Las Vegas + Grand Canyon

*** can't resist but include my celebrity spotting wonder - Boyz II Men at L.A. airport and Leo Di Caprio at the Ceasars Palace hotel.***



Our last stop in US was the LAS VEGAS - the playground for adults with all its excesses (drink, food, gambling - and "other"!!). It really is a sight to behold and this blog post won't capture the scale and flamboyance of it all.



Our hotel lay just north of the strip but only a 15min walk in to the heart of the big and glitzy hotels. But hotels aren't just hotels here... no no no, they have to have at least 3 of the following: themes, big architechtural feats (think pyramids and mini cities), free shows to entice the passing crowds, immediate ground entrances to casinos, luxury shops and grand theatres for the world-class acts. I mean where else could we take in the heights of Eiffel Tower, get a roller coaster round NYC and hang out inside a pyramid whilst playing on the slots. Unbelievable.







Alkesh and I did have a flutter on the slot machines, but only because we knew how to work the system... play $1 gradually on 1-5 cent machines, waiting for a waitress to pass by and offer us free drinks. We really did well on this... ah the life of budget back packer travellers!



The great fountain display at the Bilagio


The major tour highlight was a day trip to visit the Grand Canyon. 5 hours on the coach each way didn't manage to dampen the awesome-ness of the Canyon. We visited the South Rim - further away but famed for the widest and deepest parts of the Canyon. The rock had a characteristic red hue and the magnificent vistas from the top rim's edge were amazing. Check out Alkesh's Discovery Channel-esque panoramic footage.



Another highlight was seeing Lance Burton (world famouse master magician) perform a magic extravaganza on stage. We were spell bound by the suspension / disappearing tricks as well as confounding slight of hand tricks. A true treat.

We've really enjoyed the east coast trip of USA... it's with a little apprehension that we leave the familiar behind and move on to South America. But there's of course a lot to look forward to. Stay tuned...