THE MAX FACTOR
In which MAX CHIPCHASE puts down his DJ tools for a personal pilgrimage to hippy dippy Sedona, there to learn a sizeable lesson
EVERYONE IS FAMILIAR with the adage, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” When your work consists of play, or speaking more accurately, of “playing,” the line between work and relaxation becomes somewhat blurred. So what does a weary DJ do when he’s in need of some well-earned rest?
No surprise that, after almost a year of intense travel and countless late nights, the furthest thing from my mind was to visit a summer party spot, so I rejected the hedonism of obvious destinations like the Côte d’Azur and the Balearics for a week of hiking and healing in the magical area around Sedona, Arizona.
Said to be the site of one of the planet’s seven physical chakras and a powerful energy centre containing grounds long sacred to Native Americans, Sedona is a magnet for healers and spiritualists from across the world. What’s more, its natural beauty is truly breathtaking. And if that were not enough to sell the place, Sedona is just a seven-hour drive from my home in Los Angeles, with no security checks, no baggage claim, no customs and no immigration.
More importantly, it made perfect sense for me – I’d been to Sedona before, as a seven-year- old, and though my recollections of that family holiday are somewhat hazy, I do remember that break as being my late father’s favourite. He often spoke highly of Arizona, and of Sedona in particular, and expressed a desire to revisit. It was, therefore, to be a personal pilgrimage for me – a chance to recall some of my happiest childhood memories and time spent with him.
And so I packed bags, grabbed my gorgeous girl and whisked her off on an adventure, in search of some good ol’ fashioned “soul food.” We set off from LA at noon and arrived at Sedona late in the evening. Our timing could not have been better – the night concealed the intense beauty of our surroundings. It was only in the morning that we were greeted by the grandeur of the landscape, and everywhere we looked there were breathtaking vistas of red-rock formations jutting up from the earth. The ancient landscape’s unique colour is ascribed to high iron content in the underlying rocks. Whatever the reason, there was no denying its geological magnificence.
We set about planning our itinerary. With no fixed return date, and no flights to worry about, our time was our own – we had complete freedom to explore. Though Sedona’s town is small, it’s busy with restaurants and new-age shops. In fact, every third store seemed to be selling crystals (a number of them may have closed down since our visit – we heavily depleted their inventories). And there was no shortage of activities, excursions and tours. Diversions ran from horse riding and quad biking to hot-air ballooning, with a plethora of massages, spas, healers and other pursuits to suit all tastes.
We settled on what are known locally as “vortex tours” (a vortex is a geographical area where energy is concentrated, and there are several in Sedona’s environs), which took us to unforgettable places such as Cathedral Rock and Bell Rock. There, we hiked up to the vortexes and had the most intensely profound experiences. I’ve no doubt that these places contain a very special energy that can only be experienced at first hand. There really are no words to describe it.
We also took several other highly entertaining tours, including an evening UFO itinerary. I’ve always been a firm believer in our extraterrestrial cousins, but I’d never had any kind of sighting of or encounter with them. Our tour in the desert changed that, and I suggest that sceptics watch the night skies of Arizona with a pair of night-vision goggles. They’d be very surprised by what they see. We also visited the Chapel of the Holy Cross, a church built in the 1950s and designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. Even those usually unmoved by architecture will be awestruck by this structure. Built into the face of a mountain, it resembles something from a futuristic science-fiction movie.
Being in Arizona, we also decided to visit the Grand Canyon (a four-hour drive from Sedona), and planned to stay a couple of nights to enjoy this wonder of the world. The excursion turned out to be a monumental letdown – there’s no denying that the canyon itself is very grand, but all the associated accommodation and facilities are bland. And that’s being polite. Only a few hotels are allowed on the rim of the canyon, with views looking into it. Having checked out all of them online, we settled on what appeared to be a modernist-looking property.
Upon arrival, however, we discovered that whoever had taken the photos must have been a photography prodigy. In reality, the hotel was more like the set for a prison-based television series, and the entire area was packed with tourists who, like an army of ants, walked the perimeter in what seemed to be a never-ending line. Had it not been so late in the evening, we’d have turned back having seen the canyon. However, we were both exhausted and so resigned ourselves to a night on one of the hardest and most uncomfortable mattresses that I’ve ever had the misfortune to toss and turn upon.
Come morning we headed back to Sedona, sore and aching after a long and sleepless night. We’d learned an important lesson: size really doesn’t matter, after all. And we were delighted to swap the immense majesty of the Grand Canyon for small, simple and idyllic Sedona.
