Driving to the desert town of Sedona was a true adventure in itself, occasionally bucketing it down with monsoons, combined with stunning scenery. A friend from Flagstaff texted me to say that I’d missed the heaviest downpour they’d seen yet, 4 inches of rain in about 2 hours! I loved the freedom of the car when visiting Sedona, it’s a large area and very spread out.
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I stayed with my American friend, Brian, who’s spending a few weeks in Sedona. We did plenty of exploring with the car - he’s house hunting so we checked out loads of nice gaffs. This one had a pretty cool resident...
Next morning was a 5AM start, at this time of year it gets roasting hot and often rains heavily in the afternoons, so we started early.
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The red rock sandstone buttes, steep precipitous canyons, and desert landscape were an incredible sight to behold.
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We hiked for just over 5 hours through an undulating rocky quilt of ethereal beauty. Glowing red buttes punching out of the landscape like an invasion of giants, and occasionally stumbling upon a lush green canyon. Sans vegetation, this place would look Martian.
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Hiking is greatly underrated in my opinion, there’s nothing like marinating in the nourishment of nature; it’s good for the soul. We saw lots of lizards, butterflies, and hummingbirds; but sadly, no rattlesnakes :)
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Along the hike, we stopped off at this Bhuddist Stupur, a peaceful rest in the desert heat:
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Sedona has a real hippie vibe, apparently it sits on ley-lines which give the place salubrious powers. Scattered around you’ll discover art galleries, new age shops, quirky food stores, and restaurants.
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We ate lunch at Chocola Tree - where you can eat EXQUISITE Vegan food. Below: chipotle paneer, mango raita and, red pepper chutney with a variety of veg cakes; Kale salad in the background. The taste? Sublime!
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The vegan food really showed how creative a chef can be when cooking with just veg. I believe the human race could do with cutting down on meat consumption, before we burn this jewel of a planet to a crisp; it would be healthier for us and our home if we did. I’ve no plans to move into a geodesic-domed-moss-house in the forest, eking a living as a yoghurt weaver - at least not yet. But you can only draw inspiration from this magical place.
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Next: Jerome..