New Mexico Dec 9-12

My first impression of New Mexico was from watching Rachael Ray hosting Santa Fe's rich cultural food on Food Channel last year. The food looked spicy with various peppers added and the architecture of buildings in the background looked different. These set my heart to visit Santa Fe.

Fast forward to 9 Dec 2009, I booked a Delta flight to Albuquerque Airport from Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) Airport as traveling over Christmas and New Year period cost more. On my first leg from BWI to Atlanta for my transit, I was upgraded to first class. This was the first time that I sat in this section. The perks of sitting in first class included checking in my winter coat and the flight attendant started to serve me drinks the moment I sat down. There was plenty of seat space for me to cross my legs if I wished. It was definitely a pampering experience. For my connecting flight to Albuquerque, I was back to economy class.

From the airplane, I could see desert blanketed with snow and snow-capped mountains. Upon entering Albuquerque Airport, the interior was decorated with native Indian arts and designs, a sight different from major US airports.

After picking up my rental car, I drove northeast towards Santa Fe which served as my base for visiting other vicinities. I was advised by the car rental staff to upgrade to a Toyota Camry from an economy car as New Mexico was hit by a snowstorm, resulting in icy roads and the highway speed limit was 75 mph. Usually it is 65 mph. An economy car would 'shake' and be hard to control at 75 mph. After upgrading and buying liability insurance and a full fuel tank, I had to pay $200+ on top of what I had paid for in my Travelocity package.

It took me about 1.5 hour to reach Santa Fe around 4pm. Sure enough, the road was icy and I did not regret spending the extra cash on safety. As I had not taken any meal since morning, I proceeded to Santa Fe Plaza where most restaurants were situated. My hotel, Sage Inn, provided free transport to the plaza where I headed to a Thai restaurant but it was closed. Then, I walked towards Burro Alley where I dined at Cafe Paris Restaurant and Bakery. Burro Alley used to be a nightlife district for the city and is named after the small donkeys which carried firewood to be sold here.

After fulfilling my hunger, I toured around the 400-year old Plaza, visiting St Francis Cathedral, Loretto Chapel and La Fonda Hotel. Most shops were closed around 5pm as this was off-peak season. The Loretto Chapel had an interesting history. The small Gothic Chapel was built in the 1870s without a staircase to the choir loft from the ground. Many builders were consulted to solve the predicament with the intention of building a staircase that would not take up too much space. Most suggested using a ladder or reconstructing the balcony. The Sisters of Loretto prayed a Novena to Saint Joseph and on the ninth day, a mysterious carpenter came forward and built a circular stairway to the loft. The stairway makes two 360-degree turns with no center nor side support and no nails. Just plain wooden pegs. Upon completing the stairway, the carpenter disappeared without asking payment for his work. This stairway has been attributed to Saint Joseph's work and is called the Miraculous Stairway.

The next day, I drove northeast to Taos where I visited Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Historic Landmark. This place has been continuously inhabited by the Native American Indians for over 1000 years. The buildings are made of adobe which is earth mixed with water and the walls are really thick, at least 10 inches wide. To see the interior, you can visit the shops located within the community where the walls are usually painted white. There is no modern amenity, specifically electricity and water, in this community. Thus, there is a fireplace inside for cooking and keeping warm. The river running through the village serves as their source of drinking water. They have a majestic view of Taos Mountain where the natives considered it sacred and performed religious ceremonies there.

For the truly environmentally friendly people, there is a community not far from Taos who live in structures made out of earth and recycled materials such as glass bottles, aluminum cans, and car tires. The Earthship Biotecture Headquarter Visitor Center is a self-sufficient housing using solar energy and integrated water system, including its own garden. Precipitation is collected where water is used 4 times before releasing back into the environment. Visit Earthship Biotecture for more information.

In between Taos and The Earthship Community is the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge across the Rio Grande Gorge. The gorge is a mini version of Grand Canyon but looks great too since I had to cross it. On my way back to Santa Fe, I stopped at a wholesale shop which sold every Southwestern thing one could think of. Imagine a wreath made from red chili peppers. I wanted to buy a table runner but decided against it as I thought about getting it in Latin America when I visit in early half of 2010.

