North America: 4 Days in Phoenix, Arizona October 27-31, 2015

Phoenix, Apache Trail, Sedona & Jerome

Chapel of Holy Cross, Sedona

Superstition Mountain

October 27 Tuesday: Las Vegas, Nevada – Phoenix, Arizona (GMT-7) – Travel Day

I returned to L.A. before resuming my journey on a round-the-world ticket to Phoenix. My plane took off at 10:15 am and I spent five hours at the airport lounge in L.A. before boarding the 4:15 pm flight to Phoenix. I had not wasted time: I relaxed, had a light lunch and worked on my photos and travel notes in the lounge. 

I arrived in Phoenix, the state capital, shortly after 6pm. Arizona is one of the two states not on light-saving time. Hence, the sun sets early: it’s dark by 6 pm. The Supershuttle ($13) dropped me off at Phoenix Hostel on the 9^th street and Roosevelt. The hostel located in an arts district, is quiet and cozy. I particularly like the kitchen which is well-equipped and clean.

Phoenix, like L.A. spreads out: it is difficult to travel around without a car.  I therefore booked three tours with a company that offers 10% discount to people from the hostel.

October 28 Wednesday: Phoenix

I took a half-day Phoenix & Scottsdale Tour ($75). Dan, the driver picked me up at 8 am and a group of six later. We proceeded to Scottsdale, a posh neighbourhood with many expensive galleries. But the place is lifeless: everything is closed at 9am.

We went to a view point in Paradise Valley dotted with expensive villas perching on the hill side with excellent panoramic views of Phoenix. I was surprised to see a veil of yellowish smog covering the city!

Dan took us back to Phoenix downtown and dropped us off at 10:30 am at the Heard Museum of Native American Culture, one of the premier museums of its kind in the US. We had a guided hour tour at 11am and lunch thereafter. The collection on clothes/wraps for carrying babies on their mom’s back is the best I have ever seen! The section on the 23 Native American tribes living in Arizona is informative. I am delighted to discover paintings by Helen Hardin, a Native American (1943-1984) whose works are distinctive.

While the group had lunch, I returned to museum to look at a special exhibition on the 19^th century boarding school experiences of Native Americans. To solve the problem of Native Americans, the American Government had removed kids from their parents and sent them to boarding schools as a means to turn them into American through education and assimilation.

How successful is this policy? As expected, some suffered a lot without support from their family, lost their identity and had problems in adjusting to the new life. Some died or never recovered from the traumatic experiences. Many returned to their native place only to find they had become a stranger in their own place disappointed, disillusioned and distraught. Those who survived, were educated without problem and could adjust when back in their homeland, were the lucky ones. Anyway, this is one of the dark chapters of American history.

After lunch, we proceeded to the State Capitol west of the downtown. Dan gave us an hour to look at the museum which tells the history of Arizona which was originally part of Mexico, the constitution and government structure. Dan dropped me back in the hostel after 3 pm. I find the tour over-priced.

It’s early: I decided to explore the city on my own. I bought a day pass for $4 and had to wait 30 minutes for Bus 17. I did not arrive at the Botanic Garden on 64^th Street till 4:30pm. There is a good collection of desert plants with good illustrations. I only had about an hour to walk around as it got dark around 5:30 pm.

I took Bus 56 outside the Garden (instead of walking in the dark back to 64^th street for Bus 17).  I got off at Washington Street and took the light rail to the Phoenix Arts Museum on McDowell which offers free entrance on Wednesday from 3 to 9 pm.

I spent an hour and a half in the museum. The first exhibition I saw here is a special exhibition of the sculpture by Ai Weiwei, a renowned Chinese artist. He produced the head of 12 animals which had once been lining the garden of Yuanmingyuan, the summer place that was burnt down by foreign troops in 1860. These heads disappeared and seven have re-appeared at subsequent art auctions. Today, the whereabouts of five heads are still unknown.

The museum has a few good exhibits from China, Korea and Japan. I also enjoy the section of American artists and landscape scenery of this part of America. Contemporary art exhibits laid out in an expansive wing exhibits are interesting.  I was tired and left before 9 pm. I took the light rail and walked back to the hostel.

October 29 Thursday: Apache Trail

I took an Apache Trail & Dolly Steamboat full day tour ($108). The mini bus came after 8 am. There were three other American tourists. We were first driven to Superstitious Mountain and had half an hour guided tour on desert plants including the iconic Saguaro Cacti which is found in Sonora Desert and some parts of California and Mexico.

