Viva Las Vegas!!!

Flying over Nevada is something I will never forget…the desert landscape…the mountains, the beautiful shades….the picturesque houses….and that’s all before we even see the famous Las Vegas Strip! We land at McCarran airport and as soon as we walk off our plane….we know we’re in vegas….we know we’re in the gambling capital of USA…..there are slot machines in the airport terminal!!! hehehe…no…we didn’t have a flutter…it’s always a mad dash to secure our luggage. Once we had the luggage, we didn’t really know how we were going to get to our motel. You see….there are no blue super shuttles here….the transportation at the airport is totally catered to those hotels which are on the strip. So we had to get a stretch limo….no choice….tee hee…not that we were complaining too much. Our second time in a stretch limo….this limo was waaaay nicer than the one in Hawaii. The driver had no clue where our motel was…..so it took a few goes before he found it…which was nice because we got to go the scenic route.We’re staying at Desert Tides aka Las Vegas Cay Club and omg…..it was totally perfect for us….the whole place has just been recently renovated….so everything was new and immaculately clean. We have a full kitchen with a huge fridge, kitchen utensils, pots n pans, dishwasher & dining set. We have a cupboard laundry with huge washing machine and dryer. It’s a two bedroom apartment….Joseph and I get the master bedroom with king sized bed, full ensuite and walk in robe. Jeromel and his grandma share the other bedroom with a queen sized bed and walk in robe. The boys rough it out on the leather loungesuite which converts to a queen sized bed. The two bedrooms and loungeroom have plasma tvs too…and of course…with cable tv.Weatherwise….we expected it to be warmer in Vegas……since it’s a desert and what not……but it’s actually very cool during the day and freeeeeeezing cold at night.We’re about a 10 min walk to the Rio and Gold Coast Casinos and about a 15 min walk to the Palms casino…which is apparently where Britney Spears and Paris Hilton hang out! LOL…rolling eyes here!!Our first evening, we catch up with Chona and her gorgeous daughter. Because there are 6 of us and we can’t possibly all fit in her car, she takes Jordan, Jarryd and MIL first..and on the way…she asks them where they want to go for dinner….she rattles off a few options…but once Jordan and Jarryd hear there is a Jollibee in Vegas….the decision is made. So on our first night in Vegas….we’re at a Filipino centre having Filipino food. I can’t complain though…as when I get there….there are options…..not only is there Jollibee, there is Red Ribbon…there is Chow King and a big Filipino supermarket! There are other stores…but they’re closed. Our 3 boys opt for their favourite Jollibee…which is fried chicken and rice. Joseph, Chona and MIL head for Red Ribbon and because I’m cold and I want something soupy…..I head for my favourite comfort food…..noooodles….wonton egg noodles in soup. Bliss! After dinner, Joseph and I do a mad dash in the supermarket to pick up a few essentials……bread, water, breakfast cereal, milk, snacks…and end up with a small trolley full of food. ok..the trolley was really really small.THURSDAY 17th Jan – We catch up on sleep, unpack, lounge around and late in the afternoon, Chona picks us up and takes us to the Las Vegas Factory outlets for a little while. We didn’t have a lot of time there, so it was just a really quick look and shop before Leo arrived to take us all to a Filipino restaurant…..and there to our surprise….Ricky & Paz show up too!! Sooo good to see them. Ricky and Paz played big part in our wedding as well and it has been 15 years since we last saw each other. After dinner, we visited a few casinos….we went to Wynn, Bellagio and saw the grand opening of the Palazzo. There was so much to take in….trust me….seeing the casinos from the strip….from afar…..nothing prepares you for how grand they are inside. It’s not just gambling….each casino has something spectacular…well more than just one thing…but they are just sooo grand ….jaw droppingly grand. Everything is perfect….everything is so clean….people here are just so friendly and helpful….there was sooo much to taken in!! At Bellagio, we stop off to check out the world’s biggest chocolate fountain….biggest…in volume and in height….it’s totally gorgeous and very spectacular. At another store, Leo buys ice cream and tempts us to eat it….it’s sooo cold…definately not ice cream weather…but I try a spoonful…..omg…..absolutely fantastic….almonds and vanilla ice cream….totally delish. Then Paz bought a cherry flavour one which we also try and again….totally delish.FRIDAY 18th Jan – Over the next few days, we visit as many casinos as we possibly can….we find our way around weaving from one casino to the next and have a few flutters on the slot machines…aka one arm bandits. We snapped lots of photos and catch up with our friends late at night. Friday, we started