#live at the observatory north park

[leviabeat]

Wait a Minute... Let's Tour! Live at the Observatory North Park, San Diego, CA 2021

Part 4 of ?

Lola Montez

Parts 1 2 3 [ 4 ] 5

[chelseawolfeonly]

She Reaches Out Tour has started

Photos by Becky DiGiglio

[waitingforseason5]

Dethklok will hit the road for their Mutilation on a Spring Night tour this April and May, and they're taking Dragonforce and Nekrogoblikon with 'em. Tickets are available here.

4/7 – Myrtle Beach, SC, at House of Blues 4/8 – Charlotte, NC, at The Fillmore 4/9 – Silver Spring, MD, at The Fillmore 4/11 – Columbus, OH, at KEMBA Live! 4/12 – Cincinnati, OH, at The Andrew J Brady Music Center 4/14 – Indianapolis, IN, at Egyptian Room @ Old National Center 4/15 – Waukee, IA, at Vibrant Music Hall 4/16 – Kansas City, MO, at Uptown Theater 4/17 – Oklahoma City, OK, at The Criterion 4/19 – Albuquerque, NM, at Revel Entertainment Center 4/20 – Flagstaff, AZ, at Pepsi Amphitheater 4/21 – Riverside, CA, at Riverside Municipal Auditorium 4/22 – San Diego, CA, at The Observatory North Park 4/28 – Spokane, WA, at The Podium 4/30 – Billings, MT, at Metra Park Arena 5/1 – Idaho Falls, ID, at Mountain Center Arena 5/2 – Garden City (Boise), ID, at Revolution Concert House and Event Center 5/3 – Portland, OR, at Roseland Theatre

[darklightsworld]

Hiroshima 2024/09/09-13

Day 1-2

Long time no see... again... This was the worst summer ever. As in, officially the hottest ever with three times as many days over 35°C than usual. Somewhere around 55 days... orz Kyoto does know how to welcome me back ^^; So, I was laying low and dying every time I needed to step out of my flat. It turned out that this ground floor (and not wood) apartment does not heat as fast as my previous ones, so I could get through the day without air-con, but barely, so not much productivity until the evening from me, when I turned it on. You might ask why not the other way round? I cannot sleep in the heat (even in winter I turn the heating off for the night), and without sleeping I'm useless, so I use the air-con from evening to morning. This also meant that I was hardly doing anything for sightseeing, some exhibitions here and there, but it was just too hot.

Still, I thought it can't be that I'm not traveling during the holiday (especially since I'm having a holiday the first time in six years...), so I went to Hiroshima for the first time. It was a mistake. I expected lower temperatures in September, but no, around 35°C every day, and it was hellish. No trips in summer ever again. (I'm starting to feel like schools should just power through summer with air-conditioning and save the longer holiday for fall, September-October, when you can actually enjoy it too. Anyway, I took five days for Hiroshima to make it a slow trip, one that I could survive despite the heat - it was difficult anyway.

Day 1

Not living in the countryside is heavenly for transportation. Hiroshima is very close by Shinkansen, so I ticked off some basic sightseeing on the first day already. Like the Atomic Bomb Dome and the park (skipped the museum, I just didn't have the energy in the heat); Shukkeien Garden, a small but gorgeous park; Hiroshima Castle, which is more of an observatory with historical exhibition - like Osaka Castle, but much smaller. It doesn't have air-conditioning though (or too weak), so I had to spend five minutes in front of a high power fan, because I was about to pass out (not exaggerating...). Quite telling that all the people who came out of the castle flocked to the tiny shop selling ice cream - me included ^^; I closed the day in the shopping district afterward.

