GCT 6 - lights

We got up in the morning to meet a fresh new day. Had some Hot Pockets and left to go to Bryce National Park. Truthfully, I don't think any of us were that much in the mood to see more and more rocks but we all went anyways.

 

It was pretty much like the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, but the rock structure was slightly different.

 

Then we went to Zion National Park. The rocks there were prettier, and we were in the pit of the canyon so we could just stop and stare upwards at the pinnacles.

 

The Virgin River there carved the canyon. I dipped my hand into the water: frigid. It was such a wonderful relief from the unforgiving, sunburn-inducing sun.

 

One of my favorite places was Weeping Rock, which was a long and treacherously hot climb, but totally worth it. At the top, spring water dribbled down and the cool water was an oasis. I did get pretty wet, and the view was pretty nice.

 

Also saw a ninja squirrel on the way back to the car. It was hugging the ground as it crawled along.

 

Then on to Las Vegas! On the way, my sister complained about how much she craved for an ice cream cone, and my parents said that if we found a Braums, they would certainly treat us to some. Unfortunately, we couldn't find one and my sister bugged my parents so much that we finally drove into a McDonalds and ordered some, plus 20 McNuggets and a large fries. I usually detest McDonald's food (because of Supersize Me and other horror stories), but I gobbled down what I could. Very out of character.

 

Anyways, Las Vegas was a brilliant place, certainly a city of lights. Congested traffic, drunk people dressed in fancy clothes, smoky air - it clogged all your senses. The first few minutes of walking was ok, but after an hour or so it really began to get on my nerves. There were people clapping these business cards together, trying to give it to people as they passed by. Only later when I saw many discarded business cards on the ground did I realize that those were business cards for "escorts." Las Vegas truly is a city of sin, and I detested it. I really just wanted to get out of the street. And never get drunk like the people around me.

 

Finally we came back to our hotel and had some steak in its 24 hour cafe. The waiter was Chinese (what a coincidence) and I was so full. This was at 3 A.M. Central Time (synced to my body), or 1 A.M. whatever Nevada time is (not synced to my body). Indeed, I was very tired.

 

Now it's morning, and I'm ready to go. Not really hungry because of last night's dinner.

 

Oh yes, and the hotel is amazing. The rate is cheap and the room is fabulous. I guess they can only do this because there's a casino at the bottom, where elderly people play the slot machines like zombies.

 

Onward! I think we're visiting a chocolate factory and the Hoover Dam today.

GCT 7 - long

 Woke up this morning, fresh and anew. The bathroom soap smells good, like fresh oranges.

Our first stop was Walmart, to buy some donuts for breakfast. My sister convinced my mother to buy us some powdered donuts. My mom said, "You better finish them," but we still have a whole bunch left to eat.

Second stop: Ether M Chocolate Factory. AKA the mother company of M&Ms and the bunch. It was a rather short tour, just walking down the production line, watching them drizzle chocolate onto caramel apples and inspecting molds of chocolate. At the end we got a complimentary piece of chocolate: either milk, white, or dark. I chose dark, and it was sweet and delicious.

There was an extensive cactus garden in the back of the factory, with hundreds of species of cacti. In fact, we spent more time in the garden than we did in the factory. But this was Las Vegas, Nevada, and I baked my legs in my jeans as we strolled among the spiny plants.

Then my brother bought an M&M umbrella. How .... cute? I don't have the exact word for it.

Shortly after, we visited the Hoover Dam. It was 108 degrees Fahrenheit. Strangely, it wasn't as spectacular as I thought it would be. The water seemed an unnatural blue-green.

And the rest of the way was just sleep sleep sleep in the car.

At around 10:30 P.M. we watched episode 7 of Durarara!! (Shizuo's background) on my netbook, and it was pretty laggy, but not laggy enough to not enjoy. My mother did not get it at all.

At around 11:15 P.M. we checked into our hotel in Albuquerque. Now my brother, my sister, and I are relaxing in the hotel, eating ramen (courtesy of the coffeemaker) while our parents are out to dine (probably at the Denny's close by). Hohoho.... let's party.

Tomorrow we'll be reaching home! I'm longing so much for my own bedroom. Some personal space, at least.