Today was a glorious and action-packed day.
I woke up at around 5:30 am, because my new friends Kai Lun and KY told me that we'll be meeting at the Employee Dining Room (EDR) at around 6:15 am. We signed up for the trip to Zion National Park, and the shuttle will be leaving at 7 am. So we had breakfast and all, and we were quite worried then because there were not a lot of people up yet, and there was a minimum of 8 people required to go if the trip were to push through. However, when it was about time to go and I was comfortably sitting inside the shuttle with my friends, I was asked to get out because I was the 13th person to sign up (actually I was the 15th haha), and the cap was 12! I'm grateful that my friends fought for me, and it turned out that there were just exactly 12 of us because the other people didn't show up, so I was very happy I could go.
It was about a 2-hr drive to Zion. On the way there, I noticed something falling from the sky, but it certainly didn't seem like ordinary rain because there were no water droplets in the windshield. When I looked outside the side windows, I noticed the pine woods and the ground beneath being covered in white.
IT WAS SNOWING!!!
Gosh it was a magical moment for me, because it was my first time seeing snow fall from the sky. I was so happy I almost cried, but of course that would seem really silly, so I just joined my Asian friends in a chorus of oooh's and woooow's. I think our American friends were amused at us.
When we reached Zion, I was very partial towards my affinity to Grand Canyon. However, I would soon later find out that it is hard not to fall in love with Zion National Park! The major difference I noticed is that in the Grand Canyon, you'll feel like you are on top of the world (because in a sense you are!), while in Zion, you are in the midst of towering rock mountains. In short, at the Grand Canyon, you look down to see the scenic view, while in Zion, you look up!
We ate lunch and dinner at the EDR in Zion, since it is owned by the same company (Xanterra) that also runs the Grand Canyon North Rim. The food was really great! It was like dining in a restaurant, can!!! Especially the dessert...whereby later during dinner we extinguished their supply of cheesecakes displayed at the fridge. Sorry Zion folks, but your chocolate and strawberry cheesecakes were pleasing to the eye and sumptuous to the palate, we just couldn't help ourselves with taking more than one serving each.
The 12 of us separated into 4 groups: Chinese couple, American couple, American Auntie solo, and six of us in a group (3 Singaporeans, 2 Indonesians, 1 American, and 1 Filipino, yours truly).
My group went to hike up Hidden Canyon. When we were at the trailhead, we looked up, up, up. There was a warning that said:
Falls from the cliffs here have resulted to death. Be careful.
Or something to that effect.
We were going to hike up this foreboding solid rock, and we were not exactly geared up for it. One of us even wore ballet-styled shoes, and now I really salute her for having been made it. I was wearing my ever-dependable All-Star Chucks, my favorite pants, favorite top, and favorite pink sweater...all of which are part of my typical school get-up back in Singapore.
The first part was a seemingly never-ending spiral up the solid rock, and I really laud the civil engineers who carved the trail out of that natural wonder. The paved roads where shuttles drive by became smaller and smaller on our ascent, and the trail became trickier, narrower, and steeper. There were even solid chains welded on the rock that we had to hold on to to prevent falling off the cliffs. Then we reached the heart of the maintained trail, where pools of water carved on the rocks greeted us. At that point I was already running out of superlatives to give justice to the scenic view. It was very beautiful.
Then came a very tricky part of the trail, and there was in fact a sign there that said "SCRAMBLING REQUIRED", but I've only read it after going through it on the way back.
That part was pure fun and excitement, where we were like treasure hunting and going through rock crevices where only one person could go at a time. We had to climb the jagged portions while we had no idea how to get down afterwards. We decided it was a problem we'd had to face later. But of course eventually we managed to climb down, or else I won't be here typing, right? We also put into practice our balancing skills on tree logs that served as bridges further up the trail.
After two hours of hiking up and with the canyon walls closing in on us, we decided we'd had enough when we reached the point where there seemed to have an avalanche of rocks millions of years ago that stopped short a pack of dinosaurs from coming through in a stampede. At least that's how I imagined it to be. It required pure "scrambling" and spider-man-like stunts to get through, and we gave consideration to our friend who wore ballet-like shoes. Haha.
Then we hiked down and took a lot of photos, which I most probably will get only when we reach Singapore.
On our way back, I pretended to be asleep, but was actually straining my ear to listen to the American soon-to-be-couple as they got to know each other more. I believe today was their first date, and what better way to spend it than hiking in Zion. Their topics of conversation ranged from getting to know their birthdays, number of siblings, quizzing each other on the state capitals, God, sex and how many people they have slept with (the guy claimed he'd already slept with 40 different women - at which point I almost fainted), past relationships, opinion about holding hands, etc. It was very interesting listening to them, and when the girl mentioned she attracts lesbians, I wasn't surprised at all. I mean, I know I am 101% certified straight female, but I couldn't help but appreciate her beauty, as well as her well-toned and chiseled features. And she is super friendly some more. The guy would really be a total loser in every sense if he loses her.
As we were nearing Grand Canyon, at the same place where it had snowed earlier, guess what??? It snowed again!!! Haha, as if to conclude the day's adventures.
So fun!
