Salt Lake City, Utah
The Book & the Dream
I am about to finish reading the book, The Voyage of The Dawn Treader, from the The Chronicles of Narnia, written by C. S. Lewis. I love it!
I already said this, but every chapter takes you to an incredible adventure. My very well known hobby is traveling and discovering new places, so I guess I am always looking for an exciting quest. The book practically describes those adventures that I used to dream about when I was a kid.
The Journey
Rodrigo, my friend from work, wanted to do something different and asked me if there was something to see in Salt Lake, I told him that contrary to what people believe, in my opinion the Great Salt Lake is the most interesting thing in the whole Valley.
It didn’t take much to convince him to go with me to explore one of the lake’s coast and our little trip reminded me a little of The Dawn Treader.
Desert of Salt
We started our journey walking through a small desert of salt trying to ignore the awful smell of the lake.
The ground looked brown instead of the white color of the salt. When we were close to the shore, the ground seemed to be moving. We discovered that those brown moving things were billions of insects called ‘ephydriadae.’
To avoid the strange insects, we started walking in the shallow waters. The whole shore was very shallow; the water wouldn’t get even to our knees.
Rodrigo wanted to walk to the deep part of the lake to swim to Antelope Island but after walking for several minutes and still in shallow waters, we decided to go back to the shore.
(Rodrigo walking in the Ghost Island)
The little Islands
On the way back, we found some mini-islands which we named Bird Island (because its shape resembled a bird), Trapped Whale Island (because it looked like a whale trapped in the beach, Stick Island (because we found sticks on it) Ghost Island (because you couldn’t see it until you were right next to it) and Twins Islands, a couple of small islands close to each other.
(Rodrigo showing proudly his very own ‘Rigo Island’)
When we saw them, both of us started racing to get to the little island first. Rodrigo got first to the bigger one and named it ‘Rigo Island’ I named mine ‘Little Island’.
Once in the beach, we walked to the Saltair (a castle-like building that a long, long time ago used to be a major summer resort )
On our way back, we found the strangest things.
Seagull’s Cemetery
Not too far from the water, we found some sort of ruins of an old house. There we noticed the huge concentration of salt. The smell was very strong there and the ground was very muddy making it difficult to walk.
Behind the ruins we saw hundreds of dead seagulls all around; it was disturbing.
But that wasn’t the only dead thing we found. We also saw some big dead fish (How did it get there? How a fish can survive in the salty lake?)
Other things that we found were an old rusted car, an abandoned boat, a person made of rocks in the ground and, what was most amusing to me, many holes of salt.
Our journey didn’t end there, but I’ll left the rest for another occasion.
Don’t miss the pictures !!(Click here)
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I found this here.
Annual Beef Consumption Per Person
China: 10 pounds
USA: 62 pounds
Argentina: 143 pounds
Bottle of water: $4 pesos / Sausage on a roll: $2 pesos
August 14th, 2008 · 1 Comment
The Associated Press is reporting that Argentine senators passed a bill yesterday which now allows obesity and other eating disorders to be treated as diseases covered by public and private health care programs. This will help to fight obesity, bulimia and anorexia in the country.
The law also requires that high calorie foods carry a warning label and that the media cannot release diets that are not approved by a professional.
Sounds like another positive step forward and one that should also exist in the U.S.
I thought it was funny, especially the comment of one of the readers.
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St. George, Utah
Tuacahn
After postponing my trip to St. George (4 hours south of Salt Lake City) for several weeks now, I finally accepted the invitation of my friend from work, ex boss Ryan B. to use the extra ticket for Les Miserables at the impressive amphitheater Tuacahn.
Tuacahn is one of the eight theaters in America selected as to present local productions of Les Miserables. The amphitheater is located at the St George’s glorious red rocks Canyon.
The place itself is very impressive. We got really good seas, almost front row.
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Les Miserables
I don’t really have much experience in musicals though, and I can’t say I am a musical lover, because I am not; but I really enjoyed this one.
Everything is out doors, even the stage, which makes the experience something amazing. Though, some girls seating in front of us were being harassed by a bunch of bees.
The main benefits of seeing this masterpiece of musical theater at the unique Tuacahn setting were:
- The opening scene of prisoners, scattered on the hillside, actually breaking up rocks with sledgehammers;
- There is a song called “Stars” that is sung under an expanse of real stars;
- Nothing can top “One Day More” (the ending of the first part of the play) with a crescendo of fireworks;
- Javert (one of the Characters) actually jumps from a tall bridge;
- Tons of real horse-drawn carriages;
- During the barricade battle, the opposing army is positioned in the rocks 30 to 50 meters behind the barricade, shooting at the rebels while they fire back.
After the show, we got to congratulate the actors; my favorites were the fat lady and her husband but they weren’t there. So I hung out with the cabaret girls.
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St. George, Utah
Next morning we were ready to go to Zion National Park but we did an obligatory stop: St. George Temple.
