Day 3 - 15th Jul 2012
We had a sudden hiccup the night before cos the boyf realized trains do not operate at wee hours in the morning. And we needed to get to the airport by 8am. Dang! Looks like the only option is to call for a cab which was freaking expensive in the States. We had no choice so we called the concierge to arrange a cab for us. Cab fare = USD60!
Anyhow, we arrived at the airport safe & in time for the flight. Even had time for a quick bite at the departure hall.
Upon touching down at Las Vegas, we were greeted with slot machines, bright lights and more slot machines. Yes, right at the aiport. Hahaha welcome to sin city. We discovered one of our luggage was damaged during transit. So we had to spend some time at the customer service office filing for claims. Then we had to take a shuttle bus to the car rental centre to collect our car. And off we drove to Grand Canyon!
After a grueling 5-hour drive (with lunch and washroom breaks), we arrived at Grand Canyon National Park! Yippee! The strange thing was that it began drizzling when we drove into Arizona. Weird - I thought deserts were dry?! Anyway the weather didn't dampen our mood as we marvel at the magnificent world wonder.
Checked-in at Yavapai Lodge and went to enquire about the tours. Thankfully we were in time for the Sunset Tour, and also booked Desert View Tour for the next day.
YAVAPAI LODGE
1 Main Street, South Rim
Grand Canyon National Park, AZ 86023
While waiting for the sunset, we saw this beautiful landscape and the guide explained that Grand Canyon is so big that you can actually see what's happening at the other side. We could see that it was raining heavily in the middle of the picture below the clouds. Pretty cool stuff!
As with all sunsets, you just gotta wait and wait and get your camera ready. We sat by a cliff and watch as the egg yolk slowly descends. Hehe we also took some cute pictures. I didn't manage to develop these photos so I've yet to scrap a page. Will do so soon!
Day 4 - 16th Jul 2012
Woke up early the next day for the Desert View Tour. We were lucky to get a very funny guide but I was probably too tired so I snoozed whenever we are on the bus.
We also visited the watch tower. I didn't pay much attention to the history of it so I haven't got much to say about it.
The tour ended at about lunch time so we went back to Yavapai cafe for a quick bite before checking out. Took our luggages and off we go again. Then boyf and I had an impromptu plan to watch IMAX. We initially wanted to go on a helicopter tour but it was way too expensive. About USD 200 per person *gulps*. His dad wanted to go on the skywalk where they used glass to build platform and you can actually see through all the way down. We heard it wasn't as good as it seemed because you're not allowed to take pictures there and only a maximum of 20 people allowed at one time. Also, it was a little out of the way since we won't be driving past that area.
So, IMAX it is then. No regrets cos it was so good! As if we're on a helicopter weaving in and out of the Grand Canyon. It's amazing (:
As we were leaving Grand Canyon, we also managed to catch a glimpse of an ewe. Up close right beside us! I love how we can get close to wildlife in countries like US.
On the road again after the IMAX show and we drove to Flagstaff, Arizona. It's a really small town! We checked in at this really vintage hotel - Hotel Weatherford. I love the interior; carpet, jukebox, old rustic wooden railing and 2 pubs within the hotel. The rooms are really small with very little amenities. To save money, we even opted for communal bathroom. Keep in mind that this is not the best option. Haha we'll definitely go for private bathrooms in future :P
HOTELWEATHERFORD
23 N. Leroux
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Settled our belongings before heading out to explore the town. Most of the shops were closed already but we managed to see the train passing by. It was so cool! We were about to cross the road when the bell rang and we saw the lights "rail crossing". I told the boyf to wait so we could take a shot of the railway. It was deafening and the train was super long.
We also found a shopping place and I love that the things on sale were very pretty!
BASEMENT MARKETPLACE
120 N. Leroux
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Settled dinner at Big Foot since we were not very hungry. They serve really good food considering the price it not at all expensive. My favourite was the chicken wings. Goes super well with beer. Pub finger food ftw!
BIGFOOT BAR-B-Q
120 N. Leroux
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
The boyf and I wanted to explore some other pubs in the vicnity that night but we were way too tired. And he had to send some emails for his project. So that's it for the day!