Day 2

I tried to take it easy, but the morning was hard. I wanted to visit some shrines and the Peace Monument just north of the station on a hill. It turned out to be a hill with tons of shrines, hiking routes, and I only saw a portion of everything there. It was 433 steps uphill in 35°C in a long skirt (pants stick to you too much). The steps were a bit steep in the second half too (not pictured). Every now and then they had some wise things to say (see above) while mentioning how much was left XD At the top there was this monument with a statue - concrete with metal and no shade at the benches anywhere!!! The view was great, but difficult to rest before going back down... I could refresh at the Hiroshima Museum of Art, fortunately. They had a nihonga exhibition, and since I have a new course to teach starting this semester that deals with mostly premodern Japanese visual arts, it was a useful exhibition for me. I closed the day walking around Ujina island, one of the islands near the coast. I love the sea, I love islands, so it was a nice preparation for the main dish of this trip: Miyajima. There were beaches, but it's the wrong side of the tide with every seashell and debris washing out there. It is also sandy, and I don't like sandy beaches. Anyway, the view was nice.

tbc...

[everythingbap]

📲 YYentertain Twitter / yy_ent Instagram update:

[📢Tour Announcement] BANG YONGGUK ‘III’ THE US TOUR 2024 Catch @/bangstergram live in the U.S!🇺🇸 🎫Ticket Open: March 1, 2024, 9 AM PST Check back later on: 🎫 bit.ly/4bSTnbP 📍[Brooklyn, NY] 4/5 - Warsaw 📍[Louisville, KY] 4/7 - Headliners Music Hall 📍[Chicago, IL] 4/9 - Avondale Music Hall 📍[Orlando, FL] 4/12 - The Plaza Live 📍[Dallas, TX] 4/14 - The Echo Lounge & Music Hall 📍[Houston, TX] 4/17 - House of Blues 📍[Phoenix, AZ] 4/19 - Marquee Theatre 📍[Las Vegas, NV] 4/21 - House of Blues 📍[Sacramento, CA] 4/23 - Harlow’s 📍[San Diego, CA] 4/26 - Observatory North Park 📍[Los Angeles, CA] 4/28 - Hollywood Vermont #BANGYONGGUK #방용국 #BANGYONGGUKinUS #BANGYONGGUK_IIITOUR #BANGYONGGUK_3

[afpwestcoast]

The Observatory North Park, San Diego, 12/9/23

Though we were in a different city the setup for this show was very similar to last night in LA: large, ornate theater with a barricade keeping people back from the stage. But this was no impediment to the band torching through a stellar set.

Amanda calls me Tom the Critic because after shows I have a tendency to skip over the OMYGOD THAT WAS AWESOME part and pick nits over minor issues. It’s a character flaw; I’m working on it.

After this show I took Amanda’s face in my hand, looked her in the eye, and said, “Amanda, you know I love you, but I am about to tell you something that you probably thought you’d never hear me say.”

“Oh god,” she replied, bracing for the worst. “What is it?”

I leaned in close and whispered, “Perfect show. No notes.”

“AWWWW!” she said as she melted into my arms for a big hug.

And it really was a truly stupendous show, but even so it came close to being overshadowed by the after party.

Amanda’s sister Alyson (of forced wedding / gross cake fame) was in town for a hematology conference, and her “book doula” Jamy Ian Swiss lives in San Diego, so they were both there.

I convinced them - and Amanda’s brilliant long-time sound guy Dave - to join us for drinks at Part Time Lover, a nearby combination bar and vinyl record store. As we headed out I snuck up behind Amanda and said, “I think I just convinced your sister to come out drinking.” She said, “Yeah, that tracks.”

The place was jammed with a boisterous young crowd when we arrived, but we closed the place down and there hardly was anyone left by 2am.

I got to learn about Alyson’s efforts to cure cancer with targeted drugs and Dave’s work training the next generation of sound engineers. That was lovely, but Jamy stole the show. Or rather, put one on.

Knowing him primarily from his work with Amanda on her book, I thought the magic was a bit of a side hustle. When I asked, “Are you any good?” his look said, ‘I will tolerate that because you are buying me drinks,’ but his mouth said, “I am much better than good.” And then he pulled out a deck of cards and proved it.

I had never actually seen close magic up close, like literally standing next to the magician. Let me tell you, it is quite an experience. You know it’s a trick, you know he’s doing something, but you cannot see anything, which makes you start questioning your sanity. He really is much better than good.

