The Vegas Experience

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BB: Gordon's alive!!!!

R: No, I can't do a whole post like that. We headed on to Las Vegas via the Hoover Dam, in total about 2 hours in the car from our last stop. We spent a bit of time going between the Nevada and Arizona time zones for our own amusement then headed on to Las Vegas. We were a bit early so I took Cate on a drive into the dodgy northern area of "The Strip". After check in at the Hard Rock Hotel, we headed out for some exploring. Well, actually, while I was returning the rental car, Cate had been down and played video poker and won $4... Hopefully the start of things to come. Our next few attempts at winning it big proved fruitless, so we got on with other things that would take our money instead...

We wandered about some casino floors (Cesars, Bellagio, Treasure Island, Paris) before getting a bit fed up with the smoke, and decided to grab a drink and a bite to eat, before more "nightime sightseeing" and more food and drink. I offered to take Cate on an indoor Gondola ride, with singing Gondolier, but she wasn't keen, especially as it looked like it was about to rain (inside).

Next day we headed for a tickets booth, having resolved to see a Cirque du Soleil show while we were in town. While at the tickets booth, we got talked into going up the fake Eiffel Tower which was on the strip, and a lunch buffet at Treasure Island.

The lunch buffet (a champagne brunch, actually) was incredible. Free flowing champagne, and huge choices of sushi, Chinese, American, pasta, carvery. It wasn't the best quality ever, but we got a fairly hefty discount so didn't mind too much. Then we waddled off to the monorail, both feeling a bit sick, and headed down in search of the tiger exhibit at MGM grand. This no longer exists, though, due to "some stuff that happened" according to the man at the front desk... (I'm thinking tiger-ate-keeper). We wandered back up via Luxor, Monte Carlo, Aria casinos, filling time before our show - the strip is 4 miles long and rammed with people so pretty hard to get everywhere. Cate did the New York New York roller coaster which runs through and outside the building, but given the level of champagne and food in me, I decided against it. Though I did find time for a happy hour cocktail...

Cirque du Soleil was incredible. We saw the Mystere show, as it was the original and we haven't seen any others, so thought it was a good place to start. Pretty much, it was 90 minutes for incredible acrobatics, with French humour shoe horned in here and there, culminating in an unexplained, giant inflatable snail being brought to the stage at the end. I won't spoil anymore for you, but see these shows while you can... And don't sit in the front section of seating unless you want to get covered in popcorn. Just saying...

Next day was pool day - we chose the hotel for its winter opening pool, which was a bit rubbish and they clearly didn't want you in it, given the number of ropes we had to jump to get at it. Then we headed out for another lunch buffet, this time at the Wynn casino. The quality of food was much higher here, and we stuffed ourselves with great ceviche, char Sui buns, salmon, fillet steak, fried chicken and cakes that wouldnt have looked out of place in a patisserie store in Paris.

We hit the Eiffel tower shortly before dusk, and got in the lift with a woman carrying a bouquet and a man with a music stand and a guitar, wearing a bright white suit. Shortly afterwards, a young Spanish speaking couple came up in the lift, smartly dressed and the white suited man began to sing ... Badly! The young chap asked his lady to look straight into a waiting camera and then (apparently) proposed on top of the fake Eiffel tower. She said yes. But the camera didn't get it, so he did it again, so the camera had it all. All the time the white suited man was still going, entertaining all of us who were trapped with him in our little viewing container. Romance really isn't dead.

Our last evening I convinced Cate to come to the German beer hall across the road from our hotel - it's supposed to be a replica of the famous Hofbrauhaus in Munich ( which I visited during my time there). The atmosphere is good, with a German band playing drinking favourites as well as English 60s tunes, except my personal favourite German drinking song - Viva Colognia! - Just as we got served with our beer snacks, one of the band wandered behind us and dropped a 15 foot horn down across the length of the table, between Cate, myself and the bemused looking German group we were sharing with and tootled out an alpine tune. The Germans were so impressed, they finished their drinks and left!

Overall we decided that we see Vegas differently; if I had to describe it in one word, I would use "ridiculous" and if Cate were to use one word "overwhelming" comes to mind. I guess we're both right. We grabbed a rental car and headed out to California, having lost all we bet, and a lot more.

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Photos

Bellagio fountains
(Facing Paris)