Reisverslag: Op zoek naar de winterzon in West USA

Introductie

Je hebt tijd, geld en zin om te reizen, wat een fantastische combinatie is dat. Ik besloot dus een hele maand naar de VS te gaan om daar eens lekker rond re reizen. Een groot deel van die maand heb ik besteed aan een tour door het westen van de VS, een mix van steden en parken. Het was via Trekamerica, ze organiseren niet standaard rondreizen, je hebt meer vrijheid en de groep is slechts 14 man groot. Verder is was de helft van de nachten in hotels en de andere helft kamperen. Het kamperen vergroot natuurlijk het groepsgevoel, en het is gewoon prachtig om s'ochtends wakker te worden in een groot natuurpark...

Anyway, de 20-daagse tour ging via deze plaatsen:



Verslag is in het Engels omdat deze later ook weer gelezen word door een "internationaal publiek". Maar als ervaren reizigers hier, moet dat geen probleem, zijn lijkt me.


Hier volgt dan het verslag van de 1e week, de rest volgt binnenkort.

Arrival in the USA

Every journey has a beginning; this one starts at Amsterdam airport. Here I was again, in the same comfortable lounge chair at the end of the pier, a quiet place in a busy terminal. A few months ago I was sitting in the same chair, preparing for my flight to Taiwan. Again flying towards the Pacific Ocean, this time heading in the opposite direction. It was a long day, flying all the way from the Netherlands to LA with a stop in Atlanta. It took a frown and some tough questions (So you have no job, know no one here and you have only 500 dollars???) of the immigration officer to stamp my passport and allow me in the USA.

Well, I was there, Los Angeles. Not so much different from other crowded airports, same mix of tourists, illegal taxi drivers hunting for a fare, two fearful looking lost children and two parents on the other side of the terminal with the same fear in their eyes. I chuckle. A hotel shuttle takes me to the Hacienda hotel, just a few minutes drive away from the airport. Not the worst looking place I ever stayed in, it might be even one of the best places I stayed, in considering it has a roof and real beds.

To overcome my jetlag, I tried staying awake till the evening before I went to bed. Meanwhile there was time to explore the surroundings. I quickly found out that there was absolutely nothing to see around the hotel, just a bunch of fastfood restaurants. I opt for the Mexican restaurant/dinner in the hotel. Automatically I start scanning the room for possible other participants of the trek that I was going to do next 3 weeks, but something tells me the group of 50 year old guys are not going to be part of our group. Though I met this guy Sean from Louisville, a 30yr old ironworker, divorced with children. Over some burger and fries he shares his life story with me, how hard it is to survive on a small paycheck, his dreams to be a truck driver and the cruelty of living away from his kids. An ok guy with some bad luck. Hey, these Americans are not all as crazy as you would expect!

Not much later I am lying in my bed. In the distance I hear police sirens, I finally realize that I am in the USA…


The second day in the USA was not very exciting, mostly resting from the long journey yesterday. Though a short visit to the Getty museum was worth it.


View from the Getty


Relaxing on the lawn of the Getty


Panorama of LA






The real start: From LA to Santa Barbara

This is it, finally meeting the others of the group, my companions for the next few weeks. Last night I tried again spotting a few potential participants in the diner. I did not see anyone of our group, but met a few trekkers who just have completed their Trekamerica trip. Positive feedback all around.

Anyway, after breakfast it was time to meet the group. In the lobby there are a few other people, but none I recognize as potential trekkers. In the far corner I spot two people sitting on some comfy couches, with backpacks, so that must be it. Indeed, Dave and Bindy sitting there. Of course I forgot their names right after they told me, happens all the time. The standard chit-chat starts with “where your from”, “what work/study do you do”, etc… In the meantime the groups starts to grow larger, at that moment it is just a blur of vague names and faces, not knowing who is really who. Then the tour leader Ben appears, with a blue cap and mustache that makes him look older then he really is. It all starts off with a speech of Ben and the necessary paperwork. Then it is time to load up the van for the first time. My first thought was, we have a big group for that small van…

Munching on some muffins that Ben brought, we leave for Hollywood, to soak up the glitter and glamour of LA. On a Monday morning however, there is no glitter and absolutely no glamour in and around Hollywood. Rodeo Drive is virtually deserted and just a few dozen tourists are hanging around the Chinese theatre, accompanied by Catwoman and Batman. Everyone gets their mandatory photos of the stars on the Walk of fame and the famous hand and feet prints. We drive up a hill to get a good view of the Hollywood sign. Unfortunately the thick fog (or is it just smog?) prevents a good view. Some people spot the sign immediately, me however get flashbacks to the annoying 3d pictures, everyone can see the hidden picture, except me… After staring for 10 minutes in a white cloud, I managed to get a glimpse of the sign. It was less satisfying then I hoped for.

Chinese Theater


Driving up the foggy hill



Time to leave LA.

On our way to Santa Barbara, we stopped on Ventura beach for our first lunch. With a story about a soul-searching journey, Ben sweet talked the parking lot lady and let us in for free. The palm trees and the white beach tells me this we are in a tropical area, the chilling wind tells me a different story. Sandwiches with cheese and meat and a dollop of mustard is the lunch of choice, complete with a granola bar as a dessert. The view is amazing already; the holiday feeling really starts to sink in now. Also this is the first opportunity for a group photo. When all 13 photo cameras had clicked, we could pack up and leave for Santa Barbara again.

Santa Barbara is totally different then from what I expected, instead of another characterless collection of expensive houses, it is actually quite an idyllic town. The main street leading to the beach is lined with small bars, restaurants and palm trees. A perfect street for a stroll and watching people. If you ever want to see a dog walking by with a cat on his back, and a mouse on her back, then this is the place to be, this small pyramid of natural enemies sure made heads turn. With the warm sun, it was an ideal place for a coffee and a proper chat with my new travel companions.


The sun was almost setting and it was time to drive up to the camp site. Just a short drive, Ben said. I had to adjust to the phrase short drive, in my mind that means a 10-15 minute drive, not 45 minutes… So we arrived at the campsite “El Capitan”. By the way an uttermost generic name, you can find an El Capitan road, campsite, hotel, cinema almost anywhere in West USA. The campsite was located right near the ocean, just a 50 meter cliff separate us from the cold water. With the sun almost touching the horizon, most of us were more interested in gazing at our first sunset then setting up camp, and who can blame then.

Ventura beach



Santa Barbara




View from the campsite over the ocean



Setting up our tents the first time. Wasn’t sure what to think of it, but after the Bens explanation it seemed quite straight forward. With my new roomie Henrik we got our tent up rather fast and easy, a routine we repeated often for the next few weeks. Not long after that the cooking team was on her way to prep the first meal, chicken fajitas. With camping there should be a roaring campfire, so we had one. The beers, bought on the beer-run between Ventura and Santa Barbara, came out and sparked of interesting conversations next to the fire.

It was cold and dark when stepping away from the fire. I am happy I decided to bring a torch last minute, otherwise the trip to the toilets became quite tricky. In the darkness the stars in the clear sky were amazing. The effects of jetlag started to set in, and most decide to go to bed early. Around midnight I decide to follow their example.

I never knew that waves crashing into the rocky shore could make that much noise. Also the cold and an annoying rock poking in my back prevented a good night sleep. Halfway during the night I hear footsteps of others, apparently they can’t sleep either. I decide to make a nightly expedition to the toilets. When stepping out of the tent, there is not a person in sight, but I still hear something and see trash all over the campsite. Then I spot two raccoons sitting in front of a tent. One is holding a box of Oreo’s and has one hand inside the box. He looks straight at me, with a look of a toddler when he is caught red-handed doing something naughty. Understanding he is busted, he quietly lays down the box and steps away slowly from it, and then in an instant both raccoons disappear in the bushes. With a smile I go back to bed.


San Francisco on the horizon


As soon it is light, I crawl out of my tent. Broken after a bad night sleep. It is still quiet outside, except for the noise of the waves. I walk down to the rocky beach to get closer to the water. It’s cold.

Meanwhile others have woken up. Breakfast consisting of toasted bagels with cream cheese and instant coffee will do just fine. Before I can share my nightly encounter with the raccoons, Pat is telling me about how they experienced the first night. They also heard footsteps and thought people were walking around. A torch shining on their tent gave them their scare of their lives. Instead of raccoons, they were thinking about vicious axe murderers. I explained my whereabouts last night, and told them it was probably me who they heard. But according to them, it lasted for more then an hour, which means it could not be me? So could we really have a maniac serial killer walking among us???


Being happy we survived the first night, the tents were taken down and the trailer was stuffed with way too much stuff again. First stop: coffeeshop. The much needed caffeine did me good. Besides a lost credit card, not much happened on route to San Francisco. Lunch was this time on a large parking lot. Get the table out, food out, and eat, simple as that. This to surprise of bystanders, asking what we were doing and if we were selling something.

Halfway during the afternoon we drive into San Francisco. With a heavy trailer and all, we drive over the steep roads of SF. We stop at the famous lookout point over SF, where the famous intro was shot for the series Full House. To my surprise not everyone knew this TV-show, must be cultural differences or something. The Golden Gate bridge was our next goal, but the thick fog covered most of the bridge. The freezing wind didn’t helped either. I am sure we had another chance to see the bridge in its full glory, for now I just wanted to warm up in the van. We were heading to the hotel.

View over SF


Golden Gate bridge



Ben told that the area where the hotel was located, was not one of the nicest areas of the city. There were many “crazy people” there. I hopefully inquire if he meant crazy-positive or crazy-nasty people, unfortunately it was the latter one. It was still light when we arrived, and it didn’t looked too bad. A hot shower was welcome after the night in the open.