After we closed the bar Dave and Alyson bailed but Jamy soldiered on and we went to an all-night diner where the spirited (pardon the pun) conversation continued until we finally parted ways around 4am. This was one for the annals.

Annotated Set List:

Good Day

Sex Changes

Gravity

Backstabber

My Alcoholic Friends

Shores of California

Delilah (featuring Veronica Swift) Welcome to the Internet (Bo Burnham cover)

Another lengthy intro before launching into a set of new songs, although this didn’t feel like the angsty delay tactic of the previous night but just bringing the audience up to speed on what was about to happen. Mister God

By way of introduction to the next song Amanda said that the friend who was the first person she sent it to when it was finished was in the audience.

“A really dear friend of mine is in the audience tonight … his name is Jamy Ian Swiss and he’s a man of many talents, among them: he’s an incredible professional magician. But he also helped me write a book called “The Art of Asking,” which was kind of a magic trick itself. Over the course of working on this book together he got to know me very very very well.”

And I thought, ‘Oh yeah I need to party with this guy.’

Houdini

Believe it or not, as Amanda was telling the background story of the next song, there was another medical emergency that necessitated bringing up the house lights, same as the previous night in LA. Once again the staff was on it and the band and the crowd were very respectful.

Afterwards Brian said, “It is actually really amazingly rad to have venue after venue’s staff come up to us after shows and go, ‘Your crowd is really awesome; they’re really good people!’”

Whakenewha Amsterdam (Jacques Brel cover)

Another Christmas

Boyfriend in a Coma

The Runner

The Nail (Amanda on synthesizer)

Coin-Operated Boy

“We don’t take for granted that we’ve been a band for 23 years now and without a record out since fucking 2008 and like a thousand people still came to see us play. That does not necessarily have to happen when you’re a band. And so we want to thank every single one of you for just like loving us and believing in us.”

Merch commercial

Astronaut (A Brief History of Nearly Nothing) (Amanda Palmer cover)

War Pigs (Black Sabbath cover)

—

Girl Anachronism

Photo Gallery:

The scene of the crime.

Ready to Rock! (photo by Deanna Aliano)

The Dresden Dolls!

Delilah

Amanda is WAY up on the balcony for Amsterdam

The many faces of Brian Viglione

Merry Christmas motherfuckers

Technicolor Dolls

Beautiful shot of Brian by Deanna Aliano

Big finish!

[gulftrash]

Chelsea Wolfe - The Liminal (live @ The Observatory North Park, San Dieg...

[cheswirls]

sa pkmn au

takes place in olden almia (oshima-kuni) during hisui's time but also right around the time period hisui would be rebranded to sinnoh

before rangers are established in the region - runs until the ranger union is formed

sabo lives in a settlement in hia valley, riolu partner pkmn, descendant of the third prince from the old legend about almia castle; he carries around a shard of the blue gem and is known as a mediator able to quell the disputes of both people and pkmn

ace lives in the chroma highlands, luxio partner pkmn, distantly related to the first prince in an old almia folk legend; he's the de facto leader of the people settled in the highlands and knows the terrain like the back of his hand; ace keeps his territory under wraps and solves all his problems with brute force

the two groups in northern almia are separated by three mountain ranges that keep them out of contact; each range hosts a hidden pathway traversing the length that was traveled by a prince of almia when they were all sent away from the castle; only the youngest, who returned to the castle, knew of another path back - a mountain range that curled around the east side of the region, snaking behind the chroma highlands to lead to the top of the snow basin where hia valley sits

the region is separated from the rest of hisui (ezo) by a wide bay to the northeast (unsailable due to mesprit's influence) and some sort of difficult terrain due north (mt. kariba?)