Then we had a quick stop at a ghost mining town which is now a tourist trap.

The third stop was the Canyon Lake. During the 90-minute cruise aboard the Dolly Steamboat, we spotted a California eagle perching on a cliff and four big-horn sheep. We also saw petrified wood. Before we reached the pier, the sky darkened with lightning and thundering.

The last stop was Tortilla Flat which boasts a population of six people and a well-known eatery with unique décor. The interior of the pub/restaurant is covered by $1 bills from customers. The seats around the bar are used saddles. The toilets are the showpiece: doors of toilets in the Ladies are covered with sexy girls. I understand the ‘Men’ toilets are equally intriguing. The other must-do thing here is to have a local ice-cream.

I was dropped off in the downtown area around 4 pm. I strolled around looking at the Civic Space Park, St Mary’s Basilica, the oldest church in Arizona where Pope John Paul II had preached and the Heritage Square. I was walking back to the hostel when I saw a remarkable sunset with unusual deep purple, orange and pink hues. I wished I had taken Bus 7 to South Mountain Park to watch sunset.

October 30 Friday: Sedona & Jerome

Today I joined a full day Sedona Red Rock Tour ($108). Sedona’s main attraction is its array of red sandstone formations. It is also known as a place for meditation and spiritual renewal.  There were four other American tourists from the East Coast. Dan picked me up from the hostel at 7 am.

We had a scenic ride with a glimpse of Sonoran Desert containing a variety of unique and endemic plants and animals such as Saguaro Cacti and Organ Pipe Cacti. The first stop is the Montezuma Castle built by Southern Sinagua who were principally farmers flourished in the Verde Valley hundreds of years ago. By 1150, they began building larger pueblos, often on hilltops or in cliff alcoves. The Castle built between 1100 and 1300 reached its maximum size reaching five story-high with about 45 rooms. Somehow, they migrated away from their pueblos by the early 15^th century. We did not visit two other historic sites (the Montezuma Well and Tuzigoot).

Soon we arrived at the Red Rock Country and had a couple of photos stops including the Bell Rock and the Chapel of the Holy Cross designed by Marguerite Brunwig Staude and built in 1956.Its walls of glass perching on a cliff create a dramatic perspective on the landscape.

Around noon, we reached Uptown Sedona with a 90-minute free time. I did not spend the time on lunch. Instead, I followed a path to the river: the place is tranquil and atmospheric. 

Our final stop was Jerome, a legendary copper mining town which once had 15,000 people in the 1920s before turning into a ghost town with some 50 persons in the late 1950s. During the 60’s and 70’s, it became a haven for artists. Today, it is a tourist magnet with a population of about 500.

We had an hour’s free time. I went to the museum to learn about its fascinating history and developments. I enjoyed strolling along the Main Street and Clark Street, looking at the few old buildings that are still standing including the Connor Hotel and Jeannie’s Place (a brothel) and the Holy Family Catholic Church.

I was back in the hostel before 6 pm. I was invited to carve a pumpkin for Halloween. It is my first Halloween pumpkin which looks sad but cute!

October 31 – November 4: Phoenix, Arizona (GMT-7) – Mexico City, Mexico (GMT-6)

I got up before 6:30am and was already at the airport before 7:15 am. My flight departed at 10:15 am and took just over two hours to reach Mexico City.

Remarks

This is my third trip to the USA since leaving New York in 2006 in order to attend my niece’s wedding and family reunion in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. With the round-the-world ticket, I have made six stops in North America. It’s a fairly rush: apart from the 8-day cruise in Hawaii and 7-day Canyonland tour, I spent at the most four nights in a place. Fortunately, I have nice memories of a few places.

It’s my second visit to Honolulu, a touristic beach city full of hotels and resorts. It does not appeal to me at all. But I had to come as the cruise started here. The Hawaii archipelago is however a nature paradise: I love to explore the islands and hike in the volcanoes national parks.

I have no fancy for most of the American cities. After the recent one month – long journey in North America, I can definitely tick Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix off my list. 

The whirlwind coach tour to the Grand Canyon, Monumental Valley, Antelope Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park within five days is crazy. Many passengers on the coach cannot walk much and speeding through the parks is good enough for them. I prefer to hike and take time to soak in the atmosphere. I hope to find friends or family to spend a few weeks just for the Grand Circle one day starting at the Yellowstone National Park and finish somewhere in New Mexico! May my dream come true one day!