December 7, 2010
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Felicity and Sedona 2010
November 26 - THE CENTER OF THE WORLD
At 6 am a tour bus picked up my mom, dad, and I in front of Thai Patio Restaurant in Hollywood. We have once again embarked on a tour package of President Tours. On board, tour leader Pichian Rojsiriwat handed out water and muffins to everyone. I was pretty grateful to have something to eat though I typically don't eat breakfast. After the bus picked up some more people at Wat Thai of Los Angeles, we headed to Union Station. We found out that our friends Tassanee and her husband George were also going on this tour.
Mom and Dad at Union Station
Our ride
It was pretty chilly still since it was early morning. At Union Station we just rested, used the restroom, and bought a couple bottles of water. It's been a while since I had been here. Looks like they added some shops like Wetzel's Pretzels. I bought a garlic one for my mom.
At 8:30 am, we boarded the Amtrak Surfliner. It was pretty tall as it had an upper and lower level. One bogie was reserved just for our tour group. We headed for San Diego. This is a ride I am familiar with from my time as a UC San Diego student. I would take the train to come home on long weekends and at the ends of quarters. I would also take the train to go back go school.
Mom, Dad, and our train.
The train made several stops. The ones I recalled are Fullerton, Anaheim (at Edison Field), Santa Ana, Irvine, San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente, Oceanside, Solana Beach, and finally San Diego. The route after departing from San Juan Capistrano is gorgeous as the track runs near the Pacific Ocean. There was an ocean view from here pretty much all the way to San Diego.
Left: our train car and tour leader Pichian Rojsiriwat. Right: Mom very comfy in her seat
We arrived in San Diego at 11:30 am. At the station, the conductor thanked our tour group and wished us a pleasant stay in San Diego. The bus that dropped us off at Union Station was there ready for us to board and continue our adventure. Sure we could have ridden the bus here but part of this tour is to ride the Amtrak and enjoy the beautiful ocean view. Besides, it's so much more comfortable to ride the train than a bus.
Mom at San Diego Amtrak station
About a couple hours later the bus stopped at a Carl's Jr. in El Centro. I enjoyed my Western Bacon Six Dollar Burger. My father had a chicken teriyaki burger. My mom was sick for days and had not recovered. She did not feel like eating so only drank a bottle of Vitamin Water.
Onwards we went. There were sand dunes everywhere. Amidst these sand dunes were lots of people on ATV's, Quadrunners, and dune buggies going up and down and swerving every which way. I'll admit. It looked like fun.
A couple hours later from El Centro, we arrived at a strange place in Felicity, CA. Basically in the middle of the desert, this place has a free standing spiral staircase leading to nowhere, some small houses here and there, granite slabs laid out with things etched into them, a statue of an arm with a pointed finger jutting out of a rock, a lone church sitting on top of a sand dune-like hill, and a small pyramid surrounded by cement and grass. I was thinking "What is this place?" I thought it was some sort of new age, cosmic hippie commune or something. I came to discover that place is called the Museum of History in Granite. I still was unsure though with the spiral staircase, the church on a mound, and the pyramid.
The staircase, as it turned out, was originally from the Eiffel Tower. It was brought here for display since this is a museum. I would post it on this blog except I took the picture with the camera on end (i.e. a vertical shot). Unfortunately in xanga I cannot rotate my photos so I can't upload it without the picture on its side. You can check see this (and much more) on my facebook photos for Felicity and Sedona.
I came to learn that the many granites slab have etched into them information and pictures pertaining to history. Now I understand. This is a history museum where the information and exhibits are all etched into the smoothed granite slabs. It is still unfinished. I'm thinking maybe in a year or so it will be. There are a wide range of subjects - from Korean War memoriam, to the birth of religions, to the history of California, Arizona, and the United States, various empires, and much more. It's pretty interesting though we were not here nearly long enough to be able to really take in all this stuff.
History on various things etched into granite slabs; thus, the Museum of History in Granite
It was sunny but chilly as a cold wind kept blowing. It was to where my father and a few others went back to the bus to grab their jackets.
