Five minutes in and I was transported into an emerald world. Who would have known green came in so many colors? Sparkling shades of jade lined the cobblestone walls along the road, olive moss hung from the trees. Teal water floated along the banks of lakes and shamrocks rolled out like a carpet across the landscape. That was only the beginning of the green flavored oasis. 

This was an example of the paradox of a place where arbitrary lines were drawn and long histories of culture and natives are indistinguishable. Yet I had the feeling that I was in a very different place. The first feel was under my feet. The dirt road slowly became uneven in a way that was not from neglect or overuse. It was from the molten lava that now remained as a permanent fixture of the city's infrastructure.