United States in pictures

Here are pictures of this first trip of 2013. It brought me to Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Death Valley, and from Los Angeles to San Francisco along California's coast.

The road to Hollywood

Leaving Death Valley, I wanted to stop in a ghost town. I chose Ballarat because it was on my way. But it seems like you need to get informed before you reach a decision. Ballarat looked like nothing at all. I was already picturing myself in an american western movie.

Before departure, I found out a friend I met in Argentina was randomly in Los Angeles at the same time I would be. What better than the unforeseen? It only took a few minutes for us to arrange a meeting for dinner.

So I drove for the most part of the day to reach LA. Whatever the others will say, traffic near the big city is something to be careful about. Especially when you're not used to a six lanes highway.

With a little luck, I found a hostel, the Banana Bungalow West Hollywood, which had free parking. Even dinner and beer were free. But you know, I had plans... Untill fate chose otherwise.

So I spent my only night in Los Angeles in the hostel bar, taking advantage of free food. Far from the Hollywood stars.

Only interesting anecdote : someone who was sharing my six beds dorm left his toothbrush IN the shower, where everyone can use it to scrub whatever. In that place where everybody washes themselves. It's not the shower I question but the people using it. Would you have used that toothbrush if it was yours?

Pit stop in Death Valley

Death Valley National Park

There is a lot of national parks in the Grand Canyon area. Other visitors wouldn't stop talking about those in Arizona, Utah, Nevada and California. But one has to choose and to like driving to have a good time.

After leaving Tusayan, I got back in Las Vegas, something like four hours later. The plan : find cheap tickets for O, another Cirque du Soleil show.

After I found a closed Tix4Tonight desk, I decided to embrace my backpacker status and to save money. I went back to the hostel and left to visit casinos with a German tourist I just met. Biggest win : 4,50 $. But I lost it all after that. Poor me! Good news are, for drinkers, alcohol is free as long as you play on slot machines... and if you leave the waitress a tip.

The next morning, I said goodbye to Vegas and left for Death Valley. There, temperature is no joke. It is the warmest place in North America. January, in a t-shirt... in a dark car. Will have to review my strategy when choosing a rental car.

Strolling in Death Valley is obviously done by car. With frequent stops to look at the landscape. With a "detour" on the 178, instead of taking the shortest road by the 127, from the South, I felt alone in this world. You can walk in the middle of the road without any problem. And the view is very nice.

Well... In a curve, a few coyotes ran to my car. They looked like they've been fed by humans before. They circled my car, looked at me throught the window for a couple of minutes and understood they would get nothing from me. They let me go. Mip! Mip!

I stopped at Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North American, 86 meters under sea level.

The sun setting slowly, I drove through Artist's Drive, where I came face to face... with a guy from Victoriaville. Was a perfect place to see the sunset. Artist's Palette, during the day, is breathtaking because of the colours in the rock. With a little chance, you can even listen to real silence.

For the sunrise, Zabriskie Point is recommended, The shadows on the dunes, for those who manage to stay one or two hours, are worth it. With a little more time, Eureka sand dunes offer a great escape too.

Note the hotels are expensive in the valley, but may be worth to spend one night. Camping sites may be cheaper. Gaz price is out of this world. More than 5 $ a gallon in Furnace Creek or Stovepipe Wells. Same for the food.

Visiting in January seemed like a good idea. They say they sometimes refuse to rent Jeeps in summer in fear of tourist dying from a heath stroke in the middle of nowhere.

In winter, it is recommended to be careful on the icy roads... when you drive on one. Which wasn't my case. I just wonder if they are really that dangerous or if it's just because people there are not used to snow and ice when they drive.

Winter Heath in the Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon

Here I am. Finally made it to the Grand Canyon. I woke up really early to see the sunrise. We don't think about it, but rented cars don't come with a snow broom or a scraper. Luckily, the windshield wasn't too frosted. But the temperature was definitely under freezing point.

After the sunrise, I decided to take the shuttle to bring me to the hiking trail : Bright Angel Trail (12 miles for the return trip). And I was using the principle of clothes layers to keep warm.

Good decision, since the more you go down in the canyon, the warmer it gets. And comes a point where you don't know what to wear anymore. From the icy trail in the upper part, with its light frisky breeze, we go on to the warmer Indian Garder (3/4 of the way) and really under the sun at Plateau Point.

That one, at the end of the trail, is really a very small point when you look at the canyon from above. Had I known I would have to walk to this point, I would have discouraged myself. But in the end, when you get there, you can see condors flying.

