Cha Ching! Winning at the Bellagio.

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Hi all

Sorry we haven't been in touch for a while - we had a few minor internet mishaps. Never mind, we're here now to give you the latest on our progress.

Thursday was our trip to the Grand Canyon which was an early start but well worth it. We went to the West rim which isn't so touristy and was pretty quiet. The GC is amazing - you can't quite grasp what looking over the edge of a sheer cliff face into a 3.3km abyss until you've done it. Photos don't quite do it justice. We also saw the hoover dam and some Joshua trees - lots of them. In the evening we went on to The Strip with some people we met in the hostel (mostly Brits) and did a bit of gambling! We went The Venetian, The Bellagio and Paris casinos. They are absolutely huge and lit up with neon. Rach B found a passion for the slot machines and got lucky in the Bellagio - winninga grand total of $62.25. That probably works out at a profit of about $20. Rach F wasn't so good and we don't really want to talk about the finances of that. Did take a friend's advice and put a bet on 'Lucky' 17 only to see her chips disappear sharpish. So, there you go, our brief flirtation with gambling.

Yesterday (Friday) we spent walking up and down the Strip in the day time looking at the tigers and lions in some of the bigger casinos. We tried to make it into most of the famous ones - The Mirage, Treasure Island, MGM Grand and Caeser's Palace. Actually, we spent a LONG time in Caeser's Palace - there is a rather large shopping centre attached to it that you have to walk through to get to the casino. We got stuck in there for quite a while - partly because of the shops, mostly because we couldn't find our way out - the exits to these places vanish once you've walked through them, it's very cunning. And, after all that, we didn't even see anyone in a toga or centurian's outfit.

Saw the fountains outside the Bellagio at night - the ones in Ocean's Eleven - and also watched the Pirate show in front of Treasure Island. It's on every 90 minutes from 5.30 so you'd think it was a family entertainment kind of thing but it's wildly inappropriate - lots of women in hot pants, topless men and innuendo. Not that we're saying it wasn't funny, mind you - although I don't think it was meant to be.

We're just about to catch our first Greyhound bus to San Diego where we'll hit the beach and maybe wander down to Mexico. It's still pretty hot here - not baking but definitely T-shirt weather so we're going to work on the tans.

Taxi's here so must go.

Take care,
R & R x x xx

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