Monument Valley

"White streaks amidst the rocks"

Monument Valley, a place so spiritual, that you will feel as if you have been baptisted by Spirit Nature, on you way back.......

If you come from a crowded place in the Old World, as me, you will find your spirit renewed just by driving from any given point to another, on this magnificent land, particularly, the SouthWest.

And if you find yourself driving on scenic road US-163, then wow! you will suddenly become the main character of a movie, your own movie, in a place where everything you knew about time and space, is challenged.

As you approach Monument Valley from the West, the rock formations will slowly start unfolding in the distance, taking shape as you get closer, silent witness of a more advanced civilization, now faded....., it seems as if you will never really reach them, distances here are disproportionate, but this is part of the deal.

Eventually, you reach Monument Valley. Conveniently located, there is a Trading Post, (souvenir shop, in European language), that, however, offers more than just souvenirs.

This could be the first opportunity you have to get an impression, up close and personal, of the beautiful Navajo people, if you have not stopped on some of the small trading posts along the road. They all wear genuine big smiles, and no, it is not just the prospect of a few dollars growing their pockets, you know when someone is genuinely smiling at you, or I hope you do, anyway.

There is a restaurant adjacent to the shop, where they serve the most amazing tribal food around.... (granted, there are not a lot of choices around to eat...), but the food there is amazing, I had a Navajo taco that could have fed a family of four! absolutely delicious and very healthy!, it is simply a corn tortilla, the size of a full moon in November, filled with salad and vegetables, very nice indeed.

If you can manage to move after you are done eating, (the prices are very reasonable as well), get back to the Valley to start discovering what the, not so distant now, rock formations, have to tell you.

Spirit Place

The entry fee is only $5, for what you get in return, my god, this is nothing! again, money is only symbolic if you really think about it.... but not now, now you are entering a sacred place, there is no room here for anything related to material things, ego, past, future, thoughts, worries,.....here, everything is spirit, here, everything is the Now, if you know what I mean.... I hope you do...

Bet you never seen a dead volcano before.... this is along the road as we approached the Valley

One of a kind road trip

There are 11 monument rock formations to see, on a 17 mile tour. You will be given a guide included on your $5 entrance fee. All the stop points are clearly indicated, with the name of each rock formation. You might find some small rocks arranged on the ground, left there by visitors before you, I suppose it has some significance, I just never found out.....

By now you would have found out that a 4 wheel drive is recommended for this tour.

You will not be allowed to wander around off the limits of the designated viewing points, this land is sacred to the Navajo nation, (and to some of us as well!), and, for our western point of view, admiring the landscape from a distance is simply sufficient.

Peace here is not only present, it will impose itself and permeate every cell of your body as you try to absorbe the magnificent scenery laid out just in front of your eyes...., you suddenly understand why this soil is sacred......