The St. George Temple is the only building that stands up in the city from far away. Like most temples it is really white so with the reddish background of the mountains it is very visible from really long distances.
I like the few details the temple has, like the beehives in the main entrance.
After that we did another quick stop at Inn-N-Out. Did you know that there was one in St. George (it is actually located in Washington City… but tome-to tomato right?)
Zion National Park
Pictures do not portrait the magnificence of this place. Zion Nat’l Park is, for sure, one of the most beautiful and breathtaking laces of the United States (that I have been to)
I couldn’t stop taking pictures, every pace I looked there was something to be amazed for.
According to the guide (along time ago) a Baptist priest and his guide started naming the mountains kind of as a game, and that’s why most of the mountains are named after biblical characters with the exception of the “Moroni Mountain” which is from the Book of Mormon.
My favorites places were the ‘Weeping Rocks’ and ‘the narrows’ that it is nothing but a great adventure.
To see all the pictures please click here.
One day wasn’t enough to appreciate the park so I really want to go back and take the “angel’s landing” hike or camp there for a few days.
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Park City, Utah
Chau
Well, the meeting in Park City was fun, I got the chance to go up at the top of the mountain in a tram or gondola. It was exciting.
One of the guys who I work for/with was really scare of it until a bug decided to get into the gondola also, then nobody were scared of being hanging 80 feet in the air, they were scared of the uninvited bug.
THE Boss
The other boss
One other boss
The Bosses
My some times boss
The bossy
The ‘wannabe’ boss
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Park City, Utah
A few months ago i was invited to represent the LDS Business College at the “SLC Downtown Alliance” Brakefast.
This time I am invited to speak in a Breakfast-lunch meeting in Park City.
The event is in a few minutes and I am still not prepared.
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Salt Lake City Utah
Buenos Aires Zoo
When I was 8 my godfather took me to the Buenos Aires zoo; of course I was more than excited to see all those strange animals like the zebra, the tigers, etc.
I remember that between all the screaming kids and the animals the place was really noisy. It was great.
When we went to see the lions I notice that a group of kids were making fun of an old and ugly Lion.
The Lion was seating in a rock, and I can swear it was looking at me. (Seeing it looking at me made me uncomfortable.)
The lion stood up, stared to the group of kids who were mucking him and roared very loudly.
Until this day I’ve never heard something like it. It was so potent that after that I couldn’t hear anything at all, everybody (and everything) stood quite for a second.
Neither animals, nor people dared to disobey what it seemed to be a demand for silence.
After that day I decided never to step my foot in a zoo again. I don’t think I had a real reason for that, I just never did it again.
It was one of those things that you just don’t do and became your “made-up-value”
20 years later I still keep that commitment of going to a Zoo, unless I did until last Saturday.
Salt Lake City, Utah Zoo
Last Saturday, my roommates John R’s job rented the whole zoo for the afternoon for a party; so my roommates and I went to support and spend the evening at the Zoo.
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“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
By Marianne Williamson from her book, A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles.
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Salt lake City, Utah
Procrastinated Goal
I am ‘finally’ trying to get my driving license. It is not something I really need to get, but it is something I promised myself to get almost 5 years ago… and I think (thanks to the non stop pushing of my friend Dallas and my sister) that it’s about time.
The process starts going to a driving school (A-1 Driving school) for almost 3 weeks.
In those classes the instructors talk about driving rules and potential dangers on the road… and then they have to show you some videos.
Those videos are really boring and dull, mostly from the 80s. (One of them was hosted by Don Johnson!!! From the old ‘Miami Vice”)
I fell as sleep in the one that explain the parts and its functions. (I know I’ll regret that some day)
My favorite so far is the one that show you accidents and dead people.
In the United States is common to have a car when you are 15 so most of my class mates are 15 to 16 year old teenagers.
Driving Ed: Written test
After a little of reading I went to the closest Driving License Division Office from home to take the written test (So I can have my ‘Learner Driving license’)
There were a large amount of people, mostly parents with their teen kids. They were all talking about how hard the test was, and that they know people who took it twice already, etc.
They were making me nervous.
Went some of them got out of the testing room, some of them came out really disappointed or embarrassed because they fail the test, and others got out jumping of excitement because they passed the test.
The test was in a computer where you can choose the answers touching it with your fingers.
I passed it with 48 right answers out of 50… maybe there was not enough reason to feel excited because it was really easy, but I still felt really happy.
As my friend said, “there is always feels good to pass stuff…”
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Preston, Idaho
Enjoy
Last I went to the rodeo weekend, it was in Preston, Idaho. The place was packed and there was a fair next to it.
Before the rodeo there was a sort of ‘parade’
I felt really bad for the animals been cruelly played with and for the cowboys who were hurt by the animals (cruelly played with)
I had fun though.
So that raises a question: I feel sorry for the animals and /or the hurt cowboys but still enjoy watching them get hurt. Does my human nature make me enjoy it or feel sorry for them?
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