Grand Canyon

A few weeks ago, we went to Vegas for a little vacation. In fact, we were there just one week before the tragic events. To say that I was devastated the morning of Monday, October 2nd, when, turning on one side to stop the alarm clock, I saw the news alert on my phone, is an understatement - I was shaken. However, it is not what I want to talk about in this post. I want us all to remember, because it gets harder and harder with each such occurrence, that there are beautiful things and good people in this world, and a few bad ones can't stop us from seeing that.

To be truthful, Las Vegas is not exactly my cup of tea. We ended up there due to last-minute plans, when, another destination simply didn't work out for us. Vegas is obviously a party-city and I am not a huge fan of big, loud parties. However, I enjoy its beauty and the many things one can do there.

After going to a show (Circus 1903) and having our own kind of fun there, we knew we wanted something more, so we decided to hop on a tour to Grand Canyon.

Known as one of the seven natural wonders of the world, the Grand Canyon is, without a doubt, a quite impressive place and we wanted to experience it together (hubby has been there before but it was the first time for me). Since we didn't want to spend too much time on a bus, we decided to go to the closest to Las Vegas side of Grand Canyon - the West Rim.

It took us about three hours to get there but the ride was beautiful, given all the landscape on the way.
The Grand Canyon West Rim is home to the Hualapai Indian Tribe - if you are interested in Native American history and culture, this place is a must-visit for you. Plus, the West Rim is also home to the famous Skywalk - an amazing and terrifying experience that you don't want to miss.

The weather could not have been more perfect that day - it was windy but pleasantly warm. We got to hike a bit, rock-climb, and simply take in the incredible views all around us.

By the way, as you can tell, my outfit was not quite ready/appropriate for this kind of adventure, but hey, I survived. In my defense, I packed for Vegas, not Grand Canyon.

For Grand Canyon, the key is having proper shoes since the ground is slippery, so please don't wear flip-flops there (yes, I have seen people climbing rocks wearing those - not cool!).

As far as the views, I felt overwhelmed, in a good way. I mean, see for yourself below - it's like there's nothing else on Earth but this rocky never-ending horizon.

By the way, West Rim is not considered part of the National Park but I am glad I got to cross it off my list.

Next is exploring the rest of it.