hia valley ref is assabu, chroma highlands is futamata-dake

an invasion of the valley by an enemy force has sabo making an impossible choice, escaping out one of the mountain passages to go and get help; he exits close into the start of the highlands and catches unwanted attention, and then is taken to camp

sabo leaves knowing the castle will be safe bc of the guardian pkmn protecting the treasures it contains

sabo and ace butt heads with their conflicting ideals yet end up working together surprisingly well; not seeing the hope of defeating sabo's foe with ace's people, the two set off with a small team to the settlement of puel in central almia, hoping to gather allies there

along the way, they travel to boyle and venture deep into the volcanic cavern in order to solve some conflict on the island; they do the same in the forest south of puel, and through these actions, begin to make names for themselves among the people of almia

the two end up shipwrecking north of the haruba desert and separated from their crew, and then have to survive on their own while hiking the cliffs back to a port

sabo finds purpose in the good he and ace do and aspires to push it further, seeing a future where almia has a task force of sorts dedicated to bringing peace to the region when conflict should arise; ace doesn't get it, but his mind is one-track focused on retaking hia valley from the invaders

when the time comes, sabo leads ace and co around the hidden fourth path from chroma to the basin

smth abt ace's people hiding out in the chroma ruins (but before they become the ruins)

altru marks the halfway point between sabo's and ace's homes as a symbol to their unity and shared goals for the region; it's not altru park like in present, but it's something like a monument

the ranger union construction begins on top of a lookout point that later gets re-worked to be an observatory, a surveillance area being established in order to grant easy access to anywhere in the region; the construction is the shared project of ace and sabo, and after many trials and tribulations, sabo surprises ace by his plan to rethink and they end up making the roof the great tree they build the structure around

at some point near the end, sabo and ace end up in charge of a manaphy egg; when the egg hatches, the manaphy imprints on them both, driving the pair reluctantly closer as manaphy refuses to part with either of them for long; they end up staying at the ranger union more and more as a way to make sure everything goes smoothly and stay close enough that there are no issues with manaphy

epilogue where the two retire to modern-day veintown, others also settling there over time and forming a small village; the founding of the town becomes another shared legacy of theirs, along with establishing the first remote "ranger base" as they discover the response time to southern almia is lacking compared to the rest of the region; having an independent team that can answer to the union while also responding to incidents in their surrounding becomes the basis for area rangers, and it's a practice that spreads across almia long after the two are dead (change bases to depots maybe so veintown is the only base but the idea of having places solely for rangers throughout almia is what sabo and ace inspire)

creative means of solving conflicts without the aid of capture stylers: sabo is observant and knowledgeable on the wild pokemon in his area, and these traits carry with him so when he runs into new pkmn, it doesn't take him long to discover what would make them tick and what would get them to behave - also what the problem could be, if the issue is a human error, so being a "human pokedex" is his main mediator/diplomat skill; ace knows better how to match a pkmn's emotion and tends to quell a pkmn's anger through brute force - he corners them in place and demands they calm down, which goes hand-in-hand with sabo's tactics, only their order switching depending on the situation; information networks are everything in this time period so the early establishment of "operators" to gather any know-how that could come in handy ends up being extremely clutch; handy items assist in diffusing odd situations (berries!! the various shards of the tears of princes, kinda weird to have as an item but ahem 'various pokemon befriended to perform specific tasks benefiting of each unique situation' aka a water type being able to douse a fire, partner pkmn assistance to start if all else should fail)

issues that arise include: lost children and/or pkmn, poachers, rampaging pkmn, unintentional destruction of habitat and/or property, pkmn kidnapping people/children, people being unable to travel past a certain point because of terrain and/or pkmn, pollution issues, the long river running thru almia being blocked somewhere upstream and causing drought further down, boyle volcano erupting and causing ash to lay thick on surrounding areas, territorial squabbles over the great tree that will later become the foundation for the ranger union - the symbol of peace and prosperity between pkmn and people, rockslide, forest fire, flooding (bad storm, puel reconstruction), the siege of almia castle (and subsequent reclaiming in a duo suicide infiltration mission by ace and sabo, possibly with help from the guardian lucario), either an avalanche in hia valley or collapse or smth in chroma highlands (underground that becomes "ruins" possibly) > each of these leads to the "collapsed" structure both areas have in present almia

