Chapter 16. Viva Las Vegas!!!

After a teary farewell between mother and son we boarded the plane bound for Vegas to catch up with Trev and and his new fiancée Jonquil. It turned out to be quite the adventure first our plane was late arriving at New Orleans and then the plane was delayed in Dallas so we arrived over an hour late into Vegas. Thankfully Trev and Jonquil still met us and our luggage at the airport! We sat up for ages just chatting and getting to know Jonquil and reminiscing.

The next day after dropping Jonquil at work, Trev took us into the Strip. We started our tour at the Vegas sign then parked at the MGM Grand and wondered up the strip. Well not the whole strip … which is incredibly long. As I said we wandered through the MGM Grand and out onto the Strip. From there we meandered past New York New York on the other side of the road and into Paris. They really do go all out, money was clearly not object when building these recreations. It felt like we had walked into down town Paris (apart from all the slot machines that is). After a good look around and buying our souvenirs we were ready for some lunch. In honor of Tom (Mum’s electrician, who goes to Vegas all the time) we ate at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino. Which had a great Buffet Restaurant looking out on to a waterfall lagoon area filled with Flamingos and giant fish.

After lunch we crossed the street and went into Caesars Palace, again it was just like how I imagine Rome to be. We were still getting used to the roof being painted like the day time sky. Anything to keep the punters inside I guess. As we walked we came across a show in one of the piazzas, Trev said oh this is really good. So we watched the lame robot show for 20 minutes or so and said to Trev it was time to move on. He realised he had had a few drinks the last time he saw the show and maybe that’s why it was soooo good. From there we found ourselves inside the Bellagio (which is connected to Caesars Palace. We were amazed by the casino’s reception area and the roof it looked like lollies (see pictures). By this time we were just about done with walking but Trev had one more “Fantastic” show up his sleeve. So we went to the Mall to watch a rain storm inside! Yes a rain storm inside the mall. Again we were let down by Trev’s level of intoxication! Noah thought it was fantastic though and hey not many people can say they’ve seen a rain storm inside in the middle of a dessert!

For dinner that night Jonquil suggested the Cheesecake Factory! Yes the Cheesecake Factory! We enjoyed our yet again massive meals and then our even bigger cheesecake for dessert.
After such a big day we were all a bit slow to get going. Noah had fun playing with Jonquil and Trev’s dogs (although they were not so keen on him) in the morning and we eventually headed back off to the strip to do the other end and the stratosphere. Jutting 1,149 feet into the Vegas skyline, the Stratosphere Tower is the tallest observation tower in the U.S. and one of the most exciting attractions among Vegas Strip hotels. But that's just the beginning. The Stratosphere also offers thrills you can't find anywhere else like the insane one-of-a-kind rides that include:
 • Big

The Strip
Well the New York New York Section anyway

Shot - Shoots passengers straight up 160 feet at 45 mph (over 4 Gs) until they are 1,081 feet above the Strip.
 • X-Scream - A giant teeter-totter that propels you 27 feet over the edge of the Tower, 866 feet above the ground.
 • Insanity, the Ride - A massive mechanical arm extends 64 feet over the edge of the Tower and spins you at a force of 3 Gs for a truly mind-bending experience.

We had a great time enjoying the view and laughing at the crazy people on the rides that hang off the side of the top of the building! Complete nutters some of you might remember Robert went on these rides last year CRAZY! Noah had his portrait drawn … not too bad an effort considering the level of difficulty involved!

Once we were back on terra ferma we made our way to what was the highlight of the trip for me the Venetian Hotel and Casino. As you may have guessed the Casino has been designed to replicate Venice with Gondola rides and all. We had an amazing time wondering alongside some of the gondolas and listening to the singing. We even came across an Australian photography shop with some truly amazing images of the land down under. And with that our time in Vegas was over we collected Jonquil from work and headed for the airport, and what a saga that turned out to be …

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