After a rest Henrik and I went to explore the lovely neighborhood, not knowing that in almost every tourist guide the area is declared a no-go area for tourists. It didn’t take long before realizing that the area was indeed full with “crazy” people. A healthy mix of homeless people, adult theatres and shops, boarded up shops and right out mentally ill people determine atmosphere on the streets. A quick walk to Union square and a stop at the local internet café was enough to get a feeling of this area. Indeed a interesting area, later I found that Wikipedia had this to say about the area: “Mission between 8th and 5th street may be considered part of this truly seedy "core Tenderloin" area. These parts of the Tenderloin are perhaps the most dangerous areas in San Francisco”. And let our hotel be on 7th and Mission…

We met up with the group in the lobby to head out to Chinatown for dinner. House of Nanking supposed to be one of the better restaurants here. Well, the service and atmosphere sucked, but was greatly compensated by the excellent food. Plate after plate of great food was served, way faster than there was space on the table.

Fully stuffed with Chinese food we walked down to a karaoke bar. Legendary trip songs were born that evening…


The next day was a “free day”, meaning we didn’t have to spend hours and hours driving. Alcatraz was the general idea for today. I wasn’t really looking forward to see Alcatraz, I expected a hyped mass tourist trap. Since there was not much else to do and almost everyone else was going, I went.

No bagels this morning, a croissant stuffed with ham, cheese and eggs from the corner deli will have to do. To my surprise the tram that takes us down to the pier is awfully familiar, an old orange tram from Milan. Feeling right at home again after my 6 months in Italy. Flabbergasted by this tram, we all “forget” to pay for a ticket and play the dumb tourist role.

It is cold and foggy, so any hope of seeing the Golden Gate Bridge from the boat is gone. It is a short ride to Alcatraz. After docking we get a brief introduction and head off for the audiotour. Amazingly this audio tour was done very well, with ex-inmates and guards sharing their stories about the prison. Daily life in prison, riots and the great escape are all told with the real locations in sight. The nature around the prison blocks is surprisingly nice to look at. I wanted the say there was a nice fresh breeze outside, unfortunately a container vessel crashed into the bridge that morning, spilling diesel into the water. Toxic diesel fumes surrounded the island. It was also the first good opportunity to start my photo making frenzy, which would end in approximately 2500 photos and an hour of video clips.

All in all a better then expected visit to Alcatraz. It was a short walk from the mainland pier to Fisherman’s Wharf, another tourist magnet. Besides a bunch of gift shops and restaurants, there are also a lot of sea lions on the dock. And the noise they can make…

Alcatraz



For the rest an uninteresting afternoon, a short visit to a museum, riding the cable car up and down the hill, walking to city hall and watching homeless people in various activities which would not make sense to any normal person, I truly wonder if that homeless lady finally managed to crawl into her handbag…

That evening Ben for dinner took us to a place in the Mission district. It was a weird mix of a bar, healthy food restaurant and café. With 14 of us, we crowded the place, which had only a few locals in there. I was soo ready for a healthy rice and chicken dinner, it seems quite difficult to find a healthy dinner in this country.

Apparently it was comedy night in this place, nice surprise, I thought. A black lady, who claimed racism was funny and was the host of the evening, was happy with this international audience. The first comedian, an approximately 30 year old white female from San Francisco, tried her best. It was painful, extremely painful to watch someone telling jokes and receiving only confused looks back. Not a single joke got through to me and with a lot of effort I could draw a polite smile, and the rest shared this same experience. More then 15 minutes this rather ackward show continued without any positive response, except from the drunk guy in the back. Out of desperation she pulled out her notes and could not find a joke that would appeal to an international audience. “The show must go on” proverb was not for her, and she left the stage… The black hostess came on again, half apologizing and half asking applause for the comedian. She also asked us how we ended up here in the Mission, not the standard place for travelers. Well, I wondered the exact same thing… Next comedian started off better, but could not compensate for the drama before her. We left.

Since this was the last night in San Francisco, and we still haven’t seen the Golden Gate Bridge. With the van we drove over to the bridge, just to see that it was covered once more in the fog. At the other side, there was nice view over the city, but I forgot my camera. I swore to myself I would forget it again and make extra photos during the trip to compensate for this…

The ice-cold night air prevented us from lingering too long at the bridge. After a short night tour through San Francisco, we ended back in the hotel for some well deserved sleep. Tomorrow we would head to Yosemite…


Racing cable cars


In SF using homeless people is cheaper then using electricity


Cityhall


Cityhall, up close



Heading into the mountains, Yosemite National Park

This morning we leave the West coast to head inland towards the national parks. I was happy to leave the big city and get some fresh mountain air.

First park on our way was Yosemite. It was a long drive up through the mountains and green valleys. While the girls were having fun with the local firemen, the rest enjoyed a quiet lunch in Groveland, small town where probably no one ever had heard of. The closer to Yosemite, the more spectacular the scenery. Imagine driving through a long dark tunnel, and at the end, you suddenly find yourself driving along the edge of a deep valley.

Having fun with the local firemen


The fabulous Groveland mainstreet


Driving into Yosemite





Winter had not affected the trees yet, so a mixture of brownish fall colors mixed with the grey mountains welcomed us in Yosemite. We got ample opportunity to take photos and look around in the valley and around the visitors center. Big talk was about the hike of tomorrow, a long walk along the Panorama trail. Everyone decided to do the same 8,5 mile trek.

Since it was getting dark already, there was not much to do then go to the lodges just outside the park and settle in there. After preparing lunches for the next day, we headed for the 70’s diner near the lodges. A slight overkill on 70’s style and Elvis, but still a nice place for some dinner. Unfortunately the menu existed mostly of burgers and fries, not my favorite food anymore… With a beer in the hand some played pool or on the vintage arcade machines. With a single lucky shot I was marked as a pool hustler, and had a hard time finding others who wanted to play me. Not before long, some headed of for a steamy night at the hot tubs, others just went to bed.

Just the 4 of us remained when we got some attention of the locals in the bar. A slightly intoxicated construction worker wanted to become our new best friend. Well, I don’t think he wanted to be MY new best friend, rather the friend of the 3 ladies who I was sitting with. Buying beers and bragging about his exciting job and huge paychecks did not impress them, also the “friendly offer of joining him up in the mountains tomorrow was politely refused. All in all still an enjoyable conversation so far. With Elvis Presley’s Jailhouse Rock, that I had just selected, playing on the jukebox, another “friend” came along. A huge Mexican middle-aged guy, who claimed to be a colleague of our American “friend”, also invited himself to our table. Despite being less drunk, he was far more annoying. The German girls left soon after getting sick of both drunken men. More beer flowed and both men were almost fighting over the remaining girl. The conversations were becoming less friendly and they became far more “touchy”. When the Mexican tried to drag Laura out of her seat for a dance, it was time to go. I pulled the heavy arm off of her and stepped in between the Mexican and Laura. Not extremely heroic, but hey, it was a huge drunk guy! Expecting a bigger fuss from the Mexican, I was slightly relieved he let go easily.

Once outside in the cold night air, we had a good laugh about this little adventure. Time to go to bed, lots of walking predicted for tomorrow.

Gone Hiking

It was freezing this morning. After a horrific cup of coffee, we drove up to Glacier Point, where the trailhead was. Took us almost an hour to get up there along winding roads. It was almost a kilometer up from the valley floor. So once at Glacier Point, there was a great view over the valley. With heights, there comes cold and wind. I was almost sorry about leaving my heavy coat down at the lodge. Once we started walking the wind died down and the sun was burning away, almost perfect weather for hiking.

So, there we were hiking in Yosemite. Most of the trail leads downhill, which made it slightly easier. But what goes down has to go up again at some point. Well, walking up slowly was just another opportunity to make extra photos. First few miles were absolutely stunning, great views everywhere. The big waterfalls were reduced to small streams, but still impressive. Hard to describe the rest of the hike in words, just imagine many great vista’s over the valley with mountains and a touch of fog. The hike was great, just the last 1,5 mile down the steep switchback was a bit too much, fatigue had set in. I was just glad to reach the valley floor and take the bus to Curry Village. Most of the group was already there, having coffee and warming up at the fire in the visitors lodge.

It was an uneventful evening with some pizza in Curry village and some beers in yesterday’s diner.

Hiking along the Panoramatrail















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Dit is het voorlopig, hopelijk volgende week het volgende deel, dan gaan we verder naar het gortdroge Vallei des Doods...

quote:

Op maandag 31 december 2007 12:52 schreef JK het volgende:
Waar blijft de rest?

komt eraan deze dagen iets anders aan mijn hoofd en was bezig met mijn reis naar Jordanie en Egypte te plannen voor over 4 week

Ik beloof binnen 2-3 dagen volgende stuk te plaatsen

quote:

Op dinsdag 1 januari 2008 13:51 schreef heaven7 het volgende:
Leuk maar waarom in het engels?

omdat ik geen engels kan nee, omdat het ook ergens anders geplaatst word voor een engels publiek. En iedereen kan hier wel engels

ok, ok, hier is het volgende stuk van week 2. We gaan via Bakersfield naar Death Valley, en dan door naar Vegas en een korte stop in Zion. Is nog best lastig om leuk te schrijven, maar ik doe mijn best

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Bakersfield, sounds like fun.