maybe possibly?? ace and sabo touring the western half of recently-established sinnoh territory and promoting the idea of pokemon rangers in the foreign land (eterna, west of canalave, snowpoint)

sabo and ace basically use their interpersonal relationship skills to become the first "rangers" of almia, but this ends up becoming the foundation of standard ranger operating procedures even down the line when capture stylers get invented and the act of befriending pkmn becomes a task anyone can do with enough training; they teach what they know to their various companions throughout their journey who each form their own quirks to establish good relations with wild pkmn, so that by the end when the ranger union is operative, there's a small batch of "pokemon rangers" ready to serve almia capably in various ways that work for each of them individually (assisted in their tasks also by a smaller group of aides that will later be known as "operators")

if going with the western sinnoh roadtrip, manaphy gets released to migrate home along the way :( big sad they both cry over it bc that's their child

[leviabeat]

Wait a Minute... Let's Tour! Live at the Observatory North Park, San Diego, CA 2021

Part 5 of ?

A Warrior's Call // I Only Wanna Be With You

Parts 1 2 3 4 [ 5 ]

[theindyreview]

Live Report: The Wonder Years, Hot Mulligan & Carly Cosgrove at the Observatory North Park (March 3, 2023)

Live Report: @thewonderyears @HotMulligan @CarlyCosgrovePA at @ObservatorySD (3/3/23) A night in San Diego filled with energetic punk, thoughtful lyrics and songs about death @hopelessrecords @WaxBodega #livemusic #punk #poppunk @bigpictureNYC

It was shortly after 3pm on a Friday. We were stuck in traffic on our way to San Diego for our second round of the Carly Cosgrove, Hot Mulligan, and The Wonder Years tour. My girlfriend and I had this planned as soon as the tour was announced, knowing that the first night in Los Angeles simply wouldn’t be enough. The traffic on this drive grew by the minute, forcing us to skip our nice pizza…

[sleepymccoy]

I'm gonna make a tourist ad for Australia real quick

Here's some irl experience scale

The lower dot is Melbourne (me!) and the higher one is Brisbane (my grandparents!). I have driven up to brissie many times in my life. Probably ten times? If you pack the car Friday morning and leave after work and just immediately gun it north you can get past the Victorian border by like 10pm. Get up early and drive absolutely all day on Saturday can pass all of NSW. Talking like 7am to 8pm driving only. Sleep as close to a NSW/QL border town as possible and, again, drive first thing in the morning. Can usually get to my grandmother's house 90 min north of Brisbane for lunch.

But if you wanted to stop off? And see things? I'd give that distance a week alone and then wouldn't say I'd seen Australia. That's only half the east coast. Highlights on that route for me (as experienced on either separate trips or slower ones) in particular are parks observatory, Sydney rocks, Australia zoo, ACT, Blue mountains, Namadji, Byron bay spas, surfing, and the hume highway's planet installation. Those are just my picks, it's not everything

That's skipping everything inland of the road, btw. So you haven't even seen those states. You've barely scratched Vic and QL. You missed Victoria's great ocean road and Dandenong ranges and wine region and the Grampians and the Otways and the silo tour! The silos are a day and night on their own. You also didn't see the city, that's a whole day or two. Melbourne's got the pokey little galleries and bars, you gotta put time aside to explore, not just hit the main attractions like the ngv or melb museum. Oh and Silverton, with the mad max cars! Gotta see Silverton.

I live in Vic so I know more of the cool stuff here, but it is everywhere. And did you really see Australia if you didn't go to the top end of Queensland and eye a fern distrustfully in case it's a cassowary? Or get spooked by a croc story in Darwin?

Okay, here's a tourist map I found. Try and spot Melbourne and Brisbane then apply the drive length of that to the whole country. Even if you just do the coastal, it's over a week non stop. And that's not seeing the country, that's passing it by. And there's stuff in the middle you gotta do! And fucking Tasmania! MOMA my beloved.

