Vegas: Making tortoise friends at the Springs Preserve

The Springs Preserve, as I've written about several times before, is one of my favorite spots here in Vegas to get away. It's an extremely convenient place to get to, not far off from two of the major arterial freeways and right in the heart of the city, but the expansive grounds are so beautiful and lush that it doesn't feel like the city anymore. A true oasis! You can lounge among the trees and flowers at your leisure, or say hello to friendly tortoises, who on this trip actually turned around and came hurtling over to the glass to greet us when he heard us calling out to him. I'm not the only one who talks to animals, right? This little dude was preparing to retire to the burrow for the night, but I was so happy when I saw him that I couldn't help but say something, and to my surprise, he reacted! He pivoted on his little stumpy dinosaur legs and stomped over to give us some fist-bumps through the glass before deciding that if we had no food to offer we were boring and heading back to bed. We were quite honored by his cordial greeting and appreciated the exchange. Cheers, little tortoise gent. These little creatures are really pretty cool if you think about it; they live for about as long as your modern human (50-80 years) and stomp around in the desert where temperatures can get up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit! They're pretty threatened due to human activity, which is such a shame, as these gentle giants pose no danger to us in any way. They're vegetarians, too, chomping down on tough desert foliage to get their fill, so they don't pose much of a threat to other species, either.  They've got big claws on their little feeties, but those intimidating looking appendages are used for digging those burrows they use to escape from the harsh temperatures of the environment they live in. They're troopers! There are efforts to help conserve and rebuild their populations in the wild, which I'm so, SO happy exist! These little dinosaurs were here long before people were, and I'd like for them to be here long after, too. Is that morbid?  

10 things to do in Vegas this summer (part two)

There's no shortage of ways to stay entertained in fabulous Las Vegas, but if you need some inspiration for things to do this summer this list offers the second half of five out of ten (previous five can be viewed here) of my picks for things to do in Las Vegas during the summer season of 2018! 

6. Take in the view from the High Roller at the Linq promenade

If you're one for spectacular views from above, then this is one opportunity you won't want to miss out on! You can go during the day or night, or try to plan it out to catch the spectacular sunset views. The Linq promenade is easily accessible from most of the Strip as it's right in the heart of it all. The Linq promenade itself has plenty of restaurants, bars, shops and other entertainments to keep you busy for hours, if not days, if you stay nearby.  It's attached to both Harrah's and the Flamingo/ 

7. Jump off of the tallest tower in the city 

If simply gazing out at the lights and admiring their beauty isn't thrilling enough for you, you can try jumping off of the Stratosphere tower after taking in the view from the 108th floor. It's not hard to spot the Stratosphere and it's used as a landmark for orienting oneself by locals for a reason, and it's a hop-skip-and-a-jump away from Downtown and Fremont districts, so if you're still riding that adrenaline high you can also...

8. Zipline over the crowds under the Fremont Street Experience

Keep that adrenaline rush roaring by hopping a quick ride (bus, Lyft, Uber or even a rental bike) down to Fremont Street, at the North end of the Las Vegas boulevard strip. Here you'll find some insane people watching coupled with ample booze and mayhem to keep you entertained for hours. Within a short amount of time walking under the television screen-topped street, you'll likely encounter screaming butts flying overhead. Those would be the zipliners, who grabbed tickets to Slotzilla before you. You can join their ranks and zip over the street in a seated or superman style pose. 

9. Dance to some Reggae in the Desert 

Get funky with Las Vegas's largest reggae festival! General admission is $24.99 per person, making it one of the more affordable all-day music festivals. 

10. Dive-in movies at Wet'n'Wild! 

Same idea as the Dive-in movies at the Cosmo, except this time it's at Wet'n'Wild! Wet'n'Wild is a chain with several locations, so it's a little less limited to -just- Vegas, but there's definitely a lot of fun to be had between swim and screen time with the family! This will be especially appealing to those of you who don't want to be in a casino environment and the movies are much more family-friendly overall, with fun features like Moana, Despicable Me and even the Lion King (because who doesn't want to sob hysterically at the water park?)... 

Hope this provides you with some entertainment this summer!

Thanks for stopping by!

💕

XOXO,

NAU

10 Things to do in Vegas this summer (part one)

If you're in Vegas this summer (you lucky thing) you'll surely be in need of some forms of recreational fun between benders at the buffets and endless rounds at the tables. Our summer months here are especially toasty and the sun shines bright with little obstruction throughout most of the season. Given our sunny disposition, you might want to get outside and soak up some of that free-flowing vitamin D that proliferates here! 