It is extremely cold this morning, but we would spend most of the day in the car anyway. I tried to find the breakfast room, without success. There is a Mexican working in the garden, so I ask him if he knows
where it is. He was not working very hard anyway, but it still took him remarkably long time to straighten his back, lean down on his shovel and remove the grass straw from his mouth. With a confused look, he slowly mumbles: No hablo Ingles signor… I could not help thinking about stereotype Mexicans…

Still knackered from last days walking, we drive up to Mariposa Grove to see some large sequoia trees. Motivation to walk the trail was minimal; I’d rather sat down under the first big tree I saw. It was refreshing though to walk on a trail that is horizontal.

Sequoia trees




some old bridge near the park



Today we would drive up to Bakersfield. Not that Bakersfield is the most exciting place ever, just because it was on the way to Death Valley. I have to admit it was again interesting to see the landscape change dramatically. One moment we drive in a foggy canyon with a wild river on the left, and minutes later we drive through a dark forest. It is almost dark when we arrive in a motel just on the outskirts of town. After settling in, we try to get some info from the young receptionist, about what to do in the neighborhood. She could not help us much; the best suggestion was trying the local gay bar… maybe we’ll stay in tonight.

It is almost a week now that I have been in the US, chores like doing the laundry become a necessity. Kinda boring to sit there, staring at three laundry machines working. In despair I fabricate a rudimentary speaker from a newspaper and plug it in my mp3 player. Well, that gave us some entertainment for 3 minutes. There was no time to dry the clothes since we planned to go to dinner with the rest. I figure I can dry my clothes later when we arrive in Death Valley. A small party in my room after dinner wrapped up this night.

Entering the Valley of Death

Finally entering the desert. Long straight roads leads us to Stovepipe Wells, the heart of Death Valley, or as we preciously call it “The Valley of Death”. Stovepipe Wells is not more then a handful of building and a large RV park. We just get the required fuel and food for the next days before we take another lunch in the middle of nowhere. Finding a deserted place in the desert is not that hard to find.

Long roads cutting through the plains


Panorama of Stovepipe wells (clickable for larger size)


With middle of nowhere, i mean middle of nowhere



Despite that it is in the middle of November, it is still hot. Might been a mistake to just take one pair of shorts with me… We spend the day driving around the Valley and do a small hike through the Golden Canyon. We drive up to the canyon entrance when suddenly raindrops start hitting the windshield. Rain in Death Valley?? Apparently so, we can see the clouds rolling in over the mountains. It supposed to be the driest place on this continent… Though the rain combined with the few rays of sun created nice scenery. Fortunately the rain stopped quite fast and. After the canyon walk, we stopped quickly at Badwaters, the lowest point in the US. Snapped a few photos and walked around a bit.

Sun and rain mixed for a nice view


Exiting Golden Canyon, you can see why it is called "Golden" canyon


Badwaters




Good about being here in November is that the heat is bearable, but the downside is that the sun sets very early. We would be sleeping in tents tonight, so we needed some light to set them up. We left Badwaters, it was still light and no wind. When we arrived at the campsite it was dark. It was not only dark, but a fierce wind had picked up.

With our limited tent-setting-up skills, it was not a easy task to set up the tent in the middle of a sand storm. Visibility was limited to a few meters, sand was in my eyes, hair and mouth, my torch was absolutely worthless, but we still managed to get the tent up, safely tugged away between the few bushes. Others had significantly more trouble setting up their tent, it would blow away before they could hammer it down. It seemed this would not be an enjoyable evening with sitting around a campfire and roasting marshmallows.

Just finding the toilets was a big expedition. It supposed to be in “that” direction… With my small torch I headed out in the still raging sandstorm. Within a minute I could not see anything in front of me, and nothing behind me. My torch was really useless here, I could not even light up the ground in front of me, and so I was basically walking blind. Not that I could see more with a better torch since my eyes were filled with sand. And then as in a movie, I saw a light appear in the darkness. I made it to the toilets.

There are a bunch of scouts there with their scout leader. I start chatting with him about the weather. He came here for many years, but never encountered this before. I guess we were in luck to encounter all this spectacular weather events. But there is something satisfactory in all this camping and walking through the dark windy desert.

When I got back, the tourleader had moved the van right next to the cooking table to create a wind free area. Most of us huddled together behind the van waiting for dinner. The chili of tonight was not bad, even the extra crunch of the sand could not even hurt it. Maybe because we were starving. Right after dinner, the wind died down a bit and the sky cleared up. The sky here was even more spectacular then in Santa Barbara. No light pollution and a clear sky. A few of us picked up a few chairs and sat down in the darkest corner of our campsite, stargazing… That’s something you don’t do daily, leaning back, watching the bright stars. Here and there a few bright flashes of shooting stars.

Despite being in a desert, it is freezing cold at night. I interrupt the stargazing to get some more clothes on. Consternation when I arrive back, a coyote just walked by! Yeah right, I think. A poor attempt to track it down was not successful. Not sure if they are just joking or not, I return back to the tent to get some sleep. I thought about sleeping outside, but with the rain and the sandstorm of today, I decide it is wiser to sleep “indoors” in the tent.


I sleep quite well in the tent, but somehow I wake up exactly after 6,5 hours and can’t stay down anymore. It is already light outside, but the sun has not risen yet. There is a serene silence. I take out my little notebook, get a comfortable chair and start writing till sunrise.

I faced east to see the sunrise, but the best spectacle was in the west. The sun was already dipping the western mountains in a stunning red glow. And then without much warning the sun rose in the east. Somehow the “magic” of a early morning before sunrise is gone. More and more people wake up, I put on the large kettle for some tea and coffee, and dust off the antique bagel toaster.

The campsite in the morning



The bagel toaster is worthy of some attention. At first glance it seems like rusted piece of metal with some wires. The art in bagel toasting is balancing the sliced bagels on the wires so it hovers over the hot plate underneath it. Within a minute the bagel is nice and toasty, which results in burned fingers when trying to turn it over. I love this camping stuff.

We got a visit from the park ranger, he did not liked the van and trailer on the campground. Apparently there were signs around our campsite that said no cars and vans allowed. The signs were there indeed, but in the sandstorm yesterday they were invisible. Ben tried to drive the van away in a rush… and of course he runs over one of the signs, right under the eyes of the park ranger, crap…

When thinking about the deserts and the Wild West, I think about ghost towns. And it was my lucky day, a visit to a ghost town was on the menu for today. Just across the state border in Nevada, there was the small ghost town of Rhyolite. A century ago, this town was a big as Las Vegas at that time, housing more then 10.000 people. Nowadays only a few ruins of concrete buildings remain. There is a guy sitting at the edge of town, he enthusiastically shows us his collection miniature buildings made from scrap. He tells us we have to be slightly mad to appreciate his collection, he’s right. I am not sure what his function is, but he tells me this is a real ghost town with one ghost. A friendly young chap, as he recalled, his name was Casper.

Entrance to Death Valley


Walking up to Rhyolite


It's a desert, so it is hot


The railroad depot was the only still intact building, but a large fence prevented a closer look. I was slightly disappointed that I didn’t find a main street with boardwalks and tumbleweed, and an abandoned saloon on one side and a sheriff’s office on the other side. I almost forget to mention the art on the edge of the town. The pink statues are so not fitting to the environment, it becomes funny.

We drive up to another small canyon for a short hike. The road towards it is leading us over red hills and bumpy roads. It’s a relieve to just stop for a few minutes and feel solid ground. We stop halfway for some lunch at Leadfield, another ghost town. Just 3 buildings remain standing on the other side of the road. Remarkably no one seemed remotely interested, overkill already? More interest was there for the 2 female motor riders that passed by and asked us, with slight desperation, if we had any spare fuel. Not the place you want to run out of fuel, only 2 cars passed us that day and the closest town nearby was miles away and only have a ghost named Casper as inhabitant.

To get the full desert experience we drive to the sand dunes in the middle of the valley. From the road it looks like just a few hills, but when walking through it, it looks way bigger. We sit down on top of dune and wait for the sunset.

A group of photographer is doing the same. All bunched together they wait to take a photo of untouched sand dunes during the sunset. And then the friendly chap on the dirt bike appears on centre stage, right in front of the photographers. There goes the virgin scenery… Some death threats are exchanged between the biker and the photographer, and after a hard crash of the biker, he disappears over the hills.

The golden sand is warm, the sun is low, and my feet are tired. A sunset in the desert needs no more words.

Lonely photographer waiting for sunset









Back at camp I first empty the half a kilo of sand from my shoes. Everything is covered in sand and not a shower in sight. Well, there is a pool at the small resort down the road… With the van and swimming gear we drive down to the resort. Walking over the damp grass field we see that the gate of the pool is open, that’s good news. We sneak in and within minutes everyone is in the pool. First moment of total relaxation, floating on my back, looking up to the stars. Now that is something you don’t do everyday again, swimming under the stars in a desert…

Tonight was a clear night without wind, so we could finally fire up the campfire after dinner. With beers and marshmallows everyone had a great time.


Yesterday I already thought about sleeping outside. Today I can’t find any excuse not to sleep outside. I get my sleeping bag and mattress out of the tent and set up a comfortable bed on top of a table, at least I am not lying in the dirt then. Three others decide to follow my example and set up their bed 20 meters away.

It’s not that cold, I thought when I sat there on the table undressing. Everyone is already sleeping their tents when I zip myself in the sleeping bag. The sky is unbelievable. A blanket of stars is covering me, the Milky Way is clearly visible and every 10 minutes I see a star shooting by. An amazing moment to realize that I’m lying there, in the desert staring up to the star lit sky. Every time I open up my eyes, I can see countless stars. After a full hour of gazing, I put down my glasses and try to get some sleep.

