Unlike most tourists who visit the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas, I had no interest in glitzy casinos and decided to do my pilgrimage from Flagstaff, which a colleague had described as a lovely town. My choice of base proved to be correct.

Flagstaff is a gem with pretty quaint buildings and framed against the picturesque San Francisco Peaks, the highest in Arizona. My timing was also perfect to catch the gorgeous autumn colours of the yellow aspen trees. And

The best attraction is, I reckon, the excellent Museum of Northern Arizona that

sedona

Several expeditions can be made from Flagstaff, such as to the Monument Valley whose spectacular rock formations were made famous by Western movies. Being out of season, unfortunately, limited my options quite a bit, and the only tour I managed to get on was a leisurely trip to Sedona and some other nearby places of interest.

After a drive through Coconino National Forest, which was a paradise of splendid golden foliage, we arrived at our first stop in Sedona, the Oak Creek Canyon. We had our first peek of the multi-coloured unusually-shaped rock formations

Rather than spend my free time shopping, I went around taking pictures of these remarkable rock creations of nature - with names given according to their shapes, like the Bell Rock, the Cathedral Rock and even a Snoopy Rock - as well as exploring the interesting desert vegetation.

Going further south into the Verde Valley, when it was really getting scorching hot, we visited the 12th-century dwelling ruins of the Sinagua farmers at the Montezuma Castle National Monument. The flat-like apartments were actually carved into a cliff recess a hundred feet above the valley. It is thought that they chose this place to build their homes because there was a reliable water source in the creek as well as fertile land on the nearby terrace.

Luckily, the temperatures cooled as our transport climbed up to our final destination - the old mining ghost town of Jerome, perched precariously on the edge of a high cliff.

grand canyon

I would like to solemnly declare that I have been to America - because I have been to the Grand Canyon. Having seen many a photo of this proclaimed wonder of the natural world, my breath was still literally "knocked out" of me when I saw, or rather

The Grand Canyon is not just a gigantic hole in the ground, as some have joked. The chasm, 277 miles long, 18 miles wide, and nearly 1 mile deep, is probably the world's most spectacular example of the power of erosion, and its rocks reveal nearly half of the earth's 4.6-billion-year geological history. The Canyon itself is cut

After a 2-hour drive from Flagstaff, I arrived at the Grand Canyon Village in the South Rim with a sense of eager anticipation. There are many ways to see the Canyon and I was to eventually tour the park in a coach tour, fly over in an airplane, and have my humble feet take me along the rim as well as down to the floor of the Canyon. No, the much touted mule rides were not for me. Having gone on a horse ride before elsewhere, I decided that my bum would be spared. My only regret is not having camped at the bottom of the Canyon which requires a permit. Hm, now that gives me an excuse to return...

From the Visitor Center, I joined a coach tour to the East Rim managed by the Fred Harvey Company, the primary concessioner on the South Rim since 1920, which was also responsible for building the hotels and many other hospitality buildings at the Canyon.

The first stop was at the nearby Yavapai Observation Station, which provides a breathtaking almost 360-degree view of the whole Canyon through its large windows, with labels of the various buttes, bluffs, gorges, creeks, trails and other features. Other observatory points as we drove on were the Moran Point and the Lipan Point which offer glimpses of the Colorado River.

Finally, we arrived at the highlight, Desert View, whose centrepiece is the Watchtower, a re-creation of an Anasazi structure by Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter. She was the talented architect hired by Fred Harvey Company. From here, we could see not only the Canyon, but also the Painted Desert, the Vermilion Cliffs and the San Francisco Peaks. It was especially thrilling to be able to view the moving rapids of the Colorado River through the telescope.

The tower itself is a delightful structure with interesting Hopi décor and pictures. Many ruins of ancient Indian pueblos have been discovered in the Grand Canyon region. Five of the Native American communities still live here today: the Hopi who descended directly from the prehistoric Anasazi, the Navajo, the Havasupai, the Paiute and the Hualapai. These farming tribes are famed for their exquisite craft - baskets, dolls, rugs, pottery, jewellery - which reflect their close ties with nature.

The airplane tour departs from the Grand Canyon Airport at nearby Tusayan. The air tour offered a different perspective as we flew over the plains of green trees which gave way to the colossal abyss that was the Canyon. The peaks, plateaus and the Colorado River seemed a lot nearer. But the nicest views were those of the North Rim with its lush green, yellow and red vegetation covering the dramatic white cliffs. The North Rim had closed for the winter. Hm, another reason to come back to the Canyon...

There are a handful of hiking trails at the park. Other than the easy Rim Trail which as the name suggests, goes along the rim of the Canyon, the others descend from the rim into the Inner Canyon. With only 5 hours to spare on my last sightseeing day in this American voyage, I was crazy enough to try the Bright Angel Trail to Indian Garden which the leaflets put at approximately 6-9 hours for a round trip.

The Paiutes have called the Canyon, "Kaibab", which means "Mountain Lying Down". Well, the thing about hiking here is that it is more like a "Mountain Upside Down". The easy part is going downhill, such that the hard part comes at the end of

With all these "warnings" in mind, I hadn't planned on

Hiking down the trails also gives one an opportunity to see some of the desert plants and animals in the region. I, for one, encountered a small yellow snake with black dots (hope it wasn't a rattle!) and a horned sheep stealthily munching the grass right beside the path.

At the critical time when I should turn back, I was told Indian Garden was only half an hour away. Tempted was I and down the trail I flew, zig-zagging down into the valley. Oh, it was a beautiful campground all right, with a lovely garden of wild flowers, cactuses and other desert vegetation, and surrounded by the pretty canyons. I spent like 5 minutes there and turned back for the trip up. Regretfully, time was not on my side. A further detour would have brought me to Plateau Point with views into the inner gorge. Another time...

The upward climb was tiring, make that dead tiring. I regretted my impulse in not turning back earlier, and pushed on. The only comfort was that I had company. Others were trudging

Dusty all over and fatigued, yet I left the Grand Canyon on a high note, feeling both elation and sadness. For this marked the end of my memorable first backpacking journey. I did return to the United States half a decade later, but that is the subject of another story...