Our arrival to Vegas was unimpressive in the extreme! Tom, having 'carefully researched' the route to our hostel in advance, directed us North from the bus station. However after an hour of walking in the dark (under the yoke of our heavy rucksacks) we arrived at the 'correct' address - a dark and deserted graveyard. We stopped into a bar to ask whether we had the correct address to which the barmaid said "you do know that there's a Las Vegas Boulevard North and a Las Vegas Boulevard South". Oh dear. We proceeded to walk double the distance we had just walked. I reiterate, oh dear. Trudy tried her best to find the funny side (on the whole she failed in this noble endeavour - "it's too soon Trudy, it's just too soon"). Tom was left cursing his own name.

We joined the hostel for nickel beers night - each beer cost just one nickel (5 cents). Basically about three pence, or a thrupenny bit depending on your age. Although we had to queue for what felt like an age, we certainly got our money's worth when the beers started flowing down our gullets like baby penguins (if the mother penguin is able to regurgitate coors light on demand).

Being in Vegas, of course we particpated in some gambling. After our 4 days we came away losing 75 dollars, however this was after we'd won 80 dollars on the wheel of fortune and had wisely decided to 'reinvest' in our losing streak. The free beers and cocktails may have had something to do with our impaired judgement methinks!

The hostel was really good despite Trudy's mam's concerns - "Mam, practically every building in Vegas is next to a strip joint". Particular highlights of Vegas: Tom's photo op with Coolio, a celebrity; the second hostel outing which started with about 10 people in the back of a windowless van and ended the next morning with Trudy, hungover, declaring that she felt like Gandhi's entire leg was inside her mouth (along with the infamous flip flop); being dragged to the Welcome to Las Vegas sign by the hostel's resident photographer (see quirky non-Tom-or-Trudy photos i.e. not rubbish); going to the Little White Wedding Chapel to get married (with Alex as our witness) and being turned away on grounds of inebriation ("but Britney Spears got married here", "yes, but she was insane, not drunk"); riding the fairground ride at the top of Stratosphere - Tom is thankful that his glasses were removed so that he couldn't see how high we were!