Bright Electrolytes

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Las Vegas hotel's are really bad for internet...FACT. The one we were staying in - The Luxor - charged a dollar a minute would you believe it! So bear with me if it's been a little while. Las Vegas is crazy, as in round the clock gambling, no cheap food but McDonalds, 100 degree heat crazy. We were staying in the Luxor (the giant pyramid) hotel for the first couple of nights, which lived up to its name by being super luxurious compared to the hostels we are used to. We celebrated our first night by eating junk food and watching a reality TV show about Ice T's marriage...we weren't feeling too well and it was strangely comforting and equally addictive. The next day we got up and personal with George Clooney, Gwen Stefani and Justin Timberlake. Pity they were made of wax at Madame Tussaud's. Also walked through The Bellagio, The Venetian and Caesars Palace quoting from 'The Hangover'. Those casino's are AMAZING! Ive never seen anything so grand! We had a gambling kitty where we each put in 10 dollars in a bid to become millionaires... it started off well and we managed to get about $27 before the greed kicked in and we left down $3. Not bad in the grand scheme of things! On our last night we moved to a slightly seedier area that was nearer the bus station. It was no Luxor but was cheap and had a television which meant we could watch three hours of real life crime just before bed. AHH!

After an 'interestiiiiing' bus journey including a strange boy opposite us who was carrying a meter high replica of Chuckie (a psychotic murdering doll from a 80s horror classic for those not in the know) we made it to Flagstaff yesterday. Flagstaff is NIIICE! It's a cute little arty hippy town, perfectly American and a welcome change from Vegas. As I am typing this now I can see the glow of fairylights from out the window and hear a country sing along, complete with banjo. It's pretty great.
We went to The Grand Canyon today which was just breathtaking/amazing/awe-inspiring - all those adjectives you would imagine it to be! Lucy and I got slightly distracted from the view at one point when we saw a family that had decided to bring along their pet cats to enjoy the scenery. So on one hand there is this amazing natural wonder and then you look behind you to see a family with two cats on leads. We also saw a man hiking in bare feet. Strange. We did a bit of a hike, about 2 miles, down into the canyon, and made sure we were constantly replenishing our electrolytes with Powerade. All in all it was a great day and although I am a little dusty and sweaty it was definitely worth going on that mini hike! Now to relax with some popcorn and hot chocolate before the bus to Albuquerque tomorrow...

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