-arrive at Gill: 5:45
- depart Newark, NJ (sitting between a very kind elderly couple, the reason for which they wanted to sit apart is still unknown to me): 8:55
- arrive in Denver, CO: 11:10 (Denver time) 1:10 (New Jersey time)
- much confusion occurred when six of our names (one of which was mine) did not appear in the system preventing an easy printing of our boarding passes for the next flight
- luckily we had plenty of time to console ourselves with Tacos To Go-Go. -yummy
- depart Denver, CO (on a little plane, sitting in the 13th ~ aka last row of the plane): 1:30 (ish)
- arrive in Albuquerque after a bit of turbulence due to the beautiful Sandia (watermelon) mountains disrupting the air flow: a little less than an hour after departing Denver
- we claimed our baggage (a relief to see all 16 bags sitting there waiting)
- After checking into our hotel, we headed to the Sandia Tramway. I had tacos for the second time in one day.
- Soon after eating we set off on an adventure up to the peak of the mountain on suspended tram. Heights have never been my favorite thing so I didn't move about the tram all that much. Our tour guide was funny... to some. I don't know what it is about people, but they just love to scare tourists! At the top of the mountain it was only 45 degrees- a good 30 degrees cooler than the base!
Fun Fact of the Day: The Sandia Mountains mean Watermelon mountains.
May 26, 2011: Day 2- ...And the Education Begins!
- My room woke up at 6:15 am. Clearly still adjusting to the small time change.
- We all had breakfast at the hotel and checked out.
- We literally drove across the street to the Pueblo Cultural Center. The first guide we had was an enthusiastic Pueblo woman from Isletas near the Rio Grande. She had actually retired and was filling in for her son. She seemed so excited to meet with us and share her experiences and culture with us. She greeted us in her native language called Tiwa (Tee-wah). It sounded pretty awesome! She spoke with us at two times. The second time she explained about traditional Pueblo customs. She talked about the evolution of their society- including language and religion and even food. The Pueblos are deeply connected with Mother Earth. If they use a resource, they must give something in return. They were introduced to Christianity (mainly Catholicism) by the Spanish. It has remained a huge part of the cultre. Many Pueblo tribes actually have patron saints. For example: Santo Domingo Pueblos (St. Dominic) or San Antonio Pueblos (St. Anthony). The woman taught us all about different ceremonies.
- In between the programs with the woman a man brought us to see Native American pottery and jewelry. I could go on forever on the intricacies of the arts!
- After the museum we drove to Santa Fe. We were able to explore the plaza for 2 hours. The Native artists have the coolest crafts. I bought a bracelet from a Santo Domingo Pueblo man. He was so excited about his jewelry. He explained in detail all of the steps that the artists must take to be able to sell their art underneath the overhang of the Governor's Palace. He was also a teacher at one point, but he had been selling his jewelry since 1967! Every artist I interacted with was so proud of his or her works. (I would be too! It's all beautiful.)
- We made our way back to the hotel and soon we went off to dinner at the Flying Star Cafe. The food was delicious and our conversations at my table couldn't help but make everything more enjoyable.
- When we got back to the hotel, we walked over to a nearby park to play a game of "wiffle ball." However, our ball was a tennis ball and our bat was a foam sword wrapped in clothing. It was very entertaining, until someone hit the ball into a fenced back yard. We played a game of "Tongues" aka "spoons" or "pig" instead in the lobby.
-Now everyone is blogging about their experiences... or sleeping. I can't wait for the rest of the trip!!
Fun Fact of the Day: Pueblos actually do have a "rain dance"
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