The Hindu Business Line : American beauty

When the Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong touched down at Los Angeles, the country music strains of the 1970s' mega-hit, Susan Raye's L.A. International Airport, where the big jet engine roars... rang in our ears. It's a song about a global airport, busy since 1928.

Strangely, the airport's code is `LAX', but its visitor facilities are abundant. Immigration Officer Conner was wearing Miss Liberty on his shirt; while other younger officers had Sam the Eagle on their shirt band. Officer Conner was friendly, and explained that his was the last batch of officers wearing the lady on their shirt. And even as he was discharging his duties of questioning, photographing and finger-printing applicants, the veteran officer mentioned his 30 early years in the Philippines, where he was raised, and wished me a pleasant time in the US.

The Chinese invasion with their products and services is not a new phenomenon in the US. When the first railroads were made here long ago, the immigrant Chinese community constituted a hardworking and loyal labour force. Today, the tourism industry has benefited from this invasion; Chinese agencies charge less for air tickets and run many tourist bus services. I opted for the America Asia Travel Centre's tour package to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas.

On a misty spring morning, the big bus pulled up at the Monterey Park ABC café set in a locality that's 70 per cent Chinese. Driver Frank George, an African-American veteran of 30 years' driving, was seated amidst a console of instruments that resembled a plane's flight deck, while Paul Ho from Hong Kong was to be our guide for the next three days. The 50-seater had forty tourists from China.

So when the journey began, and the bus entered the Mojave desert highway, our guide launched into Chinese to explain the sights that sped past us, occasionally slipping into English for our benefit. Barstow City's highway market was our first stop, where one could grab lunch and buy products at a bargain.

Swinging into Highway 40, we passed the Calico Mountain, the site of the country's first silver rush, before passing solar cell factories promising abundant and cheap power-generation.

London comes to the US

The London Bridge at Lake Havasu City.

We crossed the Colorado River to enter Arizona, home to the world's oldest natural wonder — the Grand Canyon. But our guide announced another must-see spot that was entirely man-made — Lake Havasu City, more famous as "Little London".

On Mesquite Avenue, the city's famous bridge loomed ahead, spanning the sparkling waters of the Colorado river. As we got off and stepped into London Village, we understood why it was named so. Fountain sprays flowed, a statue of London's guardian angel welcomed us, and an inscription displayed Benjamin Franklin's London declaration of America's friendship with England. A red telephone booth, the theatre behind it and the double-decker bus gave us a feeling of having stepped into the English city.

When the old London Bridge on the Thames was dismantled in 1969, American oil tycoon Robert McCulloch bought up the entire material and transported it to the US, to construct a strikingly similar bridge in Lake Havasu City. He spent close to $7.5 million to bring in the other symbols of London to the city he founded.

With boat cruises that served good food and drinks, and fireworks displays at night, Arizona's London Village is a major tourist attraction.

Crossing Arizona, a brief drive through California took us into Nevada State. Passing the Hoover dam, we drove into Laughlin city that was named after Don Laughlin, who set up the first gambling casino in southern Nevada in 1966.

The place has prospered since, and several luxury hotels line Casino Drive. The River Palms with over 1,000 rooms and suites, offers over 1,000 slot and video machines, bingo and poker games, and paddlewheel boat tours. The bar is well stocked, and the buffet delicious.

The Grand sights...

At 5 a.m., we left for the grand sights of the Grand Canyon National Park. Getting back into Arizona, after a mere one hour of travel, the heat of the desert was replaced by the sub-zero chill of the snow-covered highway.

Thirty minutes into the reserve, we walked towards the viewing point, with the chill wind blowing in our faces. We hastily put on mufflers and monkey caps. The first rays of the golden sun hit the Canyon, the fantastic sight of the deep chasm below, created by the fierce, snaking and turbulent waters of the Colorado river over thousands of years.

A sight that's bound to remind the movie buff of the classic, McKenna's Gold. Gazing at the awesome spectacle below, one could almost hear Ben Colorado calling out, "Come on McKenna, come out like a gentleman!" The timeless dialogues of Omar Sharif, Gregory Peck and Telly Savalas, the Old Turkey Buzzard song, as also the film's special-effects earthquake resonate in our minds.

Betting on Las Vegas

Las Vegas — a city carved out of the desert and teeming with hotels, resorts and casinos ever since the State of Nevada legalised gambling. Theme-based casinos such as the MGM Grand, the Luxor, the Mandalay, Circus, Tropicana, New York, Paris and Caesar's Palace vie with one another to attract visitors who are old enough to visit the fun city and bold enough to sample the offerings of the `sin city'.

At the Riviera Hotel and Casino, which boasts of being the `entertainment centre of Las Vegas', hundreds of men and women try their luck at slot and video machines, with a new Harley Davidson bike and a Cadillac car on view as special prizes.

Casino attendants offer visitors an hour of free tuition to help understand the nitty-gritty of the games. Further away, poker and black jack are played with much higher stakes, while entertainers offer special shows in the privacy of your room! The night is alive with neon signs dazzling everywhere, and people uncovering newer excitements well into the early morning.

Pictures by the author

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