New Mexico
Trip to New Mexico, Arizona & Las Vegas in 2006
In this traveling experience I am going to share with you a horrifyingly beautiful sight that I've ever seen in my life. When I was enjoying my son growing up, I took him to the west coast - New Mexico. The journey began for New Mexico on Dec 2006 from Baltimore airport, 2 hours drive from where I've lived. We reached Albuquerque at 7:30 p.m. ( mountain time is 4 hours behind eastern time), I had two stop overs- one on Atlanta GA & another on Dallas TX. We were placed in one bed room apt ( similar to Miami apt ) for the holidays. The weather was good, suitable for traveling. As I was tired from the long journey that day, I went to the store nearby for toiletries, ate some food & went to bed early. Next day , we went out for sight seeing, in the city. It was situated on a beautiful valley surrounded by big blue mountains & desert which I could see from the room window . By a small car with an escort we moved all day aimlessly, to know the town & how it felt to be on the western part of USA which was quite different from the east I believe.
The pictures below are in following order:
1. Irresistible Mexican Taco-burrito wrapped in a rice based tortilla, stuffed with beans, melted cheese & sour cream; 2. ABK -New Mexico; 3. Turquoise in silver setting; 4. A traditional red Indian out fit. New Mexico is a state located in the south west region of US, it’s one part is mountainous inhabitant by native Indians- the red Indian, Mexican migrant, some Spanish from south America & another part is deserted. It’s landscape ranges from desert to high snow mountain. In the desert, there are bushes , desert grasses , shrubs, cacti , rodent & poisonous snakes. The mountain looked spectacular, changes its color as the day ends from red to blue. We stopped for a while into a Bengali- guy store, who was selling halal meat, spices, magazine, newspaper, we also went to a Chinese store stuffed with Chinese goods. We ate most of the time for lunch McDonald’s burger, taco, pizza or noodles - quick n' easy to eat- no hassle for cooking, perfect for traveler’s meal . At night, sometimes we cooked food in a short cut way or ate leftover from the lunch. Snow started to fall unexpectedly covering the front porch of the apt building almost a foot high. Someone from the apt office was kind enough to shoveled the snow & so we could walk to the parking space. I find the city unusually quiet & calm. Rare I saw children in the park , maybe for the cold, they were all playing indoor. We went out driving for 1 hour to see the capital of NM, Santa Fe which was also similar city even smaller them ABK. The shops & the mall were full of Mexican products .Hand- made red Indian pottery , some were glazes in different color , some were earthen with artwork , little different from ours. I saw some red Indian stores in downtown, full of ancient weapons, quilts, coats, leather shoes, belts made by their traditional style .
As the country Mexico shares a common border with the state New Mexico, most of the posh residents build their houses in mud-made -Mexican style, but interior was upgraded & decorated. Dazzled by their beauty which caught my eyes in the mall were those breathtaking earthen stone under the glass fitted cabinet, but high priced. Most of them were in a big chunks of turquoise in silver; wired beautifully in a pendant, bracelet or in a hooped ring ; there were also blood red rubies, red coral, Chinese Jade ( in green, rare purple), Amber ( light wt. resin found in Baltic sea & in south America), blue Lapis lazuli , black Onyx , snakeskin Jasper, Agate , purple Amethyst, rose Quartz, Emerald in pale green also simulated diamonds ( lab created) some of them were accented. The silver setting jewelry from Mexico is known to be good quality but pricey .
The inhabitants in New Mexico were also Red Indians recognizable by their black silky hair & traditional rugged feature. I find them quite & reserved. A tepee is a conical tent originally made of animal skins or birch bark and popularized by Native Americans of the Great Plains. Pottery production at Santa Ana Pueblo was ample in the 19th and 20th centuries, but very little pottery from this time period has survived. Moccasins are the footwear most often associated with traditional North American footwear. Other types of footwear were also worn: woven sandals, boots, and leggings attached to shoes. The origins of moccasins undoubtedly originate in climates and conditions that made it necessary to make protective footwear. Wearing moccasins or boots would have been essential to keep feet from freezing. Most of what has survived is in museum collections. I saw not too many high rising building there but apart from that, stores, malls , grocery stores, gas stations are same all over in America. When we were in the apt, I watched some of the local TV , also a good source to know the city better . We started our journey to Las Vagus through a deserted highway in Arizona by a car which reminded me of a western movie- good bad & ugly also the music which goes along with it . On our way, we saw the Hoover Dam under construction; by cutting steps on the the mountain, the roads were going spirally around the cliff. I saw tourists stopped their car for viewing the dam, taking pics crazily.
