Maoris, Minis and Missions

On our last day in Apache Junction, we went to the Aloha Festival in Tempe.  Wow!  Picture thousands and thousands of people, dozens of vendors, food carts, arts and crafts and 3 big stages with all sorts of Polynesian dance happening.  It was excellent, although slightly psychotic.  Some of the acts were excellent; others should really think about switching halaus.  It was a lot of fun but there weren’t a lot of photo ops.  I would certainly go back.

Our next stop was Tucson, where we visited the “Time Machine Miniature Museum”.  Holy cow was this excellent!  We could have spent 2 days in
there.  The level of detail was incredible.  We saw dolls whose faces were made from a single grain of wheat.  There were other dolls made out of bread dough and others out of corn husks.  It was amazing and pictures don’t do it justice.

We then headed for yet another Mission (note to travellers: Arizona has 3 main tourist attractions:  cactus, rocks and Missions).  This one was to Saint Xavier and featured, for some reason, a replica of one of the Saint Francises (Franci?) laying in a glass coffin with holy medals pinned to his shirt.  No explanation of why or, for that matter, who this guy was.  There was also a great big statue of another guy wearing a black chef’s hat and wearing a large chili pepper emblem over his chest.  I’m figuring he was the patron saint of kitchens but darned if anyone could tell me who he was.  Still, it was an impressive old place, for a church.

And that was it for Arizona…. We’re heading east and then north from now on.