The best, after all this, is you have to go back up. They say you shouldn't wait to be tired to climb back. Because it's like an inverted mountain. To go down, it always goes well... But to go up...

So I had to stop often before being back to the starting point. Seven hours after I started, around 10 hours after I fell from my bed, my legs were getting weary fast. I ran out of water too. So yes, one must be careful when they decide how long the hike should be. And it was winter. I can't imagine how hard it is with the heath in summer.

Too bad for the sunset, after that, I only wanted to go back to bed.

The next day, I went back to explore the South Kaibab Trauk, which was recommended to me. That time, I climbed back once I reached the middle point. Enough to see the canyon from different angles.

Note that food, gaz and others are expensive in Tusayan near the canyon. Of course! You buy there or not at all, so the prices are adjusted in consequence. On the trails, put on your best smile. The other hikers might want to stop for a chat.

Anecdote : I bought a beautiful hat with a pompon on top after loosing mine around Hoover Dam... Karma : the hat was on the ground, at my feet, in front of the driver's seat, in the car. Woot!

Dam it!

Hoover Dam, Boulder City

The road between Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon takes about four hours.

One stop you can't miss on the way : Hoover Dam, about thirty minutes away from Vegas.

Yes, hydroelectricity is everywhere in Quebec. But this dam is still impressive. They finished it two years earlier than they expected and it did cost less than expected...

Located near Boulder City, this dam brings electricity to Nevada, Arizona and California. More than two millions cube meters of concrete were used to build it.

You can visit the powerplant at the bottom and the dam itself. Since you're there...

To get to the Grand Canyon, you need to drive on highway 93. Impressive at first because of the mountains and the cliffs, it ends up making the driver sleepy, like H-40 you take to go east. The straight parts are very long.

Two things on the road.

1- When a store in the middle of nowhere (literaly) has a sign stating "World Famous Store", but nobody has ever heard of it, it means there is a marketing problem somewhere. It's not nice to lie...

2- American radios don't offer a lot of diversity. Listening to the same song 14 times a day, at some point, it gets annoying. I had brought my iPod to play music in the car, but there is no AUX plug in my Mitsubishi... Damn karma! That said, for The Lumineers, Bruno Mars, Maroon 5, Bruno Mars, Kelly Clarkson, Bruno Mars, Pink, Bruno Mars, Phillip Phillips and Justin Bieber (and Bruno Mars), it probably brings a lot of money home. Good for them, because after getting tired of their songs on the radio, we don't want to buy their albums anymore. Did I say they like Bruno Mars around here?

In the end, I reached Tusayan, about one kilometer south of the Grand Canyon national park entrance (South Rim). Little fake-village for tourists, the place has a few hotels, some restaurants and two convenience stores. But be aware that in January, almost everything is closed after 8 PM. Low season they say. Still, the McDonald's closes around 10 PM for those who are hungry.

Viva Las Vegas

Warning : Gilly is blurred on the picture. It's because of the camera... and the photographer.
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I got in Sin City. After a delay on my flight to Chicago, two change of gates and karma (him again) which put me in the only row of the plane where a passenger went missing (more room for me), the plane landed in Vegas.

And the luggages got here too. Even with just a one hour layover. Take that, TAP! One hour, it's enough to transfer luggages. Even in an airport as big as Chicago's. But how can American Airlines possibly do it?

Enough with being bitter.

Fact : Vegas is freezing. Yes! Even with a winter coat on, it's cold. And for those who shaved their heads before leaving, a hat is a must.

So I got my rental car wishing to find traveling partners in the hostel. No luck! I'll be alone in my Mitsubishi Galant for two weeks.

Hostel wise, mine was under a big "Strippers" sign. And it had that little dirty feeling. But I slept well. With the prices of the hotels, people traveling with a group or those with a little money have an easy choice. It leaves the poors and the adventurers.

Not wanting to loose myself in sin, instead of walking the "strip" or getting married in a chapel with a fake Elvis as a witness, I went to Red Rock Canyon, just outside of the city. Had I planned a little more, I would have hiked all day. It seems like a good place to do so. But spending a few hours in the car there was also nice.

Anyway, I walked on Las Vegas Boulevard, visited a few casinos without really having fun. I tested slot machines and I'm still not sure I fully understand how they work. Playing one cent at a time is not a good way to win big anyway. Still, I saw a couple win 1000 $ in a poker slot machine.

In the end, I went to say hi to Cirque du Soleil for Love first, and Zumanity at the end of the evening. Not without getting lost between the casinos (with the car). Seeing all the empty seats made me wonder if January is the problem in Vegas or if we should be worried for the shows.