I woke up at around 5:30 am, because my new friends Kai Lun and KY told me that we'll be meeting at the Employee Dining Room (EDR) at around 6:15 am. We signed up for the trip to Zion National Park, and the shuttle will be leaving at 7 am. So we had breakfast and all, and we were quite worried then because there were not a lot of people up yet, and there was a minimum of 8 people required to go if the trip were to push through. However, when it was about time to go and I was comfortably sitting inside the shuttle with my friends, I was asked to get out because I was the 13th person to sign up (actually I was the 15th haha), and the cap was 12! I'm grateful that my friends fought for me, and it turned out that there were just exactly 12 of us because the other people didn't show up, so I was very happy I could go.
It was about a 2-hr drive to Zion. On the way there, I noticed something falling from the sky, but it certainly didn't seem like ordinary rain because there were no water droplets in the windshield. When I looked outside the side windows, I noticed the pine woods and the ground beneath being covered in white.
IT WAS SNOWING!!!
Gosh it was a magical moment for me, because it was my first time seeing snow fall from the sky. I was so happy I almost cried, but of course that would seem really silly, so I just joined my Asian friends in a chorus of oooh's and woooow's. I think our American friends were amused at us.
When we reached Zion, I was very partial towards my affinity to Grand Canyon. However, I would soon later find out that it is hard not to fall in love with Zion National Park! The major difference I noticed is that in the Grand Canyon, you'll feel like you are on top of the world (because in a sense you are!), while in Zion, you are in the midst of towering rock mountains. In short, at the Grand Canyon, you look down to see the scenic view, while in Zion, you look up!
We ate lunch and dinner at the EDR in Zion, since it is owned by the same company (Xanterra) that also runs the Grand Canyon North Rim. The food was really great! It was like dining in a restaurant, can!!! Especially the dessert...whereby later during dinner we extinguished their supply of cheesecakes displayed at the fridge. Sorry Zion folks, but your chocolate and strawberry cheesecakes were pleasing to the eye and sumptuous to the palate, we just couldn't help ourselves with taking more than one serving each.
The 12 of us separated into 4 groups: Chinese couple, American couple, American Auntie solo, and six of us in a group (3 Singaporeans, 2 Indonesians, 1 American, and 1 Filipino, yours truly).
My group went to hike up Hidden Canyon. When we were at the trailhead, we looked up, up, up. There was a warning that said:
Falls from the cliffs here have resulted to death. Be careful.
Or something to that effect.
We were going to hike up this foreboding solid rock, and we were not exactly geared up for it. One of us even wore ballet-styled shoes, and now I really salute her for having been made it. I was wearing my ever-dependable All-Star Chucks, my favorite pants, favorite top, and favorite pink sweater...all of which are part of my typical school get-up back in Singapore.
The first part was a seemingly never-ending spiral up the solid rock, and I really laud the civil engineers who carved the trail out of that natural wonder. The paved roads where shuttles drive by became smaller and smaller on our ascent, and the trail became trickier, narrower, and steeper. There were even solid chains welded on the rock that we had to hold on to to prevent falling off the cliffs. Then we reached the heart of the maintained trail, where pools of water carved on the rocks greeted us. At that point I was already running out of superlatives to give justice to the scenic view. It was very beautiful.
Then came a very tricky part of the trail, and there was in fact a sign there that said "SCRAMBLING REQUIRED", but I've only read it after going through it on the way back.
That part was pure fun and excitement, where we were like treasure hunting and going through rock crevices where only one person could go at a time. We had to climb the jagged portions while we had no idea how to get down afterwards. We decided it was a problem we'd had to face later. But of course eventually we managed to climb down, or else I won't be here typing, right? We also put into practice our balancing skills on tree logs that served as bridges further up the trail.
After two hours of hiking up and with the canyon walls closing in on us, we decided we'd had enough when we reached the point where there seemed to have an avalanche of rocks millions of years ago that stopped short a pack of dinosaurs from coming through in a stampede. At least that's how I imagined it to be. It required pure "scrambling" and spider-man-like stunts to get through, and we gave consideration to our friend who wore ballet-like shoes. Haha.
Then we hiked down and took a lot of photos, which I most probably will get only when we reach Singapore.
On our way back, I pretended to be asleep, but was actually straining my ear to listen to the American soon-to-be-couple as they got to know each other more. I believe today was their first date, and what better way to spend it than hiking in Zion. Their topics of conversation ranged from getting to know their birthdays, number of siblings, quizzing each other on the state capitals, God, sex and how many people they have slept with (the guy claimed he'd already slept with 40 different women - at which point I almost fainted), past relationships, opinion about holding hands, etc. It was very interesting listening to them, and when the girl mentioned she attracts lesbians, I wasn't surprised at all. I mean, I know I am 101% certified straight female, but I couldn't help but appreciate her beauty, as well as her well-toned and chiseled features. And she is super friendly some more. The guy would really be a total loser in every sense if he loses her.
As we were nearing Grand Canyon, at the same place where it had snowed earlier, guess what??? It snowed again!!! Haha, as if to conclude the day's adventures.
So fun!
3 Comment(s):
wow snow.
I love the snow, every year I wait for the first snow fall and go for a walk. I am so glad you got to see your first snow fall in such beautiful country. Keep blogging sweetie and help us see the world as you do. Love You.
waaaaaa............ so nice ^_^
*sinks in her chair inside the office... glad to have the internet..hurhurhur*
take care there! and keep making the most out of this opportunity ^_^
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