The wind started to pick a little bit. I crawl deeper I my sleeping bag and tighten the hood even more, leaving a small gap to peak out. I hear some footsteps approaching. Strange, since everyone should be asleep. I carefully roll over and see the vague outline of a doglike shape. I grab my glasses and put them on just to see that it is not a dog.

Two meters away stands a coyote, as big as a full grown German shepherd. Several things flash through my mind, first is: “Was it a good idea to sleep outside??!!!” followed by “How often have I read that people were killed by coyotes??”, a more awkward thought was: “I hope he doesn’t steal my shoes…”. He wasn’t as interested in me as I was in him, so without looking at me he continued striding along. After checking if my shoes were still there, I tried to sleep again.

The slight adrenaline rush warmed me up. It was necessary because it was getting very cold. The thick sleeping bag, that was always too warm for me on other trips, could barely keep me warm. There is a limit on how deep you can crawl into a sleeping bag and tighten the hood down, and I soon reached that limit. I dozed of a few times, just to wake up cold and feeling paranoid about falling of the table. The table was as wide as my mattress, normally not a problem, but tonight it felt like I was balancing on a tight rope.

I just gave up trying to get asleep. And before I knew it, the stars from the sky disappeared and a reddish glow appeared over the eastern horizon. I survived my night out in the desert.


From moon light to neon light, Vegas.

The scouts on the other side of the campground were also getting up. The scout leader walks around, shakes on a tent and shouts “Good morning, Bobby!!!” in a typical Southern accent. He continues to walk from tent to tent to repeat this. This whole process did not only wake up his own campers, but also everyone in our camp.

Thanks to the early wakeup, we were already packed and ready to leave for Las Vegas an hour before planning. First we drive up to Dante’s View for one last look over the Valley, another narrow winding road up the mountains. From here Badwaters can be seen again, and next to it a straight black road crossing the valley, all the way to the horizon.

Since everyone was eager to see Vegas, we quickly hit the road again.



We pass almost deserted villages and stretched out cities. The city of Pahrump was a city I remembered. From a distance it looks like a large city. From close up, it seems like a deserted area. There is only one house every 250 meters, each with a large patch of barren ground around it; it feels like driving through an empty city. This goes on for a few miles until we hit a few mega stores along the road. Here we take a quick stop before we enter Vegas.

And not long after Pahrump, we see the suburbs of Vegas. We drive straight to the Strip, just to pass it and head towards an outlet shopping centre. Within 30 minutes I was done there, leaving me more then an hour to wander around getting bored for the first time on the trip. Me and the other guys found some shade, a drink and a bench. Since we were in Vegas, we made a wager, which girl would return back with the most shopping bags? Luckily after the shoppingspree, we finally headed to a casino, the Rio. Not to gamble, but for the big lunch buffet. And what a buffet it was, longer then the street I live in…

The two days in the Death Valley were a bit rough, so I was very happy with my king size bed in a huge apartment in Vegas. The gambling could wait, especially for a long hot bath in my jacuzzi. Basically I spend the rest of the afternoon sorting out my stuff, trying to get all the sand out of bag, clothes and shoes.


Tonight we would head out to Vegas in style. We rented a limousine with the group, got a few bottles of champagne and were going to drive down the Strip. To everyone’s surprise, we got a Hummer limousine! Well, it is a bit tacky to drive through Vegas in a limousine, but with Bon Jovi coming out of the car speakers, the bottles of champagne, hanging out of the windows shouting your getting married tomorrow, having the coolest limo in Vegas made it one of the most memorable moments. On the way we stopped at the famous Las Vegas sign, lied down in Fremont street to see the light show and ended at the fountain show at Bellagio.









After the limo ride we continued walking through Vegas to see some casinos. At the MGM, the girls ended up in Club 54, and the boys ended up at the blackjack tables making some money. I made $100 on the blackjack tables, which was quite entertaining. The rest of the night, me and my roomie ended up going to some bars and roam the streets of Vegas.


Next morning. Instead of enjoying the breakfast at our hotel, we crossed the street to explore the Hardrock Casino and see how their breakfast buffet looked like. Between all the rock memorabilia, we could not find more then a Starbucks. After the large meals of yesterday, we didn’t mind to have a simple bagel for breakfast.

This was going to be an action packed day for the most of us. A group went skydiving, a group went to the gun range, and some went to both. I just opted to blow away my hard earned blackjack dollar with a machine gun.

Just down the street from the hotel, there was the Gun Store. Indeed a store with guns in it. Inside, 3 of the 4 walls were covered with weapons, from hand pistols to machine guns, and even the odd rocket launcher was hanging there. Hehe, I was looking forward to this. Security was strangely lacking, just after writing my name down, I received a magazine full with bullets. Everyone else chose their medicine and we entered the gun range. Ahh, the smell of gunpowder in the air. With my chosen target (Osama; it was not the place to ask for a Bush poster), I stand in the booth. The instructor quickly explained how the gun works (“here is the trigger”, and “here the bullets come out”…), and I empty my magazine in matter of seconds. I watched the others also with their guns, the magnificent Desert Eagle with a huge kickback and small girls with machine guns hitting the ceiling. Seeing them with machine guns, I had to make sure I shot the biggest gun of all, so I went back the cashier and bought 2 clips for the AK47. Now that is more like it. Not before long I was hanging over the smoldering hot AK47, I grabbed the gun, just to burn my fingers… ok, don’t touch the barrel… And then I continued shooting away $50 in just 15 seconds… At that moment I could not think of a better way to spend that $50



Back in the fresh air. Some went off to the airport to jump out of a plane, and others went back to the Strip. The Strip is long, very long when trying to walk it all. We managed to see most of the casinos on the south end of the Strip. What can I say, they were nice to look at, but none as nice as the Venetian. Maybe it had something to do with the fact I was in the real Venice just weeks ago, but the interior of that place looked fabulous. So we spend most of the day walking around casinos, enjoying a street side water massage and a real Taiwanese bubble tea.





Hot and tired I head back to the hotel to sit in my jacuzzi. The sun was down again, tomorrow we would leave Vegas already, but I still had many things to do in Vegas. For dinner we all went to the New York, New York casino. We planned to eat there and then ride the famous rollercoaster there. I suggested it might be a good idea to do the rollercoaster first, and then eat. Many agreed. Paying $14 for a ride in the rollercoaster was not cheap, but it was one of the best rollercoasters I’ve been on. And not eating before the rollercoaster was a very good idea.

We found a Mexican restaurant in the casino. When the food came, I was for the first time surprised of the portion size. It was a medium sized plate with bits of food on it, it didn’t seem to be very much… I was too quick to judge, a minute later the waitress came back with 2 more plates for me, full of meat… Ok, that was a bit too much.

There was no time to let the food sink in, I still had to do the rides on top of the Stratosphere. With the 5 of us we took the taxi to the tower, no way were going to walk again. At the elevator up, there was the necessary security checks again, metal detectors and x-ray machines. The girl at the security was a bit more questionable. She pointed at my crotch and asked how big “it” was… What?! Henrik pointed out to her that back home we don’t get such questions asked. The girl realized what she was asking and mumbles she meant my belt buckle… “Hey paco, what are your thinking man, what kind of girl do you think I am???” she quickly shouts to save her face.

Once up there we had a nice view over Vegas. It was a absolute maze up there in the tower, took us forever to find the rides. The rides were ok, could have been better if I could see anything from the rides. Had to remove my glasses, so I could not see how high we were hanging above the ground… The only indication I had were the blurry lights down there and the volume of screams next to me.




The whole day I gambled a bit, I tried to make at least 1 bet in every casino, so I also wanted to gamble a bit here. I was still up $150 total gambling, so full with confidence Laura, Henrik and I hitted the blackjack tables. Then I finally realized how all these big companies could build such large casinos… Within 30 minutes I went from a $150 winner to a $150 loser… Ouch!

The last casino I haven’t seen was Caesars Palace. When we arrived there, it was already late a night, and the shopping area was closing down. We were the last ones that left the shopping area. Henrik and I decided to do one last round of betting. With difficulty we find a blackjack tables that suits our limits and we sit down. To our surprise we get dealt cards face down in contrary to all the other blackjack games. We look at each other confused and both wonder if this was a blackjack table… We had money on the table, and we didn’t know what game we were playing… Apparently it was a blackjack game, but with slightly different rules. Rules I liked, especially when I went from a $150 loser back to a $150 winner within an hour

We decided to leave Vegas as winners and took the taxi back to our comfortable hotel.

What is Zion

Everybody was still buzzing from Vegas when we left this morning to Zion national park. While waiting for everyone else to load up the van, I enjoyed another cream cheese bagel outside and shared our stories of last night. I didn’t had a clue what or where Zion was, I only heard once of it, and that was in the movie Matrix... The taxi driver from last night couldn’t tell us anything about this place, that promises a lot.

Stretched out deserts made way for deep valleys while we drove to Zion. This national park was like a miniature version of the Grand Canyon, red cliffs on both side of a valley. Though this valley was full with trees and animals. We would spend the afternoon hiking up a trail to Angels landing. It was a steep hike, so did not quite made it all the way up there, but I had a good time experimenting with my camera during the hike. On my way back I spotted a deer family that was remarkably approachable. I don’t think it was my sneaking capabilities that allowed me that close. Got a few nice photos before I walked back to the van. It was such a tranquil place, especially after the hectic days in Vegas.

It was another standard evening, staying in a motel in the middle of nowhere, eating at the local dinner, watch some TV, celebrate someone’s birthday and go to sleep since there is nothing to do at night in this village.

