Antelope Canyon & small mishaps

Today was an adventurous day. Although what I often try to avoid in everyday life happened: The plan didn't quite work out due to mishaps...but in retrospect, it was also an exciting experience and I grew from it!

But let's start from the beginning: Anthony and I are currently in Page (a small town in northern Arizona) and wanted to explore the top sights from here.

The first one went well and was beautiful, just like the entire area of Utah-Arizona: we visited Horseshoe Bend...a beautiful place where the Colorado River flows through the desert in a loop. So basically the Saarschleife of the USA :) Hopefully, you can see the uniqueness of this water spectacle in the desert in the pictures.

The only downside: Since this place is so beautiful, easily accessible, and well-known, it is frequented by numerous tourists. Lines of Asian tourists gathered to take their souvenir photos. And sure, sometimes I'm a bit oversensitive...but it's sometimes hard for me to fully enjoy the beauty of a place when there are thousands of other screaming people around. Well, it was beautiful anyway :)

Next, we wanted to check out Lake Powell here in Arizona. When we arrived, we found a parking spot in the sand (almost all road edges in the desert are made of sand). So far, so good. Unfortunately, after parking, we noticed that our car was a little stuck in the sand. All attempts to move the car failed. In our despair, we tried to dig out the sand from under the tires, collect wood for the tires to rest on, and push with all our might. But it was in vain :( So we went back to the road to stop cars that could somehow help us. And this experience was incredible: I can't tell you how many Americans stopped, tried to help us, and stood by our side mentally. Getting stuck in the sand with a car seems to be quite normal in the desert, and everyone helps each other. Unfortunately, our rental car was missing a metal part to attach a tow rope, and one of our tires had no grip no matter what we tried. But that was no problem for the Americans either. The 4th driver who stopped to help us knew a neighbor who drove the same car as our rental car. As a matter of course, he drove 20 km back to his village to get the missing metal part from his neighbor's car. And while he was on his way, many concerned Americans waited with us in the desert. Unbelievable, they wasted at least an hour of their lives just to not leave us alone in a precarious situation and to support us mentally. Which German would take time for something like that? Driver 4 came back with the fitting metal part, another driver offered his truck as a tow truck (a big advantage of American giant trucks), and 5 men pushed our car to get out of the sand. So we were saved from the desert :)

In retrospect, I am incredibly touched by how kind and helpful the Americans are. Just sacrificing your time to help others and to benefit from it yourself: something I will definitely take with me back home.

After this adventure, we relaxed by Lake Powell for a short time (of course, after we had moved our car ;) ). And Lake Powell is a beautiful lake. Surrounded by brown rock and sand in the desert, the water appears even bluer and clearer. Unfortunately, it was a bit cold (about 15 degrees) to swim. But just watching the water, relaxing in the sand, and not being disturbed by screaming tourists was very impressive.

After the relaxation from the mishap, we continued to Antelope Canyon.

Antelope Canyon is the most famous slot canyon in the USA (slot canyon = narrow canyons that are quite difficult to access). The rocks in Antelope Canyon are all close together, with narrow passages and canyons between them.

In Antelope Canyon, there is no vegetation, the rocks are very special and unique, and they shine in various colors due to the light. The rocks are so enchantingly shaped that you can recognize various things in them, such as animals, faces, or plants. It is incredible to me how nature was able to shape such amazing rocks.

For photographers, Antelope Canyon is pure paradise because the light from different perspectives creates breathtaking images of the rocks. Antelope Canyon is one of the few places on my trip that looks more enchanting in photos than in real life.

Antelope Canyon consists of 2 parts, the 'upper' and 'lower' Antelope Canyon. You cannot explore the canyon on your own, you have to book expensive guided tours to gain access. This is partly because this area belongs to the First Nations and they want to receive fees for their reservation. It is also because, unfortunately, without a guide, there would be too much vandalism in the canyon and it would not be preserved in such good condition in a few years.

Since our budget was just enough for one of the canyons, we did not visit both. Anthony chose the upper one (ideal for photographers), and I chose the lower one (ideal for adventurers).

After our tours, Anthony wanted to pick me up by car. Only problem: the First Nations People closed the road that allowed access to the canyon after my tour. And since Anthony and I only have German and French SIM cards, and we didn't have Wi-Fi in the canyon, it was difficult to arrange a new meeting point.

So I walked to another road hoping to intercept Anthony somehow... And what I experienced during my approximately 30-minute wait on the side of the road is unbelievable to me: I'm not exaggerating, 20 cars stopped and wanted to give me a ride/ take me somewhere/ pick me up from the road. A young man was so worried that I wouldn't be picked up anymore that he stood next to me on the road and patiently waited with me until Anthony picked me up. Incredible hospitality and effort for other people... I wonder if a single person in Germany would have stopped at all. I am so grateful to experience this hospitality here, it makes everything so much easier and more enjoyable. I am sure that even with my poor sense of direction, I would never get lost here, there are always people who help you. This love for your neighbor totally moves me and makes me realize that there is a lot I can learn from Americans.