Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Las Vegas & the Grand Canyon
Sam's & Libby's Highlights & Impressions
• Our Las Vegas hotel - the amazing Luxor pyramid with Egyptian theme & artwork
• Action packed Las Vegas night life & the lights, architecture and fountains
• Crowded Los Angeles & Las Vegas streets & soooooo! many people
• Breathtaking Grand Canyon views of reds, greys & multi-colours
• Amazing animal life in the Grand Canyon National Park incl meer cats, squirrels, deer & cayote
• Grand Canyon wilderness hike & Sam's mad run out
• Libby's favourite ... our hotel swimming pools
• Yummy ice cream & soda slushies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi All from Vegas
Our flight was memorable as the kids got NO sleep as result of their excitement - arrived Los Angeles and connected to Las Vegas - we hadn't even taken off and they were both ASLEEP! Pity it was only a 50 minute flight! The week has been a real eye opener - Vegas is an adult party city and doesn't sleep. Bikini clad dancers on bars, slot machines as far as the eye can see, and touts on every corner hunting for your dollar. It can't be compared to anything these kids have ever seen or experienced before and it's all on a big American scale.
We've done some late nights exploring. Highlights have been the Bellagio Fountains that are the length of a rugby field and dance to music and lights - quite spectacular. The shopping malls at the front of all the hotels are quite spectacular - the facades are themed to represent different countries - the Venician looks like you are in Venice, with Venecian shop facades and gondolas in canals and the ceilings dimmed to look like a summers days with wisps of clouds, there's a replica Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building amoungst loads of other international landmarks.
The Grand Canyon was in total contrast to the bright lights of Vegas - catcus, dessert, straight roads, occasional towns that are barren and appear to be dumping grounds for last decades cars - small town feel with huge natural attraction. Our photos just don't capture the enormity of the landscape. The kids were interested in the new and different wildlife - squirrels, deer and coyote. We did a 5 kilometer walk into the canyon dropping down approx 350 meters of the approx 1kilometer to the bottom - we were happy going a third of the way down - as what goes down must come up!!!! Sam ran all the way back up with huge enthusiasm and envy of numerous struggling large Americans.
We made our cross country trip intrepidly driving on the right hand side of the road with the aid of a "neverlost" GPS (Navman) that managed to get us there and back with only one minor moment … for the uninitiated the Navman is always right and better still does not answer back!!!
Now back at the Luxor on the 16th floor much to the excitement of the kids and currently by the pool.
We have been caught up in the turmoil of the Icelandic volcanic eruption and our planned London flight on Monday has been cancelled. However as all good adventures go we will use it as an opportunity. We plan to take our arranged flight from LV to Los Angeles tomorrow where we will base ourselves until onward flights can by rearranged … a chance to explore LA while we wait until it is safe to travel on. We are much better off than many other travelers stranded here and around the world unable to return to their homes and families … we have hamburgers and chips and plenty of things that we can do!
Thanks to you all for your return messages which we do read with daily interest and humour … so till Los Angeles … it's over and out.
- comments