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Decided not to fork out $100+ to see a tacky soft porn show in Vegas. All the Cirque du Soleil franchise shows were overpriced and, in any case, sold out. Vegas on a tight budget ain't that much fun, let me tell ya!
So, instead, we went out to find somewhere to eat breakfast. I'd spotted some outdoor seating near the Parisian-themed hotel in the Strip when we'd first driven in to Vegas and fancied sitting outside rather than in some overly air-conditioned, badly-lit and gaudily decorated pastiche. So, we ended up eating brunch at Mon Ami Gabi at Paris Paris - where you can sit outside on the Strip and watch the world go by. Except, instead of chic Parisians walking their dogs, you can watch overweight Americans (as well as other nationalities) dressed in shorts and drinking tequilas from laboratory-style bunsen burner beakers at 11am - quite amusing! We're worlds away from Europe! In any case, we pretended we weren't and shared a Croque Monsieur and a plate of mussels - not earth-shatteringly amazing but quite good value and tasty.
After that, it was time to head back to the hotel. Thank goodness for my new cowboy hat coz the streets are paved with concrete and there's not much shade to provide relief from the scorching desert sun! Attempted to find free wi-fi - to no avail - gave up and had a great long nap. It's wonderful catching up on sleep. Driving, hiking and camping has really worn me out!
In the late afternoon, we took a $20 taxi ride for drinks at the Stratosphere's Level 107 Lounge. We had several cocktails during their happy hour (between 4-7pm daily) which include the delicious Chocolate Masterpiece, the fruity Last Tango (mango flavour) and the sublime Raspberry Beret. These were some of the best cocktails I have ever had in my life! I also snacked on some sliders (like mini-bite sized burgers) which were really good and great value at 50% off the normal price. In addition to watching the sunset and shadows creeping up over the city, the revolving restaurant below and the skyjumpers falling from above every few minutes provided ample entertainment. I think I prefer Las Vegas from an air-conditioned distance - and preferably with a couple of cocktails in hand.
No doubt fuelled by Dutch courage and the alcohol- and sugar-laden cocktails, I was convinced that we could and should walk the 4-mile long Strip back to our hotel. Perhaps not the wisest decision, considering that the evening temperature was still hovering near the 100 degree Fahrenheit mark, but we were cooled by the altitude and keen to see some free "shows" at least. In any case, hindsight is a wonderful thing.
We walked past plenty of tacky shops and empty parking lots before we reached the first of many resorts. Circus Circus - I think the name says it all but, nevertheless, we decided to step in - attracted by the sparkling lights and grandeur - like moths to a flame. As with most Vegas hotels, the emphasis is on gambling and they are designed in such a way that you need to walk through the casino and money-spending parts in order to get to any restaurants and other facilities. In addition to the casinos, you could also spend your hard-earned cash in the "game stalls" they had set up like the ones you'd see in a travelling fair. There were plenty of kids with parents in tow trying to win fluffy toys and plenty of noise and lights. We left very soon after we'd arrived.
Next up: the Venetian, with it's grand entrances and Italian-inspired piazzas and bridges. Plenty of performers dressed in OTT Carnevale outfits walking around entertaining passersby and posing for photos. We went in to get something to eat and, rather surprisingly, it had really amazing food and lovely decor inside! Trust the Italians to come up with the best grub and least tacky interiors in Vegas!
We had to leave to get the "free" shows across the road. The Mirage hotel has an hourly "volcanic eruption"! How did they come up with that idea? Anyways, it's been a fixture for many years and still draws the crowds. Afterwards, we ran to the Treasure Island hotel to have a look at their Sirens show. A bunch of scantily clad showgirls masquerading as sirens luring pirates to their boat or something like that. Not really sure what the storyline was about but the dialogue was terrible and the acting was even worse as the focus was mainly on hip thrusts and pole dancing to bad rock music! I hope that's not meant to be a taster for an actual show. I can't imagine it would be any good! It's definitely not something I would pay to go and see and, quite frankly, I resented that I'd given up my pizza and gelato time to watch this crap. Our final freebie for the night was the Bellagio fountains which spout to the accompaniment of classical music every 15minutes in the evenings.
These were all basically long advertorials showcasing the alleged glitz and glamour of their respective resorts and accompanying casinos. And, like the sirens of the TI, are meant to lure in the unsuspecting passerby. We, however, didn't fall under their charms and continued on our merry way walking towards our own tacky hotel which we finally managed to get to by midnight! Shell-shocked, exhausted and footsore we lay on our comfy beds. The irony? Somehow, my iPod logged into a free-wifi connection somewhere, so I ended up uploading photos to FB and responding to emails until 2am! No rest for the wicked - especially not in Las Vegas!
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