1. Dive-in movies at the Cosmopolitan 

Like movies? Like swimming? How about floating in the cool, crisp water while classic films play at the Cosmopolitan hotel? Win-win, guys! There's a range of movies playing throughout the summer months, from a Star Wars triple feature (heck yes) to Ferris Bueller, Forrest Gump and other sentimental or cult classics. There will invariably be movie-themed beverages at the ready for your boozing up, along with lots of cool water to dip in should you find yourself growing warm. Isn't this what summer nights were made for?

2. Intergalactic Art Car festival

If you're into fancy vehicles and fantastic creations, but don't want to deal with the crowds, travel or cost of Burning man to see their freaky art cars, you're in luck! The giant flame-throwing Preying Mantis (doesn't every city have one?) at Downtown Container Park is teaming up with Lyft for this psychedelic festival. They'll do a parade down Las Vegas boulevard (aka the Strip) to show off for everyone, before returning to downtown for the festivities at 8pm. 

3. Stop in at the Springs Preserve

Get away from all the hedonism and debauchery of the strip and breathe in some fresh air and floral scents at this lovely oasis of natural beauty in the city. Only a short drive from Las Vegas boulevard, all the major casinos AND downtown, there's no reason to miss out! Much more open and less crowded than the Bellagio's conservatory gardens, you can check out their butterfly habitat (for a limited time) or check out the rotating exhibits in their museum! 

4. Catch a 51's game during their last season at Cashman field

After this season wraps up, Las Vegas's own minor-league baseball team will be moving to new grounds for their games, retiring the historic Cashman field. While all good things do have to come to an end, you'd definitely be missing out if you didn't try to catch one last game at this classic field before they move on to newer grounds. You can find their schedule here. Get you a helmet full of nachos while you're there, because you deserve it.

5. Ditch the city for the mountains, like Mount Charleston

If you enjoyed getting away from the tourist centers of the Strip by going to the Springs Preserve and are willing to go a little further out of the way, hop into your car (or rental, Uber, Lyft, or even a bus) and head out for the mountains. There's a lot of them to choose from, and while snow may be a rare sight during the summer months it'll still be many degrees cooler than the city itself. There are log cabins you can rent for an extra-special get away. They're only about a 40 minute drive from the heart of the city, and well worth the journey if you enjoy the outdoors!

Stay tuned for the second half of the list, dolls.

Thanks for stopping by!

💕

XOXO,

NAU

Seoul: Kongnamul gukbap

Gukbap, or soup with rice, is a staple budget-friendly food in the Korean diet. Typically a vegetable-heavy soup with roughly a bowl-full of rice added in for carbs, it's a cheap and filling dish to power you through a night or day. Whether you've been out drinking all evening and need something substantial to soak up the booze in your belly, or you just need a good nutritious meal to get you through the day, gukbap is generally going to be a good, affordable idea. This particular bowl cost me something around $5 US, and came with ample rice, soybean sprouts, banchan, and an egg for additional protein. It was a delicious meal and the restaurant was open 24 hours, so it was always available for the denizens of Hwajeong who needed a good, healthy, meal for whatever reasons. It comes to the table boiling hot in its stone bowl, and the egg is up to you to add at your leisure, so you control how done your yolk is. I like my eggs more on the runny side, so I added mine later in the procedure, but you do as you like because it's your meal when you're there, baby, so enjoy it! I've since recreated this dish stateside for myself and it's wholesome, satisfying, and oh-so-homey in a nostalgic way... even though I'm not Korean in any way that I'm aware of, Kongnamul gukbap is such a delicious and low-budget dish that I will always be grateful for being exposed to how delicious it really is. It doesn't take much to make a delicious and nutritious bowl of soup. This will forever remain one of my favorite simple meals from Korea because of it's pure simplicity and deliciousness! 

Seoul: Industrial District at night

This could be called an industrial or market district, really. This neck of the woods was just a little way out past Dongdaemun, after walking through the underground tunnels for a while. This definitely wasn't the glitzy, glamorous side of Seoul you typically see in K-drama / K-pop, but it was certainly an interesting one. I even found the back-end of Bangsan market, the food-industry supply area where I purchased my gyerrang-pang pans on an earlier-in-the-day-visit.  Inevitably, businesses do tend to close for the day and shutter their doors so that their employees can eventually get home.  Most malls close pretty early, while markets might linger into the evening, but these areas evidently had no need or want for late-night exchanges. Busier areas stay open later, but I guess this is not one of them. It was pretty interesting, for me, to walk through these deserted areas and at times I did have to wonder if I was really supposed to be here or not. It was so empty that it almost felt like humans consciously avoided the coordinates, you know what I mean? 

