North America 3: Los Angeles & Canyonland, October 17 – 22, 2015

October 17 – 22: Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon and Monument Valley

October 18-19 Sunday & Monday: Los Angeles

L.A., America’s second largest city, is not a place for me. Lili, a first year student at Biola University, a private Christian university took me on a campus tour after Sunday brunch. I also met her roommate and I am glad that she has settled down. In the evening, Ken, Lawrence’s primary school friend and his wife Tamara took us out for dinner. Lili then returned to her dorm.

The next day, I met up with Fiona and Roger who were on the boat to the North Pole last year. They picked me up in the afternoon and took me to visit Hsi Lai Temple established by Master Hsing Yun in Hacienda District. The 90-year old monk is legendary and has expanded the Fo Guang Shan Monastery to consist of over 200 branch temples in major cities around the world. In addition, he has established three universities and secondary schools, nine art galleries, 16 Buddhist colleges and over 50 language schools.

We went to a Hong Kong-style cafe to have afternoon tea which serves typical snacks such as noodles, pork neck roasted in Vietnamese style and oven chicken in tomato sauce. I am pleased to have comfort food like noodles and rice. Roger who likes to sample local food, took me to an eatery called ‘Pink’ which is famous for hot dogs. It was 11 pm when they dropped me off at a hotel near the airport.

8-day Canyon-land Highlight

I was in Las Vegas and Grand Canyon during my first visit to the United States in 1980. The landscape is awesome: I always want to return to visit the canyon-land.  Driving is the only way to see the America’s expansive national parks. But as I have yet to find like-mind friends to explore together, I have no choice but to join an organised tour. Late October is the end of the touring season. After some research, I found a Globus’s tour to Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Bryce Canyon and Zion Canyon departing from Las Vegas on October 20. 

I had already issued my round-the-world ticket without a stop in Las Vegas. What could I do? Should I buy another plane ticket or take a bus or re-route my ticket. Eventually, I brought a plane ticket for some $130 without knowing that I had to pay $25 for a piece of luggage each way. Had I fully considered the logistics and cost, I should have simply paid for a re-routing of my round-the-world ticket.

Day 1- October 20 Tuesday: Los Angeles – Las Vegas

I got up early and took the 8 am shuttle bus to the airport. The plane took off around 11 am and I was at Las Vegas, often known as the ‘City of Sin‘ before noon. As soon as I set foot inside the airport, I was bombarded by noises from the gaming machines.

Globus had arranged us to stay at Harrah’s Casino and Hotel on the strip. It is my third visit to Las Vegas, which has become a booming destination for trade shows, conventions and entertainment. There are enough accommodation for 200,000 visitors at any time, well over 50 shows (even more than London and New York), hundreds of bars and eateries and countless gaming machines and all forms of gambling in casinos. 

As soon as I stepped into the lobby of the hotel, I realised I could no longer stand the noise, the cigarette smell and décor of these casino hotels. I find exuberant consumption, non-stop and loud music, artificial monuments and artifacts horrible!

Anyway, as a professional tourist, I must find out something worth doing. So I went to see a show- Mystère by Cirque de Solei which is now running six different shows in Las Vegas! I am pleasantly surprised to find a 25%  discount for people over 55. Anyway, the show still cost me over $78 for a seat fairly far away from the stage. Everything here is pricy!

Day 2- October 21 Wednesday: Las Vegas, Nevada – Grand Canyon, Arizona

Sven is our tour director and Steve the driver. We had 48 passengers (most of them come from North America). My roommate Sophie is a young nurse from Sydney, Australia. I am surprised to meet three Hong Kong Chinese (Ah Wah, Mr and Mrs Ho) who are now living in Canada.

Everyone was punctual and the bus set off at 8:15 am. Once we passed Lake Meade, the largest man-made lake in the United States, we were in Arizona.

Native Americans have been inhabited the Colorado River Basin for at least 8,000 years. Europeans first entered the basin in the 16^th century, when Spanish explorers began mapping and claiming the area, which later became part of Mexico known as Alta California upon its independence in 1821. During the Mexican-American War (1847), the US occupied Mexico City and pursued its claim to much of northern Mexico, including what later became Arizona which was ceded to the US. In 1853, the southernmost portion of the state (i.e. land below the Gila River) was acquired from Mexico through the Gadsden Purchase. Arizona administered as part of the Territory of New Mexico until 1861, only achieved statehood in February 1912. It is the sixth largest state in terms of size with an area of 295,234 km² and a population of about 7 million. It remains home to numerous Native American tribes. Today, Arizona’s economy relies on the “five C’s“: copper, cotton, cattle, citrus and tourism.

Arizona is home to one of the most well-preserved meteorite impact sites in the world. Created around 50,000 years ago, the Barringer Meteorite Crater (better known as “Meteor Crater”) is a gigantic hole in the middle of the high plains of the Colorado Plateau, about 40km west of Winslow. The crater is nearly 1.6km wide and 170m deep.

