Wednesday, September 20, 2017
LasVegas
Wow, what a sensational place Las Vegas is. Every day we found something new to amaze us.
The Venetian and Caesar's Palace are probably my favourite casino's. The Miracle Mile shopping centre has a fabulous rain storm every hour. That's pretty spectacular with the thunder and lightning.
The Venetian has a grand canal (indoors and outdoors) with gondolas and singing gondola drivers.
The ornate ceilings and roman greco statues and gigantic fountains not to mention the curved escalators at Caesar's Palace. Even the marble flooring is pure luxury.
The luxor is amazing it is shaped like a pyramid and the lifts go up inside it on an angle.
There is an eiffel tower, New York, New York has a statue of liberty. Escalibur is like Cindarella's Palace. Treasure Island has a pirate ship a the front. It has seen better days.
I am amazed at how the casino's are little cities within themselves. Everything you need is right there inside the casino. Shops, restaurants, cafes, bars and somewhere to sleep. Many of them have a show in the evening. And of course gamble.
it is easy to get lost inside the casinos, the exit is not clearly marked. There are no clocks on the wall, no windows either so you dont know whether its day or night. So easy to lose track of time at the slot machine or gambling tables and of course, that is deliberate.
Inside the Flamingo is a small wildlife santurary with real Flamingo's and carp fish, pelicans and turtles all in a lush green oasis.
I have put the vast sum of $4 through the poker machines or slot machines. I am probably rare in that I cashed in my winnings, the vast sum of $7.00 and came out there $3 in profit. We have watched the poker, crap and black jack tables and amazed at the $100 notes people put on the tables.
We went for a ride on the High Roller, the giant ferris wheel, like the London Eye except it is the biggest wheel in the world, 100 feet higher than the Eye and the top of the wheel is 550 feet high. Colin didnt tell me how high it was until after the ride. The view from up there is amazing. You can see for miles. Definately a highlight.
We loved the dancing fountain at the Bellagio and the vulcano at the Mirage which spews lava and huge flames every night at 7pm, 8pm and 9pm. It's so good we've watched it twice.
Wednesday we went on a day trip to the Grand Canyon. The west rim this time and that is where you can walk out on the Skywalk, and yes, we all did that. that was a real thrill. Standing on the clear glass and it is 4000 feet to the bottom of the canyon below you. You are not allowed to take your camera with you, but they do take your photo if you wish and we had a group photo.
One night we went to The Mirage to see Cirque de Soleil perform Love which is a Beatles theme written by George Harrison. It was absolutely fantastic. A psychodelic extravaganza, with Beatles music, video and the most amazingly clever acrobatics, flying trapeze people, cars and amazing costumes. The best Cirque de Soleil I have ever seen, I've seen 3 different performances now. This was definately the best and got a standing ovation and tremendous applause.
The other day we did a half day trip out to the Hoover Dam and when we got there they said there were no tours today, something to do with an electrical problem so we couldnt go underground to the power house which was 50 floors below ground and the lift didnt work so it would not be possible to walk back up all those stairs. We had some talks, films and a walk around the observation deck, so we saw most of it and it is quite incredible. A tremendous engineering feat.
We visited the Mob Museum and estimated it would take us about an hour and 3 hours later we emerged. it was fantastic.
We thought 7 days might be too long here but that has not been the case. We have been out on the strip every day for many hours and we have also come back to the resort for a swim in the pool in the afternoon afternoon or evening before heading out again at night.
the resort wass lovely and our apartment is excellent. Two huge bedrooms with their own ensuites and a very nice lounge and kitchen and a balcony.
It was pretty hot at the beginning of the week. The average temp each day was 39 degrees and even by about 8am it was well over 30 degrees each day. Later in the week it cooled down to mid twenties in the morning and reaching low 30's during the day. We found that to be much more pleasant. The apartment was air conditioned as well as all the casinos.
the resort runs shuttle buses between the resort and a couple of stops on the Strip. However, its not far to walk from here to the Strip, 10 mins at most. But when it's hot its nice to hop on the shuttle.
I think we have been to every casino on the strip now, and loved them all. I love the blue sky it really is as if it is daylight or twilight with those false shopfronts lit as if it is evening.
