natural History Museum and the National Museum of Mongolia. But the best part of the trip was definitely the two-day Terelj National Park tour and ger stay (post coming up next).
Golden Gobi Guesthouse, Ulan Bator
We stayed at Golden Gobi for two nights during our Trans-Mongolian tour booked through Lupine Travel. We were picked up promptly at the train station (along with four other travelers) and transferred to the hostel. Once there however, it took awhile to check into our rooms. The biggest drawback is that the hostel is extremely busy. There are always tons of people in the common room and kitchen and the employees are always busy dealing with someone so it’s almost impossible to get a chance to even ask them a simple question. Bring your own toilet paper because the shared bathrooms never have it! Also when we had them do our laundry there were lots of things missing so I had to go through piles of laundry and find all our things! So watch out. Other than that, we had a good stay. We stayed in two different private rooms in the hostel. One had a bathroom in the room and one had a shared bathroom (with a bathtub!). Both rooms were large and clean. The employees were friendly and helpful when available. Breakfast was provided. Good location, right next to the State Department Store. We went on an overnight tour/ger stay which was amazing.
Grown in Southern Ground 