During my first visit to the US, instead of flying like a normal person, I took Amtrak's California Zephyr from the San Francisco Bay Area to Chicago. This was an incredible (and incredibly affordable) three-day trip across the North American continent. I saw scenic vistas of seven states, met a colourful array of fellow travellers, and even had breakfast one morning with an Amish family. Few people would call a long train ride a highlight of an American summer holiday, but I had a blast!
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Photos from my day trip to California’s famed Yosemite National Park, situated in the picturesque Sierra Nevada mountains...
On the final leg of my visit to the United States, I went to Las Vegas in Nevada to do two things: visit the Grand Canyon and to go down to a firing range and experience for the first time what it's like to shoot a gun. And I am proud to say that I accomplished both these missions. On the highway into Grand Canyon National Park...Ah, the mildly memorable highway from Vegas into Arizona! The rocky, sun-grim landscape. The scraggly, spike-fisted Joshua trees. And a brief stop by the engineering marvel that is the Hoover Dam on the border between Nevada and Arizona. As for the final destination, all I can frankly say is that the Grand Canyon is nigh indescribably epic. Photos cannot do the dramatic geography justice. Layers upon layers of sheer geological time, carved by the slithering Colorado River. I could tell you that it is nearly 450 km long, nearly 30 km wide and hits a depth of over 1.8 km. But those figures don't mean much to me. Instead, I stood there imagining what it would've been like for the first person to see it as a giant wound in the earth. She was a child perhaps. Perhaps the ancestor from tribes that have lived continuously in this area for countless generations. I can imagine her finding herself on the edge of the sky itself. Tiptoeing on a precipice, where the earth in front simply fell away like rain. Then hundreds of years later, some European interloper mapping passage down the Colorado River would ink its contours and dub it 'Grand'. But that word doesn't begin to capture the dizzying power, the sheer canyons of imagination that this place can conjure up. And the city of American excess...Anyway, I also hung out around Las Vegas for a while, ate American fast food, tried the buffet at Caesars' Palace, and got bored at the gross slot machines. It's an amusement city for easily entertained adults with its flamingos, fake Eiffel Tower, fake Venetian canals, fake everything. A weird, plasticky, and not even properly sleazy gambling mecca. I did take some videos of amusing, free attractions in Vegas though... Video #1: The artificial volcano in front of The Mirage, a Polynesian-themed casino resort. It erupts away nightly with music and pyrotechnics. Video 2#: The Fountains of Bellagio which is hard to miss with its meticulously choreographed music and lights water show. Video 3#: The notorious Fremont Street Experience, a touristy pedestrian mall located a respectable distance away from the main Las Vegas Strip. I recommend it for anyone after something a little grittier and grimier. And something a little more bewildering. But don't assume my negative vibes here are reflective of my thoughts on the United States as a whole! Oh, America (i.e. Home of the Brave, Land of the Free), you've provided an amazing journey... you've made me feel like I've soared atop a bald eagle, pistol duelled Alexander Hamilton, stolen Colonel Sanders' secret fried chicken recipe, and shared a Bud Light with the last of the buffalo. But alas, as the sun sets over the red, white, and blue, I must depart the city of Vegas for a mildly saner one. Anyway, I'm done! I'm out! This particular place is not for me.
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AuthorMing is an economist, traveller, and creative writer from Melbourne, Australia. He’s a nebulous collection of particles on the lookout for a good corner to sit with a book and a cup of coffee. Archives
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