In the spirit of my exhaustion, the above assortment of letters aren't in fact a result of my head bashing of the keyboard last night, but for those unaware, they happen to spell out the ridiculously long name of a village in Wales - wining the prestigious 'World's Longest Word' title.
 |
| Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch |
Anyway, the aforementioned is a tad misleading as I plan on talking about a country on the complete opposite side of the world - and hopefully my second attempt will be slightly more coherent than the first.
So, back to the picture of the Mojave Desert (for those who haven't read my previous post, click here). In 2010 I did a looped road trip from Los Angeles, California through San Diego, The Mojave Desert, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Nevada. The experience was beyond amazing and I am so glad I saw places that weren't on the Contiki Tour stop over list. However, whilst I loved the thought of travel and seeing everything the US had to offer, as my first official overseas trip (disregarding New Zealand), I don't think I appreciated all of the natural wonders that the United States offered. I was more interested in the amusement parks, shopping - basically, everything and anything I was already familiar with.
However, amidst my small-mindednest (if that is a word), i will certainly state the absolute highlights.
1) Santa Fe, New Mexico
Whilst the car ride was long and I was wedged between two argumentative siblings, arrival at this beautiful destination was so incredibly worthwhile. Hesitant at first, I thought this quaint little 'Spanish-Pueblo' city was an absolute masterpiece. The beautiful beige buildings and seasonal flowers, the rustic blue doors and array of art galleries brought it to life. Santa Fe proved itself to be among the most exquisite and unique cities I have ever had the privilege of visiting.
2) The Mojave Desert, California
The photo can be seen on the post before this one, and is one of the many endless roads that stretch across the Western Coast of California into the state of Arizona - In fact, this road connects up with the famous Route 66. I will never forget the feeling of driving down this road, in the sense where if you looked either side of you, you could see nothing but the flat plains of the desert - and if you looked in front of you, you could see an almost perfectly straight highway, miles and miles ahead in the distance - never-ending. I had never felt so free in my life.
3) Just everything in general, South-Western corner of the United States of America
I guess the most incredible experience - and the point I always point out when trying to share America's beauty with a 'hater' - is that in a matter of time and miles, I could go from standing on Hollywood Blvd - stationary amongst the chaotic and fascinating City of Angels - and then drive into complete serenity that was the barren Californian Desert. After four hours of Driving we could be in Arizona with the sweltering dry heat, soon to pass the New Mexico boarder, surrounded by Navajo regions and Spanish-Pueblo Adobe mud houses. You only had to drive a couple of hours north-west to then see the 'Welcome to Colorado' sign and immediately become surrounded by rows and rows of tall green and gold trees, grizzly bears and national parks. As soon as we left the state of Colorado, we entered Utah and within miles, it was as though we had gone from one planet to another, the outstretched red dust that covered Monument Valley. A day later we could be sailing in a little gondola through the canals of the Venetian Casino in Las Vegas and within a day, back in LA (please pardon the rhyme). We only covered a very small area of America, but in that little south-western corner, I saw things in three weeks, which one would usually have to see in a variety of different countries over quite a large period of time.
The greatest lesson to come away with after travelling to a place so dominating and influential in western culture however, is to visit the places that people could never tell you about. I find that with America particularly, a lot of people ask why I would want to go there, however I can always reply with 'have you been to the national parks in Arizona and Utah? Have you walked around the top of the Meteor Crater in Arizona? Have you driven miles and miles along Route 66 and seen the scenery change as often as one updates their Facebook status? Like, wow. It's incredible and you have no idea what you are missing out on. When you go to an exciting country (or any country for that matter), you want to see it for what it is and experience it for what it is. Before spending every cent you have in American Apparel and Walmart (tempting, I know - considering my make up costs $40 less in Walmart than it does in Australia - #funfact), take those tours around National Parks and Meteor Craters. You want to be able to return home, and give every single soul who sheds the slightest hint of interest in your travels the longing to see what you've seen, and go were you've been.
That is all.
Share your stories.
No two holidays will ever be the same.
Holly
However, amidst my small-mindednest (if that is a word), i will certainly state the absolute highlights.
 |
| Santa Fe, New Mexico |
Whilst the car ride was long and I was wedged between two argumentative siblings, arrival at this beautiful destination was so incredibly worthwhile. Hesitant at first, I thought this quaint little 'Spanish-Pueblo' city was an absolute masterpiece. The beautiful beige buildings and seasonal flowers, the rustic blue doors and array of art galleries brought it to life. Santa Fe proved itself to be among the most exquisite and unique cities I have ever had the privilege of visiting.
2) The Mojave Desert, California
The photo can be seen on the post before this one, and is one of the many endless roads that stretch across the Western Coast of California into the state of Arizona - In fact, this road connects up with the famous Route 66. I will never forget the feeling of driving down this road, in the sense where if you looked either side of you, you could see nothing but the flat plains of the desert - and if you looked in front of you, you could see an almost perfectly straight highway, miles and miles ahead in the distance - never-ending. I had never felt so free in my life.
3) Just everything in general, South-Western corner of the United States of America
I guess the most incredible experience - and the point I always point out when trying to share America's beauty with a 'hater' - is that in a matter of time and miles, I could go from standing on Hollywood Blvd - stationary amongst the chaotic and fascinating City of Angels - and then drive into complete serenity that was the barren Californian Desert. After four hours of Driving we could be in Arizona with the sweltering dry heat, soon to pass the New Mexico boarder, surrounded by Navajo regions and Spanish-Pueblo Adobe mud houses. You only had to drive a couple of hours north-west to then see the 'Welcome to Colorado' sign and immediately become surrounded by rows and rows of tall green and gold trees, grizzly bears and national parks. As soon as we left the state of Colorado, we entered Utah and within miles, it was as though we had gone from one planet to another, the outstretched red dust that covered Monument Valley. A day later we could be sailing in a little gondola through the canals of the Venetian Casino in Las Vegas and within a day, back in LA (please pardon the rhyme). We only covered a very small area of America, but in that little south-western corner, I saw things in three weeks, which one would usually have to see in a variety of different countries over quite a large period of time.
The greatest lesson to come away with after travelling to a place so dominating and influential in western culture however, is to visit the places that people could never tell you about. I find that with America particularly, a lot of people ask why I would want to go there, however I can always reply with 'have you been to the national parks in Arizona and Utah? Have you walked around the top of the Meteor Crater in Arizona? Have you driven miles and miles along Route 66 and seen the scenery change as often as one updates their Facebook status? Like, wow. It's incredible and you have no idea what you are missing out on. When you go to an exciting country (or any country for that matter), you want to see it for what it is and experience it for what it is. Before spending every cent you have in American Apparel and Walmart (tempting, I know - considering my make up costs $40 less in Walmart than it does in Australia - #funfact), take those tours around National Parks and Meteor Craters. You want to be able to return home, and give every single soul who sheds the slightest hint of interest in your travels the longing to see what you've seen, and go were you've been.
That is all.
Share your stories.
No two holidays will ever be the same.
Holly
No comments:
Post a Comment