Hoover dam
Creeping closer inch by inch, 900 feet above the mighty Colorado River, $160 million bridge at the Hoover Dam slowly take shape. The bridge will carry a new section of US Route 93 which can be seen twisting and winding around and across the dam itself. When complete, it will provide a new link between the states of Nevada and Arizona. In an incredible feat of engineering, the road will be supported on the two massive concrete arches which jut out of the rock face. At the moment, the structure looks like a traditional suspension bridge. But once the arches are complete, the suspending cables on each side will be removed. Extra vertical columns will then be installed on the arches to carry the road. . An estimated 17,000 cars and trucks will cross it every day. The dam was started in 1931 and used enough concrete to build a road from New York to San Francisco. The stretch of water it created, Lake Mead , is 110 miles long and took six years to fill. The original road was opened at the same time as the famous dam in 1936.
We reached Las Vagus at midnight. Las Vegas, in Nevada’s Mojave Desert, is a resort city famed for its vibrant nightlife, centered around 24-hour casinos and other entertainment options. This boulevard is home to themed hotels with elaborate displays such as fountains synchronized to music as well as replicas of an Egyptian pyramid, the Venetian Grand Canal, and the Eiffel Tower. It was also known for extravagant hotels, biggest casinos , roller coasters, clubs, resorts- a fun place for all age group. On it’s out skirt the rocky mountain stands alone boldly. We did some sightseeing watching the beautiful city but as we were all tired we went to a hotel for spending the night. Next day morning was full of sunshine, we started again moving around the city which was full of casino’s, people, the circus, big mall even the streets were worth watching, big hotels with Arabian flavor, Egyptian , some Japanese- style hotels, all lighted up & the music played on the background. We had our lunch & spent 2nd night in a motel.
The panoramic view of Grand Canyon- horrifyingly beautiful
3rd day in the morning, we started our journey going back to ABK . We stopped at Arizona where the Grand Canyon was situated . We found another motel for the night & spent the entire day watching the G C --a huge ribbons of mountain in central America which can be seen layers after layers changing into different colors from sunrise to sunset . It was designed to view from the mountain top to watch the panoramic view. The spectacular rainbow of color playing on the mountain can be seen . Indian Chinese European tourist , local people were crowding there to watch it, taking pictures endlessly. As a lover of mother nature I was spell bound. Weather in the Grand canyon varies according to its' elevation. I saw highly spirited hikers, bikers & some on foot, going down the mountain trail with tons & tons of energy .
We came back that day to ALB New Mexico, resting all day. After viewing the panorama of Grand cannon, we watched the Iraqi leader - Saddam Hussein’s hanging on TV, what a scenario! a great leader for his country but his life was silenced by his own people. For few days I couldn’t sleep -the images were coming to my dream. Those who are armed & licensed to kill people, please think twice before you trigger your gun. Next day, we went to a local mosque on Eid ul Adha for prayer - where I saw a local Muslims gathering. Our flight was delayed for one day for bad weather. My son & I with loads of dirty cloths, took the after noon fight. A brief stop over in Utah, finally reached at Philadelphia airport at midnight.
Those who are inspired by my article, there’s a small piece of advice . The grand canyon is situated far away from the locality & the winding roads are steep & not broad enough to pass another car. Specially it’s risky for night driving & traveling alone. There are no street lights or no police car for rescuing if you go out of gas or out track.
Photos & info from internet. Pics I've collected are vivid & beautiful but in reality you may not find what you’ve expected.
