Korea: Revisiting Namsan Seoul Tower

If you're looking for some of the most expansive and stunning views throughout Seoul, a romantic destination to take a dearly beloved one and add to the locks of love, or simply want to get some distance between you and the sea, Namsan Seoul Tower is an excellent destination to choose.  I'd actually visited the tower once before on a prior trip to Seoul, but this time I visited with my friend Carmen and added a lock representing Antho and I to the incredibly crowded walls and barricades that have come to house an insane amount of locks. A lot of love to go around! Supposedly, affixing your padlock to one of the surfaces is meant to "lock-down" your love, and give it a similar sort of longevity and durability going forward. While there are plenty of Youtube videos demonstrating how to break a lock, I can't help but feel a little cheesy at the romanticism of the idea and wanted to contribute my own small gesture towards it. Even if you have visited the tower before yourself, it's always worth taking another trek up the very-steep mountain to see it once more. 

During my previous visit, my digital camera was very very new to me, and I had a difficult time figuring out how to capture the views at night- but this time through, I'm a bit more familiar with how to operate my camera and I'm a lot happier with the results, though I'm rapidly nearing the time when I'll have to bite the bullet and invest in a newer model. Totally worth taking that ridiculously, absurdly steep hike up from the last bus stop to snap these, though, and I'll gladly do it again. Why do they drop you off so much further down the mountain? I certainly don't know, though maybe it has something to do with the deep love for hiking and mountain climbing many of the Korean natives seem to have, or simply a practical measure to keep the busses from going beyond their means...whatever the case, strap on a good pair of walking shoes and get out to the tower! There's so much to see, and it's always evolving in some new, exciting way. Any visitor to Seoul should be remiss to miss out on the stunning sights offered by Namsan tower! Even if you decide not to opt to pay for the additional elevator ride up the tower, you can take in some seriously breath-taking views of South Korea's world-famous city of Seoul. #WORTHIT

Vegas: Textures and light

The heart of the Las Vegas strip is a hub of activity all year round, whether it's the peak of tourist season with pedestrian traffic mobbing and ebbing through the streets and alleyways or the slower season when construction swings into high-gear in it's stead. Sometimes you get a mix of both, with canvas banners and steel pole structures cobbled together to direct the mass of traffic around the work being done. Back when I lived in Japan, and true in Korea as well, construction was covered up and hidden away behind a barricade to keep the procedure (and possible debris or eye-sore) safe from the eyes of passersby... so coming home and seeing all the bones of buildings, some in varying stages of abandoned decay during their unfinished construction, is fascinating for me. When all is said and done, of course, the end result is more or less the same: another shiny new playground in this adult theme park, where you'll find ample booze and entertainments waiting just inside the air-conditioned doors. 

To be fair, though, it's the small details that make everything interesting, whether it's traveling to a foreign country and realizing that their beverages are sized differently due to different units of measurement (because America) or the decorating decisions that differentiate one house from the neighbor's... No matter where you choose to stay in Las Vegas, you should take the time to walk around the area and try to get a feel for the casino and the city itself. No two stays will ever be the same here, that's for sure. Some days you witness someone being carted off on a gurney to a waiting ambulance, another day you might find a large drunk woman splayed out spread eagle in front of the bathroom doors with a flock of brightly-shirted security staff surrounding her. I absolutely recommend staying in different resorts, in different parts of the city, at different times of year to really get a feel for what this city is like, and WALK! I love walking anytime we travel anywhere, because you get an exceptional up-close view of the city and it's textures. 

Photos in this post were kindly provided by Antho once again. Enjoy!

Vegas: The Linq Promenade

After the proposal at the Bellagio fountains and dealing with the crowds at the Bellagio Conservatory we were ready to start making our way back to the safety and familiarity of the good old van. Along the way we had to pass through the Linq Promenade, which has changed quite a bit since the last time I was there, which was already several years ago now. Antho actually worked there during the Halloween season of 2016 as a zombie in a haunt that was located there, and he had a lot of fun doing it! He was even made a star in their advertisement that aired on the large LED screen along Las Vegas boulevard! I was over in Korea during that time, unfortunately, so I never got to see or appreciate the full breadth of his brilliance as an undead actor, but knowing what a passionate and vivacious character he's always been I know he brought the best to the role and I wasn't surprised that he rocked it. He wasn't able to reprise his role this past year due to scheduling conflicts, but who knows what the future may hold. As for this particular outing, we had a lot of fun and were pleasantly surprised by all the updates to the space and new shops and restaurants that were proliferating. There was even a place advertising sushi cupcakes... yes, you read that correctly, cupcakes! I'm not quite sure what to make of that... maybe they'll be delicious little savoury morsels of fish and rice goodness much like onigiri with extra fancy trimmings? Or perhaps they'll be greasy little balls of sadness and missed opportunities...until we try them for ourselves they shall remain a mystery. There's some fun street art in this area, too! Hope you enjoy the photos~