grand canyon 01

The Grand Canyon. Ze Grande Canyone. You know what, if Starbucks had its way, this would be called the Venti Canyon, because yes it’s the absolute equivalent of a two litre coffee. It’s so mammoth that you don’t really believe someone’s actually drinking that, are they insane? Do they realise the number of hairs they’ll pull out from fidgeting and the carpet which will be worn thin by the constant pacing?! Clearly not. And unless you can handle your shit, don’t order it because those who can’t *coughguywhositsrightnearmecough*, coffee buzzes are so not cool to the people around you.

But anyway, vented (ah, hah, vented the venti, I am so not funny).

Now, the Grand Canyon. Without doubt the absolute highlight of my little American sojourn, and my only regret is that we weren’t able to spend more time down in the gaping big hole, contemplating life and our seriously insignifcant contribution towards this magnificent world of ours.

Law enforced by the Native Americans mandate that we (terrible folk  who are destroying the natural beauty one gravel at a time) can only touch down for 30 minutes, and so we touch, we click-click-click away and we’re off. It’s that fast, but wait! This being the tour that I joined, we also had lunch inside the Grand Canyon. I mean, what’s life without food, right? High five!

There are numerous ways you can see the Grand Canyon ~ from Vegas alone there are countless tours offering bus rides (like 5 hours each way, don’t do it), sea plane rides (which fly across the top of the Canyon) and the best of the best, helicopter rides which take you in and actually land in the Grand Canyon. We chose the chopper, in case you hadn’t figured it out, and while US$269pp might sound like a doozy, it is worth every penny and really, the flight takes you over Hoover Dam and Lake Mead too, so hey what a bargain!

grand canyon 02

Check it out: Hoover Dam and some guy just plodding along on his speedboat… and see the white mark around the side of the damn? That’s the water level declining, because 6,000 people per month are moving to Vegas and milking Hoover Dam of its juices. Stop moving there you gambling bastards.

view of Hoover Dam

Being in the Grand Canyon is an experience that is second to none. I can’t even really put it into words properly, but the feeling is something along the lines of pure insignificance. Me being the insignificant one, of course. The area is so wide, the crevices so deep, it’s actually almost incomprehensible to understand how nature did all of this, and how long it must have taken. Being there in the amidst of the enormous mountains and rivers is humbling to say the least, and as if I didn’t feel small enough in real life, I now feel like a true and proper teeny weeny being.

where's catty?

More happy snaps of the Canyon, just for kicks…

grand canyon 06

and more, cos I’m generous like that…

grand canyon 07

and my very most favourite thing in the Grand Canyon? The cute little cacti that live down there…

grand canyon 04

Anyway, I totally loved this experience and would recommend for anyone to go. We flew with Papillon and I don’t know if they ever play Pick-A-Pilot, but we had this guy called John who’s ex-army and apparently psychologically tested “calm enough to be shot at” and the choppers are seriously smooth sailing and (relatively) quiet, so there is no scary fear.

And hey, they provide lunch in the Grand Canyon! We each got a little personal hamper which contained a turkey sandwich, a packet of potato chips and an apple. Oh, and a glass of champers. Can’t go wrong there 🙂

grand canyon lunch

7 Thoughts on “a very small catty in a very Grand Canyon

  1. Yutjangsah on October 22, 2009 at 7:39 pm said:

    It’s been way too long. I love le canyon grande. Majestic. I can’t wait til they build that transparent viewing platform. Good times.

  2. There is something wrong when I actually live in this country and I still haven’t seen the Grand Canyon! My plan is to take one of those tours where some poor little donkey has to haul my flabulousness down to the canyon bottom.

    Thanks for sharing your pics. They’ve definitely reminded me that there are some fantastic destinations that I shouldn’t miss here at home!

  3. Yutjangsah: there’s a teeny tiny viewing platform thingy on one side of the canyon. would be superb if they built a big one over the canyon but hrm, dont think the Natives would be down for that.

    Tangled Noodle: It’s funny you often don’t appreciate what you have at home. I’m from Australia and haven’t been to half the stunning places there.. LOL re the donkey. I did one of those in Morocco.. the poor little guys they have tiny skinny legs! 🙂

  4. Lucky it was just the one glass of champagne 😉

  5. Turkey sandwich?!

  6. tehbus: no kidding. one topple in the canyon could result in a very long fall 🙂 frickin’ cadbury kid me.

    Lizzie: what’s wrong with a turkey sandwich?

  7. The Grand Canyon, with its mile-high, multicoloured rock walls, craggy cliffs, and sandy slopes, is the embodiment of nature’s awesome power and surpassing beauty. We are planning to visit here on next holidays. Thank you so much for sharing some photos here.

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