Welcome To Las Vegas

---

I have arrived in Las Vegas. One carry-on bag, and one small backpack with my entertainment in it, including my iPod nano, my diary, a purple pen, and the book, The Secret. The lightest I have ever travelled. My flight was at 7 a.m....I had booked it only about 6 days prior, and it was one-way, and got a smashing deal on the internet from where I was visiting friends in Indianapolis. There was one stop in Denver, Colorado, and the view of the mountains from the airplane was so impressive, I took pictures of it.

I needed to get away from everyone and everything. What I really need is to be alone for a while... no stress, no rushing... just...being.

I'm staying at the Excalibur, a castle-designed hotel that makes me feel like a princess😊 Settled into my room, placing my things on the vanity, into the drawers, and in the closet...which is quite significant since I usually just keep everything in my bag when I travel. I had a great deal to begin with, though upon check-in, I was able to upgrade my room for a small additional fee. It was worth it...my room was pretty spacious for one person!

I had a quick lunch at the hotel then walked around outside and bought a pair of black shield sunglasses from a street vendor that looked almost exactly like my designer ones I had forgotten back at home, then went to the nearby Tropicana Hotel. My original intention was to just go to an exhibit there, but there are so many things to buy in the hallway on the way to the ticket desk! I bought a pink bellydance coin hip scarf and a coin arm cuff. Finally, I bought a ticket to the Titanic artifact exhibit, and it was absolutely amazing!! They re-created parts of the ship. I walked through a cabin hallway, the "star-lit" promenade, the ballroom (looks just like in the movie), and even touched an "iceberg"! They have done a great job with everything. It was astonishing how many artifacts were saved, and intact. Even some handwritten letters were still legible! On display were parts of the ship, china, clothing, jewelry, etc. Photos were prohibited, but they do take souvenir photos you can buy when you finish, about $20 a piece, depending what size you select. At the end of the exhibit, we looked up on the Memorial Wall. Upon entry, guests had been given a replica passenger boarding ticket, similar to the ones sold for the Titanic trip in 1912, and it had the name and information of a real passenger on it....and we were to check if the person on our card had survived or not. Mine was Leila Saks, age 25, first class, and she did survive though her husband Edgar did not. Very interesting! I signed the guest book as well. The gift shop had plenty to choose from, including a reproduction of a ceramic cherry toothpaste jar, books, sweatshirts, jewellery (yes, including the Heart of the Ocean), and copies of actual documents that were carried on the ships. Of course, among the items I purchased was a souvenir picture of me on the ballroom staircase. I previously had no idea what they would offer at the exhibit, which is why I'm wearing my Kate Moss t-shirt instead of a ballgown😉

Some guy stops me at the bottom of the escalator on my way out, but he has nothing to offer that I'm interested in. I didn't have a good vibe about him, and it wasn't just because he was with two other guys. In brief, I politely declined dinner (who goes to "dinner" after 11pm?) and continued on my way to the Grand Canyon souvenir shop, next to the MGM Grand Hotel. There I treated myself to a few items, including a Vegas-embroidered rolling suitcase to fit the additional things I would take back home with me.

So tired from the long flight, a long day of walking/sightseeing/shopping, and my system being ahead five hours still, I decided to sleep around 7pm. A phone call woke me up after 9, and after that, I was out like a light. Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.......

---