The Alps

I love being up in the mountains although I don't always enjoy the winding trails up the mountain like Susten Pass here through the Swiss Alps. It's important to travel Susten pass in class. You either need a nice motorcycle or a small sports car.

The train is also a good way to travel through Europe, but there are some places the train cannot take you. That's when you ride the zip line. There is a reason the place is called Young Virgin.

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The Grand Canyon

My birthplace is in the Americas, but this canyon was made for the whole world to explore. Some may say I came off season. That's just the right season for me. The weather was windy and there was a storm on it's way. In all of this, the Canyon stays still. That little river in the background is what formed this massive canyon.

I can only fit a little piece of the canyon in my lens. It extends for hundreds of miles in either direction.

Seoul

I live in the capital city of South Korea. It is densely populated, but in all the crowds you can always find a quiet place by going up. A beautiful river flows through the middle of the city and at the exact center of the river is a mountain known as Brother Mountain (Nam San). That mountain is surrounded by other mountains and that makes up the city of Seoul. The second photo is Inwansan a mountain near the palace. The third picture is some fun by the riverside.

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Ulleungdo

Although we can find some rest and relaxation in the city, I look for other mountain and island villages to explore in Korea. A short two and a half hour boat ride from the mainland will bring you to the pristine island of Ulleungdo. It's worth getting a little sea sick to enjoy this treasure of a volcanic island.

<sup>Seoul City

Inwangsan</sup>

^{Han River Water Fun}

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^{Ulleungdo port.}

^{Jeodong Village.}

^{Gwaneumtto Island.}

^{Picture taken from Taeha-ri Observatory.}

Disputed Lands

There are islands nearby Ulleungdo which are disputed. Some of the first maps show this as Korean land. Currently one Korean couple and a dozen Korean police officers reside on the island of Dokdo. It is a beautiful and well protected nature preserve.

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The third picture in this part is the Imjingang close to the Demilitarized Zone in North Korea. Active land mines are still being found in the river more than seventy years after the war.

^Dokdo.

^Imjingang

Valleys and Deserts

The first picture is a valley in my wife's hometown in South Korea. It's green and everything is alive. The area has a very friendly feeling. The second valley is the famous valley we know from the valley girls, Hollywood and Universal Studios. This is San Fernando Valley. I visited after a time of heavy rains. Everything is green and looks beautiful. The picture is taken near the Mario exhibit at Universal and is looking north towards the Lakeside Golf Club and Burbank.

The desert pictures are from San Tan Valley. I'm not sure why our folks ended up out there, but they seem to like it. The Saguaro are the only plants I know that seem to perpetually flip off the world.

^{Choongchung Do, South Korea.}

^{San Fernando Valley from Universal Studios.}

^{San Tan Valley.}

The Sea

There is a great contrast from Pacific Palisades to the fishing village along the coast in Tamil-nadu. Nowadays a house in Pacific Palisades is twenty million dollars. The fishermen don't in Tamil don't even have indoor plumbing.

They work hard risking their life all day. When they wake up they use the sea as their toilet. The strange thing about this place is I feel much more comfortable running on the beach here than in Pacific Palisades.

^{Picture taken from The Getty looking down at pacific Palisades and Brentwood.}

^{Fishing village near Chennai.}

^{All pictures here were taken by me and owned by me @mineopoly. The post is written in response to @galenkp's outdoors and more scenery contest. You have until Friday this week (5.26.23) to post your entry. Have fun @vikbuddy.}