Was this a gang or crime-heavy area or something that I was oblivious to?  I, of course, cannot say because I simply don't know.  There was a remarkable amount of graffiti covering the walls and shop-fronts, but I'm in no place to distinguish whether these were simply youthful rebellious expressionisms or territorial tags meant to outline boundaries in the face of rival groups. I walked with my head high and no one messed with me during my journey, but to be fair there wasn't really that many other people around to interact with...

Seoul: Fry dog

Ah, yes, look at that glistening testament to the powers of innovation and deep frying! 

What, exactly, are we looking at here? Let me break it down for you- similar to how a corn dog is a wiener on a stick coated in golden-brown fry batter that is cooked in oil until steaming hot and cooked through, this beast takes it a step further and adds wavy-cut french fries to the mix for an external barrier with immense crunchy-carby glory. All those crunchy, crispy edges from the fries crackle as you bite in, but the steaming hot interior is all fresh-hot potatoes and batter, the glue holding the fries to the dog. The batter to sausage ratio is definitely leaning towards the carb-heavy side of things, so don't expect a spectacularly meaty bite- but maybe this is just the particular vendor I got mine from, and other's will have a better ratio. I cannot say. As delicious as this treat was, it was definitely more of a novelty than something I could eat on a consistent basis. Even with all that pretty red ketchup drizzled over top for color, this is pretty much void of any beneficial health value. It was fun to mow down on the side of the road as floods of tourist and local traffic streamed by, but I definitely felt it like a brick in my gut as I got up to walk around and explore further. 

Overall, I'm gonna say try it at least once if this sort of thing is your bag, baby. Life is short and no one lives forever. I enjoyed it, and next time I'm in Korea I'm sure I'll try another vendor's variation on the theme, because why not? There are so many delicious options to be found throughout Seoul, for any preference and palate, that you shouldn't limit yourself. Food is also pretty affordable throughout the area, from my experience, so be brave and try all the things!

Until next time dolls~

💖

XOXO,

NAU

BRB

Sorry guys, this is all I've got for you today! 

Antho and I are going on a little road trip so I won't be able to get a real post up until later. 

Until then, cheers!

💖

XOXO,

NAU

Seoul: Dongdaemun underground at night

Dongdaemun is an absolute hub of business for Seoul, with immense buildings and alleys packed to the brim with an incredible array of goods- from an eye-melting mass of ribbon edging spooled onto massive holders pouring from one storefront to finished dresses with quaint details and quirky English phrases pressed into the fabric at another. There's something for everyone, and while much of the market is active into the late hours of the day, many of the smaller shops will shutter as their owners head home for the night. This can lead to a disorienting change in the volume of traffic as you turn from one street onto another, going from the well-lit crowded corners of Dongdaemun Culture and History park to the lesser-trafficked alleys. This is going to be true of most cities, of course- not every street in Vegas is going to be a non-stop flurry of activity, after all. As someone who walked about the city fairly frequently, though, I was surprised by the quiet, shabbier corners I found. There are less-well-to-do areas in Jogno that I'd passed through before, but this was distinctly more industrial in feel. 

This post will focus on the underground corridors I wandered this evening. I liked to explore a little after work when I was off early enough to be able to take a bit of time for it, and this was one such evening. Rather than walk the familiar route towards Gwangjang market area, I went the opposite direction and found myself in this expansive underground shopping complex after it's prime hours of operation. Being such a populated area, there were precautions in place for the potential of attack, given that Seoul is really quite close to the North Korean border and the terrifying attacks of cults in crowded areas like these in the past...I've noticed these little preparedness centers in the past, and they still leave me with a sense of disquieting surrealness. It doesn't feel real, more like stepping into a Fallout game, but this is life in the modern world, where terror attacks happen. Better to be prepared than not, I suppose, though I don't like the shadow cast on the collective consciousness by having these objects hovering in the peripheral.  

Seoul: Dongdaemun Street toast

Korean Street toast is a wonderful, wonderful thing. Warm, sweet, eggy, crispy, toasty...it's all the things you need to cozy up and face the cold mornings, or to soak up any residual soju that might still be lingering in your well-partied belly. Whatever the case, I miss it dearly and look forward to recreating it for Antho and I at some point...until then I can reminisce about the butter-scented clouds drifting off the hot grill as the auntie's skilled hands grease, fry, flip, and toast away. There's a lot of options for customizing your toastie, too, whether you like ham or hamburger! I'd always opt for a coffee with my meal, because caffeine is crucial to my functioning like a semi-cogent human being many mornings. We've all got our vices, and coffee is at least a well-accepted and highly-accessible vice to have in Seoul. Coffee shops are practically everywhere- inside train stations, on busy street corners, nearly anywhere you can tuck a tiny business into. I mean, look at the vast floor plan these women had to work with!