We had a stop at Walmart for 40 minutes. It’s my first visit to the world’s largest mega store. Living in New York without a car, I never had a chance to visit a Walmart. Quite an educational experience!

We drove on the historic Route 66 and had lunch in Williams where many tourists begin their train journey to the iconic Grand Canyon, a natural World Heritage Site attracting some 5 million visitors a year.

Grand Canyon National Park covering 4,926km² is America’s 15^th oldest national park. The central feature is the Grand Canyon which was created by the incision of the Colorado River and its tributaries after the uplifting of the Colorado Plateau. The Grand Canyon is 433km long and 1.6km deep. The minimum width at Marble Canyon is only 180m while the maximum Rim to Rim width is 28.8km with an average of 16km. Rising in the central Rocky Mountain, the 2,330km-long Colorado River flows 443km through the Park. John Wesley Powell leader of several expeditions was the first person to run the rapids of the Grand Canyon in 1869.   The river divides the Park into the North Rim and South Rim which overlook the 16km wide canyon. The buttes, spires, mesas and temples in the canyon are mountains looked down upon from the rims. There are over 100 named rapids.

The primary public areas of the park are the North and South Rims. The South Rim about 2,130m above the canyon floor, is open year round with well-designed walking trails. The Rim Drive is a driving tour split into two segments. The western drive to Hermit’s Rest is 13 km with several lookout points along the way including Mojave Point, Hopi Point and the Powell Memorial. From March to December, access to Hermit’s Rest is restricted to the free shuttle provided by the Park Service. The eastern drive to Desert View is 40km and is open to private vehicles year around. The 23-km long Rim walking trail is well-signed and maintained. In addition, there are three fantastic hiking trails to the canyon floor starting at Bright Angel or Kaibab or Hermit’s Rest.  The North Rim about 300m higher than South Rim with fewer visitors, is closed once snow falls.

We entered the Park from the South Gate. As the weather was not good with low-lying clouds, the scenic flight for a dozen of people on the bus was canceled. They had to return to the airport at 7:30am the following morning. We were dropped off at 3:30pm at Bright Angel, a most visited location in the Park where I had my first unforgettable sight of the canyon in the summer 1980. Today owing to the grey sky and dull colours, I find the landscape less impressive. Or is it because I have been seen so many unearthly beautiful and magnificent places since 1980?

We had 45 minutes of free time before re-boarding the bus. Steve dropped us at the Maswik Lodge nearby. After putting warm clothes on, I walked back to Bright Angel to take the free shuttle to Hermit’s Rest. I got on the shuttle before 5pm. The driver suggested me get off at Mojave Point which is a great location for sunset. I saw many elks strolling along the road: they stared at us curiously.

Few people were at this lookout point. I enjoy the tranquility and the unobstructed views including Mount Trumbull Mountain which is over 60km away. Though the sunset was not at its best, I was content.

The sun was gone after 6:30 pm.  I took the last shuttle back to Bright Angel. By the time I arrived at the lodge, it started to drizzle. I did not bother to spend a lot on dinner. Instead, I had a cup noodle and went to bed before 9 pm.

Day 3- October 22 Thursday: Grand Canyon – Monument Valley, Arizona

My shadow, Martha Point at sunrise

I was the only passenger. It was still dark when the driver told me to get off. He kindly showed me the trail to Martha Point. A few young Japanese tourists were already there. More people arrived just before the rising sun appeared above the mountain ranges at the far end around 6:40am. For me the best part is the changing colours before the sunrise and the lights following on the canyon after the sunrise.

Our bus would leave at 9:30 am. I had enough time to walk along the rim from Martha Point to Bright Angel (about 5km). The canyon bathing in morning lights with shadows are spectacular..

I was back to the hotel at 9 am, had a coffee and got on the bus on time. Steve drove us to the Desert View point where we had 30 minutes of free time. I explored the historic El Tovar Lodge and Mary Colter’s Hopi House. I had definitely not visited this area before. The views are even better! North Rim seems so close: I must go to the other side one day!

We left the Park from the East Gate and had lunch at Cameron Trading Post on Navajo Indian Reserve for lunch. On the way, Sven told us about how the American Government moved some 9,000 Navajo Indian to somewhere in New Mexico taking away their land. They were only allowed to return a few years later after the signing of an agreement between the tribe and the Government. Though the Navajo people have their own nation with some 27 million km², they have not been treated fairly. Today, many of them are still living without electricity and adequate water supply in the desert with an annual income of less than $3,000.

Cameron Trading Post

We had a scenic drive with rocks in rainbow and coral colours! At 4 pm, we arrived at Goulding’s Lodge with all rooms facing the Monument Valley.  At 5 pm, I joined a ‘Navajo Cookout‘ which promised Narajo BBQ and entertainment. We had a sunset drive to a place nearby – it is surrounded by huge red boulders and cliffs and were served BBQ chicken or steak with salad and desert. I paid $45 for the programme which is over-priced. The steak is nice but there is no real entertainment: a Najavo old man played a musical instrument for about ten minutes. I had expected something more authentic. I was back in the lodge before 6:45 pm.