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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Photos

Eagle Ridge
So called because it looks like an eagle spreading its wings. Can you see it?

Lunch with a view
The little hut you can see is where we had lunch.

At the top
This is as close to the edge as some of us were willing to go.

Some crows chilling out
Birds don't mind being up so high. They can fly you see. Plummeting to their deaths is not so much of a worry for them.

A wheel
Left over from the days when the far side of the canyon was mined for bat poo. I kid you not. Apparently it makes an excellent fertilizer and was a major export.

Rachael, Rachael and a giant chicken.
In the foyer of the Bellagio. Classy.

The winning ticket
Rachael at the lucky slot machine with the goods.

The white tiger
oOf Sigfried and Roy fame. No wonder the pooor thing tried to kill one of them - there was nothing for it to do in its little concrete pen. It did not look happy.

The Strip
You either love it or you hate it

The view from our hostel
This is the dodgy end of Fremont street where we were staying. It looks OK now - all the crackheads are taking a nap.

Comments

[anonymous]

Hi girls, please to hear you're already having a wicked time. Should be booking my NZ flights before I leave for Canada on the 6th so will keep you posted. Keep having a fab time, best wishes xxxxxxxx - George