When the Parents' came to visit

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I know this is very late in writing but this is my short little blog about the two weeks my parents visited me:

First up was VEGAS!!! Possibly the most tacky, touristy, dirty (in more sense than one) and yet fun place I've been. My tip - unless you are going for the booze, hookers and gambling (so 99.99% of people in Vegas) don't go on a weekend - too crowed, noisy and thousands of Mexicans shoving flyers for girls in 20minutes (faster than pizza delivery).

Do's in Vegas:

- Do see Cirque du Soleil it is very trippy
- Do see the Belagio water show - so pretty at night
- Do go shopping! But do it right and bring your billionaire hubby along so you don't feel ridiculous walking into Gucci and Valentino
- Do eat breakfast buffets - expensive but wow the food! Didn't have to eat for the rest of the day (of course I did though)
- Do go to Old Vegas Strip - much more character than the new one (but I wouldn't trust their bathrooms or deep-fried Oreos)
- Do bring good shoes - even my very sensible low-heeled boots were too much
- Do make sure you tell US Customs the right hotel - I thought Palazzo when apparently it was Belagio
- Do take your parents (they pay for everything! Especially when you realise your Canadian bank card doesn't work in America...whoops)

Don'ts:

- Don't go on a weekend
- Don't go to M&M world - they've stopped making crispy M&Ms and should be boycotted
- Don't use those slot machine thingos - you never win
- Don't go to Circus Circus - the creepy-friendly-hyped-up guy behind the counter thought it was morning and that he was working in Caesar's Palace
- Don't trust guide booklets - they tell you to see things that don't exist (hence the reason we were lost in Circus Circus with a guy who thought he was in Caesar's)
- Don't shake fake-Elvis' hand - grossest hand-shake ever
- Don't eat a salted-pretzel in New York (although the cinnamon sugar one was ok)
- Don't go see the free show at Caesar's Palace - too hard to find and reminds you of a creepy, broken down robotic show at a dodgey carnival that will explode any second

Well that was Vegas, then we came back to Banff - and I quickly realised while I may know how to get around on foot in a car is another story - but really my Dad should know by now that I have the sense of direction of a tumble-weed. We got a few good days skiing in (lots of powder as you can tell by the pictures). Then there was shopping, eating and dog-sledding with the giggling girl-guides (thanks for that great booking Mum). And the cross-country ski trip to the legendary and elusive bridge.

This whole trip was a few weeks ago so I can't remember much else so I'll let the photos do the rest of the story-telling.

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Photos

Some Disney-themed Hotel
I don't actually think there is anything worth seeing in there...

Fake Effiel Tower
No need to go to Paris now!

Naked Man
Apparently it's an exact replica of the real one - even made from the same stone from the same quarry - way to be original

Vegas Pay-phone
Well we wanted to use it but we thought twice

Comments

[J.N]

the god of fortune
chinese culture

[Mum]

woo hoo
great blog, was fun reliving it, thanks for being with us xoxo

[Tanya Ravensgaard]

Banff rules!
Banff kicks ass! I ended up spending a month there, I was only going for a week... But I found a kool hostel called samsun that has really nice private rooms. I also spent waaaaayyyy to much time in their bar, the beaver. super cheap pints!!!! The hiking there in amazing, all you have to do is look in any direction. Definately going back asap!