On my third day, I drove to Bandelier National Monument, home to Ancestral Pueblo dwellings. Along the way, I was glad to explore White Rock because the scenery from the outlook was fantastic. There was a partially frozen waterfall and a gorge. Usually, being a planner, I would have drove on towards my target. But I learned my lesson when I went to Cape May, New Jersey. Then, I saw a country rodeo along the way and I thought it would be there on my way back. Well, the place was deserted on my return trip.

After getting back to my actual route, I drove for many miles alone with no car in sight on New Mexico Route 4. According to my GPS, I should have reached the park entrance. I pressed on and finally saw the entrance. A self-guided tour is available at the Main Loop Trail with many Ancestral Pueblo dwellings, carved out from cliff walls. One could climb up ladders to the cavates. At 5' 10", it was difficult for me to stay in the carved units.

Another attraction at Bandelier National Monument was The Alcove House, formerly called Ceremonial Cave, which is 140 feet up a cliff wall. Getting there involves climbing 4 steep wooden ladders and stone stairs. Due to the snowstorm, the Alcove House was closed for safety reasons.

However, having hiked for half an hour through deep snow, I refused to see the Alcove House at the foot of the cliff. The first ladder was icy and the stairs were covered with snow. My heart pounded hard. At the back of my mind, I was thinking that I was acting foolishly as help was unavailable if I were to fall since no one would venture here. My adventurous side won over and I reached the Alcove House safely. I imagined life back then, children playing, women cooking and men hunting. There was a kiva where you had to descend into for religious rituals. Going down the ladders was harder as I had to maneuver from my back facing the ladder to facing opposite to it at the top steps. Further, my bulky digital Nikon D70S hindered my movement. I put my climbing knowledge to use by always having three contact points while descending down the ladders.

Since it was still daylight, I visited Los Alamos, home to creation of the atomic bomb. There were restricted areas with fences as I drove by. Upon reaching Los Alamos, there was a security post. This was the first time for me to drive past a security post to a US town. I visited the Bradbury Science Museum which had exhibits on nuclear bomb and watched a film on the Manhattan Project. The big yellow metal 'bomb' was a replica of the Fat Man which detonated over Nagasaki, Japan. Even though I dislike physics, I enjoyed visiting the museum. It is scary to think about the destructive power of a nuclear bomb.

With night falling, I headed back to Santa Fe and toured along Guadalupe Street, taking pictures of murals, and going into art galleries to escape from the cold. That night, I was fortunate to witness a local event where there was a procession starting from St Francis Cathedral to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. I joined in the procession while photographing the entire event. There were devotees singing hymns, carrying the statue and picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and musicians playing instruments.

On my last day, I woke up early so that I had time to visit Petroglyph National Monument and old Albuquerque before my flight.

The Petroglyph National Monument encompasses extinct volcanoes where ancient drawings of the Native Americans were carved on black rocks. One had to be sharp and often had to climb up the rocky slopes of the canyon to spot images of animals, stick figures and symbols. One could only guess its meaning or significance. As I was on a tight schedule, I did not walked the entire Rinconada Canyon trial and it would be impossible to find every carving on the rocks. Vandalism had been reported where inconsiderate people had added their touches to the images or deface them. Urgh!

On my way to Old Albuquerque, I saw the exit sign for hot air balloon rides and decided to detour. I was in the nick of time to catch the balloons rising. The colorful balloons put a smile on my face as they floated into the sky. Their shapes reminded me of Vietnamese lanterns. One even had two ear-like protrusions at the top of the balloon and a painted winking cat face.

For my last stop, I had about 2 hours to tour Old Albuquerque. It seemed that all the towns in New Mexico had a centralized place called the plaza where people meet. The impression I got after visiting Santa Fe, Taos, and Old Albuquerque was that there were a lot of Native American artwork selling similar things and lots of art galleries. My whole being was saturated with arts every time I visited the plaza. I managed to take a brisk walk around the sculpture garden of the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History.

Life in the desert is tough. Soil conditions are not conducive for major agriculture. What I do observe is the numerous casinos dotting the highways. In fact, there is a rock outcrop which looked like a single hump camel and there is a casino nearby. It was called the Camel Rock Casino.

After returning the car, my itinerary was to fly to Salt Lake City and then to Baltimore. For the second leg, I was once again upgraded to first class and had a relaxing time. Dinner was chicken Parmesan, salad, and pumpkin pie. De-li-cious!

New Mexico photo album