off after lunch and took the free shuttle bus from the Rio to Caesar’s palace and watched the Fall of Atlantis show before going for a little walk along the strip.On the left hand side, Flamingo casino where Toni Braxton has her show, then further down you can see the Eiffel tower from Paris Paris and on the right hand side….Caesar’s palace.Then later that night, Ricky & Edward picked Joseph and myself up and took us to the Hilton….we caught the Sunset Strip show…and have a bit of a fling with the slot machines and before we knew it…it was 3am and hungry…so we headed to California Hotel to have supper.SATURDAY 19th Jan - we take the free shuttle from Rio to Bally’s and bought tickets on the Double Deuce (double decker bus) and got to see lots more beautiful Casinos along the strip.One of the most spectacular Casinos on the strip is the Venetian. It’s absolutely gorgeous ….this is where the Phantom of the Opera is on. One of the longest running shows in Vegas and apparently the set is absolutely stunning.Of course…in Venice you would expect to see Gondolas…so the outside of the Venetian has a few canals and you can go for a little Gondola ride.The beautiful Wynn Casino…..that was where we had the fabulous icecreams on our first night.Riviera Casino…..love the pretty colours!!!We were headed towards the Stratosphere but when we got there, we found out that the tower had been booked by a private party so the boys can’t go on the rides they wanted to do. So we made our way to the Las Vegas premium factory outlets for a bit of a browse and to get more winter clothing for New York as temperatures there are between -3C and 5C….brrr…very cold. We also buy another two pieces of luggage so that we can fit everything in. Winter gear is so bulky so while our luggage isn’t that heavy…it’s bulky!!Late that night, we got a phone call from Leo who was hanging out at I-Bar at the Rio with a friend and invited us to join him. The guys had an absolute blast …drinking Grey Goose Vodka mixed with Red Bull….apparently this doesn’t give you a hangover….well…it mightn’t give you a hangover…but you sure get drunk from it. LOL Aida and I chatted and stuck to soft drinks. After that, the guys decide they need soup…and following one drunk man’s directions to a Vietnamese pho restaurant….we end up lost….and after a hilarious phone call…we find ourselves at the right restaurant…and had to laugh at it’s name….pho kim long….say that really quickly and you’ll know why we were in absolute hysterics. The noodle soup is absolutely massive and very delish..just what we needed to thaw out from the cold and burn up some of the alcohol in the system. It is again….another very late night out for us but so much fun!SUNDAY 20th Jan – On Sunday, Leo and Aida take of us in their big Hummer for a drive to the Hoover Dam. This Dam is just sooo damn spectacular….it’s absolutely massive and stunning. The Hoover Dam was built on the Colorado river on the border of Nevada and Arizona and actually crosses a timezone! The Hoover Dam makes enough electicity for the state of Nevada and they still have enough to sell to other states. Cool facts about the Hoover DamDo you recognise the Dam? The Transformers movie was shot there……their plot being that the Hoover Dam was constructed to hide the energy cube from outer space. tee hee…..my boys thought it was cool!!!Our next stop was Lake Mead which is the largest man made lake and reservoir in USA. It was formed by the water impounded by the Hoover Dam and supplies water to Las Vegas and some parts of California. Lake Mead draws a majority of its water from snow melt in the Western Colorado Rockies. Since 2000 the water level has been dropping at a fairly steady rate due to less than average snowfall and from memory, Lake Mead is at 47% capacity. The water is an absolutely gorgeous bluey green….absolutely stunning. You can see in the photo how windy it was that day!!Then we drove down to the Lake Mead marina area to feed the fish. When Aida and Leo were telling us about the fish….we had no idea how big they were…they were massive and they love to eat popcorn!!! The little store sold big bags of Cheese and Buttered popcorn …so we bought a few bags and fed them to the fish and ducks…and ate lots as well! The kids had sooo much fun that we ended up feeding them about 6 bags of popcorn!!!See the bits of popcorn on the water surface? The ducks and the fish scrambling for the popcorn…..during which there is lots of splashing!Tee hee….the fish have actually come up under the duck so that it’s above water!Ok….now with Jarryd in the photo…you can really see that I wasn’t kidding about the size of the fish. See the beautiful colour of the water too?Tee hee….we were amazed to see this one absolutely pure golden fish….it obviously only likes the cheese flavoured popcorn.And one Albino fish…..which must only like the buttered popcorn!After feeding the fish….and eating some popcorn ourselves it was mid afternoon