At night the Strip is an amazing sight with all the neon lights. Every evening Caesar's Palace has a show called the Atlantis show in the Forum shops area and it is an extravaganza of light, fire, smoke and water and statues that disappear below ground and animated wax statues of Atlantis and his children. It's quite amazing. all of this sits atop a huge aquarium that is filled with exotic fish.
The Bellagio casino has an indoor botanical garden and they have 4 displays a year at the beginning of each season. So on Saturday they opened the Fall display. They had gigantic peacocks made of flowers, a talking tree, pumpkins, autumn leaves, scarecrows and lots and lots of flowers. It was really beautiful. Just around the corner from there was a chocolate fountain, the biggest one in the world rising over 80 feet in the air with the chocolate running over heated glass plates to keep it liquid.
The Mirage has a rainforest with a huge collection of bromeliads which are beautiful.
everything in Vegas is big. Huge fountains that ''dance'' to music. Waterfalls, showgirls in skimpy costumes trying to get you to take their photo and if you do, you have to pay them something.
Excalibur |
Us with our friends Iain & Monika in the high roller, 550feet at its highest point |
The High Roller |
Colin in Bellagio casino |
Saturday, September 9, 2017
Los Angeles
As part of our Amtrak tour we were given vouchers for a tour of Hollywood. We were booked on the LA City, Celebrity Homes & Beaches tour. We weren't sure what to expect. A bus collected us from the hotel and took us to their central office where we got onto a smaller bus.
We were told by some other tourists that we were on the best tour. And, it was the best tour. It lasted for about 7 hours and we saw so much of LA and our guide and driver was entertaining and knowledgeable.
We drove to Beverley Hills an past about 20 celebrities homes, cant remember most of them though. We got to walk along Rodeo Drive past all the high end shops, that were open but they keep the doors locked. You cant just wander in. We drove down Mulholland Drive. We saw famous hotels such as the Chateau Mamont and the hotel from the movie Pretty Woman. Famous restaurants such as The Ivy.
We drove down Sunset Strip, and Bel-Air and then on to Santa Monica where we had an hour of free time.
We bought some lunch from one the many food trucks lining the street and sat the in park overlooking Santa Monica beach. Afterwards we walked along the pier to see the End of Route 66 sign. It was extremely hot and very crowded being a long weekend so we soon wandered back to the meeting point and sat in the shade.
Our tour then continued on to Venice Beach which is full of crazy people, people on skateboards and bicycles and lots of homeless people. There are lots of stalls all along the boardwalk selling t'shirts and souvenirs.
We went for a short walk along the beach and our driver told us about a great coffee shop selling really good coffee. We just had to go and check it out as coffee is dreadful in this country. As soon as we walked in the door the delicious aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted over us and we knew we were about to have a great coffee.
After Venice Beach our tour took us to the downtown area where we saw the Disney Theatre, the Microsoft theatre and the Staples Centre, buildings that host the many award ceremonies in LA. we went past many of the museums as well.
Our final destination was Olvera Street, a mexican marketplace on the birthplace of LA. There was a vibrant mexican market and food stalls as well as people dancing the salsa and a band playing.
We were told by some other tourists that we were on the best tour. And, it was the best tour. It lasted for about 7 hours and we saw so much of LA and our guide and driver was entertaining and knowledgeable.
We drove to Beverley Hills an past about 20 celebrities homes, cant remember most of them though. We got to walk along Rodeo Drive past all the high end shops, that were open but they keep the doors locked. You cant just wander in. We drove down Mulholland Drive. We saw famous hotels such as the Chateau Mamont and the hotel from the movie Pretty Woman. Famous restaurants such as The Ivy.
We drove down Sunset Strip, and Bel-Air and then on to Santa Monica where we had an hour of free time.
We bought some lunch from one the many food trucks lining the street and sat the in park overlooking Santa Monica beach. Afterwards we walked along the pier to see the End of Route 66 sign. It was extremely hot and very crowded being a long weekend so we soon wandered back to the meeting point and sat in the shade.
Our tour then continued on to Venice Beach which is full of crazy people, people on skateboards and bicycles and lots of homeless people. There are lots of stalls all along the boardwalk selling t'shirts and souvenirs.
