Welcome to Tucson, Arizona!
Air-conditioning itself in the middle of the spectacular life-filled
topography of the American Southwest, with its grand canyons, wind-sculpted cliffs, eerily hushed deserts, forests of towering
saguaro cacti and astonishing diversity of birdlife (there are 16 species of hummingbird alone), is Tucson, Arizona. This
city has survived the discipline of a Spanish fortress, the embarrassing millinery and trigger-finger lawlessness of the Wild
West, and an exasperating century of drunken student mischief, and has somehow managed to emerge with a vibrant legacy of
Hispanic and traditional Indian cultures.
Tucson's ethnic pleasures can be enjoyed in the form of exquisitely
hand-crafted turquoise jewellery, a mouthful of chile rellenos (cheese-stuffed, deep-fried chiles) or mole (chile
sauce flavoured with chocolate, usually found swamping chicken), the brilliant white facade of the historic Mission San Xavier
del Bac, two-stepping lessons in a country & western juke joint, or the roar of the crowd at a U of A Wildcats basketball
match. And if you need further convincing that Tucson is worthwhile, you can also indulge all of your regular holiday vices
in this urban oasis, whether it's hitting a hiking trail or hitting the tequila slammers. Tucson is a place for everyone!