I went to the rock with the arm sticking out of it. It has a pointed finger. At first I thought it was some sort of weird modern art. Then beneath the arms I saw some Roman numerals which led me to believe it's a sundial. I'm still uncertain though.
Sundial?
As for the pyramid, it is said that it housed "The Official Center of the World". It made me skeptical since to me the center of the world was the earth's core. I came to learn that all this was the brainchild of Felicity mayor Jacques-Andre Istel. He had Imperial County legally recognize this spot on his property as "The Official Center of the World". It is based off the children's story Coe: The Good Dragon at the Center of the World by H.E. Jai. The town of Felicity was named after his wife Felicia Lee. Basically, all this was the vision of the eccentric Jacques-Andre Istel. I guess if you can make yourself the mayor of a place and name it after your wife, kudos to you. My mother and I (like most on this tour) took turns standing on The Official Center of the World" and made a wish. Hey, it couldn't hurt.
Left: Pyramid housing the "Official Center of the World". Right: "The Official Center of the World"
At the top of the mound was The Church on the Hill at Felicity. It was small and had no one in there, as far as I could see. However, I could also tell that it was tended to due to how clean it was. Behind the church was a little cemetery. From this church I could see the granite slabs laid out and the pyramid in the distance.
The Church on the Hill at Felicity
View of the granite slabs from the Church on the Hill at Felicity
We took off and made our way to Yuma, Arizona. I found Yuma to be a very small town with seemingly only two main streets. We all went inside a shop called Basket Creations and More. Though they sold all sorts of collectible souvenirs (e.g. shirts, keychains, mugs, hats, etc.) the main reason we came were for medjool dates. Our tour group purchased many boxes of dates. They were pretty big and sweet. My father and I tried a date shake. It was very tasty.
Big, tasty dates
Left: evidence that I was in Yuma. Right: where we got those dates
In Yuma, we had dinner at Eat Asian Super Buffet. The food is typical Ameri-Chinese. Their garlic toast was really good. My mom was still not feeling well and did not eat anything.
Our dinner place for the night
At ~8:20 pm, we arrived at our hotel. It's the Best Western Coronado in Yuma. The owners were very thrilled that our tour group stayed at their establishment. It turned out the wife of the owner's son is Thai. She came to greet us all. As a show of appreciation, each room got two complimentary bottles of water. That night we watched the Clippers lose to the Phoenix Suns. They made a run late in the game but it wasn't enough.
This was how a couple of towels were when we arrived in our room
November 27 - SEDONA
We were supposed to leave for breakfast at 6:30 am. However, a couple of people were really late. Tour leader Pichian Rojsiriwat had to track them down. We finally departed at 6:47 am. Turns out we had breakfast across the street at Yuma Landing which is part of the Best Western. Nearby Yuma Landing is the statue of Robert G. Fowler. It commemorates the location of the first flight to land in Arizona.
I love this vintage sign
Statue of Robert G. Fowler
Our breakfast place
We then took departed for the main attraction on this trip - Sedona. Pichian played "Viva Las Vegas" on the DVD player. He's a big Elvis Presley fan. After watching it, I had a couple of observations. One, Ann-Margret was quite the hottie, and two, this movie is so cheesy. That's my two cents.
Dad and I at a rest stop in the middle of nowhere
We drove past Glendale where to our right we saw University of Phoenix Stadium. It is one of the most state-of-the-art stadiums in the world. Though being a dome, the field is real grass which can slide outside the confines of the dome to receive sunlight. It is the home of the Arizona Cardinals and hosts the Fiesta Bowl annually.
University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ
Around noon we arrived at Sedona. It is noted for its red rock formations. We stopped at a place where one has a great view of two of Sedona's noted formations. One is called Bell Rock due to its similarity to a bell. Across from it is the Courthouse. My father checked it out but my mom stayed in the bus. She was still not feeling well.
