I never imagined that I would be so lingering in the desert and wilderness life.
Sitting on the private pavilion terrace of Camp Sarika, the wild luxury camp in Amangiri (Amangiri), I observed the first ray of sunshine in the morning to the primitive flat-topped mountains and isolated peaks in front of me. As the sun moves, the interlacing textures and colors on the rocks gradually become clear. They are the traces left by wind and water, recording the history of the earth. When the night falls, the dots of stars in the sky are like diamonds scattered everywhere, which is so rare for people who have lived in the city for a long time. Being in the wilderness, the stars are so bright and so close that you can even feel that you can touch them with your hands. Except for the crackling of campfires and the shallow singing of unknown insects, there is no sound. The black sky full of stars combined with the canyons, mesas and isolated peaks in the distance with only black outlines left. This kind of grand natural picture is overwhelming and makes me feel very small. My eyes are eager to record the different looks of nature with the changes of light and shadow every minute and every second, because I know that no shooting tool can capture its most real and shocking beauty, and the memory will eventually fade , Disappeared that day. I can’t help sighing in my heart that the most extravagant thing in the world is this kind of wonderful but fleeting good time – it can belong to everyone, but it can’t be truly owned by anyone.
The plane flew over various landscapes such as plains, canyons and deserts in the western United States, and landed at Page Airport in Arizona, which is the closest airport to Amangiri. In fact, it is more like an “airport” set up in the desert. ——After getting off the plane, apart from the small terminal hall, there are wilderness, sporadic bushes and mountains in sight. It takes about thirty minutes to drive to Amangiri from Page Airport. The exclusive driver Jasper arranged for me by Aman was an old man who had joined the U.S. Navy. He drove smoothly on the wilderness roads in the southwestern United States, taking me from Arizona to Utah in the north. I have long been accustomed to the steel jungle full of high-rise buildings in Toronto. At this moment, I am interested in observing the ever-changing scenery of the Colorado Plateau in front of me, and listening to Jasper tell some stories about joining the army with great interest. Unknowingly arrived at the entrance of Amangiri, which has almost no signs, so low-key that I can hardly imagine that I am about to enter a top luxury resort hotel. I saw Jasper roll down the car window and tell the other party my name through a small metal communication device. “Welcome, Ms. Zhang.” With a slightly rustling response from the calling device, the straight-armed fence rose. Linked to the identity of Jasper veterans, I unconsciously began to imagine that I was the protagonist in a science fiction movie. After exchanging passwords, I successfully entered the secret base hidden in the most desolate wilderness…
“Aman” is derived from the word representing peace and tranquility in Sanskrit, and “Giri” means mountains in Sanskrit. The combination of the two becomes the poetic commentary of Amangiri. Amangiri, which covers a total area of more than 900 acres, does, as its name suggests, possess an isolated and transcendent temperament. More than ten years ago, the land owner proposed to Adrian Zecha, the founder of Aman Group, to build the Aman Hotel here. Zecha insisted that he would only join the development plan if he included the adjacent land with sandstone boulders hundreds of millions of years old. The area is a Federal Government Reserve. It took many years to go through various applications and layers of review, and finally obtained the approval of the US government, and Aman was able to use this nature reserve. In 2009, Amangiri turned from an idea aimed at building a paradise into reality; Camp Sarika, a wild luxury camp within the scope, was born in 2020. Due to the unique landform and its proximity to the Navajo Nation Reservation and several national parks, the design team intentionally integrated Amangiri with the surrounding native environment to show respect for nature. The car continued to drive for about ten minutes after entering the private area of Amangiri. The traces of modern life were just revealed in a piece of primitive nature, and the private pavilion of Camp Sarika quietly escaped into this plain wilderness. I push open the thick wooden gates of the Sunset View Pavilion at Camp Sarika 9. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon, and the golden sunlight in the afternoon projected into the living room, blending harmoniously with the warm yellow tones of the interior, and the reflection of the water waves of the private terrace swimming pool swayed lazily on the wall. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the desert landscape stretches from the front to the distance. The wildly growing desert plants and the rolling flat-topped mountains form the most iconic original scenery in the western United States. My eyes greedily “drink” all the details in sight, because outside the window is the untouched geological wonder that belongs only to me. I felt like I was the only person on earth, and with that came the unreality of my body floating—it was addictive loneliness.