On the valley floor looking up through the trees


Finally up in the hidden canyon between the 2 tops






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En dat was week 2. Hopelijk snel het volgende stuk, hierin gaan we 2 aartsvijanden van elkaar ontmoeten; we gaan een nacht slapen bij een indianen familie in Monument Valley en een nacht doorbrengen met cowboys midden in Arizona. Dit en nog veel meer

quote:

Op donderdag 3 januari 2008 10:15 schreef OA het volgende:
Eerste stuk van de eerste post gelezen... Wat een lap tekst zeg!
Maar wel erg leuk!
Straks weer verder lezen!

veel gebeurd, dus veel tekst nodig

Overigens heb ik nu een strakke deadline om het geheel af te krijgen. Over 3 weken vertrek ik alweer naar Egypte en Jordanie voor een zelfde type reis

Hier is dan het slotstuk, erg veel tekst, maar hij is eindelijk af. Moest ook wel omdat ik over 36 uur richting Afrika vertrek


We beginnen bij het prachtige Monument Valley:


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Monument Valley

Another place I looked forward to visit was Monument Valley, famous for all the cowboy movies shot there. With cold untoasted bagels as breakfast, we had a long drive east, crossing into Arizona. It was a drive straight into the deserts again.

We had a stop at the visitors center. A remarkably secure visitor’s center with metal detectors and x-ray machines. Apparently they are afraid for terrorist who want to blow up the visitor center, or the big dam next to it.

Ben the guide knew a nice little place to have lunch, at the entrance to the Antelope Canyon. Before lunch we could take a nice walk through the canyon. After all the other canyons, I had a clear image how a canyon entrance looked like. Antelope Canyon entrance did not match my image, mainly because there was nothing to see, just another empty desert and a small parking lot with 4 cars. There was not a canyon in sight, and the Indian in the booth, which was not more then 1m x 1m wooden shack, charged 18 dollars entrance fee! With the profits from Vegas still in my pocket, I decided to pay and see what all the fuss was about.

A sign was warning for dangerous flashfloods in the canyon. Sure, flashfloods in a desert with an invisible canyon. Another sign a few meters away was a better warning, a memorial stone with tourists who died a few years ago in a flash flood. A small crack appeared in the ground after walking a few minutes. This was the canyon entrance... A 50 centimeter crack in the ground is an entrance?! I paid 18 dollars so I was going to crawl into it too. The canyon widened when I got deeper and took me into a totally different world.

Postcard material, that was the first thing I thought. Red and pink lined sandstone waved along the canyon. The narrow canyon with it’s colors was an amazing spectacle. Crawling through the canyon was hindered by the dozen photographers who blocked the path. "Please, wait 30 more seconds for this photo" was heard way too often. Took me an hour to make a round trip through the canyon. Back on the topside, lunch was already served under a small wooden roof, next to the small wooden Indian shack. So today we had lunch in a dusty red desert for a change.



Now where is this expensive canyon?


Inside the canyon


Worth the money


We came here for Monument Valley, home of the Navajo Indians and John Wayne. We would spend the night together in a Hogan, a traditional Navajo house. Since we could not take the trailer, we had to get our stuff already when we arrived at the visitor center. While waiting for other to gather their stuff, I take in the first views over Monument Valley. An old Indian guy is sitting on a small wall next to the big drop-off into the Valley. He starts talking to me when I walk by, "where you from?" he asks. Now I don’t have many good experiences with people who start off by asking where I’m from, but he looks sincere and harmless. We had a little chat about life in the Valley and about the corrupt tribal government, "they are as bad as the US government" he ensures me. He was a friend of the Indian who was going to guide us around Monument Valley today. Willy, from the Red Bottom Navajo clan, was not only going to show us around, but also stay with us during the night.


Everyone knows this picture

But first we would drive around in an open jeep to see the magnificent rock formations. Willy took us down to a part of the valley where no normal vehicles are allowed. We raced over bumpy roads between the rocks. In the meanwhile Willy was on the speakers, explaining us everything that there was to know about the Valley. He stopped at a spot he called the Big Hogan, which was a big concave in the rock side. Here Willy treated us on some native music played on his flute and drums. We lied down in the Big Hogan and enjoyed the songs and the rhythmic drums. With the rising moon in over the red rocks, it was a beautiful moment.

The sun had almost set when we arrived at the Hogan, our home for the night. The whole family of Willy was out there, already preparing dinner for us. A big campfire was also roaring away. The moment the sun sets, it gets quite cold here. While waiting for dinner, we huddle up as close as possible around the campfire and share the blankets we took from the trailer. Some found some instant chocolate milk, with marshmallows flavour, to warm themselves up!


More of the Valley


Our home for tonight


I’m not sure if we could call it traditional Indian food, but the fresh baked bread rolled with meat and vegetables was good to eat. Though it was a bit small, cramping 14 people around a small table, it was good dinner. We didn’t even have to do the dishes! Inside the Hogan it was warmer then expected, which would be good for tonight.

After dinner everyone gathered again around the campfire, listening to a few stories of Willy. He talked about the Skin-walker, a Navajo version of werewolves. It could transform itself in different shapes and hunts for humans at night... We talk some more about the tribal government, modern day Indian life, etc. The son of Willy brought a telescope. I always wanted to have a look to the moon and not be blinded by city lights. With the help of Willy’s son, I set up the telescope 20 meters away from the campfire. Me and the Germans are the only ones interested to leave the warm fire and plunge themselves into a cold darkness, just to gaze at the stars again. The stars themselves looked quite the same through the telescope as with the naked eye. The moon however, was extremely clear, easily spotting each individual crater. Even mars was quite good visible through the telescope. Cool.

A few non-alcoholic drinks later, alcohol is not allowed on Navajo land, I needed to use the toilet. There were two outhouses 50 meters away from the Hogan. I bought a new torch after the first one died in Death Valley. But I bought a torch that required me to hold down a button, which gave me a cramped thumb when I tried to have light for more then 10 seconds. Without much light I headed to the outhouses. They looked like they could collapse any minute, so it wasn’t surprising to find out that one of them lacked a roof. It was just too dirty and dark in there. Since I’m a man, I don’t need outhouses. I walked 50 more meters into the darkness.

While standing there, pissing away... when I suddenly hear a growl very close by!! It is dark; I can’t see where it is coming from. I shine my torch around me to spot the animal (or Skin-walker), but without success. There I am, with my pants down and some potential dangerous animal growling a few meters away. I finish up quickly while listening carefully for clues of a charging animal. I never caught a glimpse of what was out there, I constantly looked over my shoulder while walking back. It felt good to be back at the campfire...

It was a long day, and the fire was dying down a bit. So everyone prepared to go to bed. We would sleep with the 14 of us inside the Hogan. There was barely enough space to spread out 14 sleeping mats, and the floor was non existent, just fine red sand. Someone described it as school camp all over again, I have to agree. Everyone crawls inside their sleeping bag, but always a few who keep jumping around messing around. It was not that bad, lying there in the sand, just a bit dusty. Sand in my hair, eyes and mouth, but I got used to it.

For the first time it was too hot to sleep. A woodstove was in the middle of the Hogan, burning away. Everyone tries to sleep and hopes for the stove to cool down. It takes 30 minutes before someone to get up, open the door and put out the stove... A sigh of relieve goes around. Within minutes I’m asleep.



Grand Canyon

With a very dry mouth I wake up, the taste of red sand is not very nice. Half of us is still asleep, or is too lazy to get up. I can hear the Indians outside preparing breakfast, probably making coffee too, so I get up quickly and head outside. The sun is not up yet, there is a reddish haze over the rocks. It is bitterly cold. Luckily there is a campfire and some hot coffee ready. While sitting on the wooden bench and eating my breakfast, I spot the sun rising over the rocks. There is a blue shape on the ground, between the Hogan and the van. It is Ben, he could not stand the heat and noise of last night and decided to sleep outside. I think back of last night at the outhouses...

Nice and peaceful here. We leave Monument Valley over the famous "Forrest Gump" road. A straight road with the large rocks in the background, a perfect photo stop. Everyone clicks away and gets his or her "look at me standing alone on the deserted road leading to Monument Valley" photo, finished off with a group picture of everyone running on the road. Well, turned out to be quite nice pictures.


The Valley in the morning


Saying goodbye to Monument Valley


We continued our drive towards the Grand Canyon, a place that some of us looked forward too since the start of the trip. I didn’t really know what to expect, besides a large crack in the ground. The large forest around the canyon was for sure something I did not expect.

Finally we arrived at the rim of the canyon. So it is a large crack in the ground. Can’t say that I was extremely impressed by it, still it was not bad thing to look at. Somehow I developed instant vertigo when I tried to get close to the edge. But I managed to crawl to the edge to get my picture at the edge taken.

The real highlight of the day was to come, flying over the canyon in a helicopter. Just six of us were prepared to pay the hefty sum to fly in a helicopter over the canyon. I never flew in a helicopter, so where is a better first time then here? While leaving half of the group at the rim, the rest drove to the airport, slightly nervous.

At the tiny airport there was a hectic scene of helicopters landing and departing. We got weighed in at the terminal and waited for the helicopter to arrive. It was a long wait, but then the silver helicopter finally arrived. There was a short briefing before takeoff about what to do, and what not to do. Due to the weird aviation laws, we got life vests. In the case we were unlucky enough to crash, and somehow do it in the only river within a hundred miles, and be lucky enough to survive this, then it would be so handy to have this life vest.