and we were hungry…so Leo and Aida took us to the Fiesta for a buffet. Leo and Aida say that you can’t say you’ve been to Vegas until you’ve had their buffet and they were not wrong….the buffet there is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before…..food galore…from all parts of the world…but what really caught our eye was the seafood….particularly snow crab legs…..we ate and ate and ate until we could eat no more. And no photos….we were too busy eating!But as we were leaving the Fiesta, I had to take a photo of the sunset. Las Vegas has the most spectacular coloured sunsets I have ever seen. A wintery desert pastel sunset…..pretty huh?Then after a quick stop at Leo and Aida’s house, we head to a birthday party….uninvited….tee hee….we met the gorgeous birthday girl Liberty and her whole family and of course…ate some more. There…we watched our first ever football match and it was a very exciting game which went into overtime and ended with the New york giants winning! By around 9pm…we were totally exhausted and had to bid everyone farewell and on the way home, Ed showed us a Las Vegas home that was up for sale….omg…totally huge….totally gorgeous….I wanted to pack it up and ship it home to Australia!!! LOLMONDAY 21st Jan – we’re invited to lunch at Ricky and Paz’s house. The boys get stuck into X-box games with Patrick and Raymond within a few mins of arriving. Liberty and Chito are also there…so it was really fun….chatting, eating, laughing and eating some more.  And we even managed to play a few rounds of cards!By late afternoon, Ricky drops us off at Mandalay Bay Casino and we take the monorail to the Luxor Casino which is a huge black pyramid….totally all Egyptian ….Jeromel was so excited to see the Sphinx that he came running to tell me to take a photo of the “Stinks”. Rofl!! So here you go….here’s a photo of us and the “Stinks”.An overview of the Luxor Casino….the huge black pyramid with the “Stinks” in front of it. At night, the pyramid has little lights which run up and down the edge of the pyramid and from the peak of the pyramid, there is a very strong spotlight that shines up to the sky. This light can be seen from miles away. Spectacular!Lobby of the Luxor hotel….lots of eyptian statues and even a King Tut’s tomb exhibit somewhere upstairs.Jeromel trying to decipher the hieroglyphics…..he was sooo excited to discover the secret pictures on the wall.After that…we checked out the Excalibur which is a beautiful majestic medieval castle…Then it was time to walk across to New York New York which is just absolutely gorgeous….Manhattan’s skyline including the Empire State building and Statue of Liberty in 1/3 scale. There Jordan and Jarryd went on the exhilarating Manhattan Express roller coaster….and enjoyed it so much…they went on it again.After that….we went to the MGM Grand Hotel for a late dinner and checked out their live Lions who were blissfully snoozing. Then utterly exhausted…..we headed back to our motel. That night, Joseph and I take a taxi to the airport to rent a car for a couple of days so that we can drive ourselves to the airport when we leave for New York Wednesday night. They didn’t have very many cars to choose from….so we picked the Chrysler 300 which was an absolutely beautiful beautiful ride. On the way back, we stop at the Value 4 Less supermarket and pick up a few small tubs of that totally delish Haagen Daaz ice cream that we can’t get in Australia.TUESDAY 22nd Jan – Armed with our trusty TomTom GPS…we make our way to Target to get ourselves some thermal wear. LOL….very glamorous! We find what we need and surprisingly find that Mossimo and Levis are sold there!! Levi’s are USD$17.99 for the classic cut!! We also buy a belated birthday gift for Liberty before going to Stratosphere so that Jordan and Jarryd can making our way to another factory outlet in Las Vegas. We drop Jordan, Jarryd and MIL off there to shop while we made our way to the Gambler’s General store for Joseph to pick up some more items to add to his home casino. *wink* By the time we get back to the Factory outlet, Joseph and I only have about an hour to get a few items before we have a late dinner before doing more sightseeing. We went to the Stratosphere which is set at an astounding 869 feet high with a 360-view of the city, the Stratosphere’s outdoor observation deck is the tallest of its kind in the country. While we amuse ourselves at the casino, Jordan and Jarryd head up the tower to do scary things.BIG SHOT - The Thrill Ride that Touches the Sky!Strap in and prepare to be shot 160 feet in the air as you overlook the majestic Las Vegas Valley in the Big Shot. From a platform 921 feet high, you and up to 15 other thrill seekers will be catapulted to a sky-high 1,081 feet. In a matter of seconds you’ll be shot to the top at 45-miles-per-hour and will come back down – and back up again for more. Experience a gut-wrenching four ‘G’s of force on the way up, and feel negative ‘G’s on