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Published: October 2nd 2010
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So we left LA not particularly looking forward to a 5 hour bus journey to Vegas but we decided to embrace this poor man's means of public transport (in comparison to our luxurious Amtak train that is!) Well, let's just say that the day was destined to go from bad to worse. It started with the bus being an hour and a half late. However, Ben and I managed to fill this time by talking to a slightly (or should I say very) bonkers old man from the US who was a Pearl Harbour survivor. He was 87 and had just spent 6 months with his girlfriend in New York and was on his way to see his other girlfirend in Vegas for the next 6 months. Needless to say, Ben had a lot of time for this guy! When we finally got on the bus, our luck didn't get much better. After about 45 minutes, we had to pull over on the side of the road as the engine was apparently "overheating". Instead of sending a different bus out to meet us, the driver decided to plough on regardless stopping at the side of the road on a 5 minute
basis to let the engine cool down. To cut a long story short, it took us 10 hours to get to Vegas (instead of 5!!) at the speed of 10mph in 110 degree heat. If it wasn't for the old Pearl Harbour man at the back of the bus singing at the top of his voice for most of the journey and one of the greyhound staff (major Jim Carrey lookalikey) keeping us amused with his anecdotes and songs, I think that we would have jumped out of the window and walked the rest of the journey.
Having finally arrived in Vegas at 9pm on a Saturday night and to top off our most challenging day of the trip yet, we went to check in to our hotel only to find that they did not have our reservation and were fully booked. We were told that we "would be lucky to find a room anywhere on a Saturday night in Vegas". After much deliberation and researching of hotels, we finally found a room in the Hooters hotel of all places at a ridiculous price that we will not talk about. Let's just say that Ben was not too disappointed
and quickly suggested that we drown our sorrows in the bar with a burger and beer. I don't think that he even noticed the girl in hot pants and crop top who was serving us!!! WHAT A DAY!
I told Ben that I thought I was going to hate Vegas before we came on this trip and I was kind of right. Well, I could just about stomach it for a day. It is a strange mix of the cheap and tacky whilst managing to be luxurious and classy at the same time. From the fantastic fountains at the Bellagio to the famous Mirage Volcano, Vegas can be spectacular. Most of the hotels are very grand and have casinos, reaturants, shops and theatres in them but there is something about the place which I found intoxicating. There are no windows, clocks or exit signs in the casinos and not being a betting person myself found the whole thing very bizarre indeed, not to mention some of the weirdos who are wondering the streets! We did feel very normal indeed and particularly underdressed in our jeans and flip flops!
You are probably not surprised to hear that we were
not too disappointed to leave Vegas to go on our 4 day tour of the highlights surrounding Vegas. Leaving Vegas, we passed through colourful Colorado City and the Grand Staircase / Escalante National Monument en-route to Lake Powell. Here, we were told by our tour leader to get our swimgear on as we were doing a 'must do' swim in the Lake. Whilst I must admit I was a little hesitant, this was such a wonderful experience. Of course, Ben dived straight in like the true water baby that he is! That evening, we tucked into an authentic Western BBQ at a local cowboy ranch and all 7 of us stayed the night in a wooden bunkhouse!
The next morning we were woken up early and taken on a 2 hour 'optional' horse ride around the desert/surrounding mountains. This was truly awesome and even Ben managed to avoid being thrown off by his horse. We then headed out to Monument Valley in the scorching heat where we did a Jeep tour deep into the valley. Without being there to witness it yourself, it is difficult for me to describe to you the enormity of Monument Valley - it is
just incredible. One of the highlights of the tour for me was staying overnight with the Navajo (native American tribe) in one of their traditional mud-hut hogans. They cooked us a traditional Navajo meal which was simply delicious and we then made a fire and toasted marshmallows - heaven! I cannot say that we had the best night's sleep in the world but it was a truly memorable experience, particularly watching the sun rise over Monument Valley the next morning.
As if this tour was not eventful enough, we then made our way to the Grand Canyon (stopping off at various view points along the way), where we decided to dip into our Treats Fund money and go on a helicopter ride over the Canyon. Well, let's just say that it was money well spent and is an experience that neither of us will forget in a hurry! The Grand Canyon is the grandest canyon on earth and without flying over it, you simply cannot appreciate the enormity and history of the thing.... WOW! Ben and I have both said that if we come back to the Canyon, we would like to hike to the river at the bottom
of it. We also watched the sunset at the edge of the canyon and it all got rather emotional when the other couple on our tour got engaged... oh, the memories! The next day, we made our way back to Las Vegas via the famous Route 66 and Hoover Dam.
It was quite sad to say goodbye to our tour group at the end of the 4 day tour - we made some great friends who we had an absolute ball with (particularly Joey, Aine and Caitriona) who we will definitely stay in touch with and visit when we return to the UK. Everybody on the tour said that Ben sounded like Tony Blair and nicknamed him 'Tony'. The problem is, I can't shake it and it now feels strange to call him Ben! We are now off to Chicago for some sleep where we will update you again!
Lots of love Alexa and Ben x
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Louise
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Oh my god your entries are hysterical, from Moooose to Ben's beard they're v entertaining! Miss u both lots, looks like ur havng an incredible time, keep those blogs coming love u lots xxxx