First and lastng impressions

I don’t think that Ron and I have quite found our holiday rhythm yet.  I think in part it is due to our exhaustion trying to fit into a new time zone and jet lag seems to have taken its toll.  Of all the places we first visit it would have to be the theme capital city of the world. Ron and I agreed tonight that we were not quite ‘Vegas’ people.  No doubt if we were to spend longer here other interesting parts of this city would reveal themselves but so far it has been the ‘over the top’ casino scene that has dominated. It puts Jupiters in the category of a non-event.

Please don’t feel that I am being negative about Vegas as it has its charm.  For example, our first exposure to Americans has been particularly pleasant and rewarding.  They are extremely polite and happy to talk at length of their desire to visit Australia if only it wasn’t “so expensive” and if only they received more than “1.5 weeks leave a year”.  We also had a terrific experience attending a Cirque du Soliel show. 

We did put some money down on a couple of the many and varied gaming tables on offer to the punter, but having had no luck we lost interest quickly.

I am so glad that I chose Caesar’s Palace as our venue for accommodation.  Each day that we walk through the labyrinth of a complex we discover new rooms, restaurants, entertainment and eccentric people.  Just last night we happened upon the pole dancers distracting a set of punters at about six gaming tables (who would have guessed).  Some of you would have seen the photo of the beautifully dressed dog pushed in a doggy stroller by her owner in the Augustus Tower lobby, which I posted to facebook. Can’t say that I see that everyday. Our hotel room is spectacular and spacious with a view across to the Bellagio and down to the Paris. In keeping with the ‘roman’ theme, we have a marble bathroom with a generous spa bath.

The hotels in Vegas are gargantuan themed resort complexes with their own unique spin on entertainment.  We overheard someone talking today about their visit to the white tigers living at the back of the Mirage Hotel complex.  Apparently they are the remaining animals from the Siegfried and Roy show following the unfortunate mauling of Siegfried or Roy (don’t remember which) and subsequent closure of their famous show.  The Mirage also has the spectacular ‘Erupting Volcano’ on the hour every hour. The Bellagio has the beautifully choreographed water jets put to music on the hour every hour.  The Venetian has singing gondola drivers belting out a tune as they paddle the paying tourists along a narrow ‘canal’ under a fake sky and fake streets of Venice. From our hotel window I can see the Eiffel Tower.  Today we drove past the Luxor which has the glass pyramid and Sphinx.  I have come to the conclusion that you can just about do anything and make anything with concrete.

It has been hard to avoid the high calorie contents and portions of ‘American’ food.  It has been a challenge to source good nutritious food.  I was not a fan of the ‘fried’ broccoli on offer at the expensive and famous Caesar’s Palace’s ‘all you can eat buffet’. Ron calculated the buffet serving area to be at least 50 metres long.  We also discovered the spray cans of cheese at a supermarket.

The weather has been extremely cold and already I am getting sick of putting on an outer coat then taking it off again as we move from the sweltering hot buildings to the near freezing outdoor environment.  My skin is like parchment and serves to remind me that living in a cold climate is not all that it is cut out to be.