Las Vegas

28/03/12-31/03/12

Splitting up our time in Vegas had at least one added bonus in the fact that it allowed us to stay at two different complexes on the strip. Having stayed at Circus Circus our first time we had booked four nights at Excalibur this time, a nice stretch of time to relax and not worry about the hassle of moving around as we had experienced for most of our road trip. Our first full day was mainly spent wondering along the length of the strip, the road that rounds through the middle of all the casinos. We first headed to the iconic Vegas welcome sign at the start of the strip to grab some snaps before we proceed up the west side to check out the complexes. The one that most impressed me on the outside was New York New York which was made up in the style of several of the city’s famous skyscrapers as well as having a miniature Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge; it had really captured the essence of the city including the infamous fire escapes on the side of the buildings. But for interior the Venetian’s shopping mall was spectacular, the clever trick it had was the lit painted ceiling made out as the sky so it felt like you was outdoors even though you were inside, confusing for the brain. It also had an indoor canal which offered gondola rides. That evening we had dinner in the Luxor before hitting the casino floor back in the Excalibur.

Having covered one end of the strip the day before we headed to the other end to go up to the top of the Stratosphere, the highest structure in Vegas. At the top is indoor as well as outdoor viewing platforms, also there are several theme park attractions. The attraction I had always wanted to do was the Big Shot, the world's highest amusement ride. It is basically a tower on which you sit on a platform that is shot up and down several times, scary on ground level let alone on top of a tall structure. After a bit of persuading I managed to encourage my sister to join me on the ride. Take off was fine as we were shot 40 miles an hour straight up in the air, on hitting the top we experienced weightlessness for a few seconds before dropping back down. The drop back down for me gave the biggest thrill as your stomach felt like it had been turned inside out, the added height of being on top of the tower making the drop seem endless. With our feet back on solid ground afterwards, I think everyone had shaky legs! In the afternoon we hit the outlet stores to see what discounts we could get on famous brands, I was most interested in getting a new pair of Converse after I had worn out my favourite pair during my travels – I ended up getting two new pairs. In the evening we hit the strip again to see the famous shows that several casinos hold outside including the fountains outside the Bellagio. Later back at the resort we were treated to a really good rock cover band as we drunk the night away.

On our last full day together we done some more shopping in the morning before retreating to the hotel pool in the afternoon to spend some time relaxing. We had dinner that night in New York New York before having our last goes on the slot machines; I ended up being in debt, no such luck for me.

Time to move on again as another chapter of my travels had come to an end, over the course of two weeks and nearly 2000 miles we had travelled all the way from chilly San Francisco to the bright lights of Vegas. I never would have been able to see half the stuff we did if I had been travelling by myself. After a final walk along the strip I was dropped off at my overnight hostel to resume my travels by myself. To be honest I was glad to be moving on from Vegas its dazzling effect quickly wears off, the casinos are full of cigarette smoke, hundreds of people walk around with alcoholic drinks in their hands and on the strip you are constantly harassed by people trying to hand out call girl adverts – but it was fun!