I was lucky to get the best seat in the house, in the front right, where I had the best view. Strapped in and ready to go, the rotors whirred above our heads. And we’re off. Flying low and fast over the treetops towards the canyon. We took the longer, and more expensive, flight that would take us around a nice bit of the canyon. A memorable and slightly scary moment was the point where we were still flying low and fast towards the edge. The ground suddenly drops away and this rollercoaster feeling hits me.

It is hard to describe the trip in words, so here it is in a movieclip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD8hRWYSgeA&feature=related


What a view


More views




The rest of the gang was hanging out at the rim, we picked them up and drove to a nice spot to view the sunset. Yes, another sunset, but seeing it at the Grand Canyon is something special. Together with a few busloads of Japanese tourists we enjoy the view.


It is high...


It was only a short drive to the hotel, which is 45 minutes in US terms. This was going to be our last hotel on our trip, after this only camping. It was quite a good place; it even had a fancy lobby where we stick out with out dirty clothes. At the hotel was also an entertainment area, complete with bowling alley, bar, arcade machines and pool tables.

A joined the part of the group to the local pizza joint down the road. It was not more then a big hall, awfully decorated, and the personnel was walking around in way to bright Hawaiian shirts. Ordering my pizza took a while since the cashier was hitting on one of the girls. His best move was giving here a large bottle of Corona... Again too much food on a plate for a single person, but it tasted good.

It was freezing outside, so hanging outside is no option. The bar at the hotel is still open, so we decide to go there for some drinks. State laws forced the girls to head back to their rooms to pick up their passport. Despite a sign "if you look under 36, be prepared to show id", I could get a cocktail without problems, do I really look that old?! I was just happy that I didn’t had to walk back through the cold to get my id. Bowling is something I had to do, it’s America! Next to the bar were the bowling lanes. I can summarize my game as terrible, horrible, no more comments about this. It was fun anyway.

Another thing I had to do, was to challenge one of group members, a police officer, for a round of shooting at the arcade machines. I figured that she would be much better at shooting since she is trained for it, but apparently they don’t carry weapons there. I won.

The bar and bowling alley closed way too early. I don’t mind, the more time there is for me to enjoy my single hotel room. Tomorrow a big hike ahead, so sleep is needed.



Hiking the Canyon

Waking up in a comfortable bed in a quiet room, what a luxury. I decide to get some extra sleep instead of taking a shower; I’m going to get dirty during the hike anyway. Breakfast is in Ben’s room, where everyone is already very busy scavenging for their breakfast and hiking food. A cold bagel and some cream cheese again for breakfast, it is getting a bit boring now. I grab a handful of granola bars and some trail mix for lunch and go pack my stuff for today.

The South Kaibab trail was the target of today. A 3 mile trail that leads 600 meters down into the canyon. We would not try to get to the end of the trail, since the way up would be hard enough. A few others opt for the longer 4,5 mile trail, which results in a 9 mile roundtrip, with almost a kilometer height difference.

The first section is easy, going downhill. Scenery is again spectacular, steep drop-offs and big cliffs on either side. Before we know it, we arrive at Cedar ridge, the 1,5 mile point. Since we are not tired yet, we head down for another mile. I could not help thinking that every step down meant a step up later. Just before Skeleton point most of us decide to turn back. We walked down in 1,5 hours, and we were told that going up takes approximately 2 times it takes to get down. I was prepared for the long and probably hard hike up.


going down is easy


More of the trail


Dusty donkeys...

Despite it is only 18 degrees Celsius outside, it is very hot during the walk up. There is little shade I noticed now. Step by step, were getting there. During the slow walk up, I am surprised by fellow "hikers". Most of them seem well prepared, but a few are seriously underestimating the walk up. Two young girls, aged around 20, are walking down and pass us just 100 meters from our turning point. They seem ill-prepared, both wearing t-shirts, short and sneakers, and only carrying a half empty 0,5L bottle of water. Sure walking down is easy with that bit of water, going up is the hard part. I was happy I took about 2 liter of drinks with me; I needed most of it during the walk up. So I am very curious what ever happened to those 2 girls, if they ever made it back up. A nice sign was posted along the trail: "Going to the bottom is optional, going back up is mandatory".

It was hot and dusty. A group of lazy tourists on donkeys pass us. As they pass, the donkeys kick up more dust in our face, and as a final thank you, they deposit a smelly surprise on the path. The rim is in sight, after 2,5 hours of climbing back up, we are almost back. Every 10 minutes we have to take a rest, it is not easy.

Is he crazy? Why would you push a baby stroller down the path? I don’t know what that guy with the baby stroller was thinking. With a lot of effort he pushes down the stroller, with a baby in it, over the uneven path. Other hikers warn him when he passes by; it is not suitable for a stroller. He doesn’t speak English and continues on. When he passes me, I just wish him good luck and I continue climbing up.


Up is the hard part


A long way to go, but what a view


Last switchbacks... try to spot the man with the baby stroller


It is satisfying to be standing back on the canyon rim, looking down over the long trail down the canyon.

With the bus we head back to the village. In contrary to the trail, it is packed with tourists here. You can easily separate the lazy tourists from the hikers, a quick look at their shoes tells everything. My shoes are covered in a thick layer of red sand.

While waiting for the others who took the long hike, I grab an ice cream and sit at the edge of the canyon. With this view I try to write a bit in my travel log.

When the other hikers are back, we head for another lookout point to see the sunset again. This time it is a bit more spectacular. The smoke of the forest fires have drifted into the canyon, forming a seemingly ocean of clouds, where the highest peaks in the canyon form small islands.


Enjoying the sunset

This evening is almost the same as yesterday. The negative feedback on the steakhouse nearby forces us back to the same pizza place. After dinner I try to do some laundry, but I am unable to find the laundry rooms. So with armful of dirty clothes I stand in the classy lobby, trying to figure out where to go. At then end we find it in some corridor, and the wait begins. Meanwhile I’m being taught some British children songs and clapping games, I suck at them.

There is not much going on in the bar, so an early night again. Last night in a hotel.



Cowboys somewhere in Arizona

We are near the famous Route 66. So we decide to skip breakfast at the hotel and head to Route 66 and try a American breakfast in one of those old diners. On our way to the diner in Flagstaff, we start fantasizing about that the waitress is probably named Molly, walks around in a red and white apron, chews gum, having a long time dream of going to the big city and become a famous song writer but got pregnant by the high school football quarterback... We had some stereotypes in our head how a real diner at Route 66 looked like.

The diner was not exactly as what we expected, but nevertheless there was a waitress with a apron walking around holding a pot of coffee. Menu was filled with typical American breakfast food, eggs, toast, ham, bacon, hash browns, etc. There was no danger we would leave hungry.


Healthy breakfast

Stuffed, we explore Flagstaff for a little bit. Actually it was just a few who entered a costume shop and bought a new set of interesting clothes. From here on we go down south, all the way to Phoenix. It was a long drive, and for the first time I was really fed up with driving through a desert. It was quite hot and I was tired. In the first week everyone was happily talking to each other, singing alone with the tunes on the radio and staring to the magnificent scenery, now everyone is just dead tired and just try to get some more sleep. The not so romantic side of a long road trip. Fortunately the stop at a Wallmart wakes me up, walk around a bit and hunt for some quality coffee.

Today we would spend the day in a cowboy camp, what that may mean. The camp was located near Phoenix, where exactly, I will never know due to the numerous dirt roads we drove over. I did not really know what to expect from this camp. There were a few RV’s and some old shacks on the site. At the back there is a fenced area for the horses. It almost looks like a farm with all the farm animals and huge amount of flies around.

This camp is run by an elderly couple, Betty and Rusty, and with their son Spencer, truly a cowboy family. Spencer is a ex-professional rodeo driver and is now helping his parents out with breaking horses and running horse riding tours. With his mustache, huge belt buckle, hat and cowboy boots with spurs he matches the stereotype cowboy. But it’s nothing compared to the old Rusty, he looks like a cowboy, has manners like a cowboy and talks like a cowboy with his rusty old voice. Married to different women and children everywhere in Arizona, he spends most of the day bickering with his wife Betty. She is a caring lady in her sixties who loves the outdoor life.

A couple of the group goes with Rusty for some horseback riding, I opt to just hike a little around this interesting area. With some directions from Betty, the four of us head out. There should be a trail somewhere here. We walk through thick bushes and low thorny trees to find the trail, but no success. After only 10 minutes we are slightly lost, the whole scenery looks the same, cactuses everywhere, in different sizes and types, but all with nasty thorns. There is no way we can continue to walk on, so we turn around and head back for camp.

"That’s a quick hike" Betty says after seeing us again. She gives us the directions again, and this time I also listen to what she is saying. With the new directions we indeed find the trail, a dry riverbed. Since the sun is getting quite low, we only spend an hour of walking around. It is a very interesting area, straight from a western movie with the typical rock formations and cactuses everywhere. I should have bought a cowboy hat when I had the chance; this is the moment to wear it.


The camp


Some cactuses








Betty is already starting on dinner when we arrive back. She is preparing huge steaks for everyone with baked potatoes. We just have to wait until the rest is back. And right at sunset, how fitting is that, the group horse riders walk back into camp, full with stories and sore legs.

Dinner was perfect, sitting around a proper campfire and listening to the stories of Rusty and Betty. With his crackling voice, really amazing how similar it is too a stereotype cowboy, Rusty attempts to sing some songs supported by Betty’s guitar. It ends up in some more bickering between Betty and Rusty. They head to bed early, but not before they warn us not to be too quiet, go ahead and build a wild party and don’t mind them. Alright, no problem


Campfire blues

It wasn’t that big of a party, just mostly hanging around the campfire in the Arizona wilderness. I thought about sleeping outside, but thinking of the flies and the possible creepy creepers, I choose for the comfort of a tent.