We went for a short walk along the beach and our driver told us about a great coffee shop selling really good coffee. We just had to go and check it out as coffee is dreadful in this country. As soon as we walked in the door the delicious aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted over us and we knew we were about to have a great coffee.
After Venice Beach our tour took us to the downtown area where we saw the Disney Theatre, the Microsoft theatre and the Staples Centre, buildings that host the many award ceremonies in LA. we went past many of the museums as well.
Our final destination was Olvera Street, a mexican marketplace on the birthplace of LA. There was a vibrant mexican market and food stalls as well as people dancing the salsa and a band playing.
Me on Rodeo Drive |
Colin ordering our lunch from the food truck |
Me at Santa Monica beach |
End of Route 66 on Santa Monica Pier |
Muscle Beach on Venice Beach |
Venice Beach |
Olvera Street mexican market |
Los Angeles
Across the road from Grand Central Market is the Angels Flight. A funicular rail painted in a vibrant shade of orange and black. It is the smallest funiclar railway in the world.
Closed for nearly 4 years due to safety issues it re-opened on the long weekend.
The tiny railway ferries passengers up and down Bunker Hill, just as it did more than 100 years ago.
It costs $1.00 per person for a one way ride. It's a short rickety ride but absolutely worth taking.
We rode the railway to the top of Bunker Hill which saved us an uphill walk in the heat and was a fun way to get there.
The top of Bunker Hill was used in a scene from the movie La La Land when they dance and sing and from memory I think it was night time.
Closed for nearly 4 years due to safety issues it re-opened on the long weekend.
The tiny railway ferries passengers up and down Bunker Hill, just as it did more than 100 years ago.
It costs $1.00 per person for a one way ride. It's a short rickety ride but absolutely worth taking.
We rode the railway to the top of Bunker Hill which saved us an uphill walk in the heat and was a fun way to get there.
The top of Bunker Hill was used in a scene from the movie La La Land when they dance and sing and from memory I think it was night time.
At the top of Bunker Hill. Remember this from La La Land? |
Los Angeles City of Angels
We arrived in Los Angeles on an overnight train from Williams. The train pulled in to the historic Union Station. A beautiful building that we were going to have a look around but half the station was blocked off by a film crew shooting a movie. Apparently the station is used a lot in movies.
Outside the station is was chaos, there were food trucks for the movie crew, cameras on cranes and movie trailers everywhere. No, we didnt spot any stars.
We took a taxi to our hotel in Downtown LA which is the financial district. It was early Saturday morning and the start of a long weekend for Labour Day. A very hot day as well.
It was only 9am when we arrived at the hotel and we were very lucky to find that our room was ready and available straight away.
After checking in we decided to go for a walk around the area and we asked the concierge for a map. He gave us a map and drew a detailed route to take us to the Grand Central Market. The map he drew took us through buildings such as the World Trade Centre, The Wells Fargo Building and others. All open and with connecting walkways and pretty courtyards with flowers and fountains.
We would never have found this route on our own and it saved us a long walk by road and kept us cool when the temp reached nearly 40 degrees.
We arrived at the Grand Central markets in time for lunch. It is a food market with stalls selling food from all over the world. There is also some fruit and vegetable stalls and stalls selling dried fruits and nuts and a large general store. The market was busy and vibrant.
Outside the station is was chaos, there were food trucks for the movie crew, cameras on cranes and movie trailers everywhere. No, we didnt spot any stars.
We took a taxi to our hotel in Downtown LA which is the financial district. It was early Saturday morning and the start of a long weekend for Labour Day. A very hot day as well.
It was only 9am when we arrived at the hotel and we were very lucky to find that our room was ready and available straight away.
After checking in we decided to go for a walk around the area and we asked the concierge for a map. He gave us a map and drew a detailed route to take us to the Grand Central Market. The map he drew took us through buildings such as the World Trade Centre, The Wells Fargo Building and others. All open and with connecting walkways and pretty courtyards with flowers and fountains.
We would never have found this route on our own and it saved us a long walk by road and kept us cool when the temp reached nearly 40 degrees.
We arrived at the Grand Central markets in time for lunch. It is a food market with stalls selling food from all over the world. There is also some fruit and vegetable stalls and stalls selling dried fruits and nuts and a large general store. The market was busy and vibrant.
