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US National Parks on the West Coast
(Grand Canyon, Canyon De Chelley,
Utah Monument Valley, Las Vegas, San Diego Zoo, & Monterrey Aquarium)
The Mittens in Monument Valley Utah
We were in America when our the Malaysian
ringgit was 2.6 to the Dollar. We landed at the impressive San
Francisco Airport in the morning and took the public bus to downtown
which costs us only US$1 each. We stayed at the prebooked Green Tortoise
Hostel which cost US$12 each in a six bedded room.
After the formalities, we visited the "Streets
of San Francisco" which included the touristic Fisherman Wharf and Chinatown, all within walking distance of the
hostel. There's lots to see and do in SF. We spend the next day covering
more of San Francisco before boarding the "Green Tortoise" at
8 pm to begin our 10 days National Park circuit.
The Green Tortoise Bus is a like a huge campervan
with sleeping and dining facilities in the bus. This meant monetary savings
on self-catered meals and time savings because we travelled as we slept.
Our first stop was the hot spring pools of Hisperia
California. Can you imagine soaking in a hot natural pool besides
a chilly river, surrounded by naked white men and women? After lunch we
headed towards the Grand Canyon to begin a two day stay.
Whilst most view the Grand
Canyon from the various viewpoints, we trekked down into the awesome
Canyon on the two days we were there. The views from 'down under' should
not be missed by visitors to the Grand Canyon. Our campsite, near the Park
HQ, is equiped with coin-operated hot showers, washing machines, proper
lighting and running water.
Hot mineral pools Hisperia California
As usual, we travelled at night to highly rated Canyon
De Chelly, which is featured on LP's video
series on America. We arrived early in the morning and immediately went on
a very enjoyable 5 hours horse trek. Cost US$20. At night it was off to Bryce
Canyon, which is often featured in calenders.
Next stop, Utah's Monument Valley,
the location of countless TV adventure adverts and movies. The Malboro ads
where motor bikers move about in rust coloured terrain comes to mind. We were
escorted around this magnificent area by the local Navajoe Indians, the owners
of this National Park. The last National Park we visited was the
Zion National Park on our way to Las Vegas,.where the Yong brothers
bade our Green Tortoise buddies farewell.
We spent two days in montrous Las Vegas soaking in the numerous
bargains on food and entertainment. And just to spice things us, we "visited" the pre-Cowboy Cat Houses out of Las Vegas. After
Las Vegas we travelled for a full day in our rented car to San Diego.
The Green Tortoise - hotel & restaurant on wheels
We covered the world famous San Diego
Zoo before moving on to Disneyland,
about 4 hours away. After a full day there, we went on to Hollywood and saw
a movie at the landmarked Chinese Mann Theatre. The next day saw us in Universal
Studios for a full day of sightseeing.
Later that evening we saw the broadway musical "Miss Saigon" in
Los Angeles.
We were on the road early morning to Monterrey to visit the
world famous Monterrey Aquarium and its magnificent
Kelp underwater forest. The town itself is a hive of tourist activities with
streets lined with cafes, bars and and a pleasant pedestrian walkway. After
lunch, we started the long jouney to beautiful San Francisco and returned
the hired car.
We opted to stay in Strand Hotel which was at the southern
end of the cable car track, right in the middle of downtown SF. A double room
with shared bathrooms costs us an affordable US$35. Great location with the
local broadway theatres a stone throw away. Here we saw the live musical "Phantom
of the Opera" on our last night in the United States of America.