the way down as your legs dangle in the Las Vegas skyline. The Big Shot thrill ride catapults 16 riders from the 921-foot high platform up the Tower’s mast to a height of 1,081 feet. Traveling at 45 miles per hour, riders experience 4G’s as they reach the very top, and feel negative G’s on the way down.INSANITY – Three ‘G’s of Pure Insanity!Insanity the Ride is a truly mindbending experience! A massive mechanical arm extending out 64 feet over the edge of the Stratosphere Tower at a height of over 900 feet, Insanity will spin you and several other passengers in the open air at speeds of up to three ‘G’s. You’ll be propelled up to an angle of 70 degrees, which will tilt your body into one position – facing straight down! If you’re brave enough to keep your eyes open you’ll be rewarded with a breathtaking view of historic downtown Las Vegas. Experience Insanity and walk away to tell the tale!X-SCREAM – I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream on X-Scream!Ever played on a teeter-totter 866 feet high? With the X-Scream, you can! With a space age, yet simplistic design resembling a massive teeter-totter unlike anything you’ve ever seen, the X-Scream will propel you and several other riders head-first, 27 feet over the edge of the Stratosphere Tower. Try not to scream when you go over the edge….you don’t want to scare the other riders! After being shot over the edge, you’ll dangle weightlessly above the Las Vegas strip before being pulled back and propelled over again for more.After they they came back down, we asked for their opinions of the rides….they said…..dark….cold….cool…..a bit boring. A bit boring?????? *Mother and father shakes head*We took this photo of the Stratosphere tower a few days earlier from the ground. Very very tall tower and you can just see the Insanity ride at the very top.Then it was back in the car as we headed off the Circus Circus which is a circus themed casino so that Jeromel could have some fun and fun he did have watching the trapeze artists perform and playing with the arcade games. By this time, we’re all exhausted… it’s 11pm…….it has been a full on day….so we head back for a little rest before late that night….and I’m talking late….after midnight…..Chona and her hubby come over and we head out to a karaoke night club with Ricky. The 5 of us enjoy a late night supper and Chona entertained us with her beautiful singing. On the way home, we decide to stop at the Rio and end up being out till about 4am!!WEDNESDAY 23rd Jan – Our last day in VegasWe spend the morning packing up our luggage…by this time….we have 11 pieces of checked in luggage…..yah…u read right….11….that’s just checked in luggage. I officially check out at 11am and we move all the luggage to the reception area for them to hold for us as our flight doesn’t leave till 9.30pm that night. They let us have the room till 1pm which is great as MIL, Jordan and Jarryd will be there until Chona can pick them up at 1pm. Joseph, Jeromel and I head to the Fashion Mall to pick up a couple of iphones from the Apple store and then I finally get to go to a scrapping store. We drove out to Majestic Memories where I get about 15 mins to have a look around. Sadly, they didn’t have the tote I wanted, or the white Sharpie pens or the Ali Edwards book…..so I just pick up a few little things (remember? our luggage is already packed) before driving all the way to Green Valley Casino where we are meeting up with everyone for a Bon Vogage dinner.Ok….I ‘borrowed’ these photos off the Green Valley Ranch website…we were there at night….the place is just gorgeous!!! Next time we come to Vegas…..we must book a room here!!Here are our photos….Ok…this is one of my most favourite photos. Over looking the pool which as you can see….has some sand in it. The gorgeous cushioned deck chairs all around the pool….could almost imagine all the gorgeous bods on it during summer. Then in the distance, you can actually see the Las Vegas strip. And that very very bright ray of light shining into the clouds? Remember what I said about the Luxor pyramid? That’s it’s ray of light. We had dinner at ‘The Feast around the World’ Buffet and oh my…the food there was delectable. To our delight….more Snow Crab Legs…but this time….it’s stirfried fresh for you by the chef with lots of chilli, tomato and coriander…..lip smacking, finger licking good. Their dessert selection was also fabulous with yummy Breyer’s ice cream and the most delish Almond slice!And then it was a quick walk around the Green Valley ranch to burn off some calories before we had to say goodbye to all our friends and heading back to the motel to grab our luggage. Chona’s pick up came in very handy as we loaded most of the luggage into it and then headed off to the airport. We again did our check in on the pavement before entering the terminal ….totally love love love this service!!! And before we knew it….it was bye bye Las Vegas as we head off across the country to New York!!!