Lot more for the larger public, Love is worth seeing and is more impressive.

Tomorrow : sunrise over the Grand anyon (and freezing weather). We've seen worst!

Tips

To get cheap tickets for shows, Tix4Tonight offers better prices than the official websites. You can find a couple of their deals on Las Vegas Boulevard. If January is not an exception, you can find las minute tickets.

For Zumanity, prices at the door are cheaper than the ones online on New York New York website. All the seats available were not on the website either. Getting there 10 minutes before the show, I could choose the place I wanted. Went for the cheapest one. Got upgraded near the stage anyway. Had I wanted that ticket, I would have paid twice the price... Be careful folks.

Leaving again

Gilly is ready to go.

After a five months hiatus, the time to leave again has come.... Already? Not too soon I'm tempted to say.

They say the best way to conquer a fear is to face it. The best way to get over a trip might be to travel again. We'll see.

In a few hours, I'll be flying to Las Vegas. Not exactly an adventure like the one I lived last year. But the concept was a road trip across Nevada, Arizona and California. With an Australian friend I met traveling. That sounds more like an adventure.

But things happen and I'll go solo. Too bad! Same road, same destinations. Can't wait for others to come with you they say.

I still have some fears. Irrational ones, like being afraid of boredom and the discomfort to leave alone (!), and the more rationals, like being afraid of being a grandpa in a Vegas hostel, where other guests will probably be wilder than me. Hostel in Vegas, we'll see what it's like. With a little luck, I'll find some partners to share the road to the Grand Canyon.

Also in the plan : a detour in Death Valley, a stop in Los Angeles, where I should spend some time with a friend I met in Jordan, and a drive on the californian coast to San José, where I should reunite with a friend I met in Greece.

If I was really lucky, the Los Angeles Kings would start their season on the day I get in LA. Everybody, let's ask the Universe! Haha!

Tip

In the category "search for promo codes on Google before booking anything", I found the website broke.travel which, for now, helps me save the booking fees on hostelworld.com

My ears!

One of the worst things happening while traveling is health problems.

If we usually bring a lot of medicine to prevent upset stomaches, headaches and other infections, we rarely think of our ears.

But it seems you only need to feel ear pain once in a plane to have that problem often afterwards. And the pain is really bad, believe me.

I'll leave the scientific explanations to others, but the pressure on the eardrums brings intense pain. Pain that is hard to relieve. It usually comes while landing. When you have a stopover, pain is even greater.

It is even possible to lose the capacity to hear well for hours after landing because of that pressure.

I'm not taking chances. I started investigating and bought pressure-reducing earplugs. I'll try them in a couple of days and will be able the say if they are efficient.

While searching, I found the N300 website. It is supposed to be miraculous.

What is for lunch?

Musaka, Greece

Can't avoid it. Like it or not, while traveling, one needs to eat. Yes, it might be expensive. Yes, the picky ones might have a hard time to swallow some food. But the meals, like the people we meet and the places we visit are part of the trip experience.

One of the advices I read before leaving was warning travelers : even while traveling on a budget, it is better not to try to save on food. We'll sleep on uncomfortable beds, we'll take longer rides on trains, we'll accept a layover on a flight, but having an empty stomach compromises health and will keep you from enjoying unique moments.

Jelly fish, Vietnam

I didn't follow those advices at first. Adrenaline and the need to see more pushed me to eat only sandwiches for about two weeks.

But like for the rest, at some point, it feels like it is necessary to show some temerity. So we go with the flow. No need to eat insects or disgusting stuff to eat like a local. Just needs to get some info on traditionnal recipes.

That way, I tried a traditionnal maori meal in New Zealand, kangaroo in Australia, dim sums in Hong Kong, crocodile and snake in Cambodia, traditionnal gyros and musaka in Greece and... a real steak in Argentina.

Still incomplete, my pictures gallery on my Facebook page offers an overview of the meals I ate on my trip.

Will it always be good and tasteful? No! I tasted unidentified and spicy things in China. My bottle of water was my best friend to make it all go down. And I gave up before I could finish it all.

For the devil's advocate, I admit I tried McDonald's in almost all the countries I visited. Even if I never go there at home. It's often cheaper, wi-fi is free, and we know what to expect. Other classics include : KFC, Burger King, Dairy Queen, Häagen-Dasz, Subway and Pizza Hut.

For the sweet tooth, some countries are really not fulfilling. Desserts and sweats are not easy to find everywhere.

And yes, one can get an upset stomach once in awhile. But that's also part of the experience.