And you can't have the country and skip western Aus. Like, are you really gonna skip whale spotting and wine region and quokka island around Perth? And there's stuff in-between the east and west coasts!

Like Adelaide and Darwin and Uluru and Coober Pedy, I love Coober Pedy. Town built into an old mine in fuck off nowhere? All the hotels are underground. It's awesome. Opals everywhere. And you're only a day or so drive from Uluru (seven hours one way)

And like, you just gotta love the long drive. Two days of open red sand and desert shrub then suddenly you hit wine region? Beautiful, breathtaking, how can this exist on one island?

I'm gonna be one of those retirees that takes six months off in a caravan to drive the country. I'm looking forward to it very much

In their defence, a lot of it is sand.

[everythingbap]

🎤 NME: Bang Yongguk announces 2024 ‘III’ US tour Featuring shows in California, New York, Texas and more

By Puah Ziwei

South Korean rapper Bang Yongguk has announced his upcoming 2024 US tour, titled ‘III’, featuring 11 concerts in April.

Today (February 29), Bang Yongguk and his label YY Entertainment announced the dates and venues for the 2024 ‘III’ US tour, which will kick off on April 5 with at concert at the Warsaw in New York City.

Thereafter, the rapper will play one-night-only shows in the cities of Louisville, Chicago and Orlando, followed by two concerts in the state of Texas. Those will be held in Dallas and Houston on April 14 and 17.

Advertisement

Following those performances, the South Korean musician will hold concerts in Phoenix and Las Vegas, before heading over to California to play shows across three different cities in the state. They include Sacramento, San Diego and Los Angeles.

Tickets to Bang Yongguk’s 2024 ‘III’ US tour will go on sale tomorrow (March 1) at 9am PST via MyMusicTaste. Check out the official MyMusicTaste website for more details.

The dates for Bang Yongguk’s 2024 ‘III’ US tour are:

APRIL 2024 05: New York, New York, Warsaw 07: Louisville, Kentucky, Headliners Music Halll 09: Chicago, Illinois, Avondale Music Hall 12: Orlando, Florida, The Plaza Live 14: Dallas, Texas, The Echo Lounge and Music Hall 17: Houston, Texas, House of Blues 19: Phoenix, Arizona, Marquee Theatre 21: Las Vegas, Nevada, House of Blues 23: Sacramento, California, Harlow’s 26: San Diego, California, Observatory North Park 28: Los Angeles, California, Hollywood Vermont

Head of his tour, Bang Yongguk will also drop his third mini-album ‘3’ on March 31. It’ll follow his 2023 release, ‘The Colors of Love’.

[bennett2112]

26 November 2024 - Trip to the DMZ (a one off post by Phoebe)

I’m a fiction reader so I can probably count on one hand how many non fiction books I’ve made it to the end of. One such book is In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park which is her story around life in North Korea before escaping and enduring a harrowing journey across China and the Gobi Desert and finding freedom in South Korea. It is a deeply interesting book and I knew if the opportunity ever arose, I was keen to learn more about the war - hence, I dragged Luke to the DMZ!

We started the day at Imginjak which was built with the purpose of unification between the north and south, where everything is named with peace in mind I.e. peace bridge, peace gondola etc. Here we saw the Bridge of Freedom, which South Koreans crossed when they came back to their home country from North Korea after the signing of the Armistice Agreement. Mangbaedan Alter, which stands opposite Imjingak, is famous as the place where Korean’s separated from their families in the North visit to perform ancestral rites by bowing toward their hometowns every New Year’s Day and Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving). Interestingly they also had a small amusement park which looked out of place but it was built for entertaining young children who don’t understand the significance of the DMZ and the need to visit. Here we also went on the peace gondola which takes you on a ride across literal land mines! On the other side of the gondola track, we were able to tie peace ribbons where some wrote their wishes and prayers down.

Did you know Kim Jong-un made everyone who had the same name as him legally change their names when he became dictator? Madness. Although that’s really the tip of the iceberg.

