Traveling is one of the best things in life that all of us can enjoy. In the last year 2020, everything changed; traveling became just a luxury for everyone during the pandemic; the airline industry was also one of the affected businesses. Their operations got suspended to avoid the spread of the virus.When the airline industry gradually re-opens amid covid 19. Some people don’t mind flying from place to place, and there’s nothing wrong with that as long as you are careful; I also believe that the airline industry does its job to protect themselves and the passengers by following the CDC guidelines. We refrain from flying since April of 2020 up to the present, we still went on several vacations, but we had a road trip.
We flew to Las Vegas last year, 2020, during the onset of the pandemic it was before the lockdown. We watched Gwen Stefani’s concert and attended a business conference. And we also visited the Grand Canyon.
We visited Las Vegas several times in the previous years, but our last year’s winter travel was different; it thrilled me that time because I was able to see Gwen Stefani’s concert, “Just a Girl,” she is one of my favorite singers; it was a birthday gift to myself last year. The concert was held at the Zappos Theatre inside Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. We really enjoyed the concert. I loved Gwen and would to watch her concerts again in the future. She is a total performer. I am hoping that big events can re-open soon so all of us can enjoy watching live concerts, and sports again.
While in Las Vegas, we stayed for a week in South Point Hotel – Resort and Casino, 10 miles away from the Las Vegas strip; it is a big hotel with different activities inside and use primarily for conventions. We booked that hotel since it is the venue for our conference, so it is convenient for us to go in and out in our activities. When we watched Gwen’s concert, we called Uber drivers and paid around $14 bucks from Zappos to our hotel, around $30-40 dollars two way, including the tip. In Las Vegas, Uber drivers are friendly and even act as a tour guide while driving you to your destination. The hotel is around 10 minutes aways from Mc Carran International Airport. And it is also closer to the Las Vegas strip. The hotel has a free shuttle service, but it is a schedule.
Another exciting part of our travel was our visit to the Grand Canyon. It was on my bucket list for a long time, and it finally happened last year. I was delighted to see the Grand Canyon. I booked a one-day private tour from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon West Rim; we chose to visit the closest one, which is the west rim, to have more time to enjoy the canyon. It was a great adventure. Booking a private tour is pricey than paying for the bus tour, but it is worth it. The tour guide will bring you to the nicest place where buses can’t go, so you really have privacy and have more time to see around. Explore Grand Canyon West, and see these amazing views.
Here are a few pics from our Grand Canyon tour. Photos were taken using iPhone.
Grand Canyon West is located in Mohave County in Arizona; it is managed by Hualapai Tribe. Famous for the Guano point, Eagle point where the Skywalk is located. We walked on the glass skywalk during our visit to Grand Canyon West, which is included in our tour package. I cannot compare the West Rim’s to South Point Rim, or North rim, as I have not visited them. I can only say that Grand Canyon is worth a visit, whatever side of the canyon. I was mesmerized by how the canyon was formed; the grand canyon’s natural beauty makes you want to stay there, watching the scenery and enjoying the day.
“Grand Canyon West, sometimes referred to as the West Rim*. While geologically and geographically, it is the far Western Rim of the Grand Canyon, it is not in Grand Canyon National Park (GNCP). The length of the Grand Canyon is 277 miles and this viewpoint is at approximately mile 260. More appropriately it would be better to refer to it as the far Western Grand Canyon.”
Tripadvisor
It was raining a day before our tour. As you can see, the color of the river turned pale pink in the photo. You might ask why the colorado river is pale pink. It is due to the iron wall of the grand canyon, when it rains it goes down to the river and it mix to the water.
Included in our tour is the visit to Hoover Dam, located between the border of the U.S. State of Nevada and Arizona. We did sight-seeing around, to capture the overview of the hoover dam, we went to the bridge, to get a good photo of the dam, we also drop by at the Lake Mead, it was amazing how the Hoover Dam was made.
Hoover Dam is named in honor of Herbert Hoover, the U.S. president during whose administration (1929–33) construction began on the dam and whose work as commerce secretary in the 1920s secured agreements necessary for the project to proceed. Erected during the Great Depression, the dam was a major endeavor that employed thousands of workers; around 100 fatalities occurred during its construction. Hoover Dam is 726 feet (221 metres) high and 1,244 feet (379 metres) long at the crest. It contains 4,400,000 cubic yards (3,360,000 cubic metres) of concrete. The generated electric power goes to Southern Califonia, Los Angeles, and the rest goes to Nevada and Arizona.
Britannica
Along the way to Grand Canyon, we also had a quick stop at Joshua Tree Park on route 93. It was a nice vast landscape like a desert. What is Joshua Tree?
Joshua tree is a plant species belonging to the genus Yucca. It is native to Southwestern California. It was first formally described in the botanical literature as Yucca brevifolia by George Engelmann in 1871 as part of the Geological Exploration of the 100th meridian.
The name “Joshua tree” is commonly said to have been given by a group of Mormon settlers crossing the Mojave Desert in the mid-19th century: The tree’s role in guiding them through the desert combined with its unique shape reminded them of a biblical story in which Joshua keeps his hands reached out for an extended period of time to guide the Israelites in their conquest of Canaan.
Wikipedia
All in all, that was one of my pre-pandemic unforgettable travel to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon last year. If you plan to have a vacation in Las Vegas, don’t miss the opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon, you will love the place. The scenic view is phenomenal, and while in Las Vegas, don’t forget to explore the famous Las Vegas strip.
I am excited about all my future travels; I can do it some other time where we can all go out somewhere without the fear of covid 19. Right now, I am just staying put from where I am. Enjoying the little things of every day at the moment.
Thank you for reading. Have a great day everyone! Stay safe.