Sunday, September 24, 2006

The One in Las Vegas

Full of Cold - (don't you just love air con) but didn't let it stop me in Vegas.

Our hostel is in Downtown by the Fremont Street experience with it's cheaper casinos and street performers.

In the day we walked the whole length of The Strip with its completely tacky over sized hotels. But to be honest - that's jus what you expect - and it's totally fab.

We passed the Mandalay Bay, The Luxor (with it's Giant Sphinx and Egyptian Needle - Sarrie felt very at home!), the Excalibar (an Arthurian Castle - where we won a pack for cards by playing arcade games where you punch ducks!), the New York New York - my absolute favourite, with it'd miniature Manhattan Skyline, with looping rollercoaster, Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park and Greenwich Village inside. The details was great. They even had fake steam coming out of fake man hole covers!

The MGM Grand (with real lions in an enclosure inside), The Bellagio with its famous dancing fountains, The Paris with a mini Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triumph, and the Venetian complete with Grand Canal and gondolas inside.

Caesars Palace - which we managed to get completely lost in- you seriously need never leave the hotel they are full of shops and restaurants as well as the Casinos.

Treasure Island - with its rubbish pirate show every night. The Pyrotechnics were great - the lame innuendos were not!

The Strip goes on and on. The last big one is Stratosphere which is 909 feet high, with rides that drop over the edge of the tower at the top. Despite being scared of heights, I went on the aptly named Insanity which hangs over the edge of the tower and spins round tilting you to there floor (866 feet up) Glad I've done it - you did get great views of the strip and the surburban sprawl of Vegas.

We also ran into a couple who had just got married at the Little White Chapel, and went inside with them to have a look. It's no Leavesden Road that's for sure! - very tacky, but they were pleased to have avoided the expense of a big wedding at home. We watched one couple get married at Drive Thru! (would you like fries with that?!)

We also ventured out at night - riding the Manhattan Express at New York New York (Rollercoaster), had a boogie in Coyote Ugly (but not on the bar!), and even tried our luck at Roulette - Richard - number 23 is certainly NOT LUCKY!

Over all we had our fill of bright lights and glitz, and are now heading out into the country for a 3 day camping trip.

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