We then went across the Unification Bridge, also known as the Cow Bridge on the way to the Dora Observatory. The founder of Hyundai, Chung Ju Yung was from North Korea and escaped to South Korea by stealing a cow from his family and selling it in order to fund his trip. After getting rich with Hyundai, Chung Ju Yung, rebuilt a bridge within the DMZ that had been damaged during the conflict. According to the tour guide, this bridge is known as the “cow bridge” because when it was rebuilt, Chung Ju Yung crossed over to North Korea and took along with him 1001 cows in order to amend his transgression of stealing a cow from his family when he left home for South Korea.

Before getting to the Dora Observatory, Chloe (our tour guide) mentioned that we would no longer be able to a) use the rooftop and b) go and visit the Joint Security Area. For the rooftop, I had already seen this in the news (and of course my mother had shared panicked instagram reels of this with me) of North Korea sending bags of rubbish and poo over to South Korea by balloons and apparently this is still an ongoing threat so no rooftop access allowed! The JSA is the only “open” area (ie. no barbed wire/gates etc.) along the border where the North and South Korean guards face each other and its owned by the United Nations and it’s where people like Trump would meet with North Korean officials. This was included in tours until a US Soldier, Travis King, who was on this DMZ tour ran across the demarcation line and into North Korea. You can see the whole story in the news but I just can’t personally fathom the motivation for doing that.

The Dora Observatory is the one place you can literally look out into North Korea and it was just an unbelievable sight. There’s a lot I could mention here so I’ll stick to the highlights:

1. There’s a giant GPS blocking tower which is taller than the surrounding mountains. This is to stop any kind of signal from South Korea getting through to North Korea. This doesn’t stop South Korea from blasting out KPOP music and other news announcements in the hope someone might hear them.

2. Daeseong-dong is a South Korean village within the DMZ. Daeseong-dong is only 1.6 km from Kijong-dong, a village in North Korea's portion of the DMZ. Here Korea's division is starkly apparent: rival national flags can be seen on gigantic flagpoles that have been erected in the two villages with North Korea’s being 60m higher as a result of intense competition. What makes this extra interesting is that whilst the South Korean village is real, the North Korean village is a propaganda village designed to show everyone how great life is in North Korea. The reality is no one lives there, not all the buildings have roofs and the windows have been painted on.

3. There’s around ~100 people who live in that DMZ village and they get checked to make sure they’re ok by the military every single day and you can only live there if you were there during the Korean War or had ancestors who did.

4. In the mountains there are giant missiles pointed at South Korea with the capability of reaching as far as Seoul.

The next stop was to the Third Tunnel of Aggression. This is one of 4 known tunnels between North and South Korea, built for the purpose of invading the south. When the south discovered the tunnel, North Korea denied making it and said it was for coal mining and actually painted the walls with coal dust. When we visited, Luke showed me the coal dust on the walls and you could see actual granite, making this tunnel impossible to be used for coal. The tunnel now has a military demarcation line followed by 3 concrete blockades, of which we were able to walk all the way until the 3rd blockade and look through a hole to see the 2nd one. For context, this meant we were standing a mere 170m away from North Korea! I’ve got a whole leaflet on this in my scrapbook and a pin badge as it was a real physical effort to get there (358m of pure intense hill, it’s a deep tunnel).

Finally we finished the tour with a visit to the market in Tongilchon Village which is a civilian control zone near the DMZ. This ties into the want for peace at the beginning of the tour with it known as the Unification Village. As they live in a strict military zone, they also have strict curfews of sunset. If they’re outside of the zone after sunset, they won’t be able to return till sunrise. The people that live there do so rent free and provide unique products to the market.

I could say a whole lot more on this, we learnt a lot of interesting facts and Chloe did actually briefly tell us about Yeonmi Parks story but let’s leave it here (if you made it this far that’s a miracle!).

[malaysiatravelagency]

Explore the United States: A Grand Tour of Iconic Cities, Scenic Wonders, and Diverse Cultures

Embark on a captivating journey across the United States, a land of diverse landscapes, vibrant cities, and rich cultural experiences. Our United States Travel Agency offers meticulously planned travel experiences that showcase the country's iconic landmarks, natural wonders, and vibrant cultures, ensuring an unforgettable adventure across this vast and varied nation.

