AMIDST THE SPIRES AND CANYONS IN UTAH

SOUTHERN UTAH IS A KALEIDOSCOPE OF COLOURS WITH EPIC VIEWS OF ICONIC RED CANYONS AND SANDSTONE SPIRES IN A VAST, WONDROUS EXPANSE

- PALLAVI PASRICHA

"IF MOON AND MARS HAD A BABY, IT would be White Pocket," says Kieran Corrigan, my guide, as I gaze at the lunar-like landscape that stretches around me. I am standing on massive grey rocks that remind me of a brain diagram. Moving ahead, ribbons of red sandstone mix with the grey to paint swirling waves of orange, pink and rust. I go numb for a minute as I stand in awe of the incredible colours and shapes that seem to belong to another planet.

Corrigan explains how millions of years of geology have created White Pocket, part of the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in Arizona, a two-hour drive from Kanab in Utah in the United States. Kanab is a great base for exploring the famed national parks and canyons in the vast sandstone expanse around Utah.

Our guide tells us that what seems like rocks are formations created by Navajo sandstone, known for its red and tan hues. White Pocket is often compared to another sandstone rock formation, The Wave, which shot into fame after Microsoft used it as their Windows 7 desktop wallpaper in 2009. I am content with my encounter with White Pocket as we are the only ones here, and there is nothing between me and a breathtaking slice of nature.

It is also a delight for photographers. My guide makes me lie down on a rock and takes a picture of me that makes it seem like I am falling off the cliff—it is a point for trick photography.

Mesmerised by the experience, I drive back to Kanab, which has already revealed some of the visual spectacles around it.

THE MAGIC OF SLOT CANYONS