Oh my god what a wonderful place the Grand Canyon is. So the pic for this blog is me in the tour vehicle we had, what a cute vehicle and makes for a change from the bus tours. We stopped for morning tea and a little place outside of Vegas and the tour guide said don't worry if you see people walking around with pistols, well they do that because of the rattlesnakes, yes that was very comforting for me. On our tour is a couple from Alabama and a man from Israel, all lovely people. We got to the Grand Canyon (making it before alot of other tour buses) and the first thing we did was get into a helicopter for a ride over the canyon and then down into the canyon where we got dropped off. From there we took a boat ride up the river before returning to the helicopter to finish off our flight over the canyon and return to the tour centre. What an amazing experience that was - again not too comfortable with the flying bit but definately glad we done it. To walk on the skywalk at the canyon actually costs you more money and you are not allowed to take any cameras etc with you so as a group we decided we would not do that, the helicopter trip and the views from that was to us a much better experience. The grand canyon is massive and such a spectacular sight, seeing it from the air is a must. From the tour centre the traditional owners of the land run buses to 2 stops with one being where the skywalk is. We took the bus to there and had a look around. The one thing that amazed me is there are no barriers. There are little signs saying do not cross but you can go right up to the edge of the canyon. About 5 people a year fall into the canyon, you can see why as it would not take much with it being a bit windy, the ground with its gravel, you could easily slip and fall if you are not taking care. After looking around that area we got on the bus to the next stop which was for lunch. The buffett was included in the tour and there was some awesome meats and pie and cornbread. I asked the people we were on tour with what cornbread was because it was at the end of the table and by looking at it, it looks like lemon or a plain type sponge cake but they were eating it with their meal. So pretty much it is like a savoury cake I guess, it has the texture of cake but is for eating with savoury food and not as a dessert. Anyway after lunch we had the opportunity to explore that area and again there are no barriers and you can just walk anywhere and as close to the edge as you want. I must say it was pretty freaky, the guide warned about walking too close as the gravel is loose and some ground could give way, but some people didn't seem to worry at all about that. After we finished there we headed back on the bus to the main tourist centre and back to the jeep. It really was a wonderful day and the views are just amazing. The tour guide made a stop on the other side of the Hoover Dam so we had the opportunity to take some pictures from the other side where we did not go the other day. The tour guide was the best we have had so far on this trip. He asked alot of questions about Australia and our kangaroos and we found out he has wolves which he cares for, how cool is that. Anyway back to Vegas we went after a fantastic trip.