Start your exploration in New York City, a global hub of culture, art, and entertainment. Visit renowned landmarks such as Times Square, Central Park, and the Statue of Liberty. Explore world-class museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art, and take in breathtaking views from the top of the Empire State Building or the One World Observatory.

From the East Coast, head to the historic charm of Washington, D.C. Wander through the National Mall, where you can visit the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the Smithsonian museums, including the National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of American History.

Travel west to experience the vibrant culture and stunning scenery of California. In San Francisco, walk across the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, explore the lively Fisherman’s Wharf, and visit Alcatraz Island. Continue to Los Angeles, where you can experience the glamour of Hollywood, relax on the sunny beaches of Santa Monica, and explore the cultural attractions of downtown.

For a taste of natural beauty, visit the majestic Grand Canyon in Arizona, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Hike along the rim or take a helicopter tour to witness the immense scale and stunning colors of this iconic landmark.

In the South, explore New Orleans, a city renowned for its rich music scene, vibrant festivals, and unique cuisine. Stroll through the historic French Quarter, enjoy live jazz music, and savor classic Creole dishes like gumbo and beignets.

For a change of pace, head to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, straddling the border between North Carolina and Tennessee. Explore scenic hiking trails, discover ancient forests, and enjoy breathtaking mountain views.

Our travel packages are designed to provide a balanced mix of city exploration, natural adventure, and cultural immersion. With personalized itineraries and expert guides, we ensure that your journey across the United States is both seamless and extraordinary.

Conclusion:

Discover the diverse beauty and rich culture of the United States with our expertly crafted tours. From the bustling streets of New York City and the natural wonders of the Grand Canyon to the vibrant energy of California and the historic charm of New Orleans, the United States offers a travel experience full of excitement and discovery. Let us guide you through this remarkable country, where every destination has a story to tell.

[isthespiceoflife]

It's hard to imagine someone with so much gut-wrenching soul, being fake. Mk.gee, soon-to-be on tour throughout the U.S. and in the fall/winter, Europe and Australia, will be winning more than a few fans' hearts. His latest (debut) LP, Two Star & The Dream Police which dropped in February, finally is getting ears worldwide, to pay attention. Catch him and his band LIVE on the following tour dates👇🏾

Upcoming Tour Dates

North America:

9/2 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom

9/3 - Seattle, WA - Showbox SoDo *

9/6 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theater

9/7 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium

9/8 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium

9/9 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory North Park

9/11 - Denver, CO - Summit

9/13 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall

9/14 - Austin, TX - Emo’s Austin

9/15 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues Dallas

9/18 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle

9/19 - Louisville, KY - Mercury Ballroom

9/20 - Nashville, TN - Marathon Music Works

9/21 - Newport, KY - MegaCorp Pavilion *

9/23 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore

9/24 - New Haven, CT - Toad’s Place

9/25 - New York, NY - Terminal 5

9/26 - Boston, MA - House of Blues Boston

9/28 - Philadelphia, PA - Franklin Music Hall *

9/29 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Paramount

10/1 - Toronto, ON - History 

10/2 - Detroit, MI - Saint Andrew’s Hall

10/3 - Chicago, IL - The Vic Theatre *

10/5 - Minneapolis, MN - Uptown Theater

*Non-Live Nation Date

UK & Europe:

10/29 - London, UK - Electric Brixton

10/30 - London, UK - Electric Brixton

10/31 - London, UK - Electric Brixton

11/2 - Paris, FR - Élysée-Montmartre

11/4 - Berlin, DE - Betonhalle

11/5 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso

Australia:

12/3 - Brisbane, QLD - The Triffid

12/5 - Sydney, NSW - Enmore Theatre 

12/7 - Melbourne, VIC - Max Watt’s

12/8 - Melbourne, VIC - Max Watt’s