Me in one of the courtyards between the office buildings |
Grand Central Market |
Grand Central Market |
Garden Sculpture |
A fountain inside one of the buildings |
Flower bed in a courtyard |
Sunday, September 3, 2017
Alburquerque to Williams Arizona
Our next train journey was from Alburquerque to Williams Arizona. Williams is the starting off point to reach the Grand Canyon.
Our train arrived at Williams Junction about 2 hours later than scheduled. There is nothing at Williams Junction, no train station, no platform just a dark and desolate place. Thankfully there was a shuttle bus waiting for us, there were several other people as well.
The shuttle set off down an unmade road through the pondarosa forest. About 15 minutes later we arrived in the town of Williams and were dropped off at the historic Grand Canyon Railway Hotel at about 11.30pm.
We didnt get to see much of this beautiful old hotel. We went straight to our room and to sleep as the next morning we had to have our luggage in the foyer by 8am. to be transferred to the train.
After breakfast we were treated to an amusing wild west show and gun fight. Then we boarded the train that took us to the Grand Canyon.
The train takes about 2 hours to reach the Canyon. The carriages are pulled by 1950's diesel engines and the carriages themselves are of similar vintages.
To pass the time along the route we had strolling musicians, the sheriff from the wild west show and a conductor who pointed out things of interest and assisted with wildlife spotting. The scenery along the route is not best scenery that we have been treated to.
As we approached the Canyon the conductor said look left and there was an audible gasp as we were treated to a very fleeting first view of the Canyon.
We arrived at the train station and there was a bus there to meet us and take us on a tour of the canyon. We were very eager to get going and see the Canyon. The bus took us to a number of viewing points.
It is unbelievably beautiful. So vast and deep and the colours of the rock. You can hardly take it all in. Every view point offers something different, some offer views of the Colorado river which looks like a tiny speck but is in fact about 300 feet wide.
Our bus tour lasted a couple of hours and then we were dropped off at our accomodation which was Maswik Lodge. It has a main building with reception and restaurants and then there are the lodges nearby and we were in a room in one of the lodges. Right in the National Park, no more 10 minutes walk to a view of the Canyon.
We spent 2 nights at the Canyon and as we weren't leaving until late on the third day we had virtually 3 full days there.
There is a free shuttle bus service that covers three different routes and many view point stops around the National Park. We did them all.
We also did an extra tour that took us out to Desert View. Desert View Watchtower also known as the Indian Watchtower. It is a 70 foot tall stone building overlooking the canyon.
The Watchtower reflects the architecture of the ancestral Puebloans in the Four Corners region. Unfortunately the climb to the top of the tower was closed for conservation work, but we could go up one level and see the amazing views from there. From the very top you can see for more than 100 miles on a clear day.
Our train arrived at Williams Junction about 2 hours later than scheduled. There is nothing at Williams Junction, no train station, no platform just a dark and desolate place. Thankfully there was a shuttle bus waiting for us, there were several other people as well.
The shuttle set off down an unmade road through the pondarosa forest. About 15 minutes later we arrived in the town of Williams and were dropped off at the historic Grand Canyon Railway Hotel at about 11.30pm.
We didnt get to see much of this beautiful old hotel. We went straight to our room and to sleep as the next morning we had to have our luggage in the foyer by 8am. to be transferred to the train.
After breakfast we were treated to an amusing wild west show and gun fight. Then we boarded the train that took us to the Grand Canyon.
The train takes about 2 hours to reach the Canyon. The carriages are pulled by 1950's diesel engines and the carriages themselves are of similar vintages.
To pass the time along the route we had strolling musicians, the sheriff from the wild west show and a conductor who pointed out things of interest and assisted with wildlife spotting. The scenery along the route is not best scenery that we have been treated to.
As we approached the Canyon the conductor said look left and there was an audible gasp as we were treated to a very fleeting first view of the Canyon.
We arrived at the train station and there was a bus there to meet us and take us on a tour of the canyon. We were very eager to get going and see the Canyon. The bus took us to a number of viewing points.
