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?  

Korea: Ilsan Lake Park Animal Exhibits

Ilsan lake park is a large park surrounding a lake just outside of Seoul proper. At over 990,000 Square meters it's one of the largest man-made parks in Asia! It's a beautiful and relaxing destination, open year round. If you're taking the subway, take line 3 to Jeongbalsan station and it's a roughly 5 minute walk from exit 2. My first visit here was spontaneous on my part, as my friend and housemate Yonie invited me to go to lunch with her in the town surrounding the park on a day I hadn't any other plans yet. There's also a large shopping mall with tons of entertainment and food options along with all the fashion and cosmetics you could want. Since it's a bit outside the city proper it's cheaper to shop out here, too~! On our first trip out Yonie helped me pick out some skincare at Apieu and espoused their affordability and quality, and had some tasty grub. I ended up at the park because she had a meeting to attend, and since I didn't need to be directly involved (especially given my non-existent Korean speaking skills) she suggested I explore the park for a bit. 

Something came up and she had to leave, at which point I ended up finding my own way home without taking the subway- Hwajeong is the next town over, and though it's a 10 minute drive it was quite a walk. I'm not complaining, though, believe it or not- I was quite thrilled with how far I'd trekked! I didn't have wi-fi or any reliable cellular usage that first time through (all those websites bragging about universal free wi-fi throughout Korea aren't considering the rural / suburban areas so much) and I wanted to get a measure of the feat, so I returned with tools, and camera, ready to recreate my journey. Of course, the walk was for the return home, and I still had some sunlight left with which to enjoy the park grounds. There's a LOT to do here! I'd love to go back and spend more time exploring the park, hopefully with Antho there by my side. The juxtaposition of modern apartment blocks jutting into the sky around the park is in stark contrast to all the lush green gardens, animals and flowers within. I had a wonderful time strolling the grounds! There were many couples and families out enjoying the lovely weather, too. 

Ilsan lake park is definitely a nice destination for a relaxing day near Seoul if you find yourself in the city for any length of time! The photos in this post will be primarily focusing on the animal exhibits, so as to keep from bombarding you with too many all at once. 

Enjoy the photos!

More below!

Vegas: Springs Preserve Zoo

After checking out the Space exhibition and experiencing a space walk with the magic of virtual reality, we were ready to get our feet back on solid Earth ground and partake of the freely available oxygen of our atmosphere under the rays of our sun kindly shielded somewhat by our little planet's atmosphere...and then we found the cute fluffy things!! YES!   

And the cute scaly things, too! 

I find tortoises to be absolutely adorable, do you? Maybe it's because I grew up pretty pro-turtle thanks to the awesomeness of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies, coloring books, action figures and cartoons, but they're such interesting creatures. Not only do they live for 50-80 years (about the same as a human life span) and prefer to eat flowers, but there's something to be admired in their doggedly patient lurch from point A to point B. Time and time again the tortoise really does beat the hare in the race simply by plodding it's way forward one stumpy step at a time. Plus they're like nature's perfect introverts; when they get spooked or feel shy they can retreat into the safety of their shell, the home that goes with them everywhere for as long as they keep on trudging. They're like tiny dinosaurs! Tortoises are pretty freaking cool. Unfortunately, the Desert Tortoise has been bordering on endangered for quite some time now so there are concerted efforts in place by conservationists like The Defenders to try to protect their natural environments and conserve the populations. Keep on keeping on, little hard-shelled friends and their guardians. 💚  

Surrounded by all these awesome animals and the soothing gardens, it's hard not to find your zen.

More photos after the cut!