More desert in Joshua Tree National Park

The rooster is waking me up too early, it is still before sunrise. No one is awake yet, except Spencer, who I hear approaching from far with is spurs. With some fresh coffee prepared on the campfire, we start chatting about the life in Arizona. He tells me more about his career as rodeo rider, not the easiest way to make a living. Yesterday he already showed me a framed photo of him riding a wild horse. To my surprise he was married to one of the trek leaders of Trekamerica, well he was married. Now he lives at his parents, breaking horses. I start asking him about that big white horse that was tied to a tree yesterday. That was another wild horse he is trying to break.

Betty was apparently already awake preparing breakfast. I see her silhouette on the kitchen tent. She steps out and Spencer and her end up in a discussion on how long it takes to break a horse. Can’t help laughing about it. At the end even Rusty came along and mixed into this discussion. The life of a cowboy is not easy, especially when Spencer talks about a few horses that broke out yesterday.

All this noise woke up a few other of the camp, who were now rolling out of there tent. Since breakfast isn’t ready yet, Spencer asks me if I wanted to learn to throw a lasso. Sure, of course, you never know when this skill comes in handy. With the four others who are already awake, we stand there around a pink plastic bull. In my first try the only thing I catch with the rope is myself, it is not easy as it looks. With some practice I manage to throw the loop in the general direction of the bull, it is all in the wrist. And then suddenly I get the hang it, and manage to "catch" the bull a couple of times. Another morning usefully spend.

Betty had prepared a special breakfast, biscuits and gravy. A strange combination in my mind, but nevertheless very tasty, even in the early morning. After breakfast we break up camp quickly and head for the open road again. Jippykayee!

Another long drive, almost 300 miles to the next national park, Joshua Tree national park. Of course we stop for lunch in a desolate place, a rest stop in the middle of nowhere. Just gravel and sand...


Desolate places

We are welcomed by a sign that said today’s air quality is good, but today’s fire danger is extreme... As usual we first head to the visitors center of the park to pick some maps and information. The FAQ in the brochure was interesting, one of the questions was "Where are the Joshua Trees" with as answer "They are not here...". It appeared that the center was located at the edge of the park, where no trees are visible. So we headed into the park over a road with random curves. A totally flat plain, and still the road swirled around non existing obstacles.

I never knew that there were that many different deserts, this one was not like any other place we visited before. Many large boulders formed interesting formations. At one big formation, we stopped. It is around sunset, the light is good enough for some climbing on the rocks and shooting a new stack of photos. Strange landscape, something I did not expected, but still cool to be climbing around the rocks.


The Joshua tree park without Joshua trees


Climbing the rocks




Almost dark, just a tiny ray of sun left

Since it was almost dark, we had to go to the campsite to prepare dinner and set up camp. When the tour leader claims that the campsite is not very close, it means a lot since a "short" drive is already 45 minutes. It takes us 1,5 hour to reach the campsite, located near infamous Palm Springs. It is a RV-park...

They have strange rules in this park. Since we are with 7 tents, we try to occupy as less space as possible, the logical thing to do. With a bit of effort we manage to squeeze all the tents on 2 sites. Not bad, we thought. With the tents set up, we go explore the pool, another chance to swim under the stars in a desert. Didn’t had a proper shower in 2 days, so it was quite relaxing to sit in the hot tub soaking away. The hot tub was too hot to stay in it for a long time, the other pool was too cold to stay in. After an hour I soaked enough and went back to the tents.

When I pass the reception building, I just see a security guy stepping into a golf cart and speed off. I walk towards the tents and see that the golf cart is going to exactly the same direction. And yes, it stopped right at our site. When I arrive at the tents, the guy is already busy talking to one of our group. He tells us we are not allowed to put more then 1 tent per site. I first think that they want to make more money by forcing us to take up more space, but to my astonishment, it doesn’t matter how many sites we occupy, it is all the same price. So it would not make any sense to spread out all the tents to occupy more space?! After the long day, the last thing I wanted is to break down the tent and set it up again 20 meters away. We have no choice, so we just drag the tents a bit more apart. Since there are no 7 sites available in the vicinity, we spread out the tents over 5 sites, I think it is ok. Tired of moving, we hammer down the tents lightly, there is no wind, so it should be ok.

We settle down for dinner and afterwards we do an attempt to get to the bottom of the booze box. With all the families in RV’s around us, we can’t stay up too long. Goodnight.




During the night the wind picked up significantly. The tent is shaking violently. Sleeping is hopeless, I get up. No one is awake yet; I seem to have the nasty habit of going to bed as one of the last and wake up first. The tents of everyone else are also suffering. Last night when we moved the tents, we did not hammer down the tents very well. I see the tent of the girls next to us almost blown away. All the pins are pulled out and the outer tent flapping around. I decide to play the hero and grab a hammer, find the pins and start hammering away. I guess the neighbors were happy about that at 6:30 in the morning.

Since we went swimming last night, everyone was drying their towels on the tent. They were not there anymore. Just for fun, and for being a nice guy, I go on a scavenge hunt for blown away textiles. I find bits and pieces scattered of the terrain, all the way in the "garden" of the RV at the end of the road.

I am already toasting my first bagel when the rest wakes up. Everyone eats their breakfast quickly and prepares for another hike. This time a hike over flat terrain It is still a one hour drive to the trailhead. The trail is only 3 miles long, should be easy. We start with making a photo of our shoes, so we can later compare them after the hike.

During the previous hikes, it was relatively warm. Since we are going to walk in another desert, I figured it was going to be warm. Wrong. There is a chilling wind blowing over the flat ground. Therefore we quicken the pace, just to keep warm. According to Ben, the trail was clearly marked and getting lost was not possible. Not before long we were at a intersection, right or left? No idea. We head a small map, but it was quite useless. With a quick look at the position of the sun and some luck we headed left, hoping it was the right path. Other behind us are tempted to go right, but decide just to follow us.

From a flat landscape with dry bushes and small trees, it changes into a more hilly terrain. To reach the rocky hills, we climb through a dry riverbed. This was a bit harder compared to the one in Arizona, here the boulders are the size of cars, not easy to climb over them. While climbing and jumping over the large boulders we almost miss a small sign indicating the correct path. The sign was turned around, only visible from the backside. We were lucky to catch it, there is a big chance others will miss it. We draw large signs in the sand and make arrows with sticks to indicate the correct path. Not sure if it visible enough, we continue on.

The path goes up now, and it turns into a narrow gravel path. Walking up is no problem, walking down is more difficult since it is so easy to slip on the loose gravel. At one point I did not really paid attention and accidentally tried to take a shortcut when going up. Here it was much steeper and there was more gravel. I slipped and slide, but manage to grab the only bush sticking out of the ground. On hands and knees I crawl the last few meters up to the path. No more shortcuts for me. With care I descend back into the small valley between the rocky hills. The last section was again a dry riverbed, leading out of the hills and into a open plain again. We were almost there, the van should be here somewhere. Optimistic and with renewed energy I quicken the pace. I expect to see the van any second... But I’m disappointed, the van was further then expected, just walk on and on... I was relieved after walking 20 minutes over the plains to spot the van, finally rest. Last hike of the trip was over.


Different kind of desert




Rocky hills




Everyone is tired, when we arrive back at camp, some drop down on the comfortable chairs, and others dive back into their tents to sleep a bit. I just lie back in the chair, enjoying the moments and write a bit. Fortunately there were a few who had the energy to cook up some pasta for the rest.

No swimming today, we were going out to the cinema in Palm Springs. Not sure if it was the best idea, considering how tired I was. I think I would be spending most of my time trying to stay awake, on the other hand, sleeping in some comfortable chair didn’t sound to bad either. With the van we drove of to Palm Springs. Not the most lively city at night, the streets were deserted.

It’s a large cinema. Most of us decide to go see American Gangster. With a visit to the cinema, popcorn and drinks are required. I just order a small coke. The girl behind the bar picks up a large cup and fills it with coke. I tell her I ordered a small coke. "This is the small coke" she says and hands me the ~0,75 liter cup. I decide to skip the popcorn.

With arms full of food and drinks (literally) we find the correct seats. Amazing seats might I add. Easiest to describe them is, they look and feel like business class seats on a airplane. A lot of leg space and room for your arms, even the cup holders were big enough for the cups! And as predicted I spend most of the time fighting against falling asleep, but the movie was interesting enough to keep me awake.

The movie ended, the town was deserted, so we went back to camp for some much needed sleep. Of course we first checked if the tents were hammered down well enough, you never know.







Almost over, San Diego

Last long drive of this trip. After 2 weeks in the hot inlands, we finally see the Pacific Ocean again. I get the feeling the trip is almost over, LA is not that far away anymore.

Over flat dry plains, straight quiet roads, along big windmill farms and small towns, we are back on the busy 10-lane highway along the ocean. We drive into San Diego, at the most southwest corner of the US, straight towards the beach. Since it was a long drive, it was time for another lunch on the beach.

Everyone just chilled for the rest of the afternoon on the beach, walked around the boulevards a bit, get some cocktails or just lie down in the sand.


Beach lunch




The last city, and also the last camp site. Located conveniently next to a highway, or should I say almost under a highway, was a large camp site. Mostly for RV’s, but they had a special spot for us campers. Next to the entrance was a small grass field where we could set up camp.