Here, nature shows off its undisturbed beauty undisturbed by human activities, and travelers will not lose the convenience that a high-end lifestyle should contain. The design of Camp Sarika tent pavilion is comfortable and unobtrusive, every detail is in line with its camping theme, and it does not try to force a magnificent appearance-this minimalist luxury that advocates nature has always been implemented by Zecha, the founder of Aman Philosophy, after all, luxury is not just superficial. The canvas tent on the top of the pavilion is selected to echo the beige gray of sandstone and rocks to match the natural scenery of the surrounding Colorado Plateau. Whether facing the desert, canyon or mesa, the ten tent pavilions ensure 100% privacy – when you shuttle between the living room, bedroom, outdoor terrace, or enjoy the semi-open bathtub and outdoor shower, you can Enjoy the natural world in front of you. Much of the interior uses wood furniture and earth-toned knitwear to echo the camping theme, and the spacious living room has a small kitchen and wine bar, which can be hidden by sliding doors for a cleaner visual effect. Each tent pavilion is equipped with an electric golf cart to facilitate guests’ various activities in Amangiri. The public areas of Amangiri and Camp Sarika can be reached by car or on foot. Compared with the “freedom” of tent pavilions, the public area presents the introverted minimalist contemporary aesthetics. Rustic raw materials such as concrete and natural logs create clean lines and angles. The appearance of the building changes with the light and shadow of the day, but the details are in harmony with the surrounding nature, reflecting the vast and magnificent temperament of the Colorado desert plateau. Being loyal to the land and creating a harmonious coexistence of nature and luxury is probably the biggest difference between Amangiri and luxury resort hotels built in the city.
Living in seclusion has allowed me to seek a state of mind that is detached from the world. And when I followed a professional guide to climb up the cave peak (Cave Peak) ladder in the private domain of Amangiri through the cable plank road, with my feet more than 400 feet above the ground, I really felt the wild charm of the wilderness under my feet. Heart racing, adrenaline rushing. Via Ferrata is an adventure from which there is almost no turning back. Its route consists of iron cables embedded in the rock face, requiring climbers to constantly remove and reconnect the steel cables on their bodies to climb vertically or traverse steep mountain gorge. Whenever the climbing route is almost perpendicular to the ground, I can feel the thrill of walking in the air. But fortunately, the local guides arranged by Aman that day – Maya and Abby, one of them has an unrestrained personality, constantly encourages everyone, and provides instructions humorously and clearly; the other is quietly at the end of the team to ensure everyone’s safety – this Very reassuring. I began to learn to overcome my fear, and even enjoyed the feeling of taking my destiny into my own hands and slowly approaching my goal. When approaching the summit, it seems as if there is infinity in all directions. Finally, standing on the highest point and looking far away, there is no one on the ground, but the strange peaks and rocks, and the overlapping mountains are dizzying. The scenery is beautiful and illusory. The thrilling adventure experience of cave peak via ferrata is in sharp contrast to my peaceful feeling in the hotel, and it also makes my stay in Amangiri more memorable.
The rich natural resources and deep aboriginal cultural heritage of Amangiri’s geographical location mean that any experience activity – horseback riding, canyon exploration, hiking… Even without the thrill of iron rope climbing, it can also make people appreciate the desert plain. Diverse beauty leads to new understanding. One of the beauties is ocher. I have seen it on TV screensavers countless times, and when I was there, I realized that it is much more charming than the screen – that is, Slot Canyons. Nature is a sculptor, and time is the carving knife in its hands. From millions to tens of millions of years, the Navajo sandstone has gradually formed a long and narrow corridor due to external erosion such as flash floods and wind erosion. Edges are smoothed. Many of the canyons near the Amangiri Hotel are located in the Navajo Nation reservation. We entered Antelope Canyon and the lesser-known Rattlesnake Canyon and Owl Canyon under the guidance of young Navajo people. The strong sunlight shines on the ocher sandstone, and its fluid smooth edges and unique texture create a silk-like texture. And when the sunlight only passes through the very narrow part of the canyon, the light and shadow reflect more layers of color changes – ochre, orange, gold… sometimes bright and sometimes dark, like red waves gracefully undulating. “Look, there’s a bear!” The Navajo guide humorously explained the various sandstone boulders in the canyon from time to time. Another kind of beauty that I experienced this time is the humanistic beauty based on respect for the local aborigines. Near the end of the trip to Amangiri, the Navajo people taught us to weave a dream catcher, which represents cohesion, has the meaning of praying for good luck, and is also a symbol of aboriginal culture. In the sunset, the Navajo people dance the Hoop Dance, which represents the never-ending cycle of life. Much later, when we are no more, the nature of this land may not change much. Things are different, but life is endless.
When writing this article in early 2023 , the ChatGPT artificial intelligence chat program set off the first wave of heated discussions around the world. In addition to the basic imitation of human dialogue, its uses even include programming and the creation of copywriting comparable to real people. Even if it is far from reaching the level of intelligence that can replace a certain type of work, ChatGPT is enough to make professionals in the fields of finance and literary creation be prepared for danger in times of peace. But we must remember that the reason why human beings are human is that we have the ability to perceive the outside world through the five senses, and we are constantly observing, experiencing, and looking for beauty. Human aesthetics is subjective and mysterious. It transcends reason and is difficult to define. Therefore, what is a “beautiful experience” may never be written into the artificial intelligence program. What a blessing to be able to translate this short but memorable experience in Amangiri into words.