It is unbelievably beautiful. So vast and deep and the colours of the rock. You can hardly take it all in. Every view point offers something different, some offer views of the Colorado river which looks like a tiny speck but is in fact about 300 feet wide.
Our bus tour lasted a couple of hours and then we were dropped off at our accomodation which was Maswik Lodge. It has a main building with reception and restaurants and then there are the lodges nearby and we were in a room in one of the lodges. Right in the National Park, no more 10 minutes walk to a view of the Canyon.
We spent 2 nights at the Canyon and as we weren't leaving until late on the third day we had virtually 3 full days there.
There is a free shuttle bus service that covers three different routes and many view point stops around the National Park. We did them all.
We also did an extra tour that took us out to Desert View. Desert View Watchtower also known as the Indian Watchtower. It is a 70 foot tall stone building overlooking the canyon.
The Watchtower reflects the architecture of the ancestral Puebloans in the Four Corners region. Unfortunately the climb to the top of the tower was closed for conservation work, but we could go up one level and see the amazing views from there. From the very top you can see for more than 100 miles on a clear day.
We spent an hour at Desert View and then the bus took us to
Yaki Point to watch the sunset. As we
drove there the sky clouded over and it began to rain a little. We thought that would be the end of the
sunset but as soon as we got to Yaki Point the sky cleared and the clouds
disappeared and we waited and watched and eventually the sun went down.
I have never seen anything like it before. A blood red sun disappearing behind the
rocks. It really was an amazing and
breathtaking sight. Something I will
never forget.
On our ur last day at the Grand Canyon we headed out to the Red
Route again. This time we stopped at the
stops we missed the previous day. The
first stop was Powell Point. We got off
the bus and began to walk along the path and Colin stopped me and said there’s
a snake on the path. It was a small thin
snake of a light brown colour. No idea if was poisonous but treated it as if it was. It was
crossing the path in front of us so we stood there till it had crossed and then we continued on to see Powell Point.
It is actually the site
where the Grand Canyon National Park was dedicated all the way back in 1920.
There is also a statue memorializing John Wesley Powell, for whom the stop is
named.
Powell played an extremely important part in the discovery of the
canyon, leading groundbreaking expeditions of the Colorado River in 1869 and
1872.
Colin then walked the
trail from Powell Point to Hopi Point and I took the bus. We arrived at the stop about the same time.
We then took the bus to
The Abyss, aptly named, featuring a sheer
drop to the Tonto Platform about 3,000 feet below. Unlike other viewpoints, the
Abyss is located along an indentation (rather than an abutment) along the
Canyon walls.
Our next stop was Monument Creek
Vista and then Pima Point and finally Hermits Rest where we stopped briefly for an ice-cream and refill the water
bottle before taking the return shuttle.
At the end of Red Route it is a short 10 min walk back to Maswik Lodge.
We returned there and then took
a blue bus and got off to see Shrine of the Ages only to discover that it is a
church in a plain brick building.
We hopped straight on to the
next shuttle that came along and got off at the train depot and walked from there
to the historic El Tolvar Hotel which is perched right on the rim of the Canyon. We also visited Hopi House, another historic property
It was then time to go to the
train station and catch the train back to Williams.
We had a different entertainer this
time. He was very good. Also we had a lady giving us a talk and she
was really good.
The sheriff was on the train and
near Williams we looked out the window and there were some cowboys on horses
holding up the train and then they came on board the train and went through the
carriages robbing people. All a bit of
fun and kept us entertained on the way back to Williams.
We returned to the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel for dinner and to wait for the transfer by shuttle to Williams Junction. Surprise surprise the train was running over an hour late. Instead of getting on the train at 9.30pm we got on at nearly 11pm.
It was a sleeper train and we had a sleeper compartment and were soon lulled to sleep by the motion of the train and woke next morning as the train neared Los Angeles.
Wild West show at Williams |
Mule at the Canyon for riding down into the Canyon |
Elk |
Zoomed in view of Colarado river and the bridge for hikers and mule. |
A small storm produced this gorgeous rainbow |
The Watchtower at Desert View |
Us at desert view |
Sunset at Yaki Point |
squirrel in a tree |
the snake. |
Strolling musician on the train back to Williams |
Oh No. Looks like a train robbery is about to happen |
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