To our delight, another Trekamerica group set up their camp next to us. It was their first day of a 2 week tour. I think back of our first night out. The uncertainties, the excitement, everyone is still a stranger, you don’t know what to expect from each other, you don’t know their names and background, who is fun and who is not, etc. And look at us now, almost 3 weeks later, a nice group of friends that had endured many adventures together. I get a beer, turn my chair around and sit down watching the new kids struggling with their tents.

Amused by their attempts, I finally walk up to them to say hello. It was a young bunch of kids, all around 20 years old. Our group is very old compared to them. Also they have only one boy, a shy Korean boy. It can be hell or heaven to be in a group like this. We start sharing our adventures a bit with them and how great everything is. But not too long, since dinner is almost ready.

I forgot to mention it is Thanksgiving today. At our regular Wallmart stop this afternoon we tried to gather a traditional Thanksgiving meal for tonight. We succeeded quite well. It became quite a fancy meal, especially considering we only have a small camping stove to cook on. It was a nice full plate with yams, turkey (actually chicken, but who cares), mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, bread rolls and pumpkin pie for dessert. And all this eaten from an old blue plastic plate on my lap, with mismatched cutlery, sitting on a foldable pink camping chair under a busy highway, gotta love this camping stuff!!

Trying to get the new kids a bit jealous I walk by them with my dessert in my hand. The devilish side of me can’t wait to tell them about our fancy meal. Then I see that they are eating almost exactly the same food as us, their tour leader had really taken care of them. And then I spot their coffeemaker, a real Italian style coffeemaker... All this time I had to endure instant coffee during the cold mornings, longing for some good coffee... And they have this wonderful piece of equipment... I’m so jealous...

I return to my own group and grab a beer from the booze box. Some are already going to bed and others are going to the pool. A few of us remain back at camp. We were cold and tired, you could say we were bored. A deck of cards came on the table. What cross cultural card games could I think of? Not much, but somehow we managed to invent a whole new card game, involving spoons and hitting each other. Strangely enough we invented such complicated rules, there was no end possible to the game. Others didn’t realize this, and it became one of the longest card games ever. This kept us entertained for a while, and more importantly it kept us warm. Before we knew it, it was getting really late, and we headed to bed.



Too much to do on one day!!

This was the last full day of the trip, and there was still so much to do. I wanted to see the famous San Diego zoo, but also wanted to have a look at the across the border in Mexico, which was only a few miles away. Ah, why not both? I managed to cramp both things in a tight schedule and still manage to get back to camp in time, I hope.

We were lucky enough to get dropped of at the zoo by Ben. With the 5 of us, and 2 young girls from the other Trek America group, we explored the zoo. We had less then 3 hours to look around and to have lunch. In this short period of time, we managed to see most of the animals. It was just another zoo, but a bit bigger, nothing really special in my opinion. Slightly disappointed I am on time at the exit of the zoo. I was more excited to visit Mexico.

It was already past 13:00, and we had to be back at 18:00 at the campsite to join the rest for dinner downtown. So the race against the clock started, our mission was to travel all the way to Tijuana in Mexico, have tequila’s there and cross the border back into the US, all this in just 5 hours.

To save time, we take the taxi to the tram that will drive us down to the Mexican border. With precision timing, we buy the tickets and jump in the just departing tram, were still on schedule. On the map it only looked like a small drive to the border, but it took us nearly an hour to get there. At the last stop we jump out and try to find the border crossing. "Hey, where is Mexico?" I ask the nearest seemingly local person. He points to a large bridge over the highway.

We follow the small stream of people over the bridge. Under us there is the busy highway from and towards Mexico. Interesting to see that there is no queue at the American side, and a huge queue at the Mexican side. I hear the rattling sound of a one way gate, marking the official crossing into Mexico. Except for a few bored looking Mexican policemen, there is not much between us and Mexico. A final check if I have brought my passport, and I walk trough the gate and enter Mexico.



The border


Finally in Mexico



A total different atmosphere immediately. Small kids and old women come up to us begging and selling all kinds of stuff. We try ignoring them and continue walking towards Avenida Revolución, the touristic center of Tijuana. They were telling the truth when someone said that Tijuana was nothing more then a tourist trap. This is not the real Mexico, but for a 1,5 hour stay, it will suffice.

There are enough bars to choose from for our tequila. We spot one with a nice balcony over the street. Even before we are even near the entrance, they welcome us and try to lure us in with special offers "Buy 1 drink, get 1 free!" and the more interesting "Buy a drink and get a free bull ride!!". At the topfloor there was indeed a mechanical bull, but no one was really interested. From the inside this bar looked like the dirty drinking hole, probably what the average American teenager is looking for when he crosses the border during spring break. We sit on the balcony and order a few tequila’s and some nachos to complete the "Mexican experience". While waiting a waiter is very busy running around with a whistle and a large bottle of tequila. With a lot of show and grandeur he pours shots of tequila to willing tourists. Of course he can’t skip our table, and I am the chosen one to hang back and let the tequila flow straight I my throat. Interesting experience.

Since we got two tequila sunrises for the price of one, we spend most of our Mexican time on this balcony overlooking the avenue. But we have a schedule to keep, we decide that 2 hours is plenty of time to get back, so we have a few minutes to spare for souvenir shopping. Since my belt was broken, I had to buy a new one. No shortage of choice, everyone is offering "first class" belts. The first shop owner didn’t want to haggle about the price, so I went to his neighbor. No matter how low you can get the price, you still feel you getting ripped off. I wanted to buy the belt for $7, but the shopowner could not possibly go lower then $8. Not wanting to fight over a single dollar, I made him a final offer. The buckle was not really shiny, so if he polished that buckle for me here and now, I would give him the $8.

With my shiny $8 Mexican belt, we walk towards the border. It was already dark now, when we crossed the bridge again, there was a ocean of red tail lights of cars waiting at the border. We follow the sign that indicates the US border, according to the sign it is 5 minutes walking away. After 5 minutes of walking we see a another sign, indicating it was only 5 minutes to the US border... and a few minutes later the same sign again...


Sea of lights

I wish it was only 5 minutes when I see the huge queue at the border. Now our schedule is in trouble. The queue didn’t move for the first minutes and we were getting worried. To hell with good manners and we dashed forward along the line. It was a long queue, it took us more then 5 minutes to get to the front of the line. At least it is the correct queue. We walk back a little bit and try to sneak into the queue again. I hear people shouting. I fake a temporary deafness. "Get to the back of the line!" someone shouts close by. I still ignore it. Suddenly I feel a strong hand pulling on my shoulder and I turn around just to stare in the face of an angry Mexican police officer. "Get to the back of the line!" he repeats. Defeated I step out of the line and start walking all the way to the back of the line, that has grown even longer now. Nothing to do but wait.

We waited for more then an hour before we entered the immigration building. We were late. Now we also see why it took so long, every few minutes a family of Mexicans walks back from the border, unsuccessful in trying to cross the border. Some panic broke out at one point, security guards rushing to the booths. Can’t see what is happening, but it took some more time... Considering the waiting time, it was remarkable how quickly we got through immigration. "Did you buy anything? No? Ok, bye.".

To save some time, we take the taxi back to the campsite. Just a half hour late we are back. Few others are already waiting for us at the gate, dancing around like young puppies welcoming their master. We quickly change clothes to go down town for dinner.

So far all the recommended places of Ben were really good. This time we would go for some good Italian food in the Gaslight district. A nice looking area with nice bars and restaurants. It is crowded at the Italian place, decorated with all kinds of Italians memorabilia. Despite a reservation, we have to wait quite some time. But the wait was certainly worth the food. Accompanied with some wine, it tasted excellent.

From experience I can say that being very tired and alcohol don’t mix. After just a few drinks, I had troubles keeping awake. It was the annoying "Happy Birthday" songs around us that kept me awake, somehow at every table there was someone celebrating their birthday. I could barely stand up straight after dinner. And the plan was to go to some bars now.

Fresh air helps a bit when we walked to the bar. Stupidly enough I was the only one forgetting their passport. And as predicted, I was refused entry to the bar. I tried showing my 3 different student cards, credit card, all other cards with my name or photo, but the doormen would not budge. Fine, I was tired anyway. I told the rest I would just go back to the campsite and go to bed. To my surprise almost all the girls wanted to join me back to camp, I was not the only one being tired, and this was a good excuse for them to go back early also.

Instead of going directly to bed back at camp, the deck of cards appeared on the table again. Same game as yesterday, same amount of time, same amount of fun. I stayed up longer then expected, but at the end I really had to go to sleep. Actually this was the first time I am to sleep in my tent with no one in it. All the other times, I was the last person to enter the tent. Ah well, the more room, the better!



It is all over...

Due to my next trip to Africa, I can’t write too much about the last day and the following post tour days. Maybe it will follow later.

Just to sum it up, it was a great last day with a visit to Disneyland. Sad goodbye to a few of the group afterwards in a local bar. Had some more drinks and ended up trying to empty the booze box in one of our hotel rooms. A surreal night.

Most of us left next morning after more sad goodbyes and unfeasible promises to meet up again later. A few of us took up some hostels at Hollywood for a few extra days in LA. After 4 days longer in LA, I flew to NY for another 5 days, before heading back home...


And this is how it ends. Tired and satisfied. Now I have written this, I can pack up for my next trip!!


Compilation of the whole trip on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hh7mkDQsdF4

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Ok, that's it Ik hoop dat het een vermakelijk stuk is geworden, ik heb in ieder geval wel plezier beleeft tijdens het schrijven. Hopelijk over 4 week nog zo'n stuk, maar dan over Egypte en Jordanie