That's it. That's right folks, that photo above comprises the entire floorplan of their restaurant. When you're in an area as densely packed and busy as Dongdaemun, in a city with land-constraints like Seoul, who's mountainous peaks not only prevent invasion but limit expansion, space becomes a premium. I was surprised to learn from friends who'd been living in Seoul that you can find reasonably affordable accommodations, as I'd expected rent to be quite high as it is in/near Tokyo. Businesses, of course, have to pay their share of rent and I'm sure it's pretty high in these corners, but people make do. And they make seriously tasty food out of these tiny, micro-kitchens. It's really no wonder I'm so enamored with the concept of minimalism and tiny-house living after seeing the incredible and ingenious methods people use to optimize even these little corners of the inner city for maximum practicality. With an item like this street toast, which is quite simple in concept but offers multiple means for customization, they're able to really hone in and do what they do best with a simple menu.

And believe me, that toast? SO GOOD!

More photos below...

Seoul: Dongdaemun Morning

Mornings were typically not all that exciting for me.  I had my routine, where I'd wake up at least an hour or hour and a half before I had to leave for my day... there'd be the required shower to rinse away any sweat or sleep funk that had accumulated over the evening, and a meal- most mornings toast with eggs. Always some coffee. Back home in the states I often use a French press for my morning brew, as I like the balance in flavor and intensity, but I experimented with pour over brewing methods and instant coffees while living in Korea due to limited counter/cabinet/kitchen space and a hesitance to purchase any sort of appliances I'd have to leave behind or try to take home. Some mornings I might have a bit of worry as one of the other housemates occupied the bathroom and I panicked over whether I'd have time, but more often than not it all worked out fine. Once the house routine was all managed, off I'd go- to the elevator, then down the street at a brisk clip, then plodding down the stairs or escalators at Hwajeong station. The destination would change: some days I'd be working in Anguk, other days I'd be at Lotte world, so I'd have to plan accordingly. Some routes took much longer than others, but I was almost always on time! The trains tend to run pretty regularly, though some odd times I'd find myself switching trains as the car I had originally hopped on was retired for the time being. These things happen.

So, too, does pigeons finding their way inside the train stations from time to time. There are many smaller rural stations that are more open to the outside elements, but finding this poor bird so far inside Dongdaemun seemed a bit strange. An entertaining moment in the morning ritual. 

With the winter chill settling in more and more each morning, I was finding the brisk walks especially pleasant. Also good for taking photos, as the crowds hadn't really gathered yet as at this early hour many of the shops hadn't opened for business. I took advantage of this and captured a bit of the early morning calm as I enjoyed it. 

More photos below!

Seoul: Gwangjang market at night part three

After the sun sinks behind the horizon and the sky darkens into night, you'd expect people to go home to rest after a long day, nestling into their beds early, right? After all, most towns, after a certain hour, become a ghost town...and even Seoul does grow quiet and more expansive as the night grows deeper, but it's never truly asleep. There is always something going on, whether it's a lone vendor's stone cauldron steaming resolutely into the evening or a gaggle of youth's seated in plastic chairs in front of a convenience store giggling. Gwangjang market is a fairly big place with a lot of people working inside its confines, and when they shut up shop for the night they often don't go very far before finding somewhere to have a meal and some soju as they unwind before heading home. As such, there is almost always at least a couple restaurants and vendors cooking away late into the evening. Whether they keep going past last train I can not confirm, as I never stayed out past that fated witching hour myself. Not this trip, anyhow. 

If you're hungry, which you'll likely be after walking through billowing plumes of olfactory assault, from dumplings to soups, hot vegetable pancakes and all sorts of other goodies bubbling away, you'll be able to get a solid meal (or three) here.  Follow the crowds to find the best spots!

Lots more photos below~

Seoul: Gwangjang at night part two

Like some panel out of a dystopian sci-fi movie, Gwangjang market glistens and glows in the evening light with its surreal neon lights defying the darkness. You could easily miss it if you were driving past on the busy roadway out front, but if you're out on foot it'd be hard to miss the scents and steams billowing off the market through all its hours of operation. Not only is the market a bustling oasis of tasty things surrounded by the wholesale fashion and textile industry shops intermeshed throughout the market area's labyrinthine halls and alleys, but it's not far from Dongdaemun, a busy neighborhood with a lot of different influences and businesses operating within the local framework, and a lot of the business people who work nearby find themselves to the steaming halls for some food, even well into the late night. Not all of the stalls will stay open, but those that do will often be going late into the evening. I was able to pop over after a full day's shift to find many places still open for business. It's fascinating to see the change of pace as the market goes "after-hours" and caters less to the tourist populace than the locals.