Dad with The Courthouse
Me and Bell Rock
Surrounding area
Bell Rock and the Courthouse
Later we arrived at downtown Sedona where the tour was split into two groups. The front half of the bus will board a Sedona trolley which will take them to the Chapel of the Holy Cross at 2:30 pm. We were in the back half so the trolley will take us up at 3 pm. I think we got the better time because it gave us more time to find something to eat. We went to eat at Orchards which serves American and Mexican food. My mom, still not well, only had a salad. It also gave us a chance to use the restroom without having to rush. Behind some lodgings, my father and I gazed upon other rock formations and saw ones such as Giant's Thumb, Camel's Head, and Snoopy Rock.
Left: Giant's Thumb. Right: Camel's Head and Snoopy Rock
Come 3 pm, my dad and I boarded the trolley. My mom did not. She just wanted to relax as she is still reeling from her ailment. On the way the the chapel, the trolley went a little around downtown Sedona as the driver also served as tour guide describing various things from the history to Sedona, noted rock formations, and points of interest. We also went through a Mexican-styled section called Tlaquepaque. Somebody from here once went to Mexico and visited Tlaquepaque, an art colony if I'm not mistaken. He was so captivated by it, he tried to recreate it in Sedona. This is a center for shopping, dining, and the arts. He also mentioned it being a popular place for people to get married. As he mentioned it, we saw a bride and groom getting their pictures taken.
The trolley that took us to and from the Chapel of the Holy Cross
At the Chapel of the Holy Cross, we got a great view of the surrounding red rocks. Not too far from us were rock formations known as "Madonna and Child" and "The Nuns". We saw Bell Rock and the Courthouse in the distance. I often argued that there is nothing more beautiful than nature and Sedona supports my case. At 4 pm, we returned to downtown Sedona.
The two on the right are The Nuns. The one to the left of them are Madonna and Child
Sedona
Chapel of the Holy Cross
At 5 pm, we left Sedona for Phoenix. We had dinner at China Harvest Buffet. My mom finally ate something which is a good sign. We then checked into Comfort Inn. The staff there greeted us and laid out complimentary cookies and punch. That was really sweet of them.
November 28 - HOMEWARD BOUND
At 6:30 am we ate an uninspiring breakfast at the Comfort Inn. There was instant oatmeal, boiled eggs, cereal, and toaster waffles with butter and jelly. I get the feeling breakfast is not normally offered at this establishment. The room we ate at did not look like a dining hall but more like an open room one can use for various things like meetings. It was all makeshift. Due to that, I should be grateful that they did offer breakfast for us because I'm guessing this is not the norm. What is good though is that my mom looks a whole lot better. I think eating dinner last night did wonders. She finally looked alive.
At 7:30 am we took off from Phoenix. About two hours later we arrived in Blythe, CA for a brief restroom break. It was a sunny but cold day as a chilly breeze blew about. Pichian put a Korean drama (Winter Ballad) in the DVD player. This would play until we got back to Los Angeles.
We continued on to Cabazon. The bus first stopped at Desert Hills Premium Outlets for those who wanted to shop. Then it dropped the rest of us off at Morongo Casino. We had lunch at Bamboo. It's an Asian eatery. Food was decent and the portions were very generous. My mom then hit the penny slots as usual. She lost $5. My father and I were at the craps table. It wasn't too friendly plus they didn't even use dice. Instead it was two decks of cards that are supposed to represent dice. We lost $60. We would have blew another $20 except we got lucky. Point was 8, we had some money on Hard 8, and it came. The streak continues. We just cannot win at Morongo.
We finally arrived in Los Angeles at ~5:30 pm where Van picked us up. Didn't realize it was so chilly in Los Angeles. It was colder that any place we had visited on this trip.
As usual, I had a good time. Sedona is beautiful yet mystical. I can understand why folks would come here for new age purposes. I would highly recommend anyone who hasn't come here to check it out. I think we all came to these places at the right time when it is not scorching hot. Otherwise, this trip might be unbearable.
Last look at Sedona
