[Disclaimer - I'm drunk while writting this and I ain't gonna pr oof read it] 

So we walk to the strip from the downtown, it was Febuary so not too hot. It was a nice day and a nice walk. I doubt we'll ever do it again simply because we usally have somewhere we have to be. And (usually) it a cheap cab ride to the strip.

We didn't have a digital camera back then so although we have s ome nice photos I don't have a digital version to share as yet.

We stop off at the Stratosphere. WE'RE ON THE STRIP!!!!. 

We had a coke as we were unprepared for the amount of liquid y ou need to drink and we were so thirsty by the time we got th ere.

I don't really remember much about it, except we did go to the  top. The view was amazing. Watching people on the rides up there is an added bonus. We must have stayed up there for a few hours. It really is a must see when you visit Vegas. We were told we could go back up at night for half price but we never did on this trip. On reflection after being up at night I prefer seeing the view in the daytime. It is nice and cool up there at night and it is nice to see all the lights but I think you see the true vastness of Vegas during the day.

The we go over to the Sahara to catch the monorail. My girlfriend had already made a list of things she wanted to see and the Vanetian was number 1 on the list. So we head off there. We don't spend any time in the Sahara.

After a rest we have no trouble setting off walking again and we see as much of the Venitian as we can. First impressions were it was amazing. Going back now I'm SURE it was bigger, in that there were mor e canals in the shopping center. Anyway it was great.

It was really the first time we saw how vast these hotels are. We were staying at the Lady Luck, small casino, tiny bar and  if there were shops I don't remember them. You just can't tell people how big these places are. The only way to 'get' Vegas is to go there without a doubt.

The rest of the holiday meant hitting all the major casinos on  the strip. We wanted to see it all.  We were on a buget of about $30 a day for two of us. But were were not here to gamble or drinker (like now) and you CAN survive on so little when you are in Vegas to see the sights.

We were there for a week and it takes that long to see it all. But I warn you should you want to do the same, there is a LOT of walking involved. We must have spent at least 10 hours a day just walking around. Although part of this was due to us not knowing how to get somewhere or trying to find our way out of casinos. If were were to do the same thing now, we could do it in half the time.

As a result of all the walking (and being 8 hours ahead of LV  coming from England) we were in bed early every single day.

We were on a tight buget and the monorail wasn't as expensive at it is now. The end of our day was the same. Get the monorail to the Sahara, go there for a buffet (I swear it's even cheaper now than it was then). This was the only buffet we would have on this trip (Except breakfast at the lady luck). It provided us with everything we needed - fuel for the next day. I particularly recall they had some peppered steak one night whick was so good I had a whole plate of it. Yum!

To go back to out first day for a moment. We awoke on our first morning and went for the breakfast buffet at the Lady Luck. Now I'm from England and tipping isn't the norm, I didn't know how things worked out there. In any case we have to pay before we go into the buffet. Something I've never really liked anywhere in the world. I'd rather pay (and tip) after I've eaten. In any case, the guy tells us how much it is and I pay him that amount. He makes a very sarcastic comment about how I'd payed exactly what he'd asked. At the time I didn't really get it. But even now, I'm not going to tip for a meal I've not eaten yet, and particularly not to sarcastic staff.

Back to the buffet; the first time I'd ever tasted french toast. I loved it. Since then I've found it hard to find french toast that was so good. I was tired and I was offered coffee. Yes please! They seemed to have a guy whos only job was to ensure coffee cups were kept full. No coffee pot here, just a coffee cup. Anyway, this guy this guy NEVER let my cup get empty. I don't recall if we left a tip or not but I sure wish I k new who this guy was because I'd seek him out an tip him now.

I'd do it for two reasons. Firstly, beacuse I was impressed by the service (In England you  pay for each and every cup of coffe you get).

(Three reasons) Secondly, the coffee was good. Strong and black.

Lastly, beacuse I've never had such good service anywhere in LV  since then. Come to thing of it, we did leave a tip, I don't recall how much but if I got service like that again I'd tip a lot more.

Back to the trip - we went off strip to some Fashion outlets p lace. I was bored but my girlfriend wanted to go. It was a hot day so I enjoyed the sun. I don't think we bought anything (well I didn't).

We also went to the Fashion Show Mall. We still go there now. And I still find it just as hard to find my way out. On this trip though we went to the food court. My first taste of Japanese food. It was OK. That might not sound like much but I'm a fussy eater and this is adventurous for me.

We didn't pop over to the Wynn which we should have. On later trips our visit to the Fashion show mall would be because we're going to the Wynn. I really like it there and the buffet it general is very good.

Things get sketchy here so I'll summarise. 

We saw the Pirate show as TI. Maybe it was the time of year I don't know but we got an excelent viewing point, something we've failed to do since. I really enjoyed it. For a free show it's really good; Heck for a paid show it's really good.

MGM - Saw the lions, which was soooo nice. Don't ya just wanna stroke them. Awwww. The place also seemed very, very big. And it is big, but now we know our way around it seems a lot smaller ;-)

We also visited the Rainforest Cafe here. Never heard of it. Anyway, we thought it was a bar since we could see a bar.

Since I was slightly embaressed at my mistake we sat at the tab le we were shown to. We looked at the menu and we didn't have the budget to eat h ere. My girlfriend liked the look of the cheese cake though. So we decided to get a cheese cake and a cocktail.

The waiter seemed  a little suprised that we were only ordering desert but screw it, we're already going over budget. It was a nice experiecnce with the rainstorm going off every so often and the animal moving and such.

Drinks were nice, cheese cake looked nice and was nice. It was hard to finish though. Something we would learn on later visits is that you get a LO T of food at the rainforest cafe.

What else? Well we went up the Eiffel tower and had the funniest guy in the lift taking us up. I'm not sure if he meant to be funny or not be I do know t hat me and my girlfriend were the only ones laughing. We were nearly made ourselves sick with laughter.

Shame, we never saw him again on later visits.

First impressions - Small! After being up the Stratosphere this i s tiny and the cage makes the view less appealing. It was also crowded. This is my first impression. On later trips we would enjoy it more and take some awsome photos.

Since my girlfriend had listed everything she wanted to see and  the times they would occur I realised the Bellagio fountains woul d start soon. It's a unique view and I'd recommend it. Just get up there with time to get a good spot.

We head off to the Bellagio. We are impressed. It just seemed to be 'posh' compared to the other hotels. The fact that someone as scruffy as me could walk around a place that must have cost more money than I can imagine was amazing. I know the other hotels cost a lot too, but this place impressed more than any other.

We walked around a lot, even wandering down to where they have  conventions etc. Wow, luxury all the way. We saw conservatory which was impressve and we enjoyed it. Oddly since then, it's usually 'under construction' so we've seen little of it since then. This is always a nice place to visit.

Mirage - The one place we did pay to see was the Dolphins and Siegfried and Roy secret garden. The garden consist of mainly bored animals which is a little sad to be honest. The dolphins however were a different matter.

They had one pool with a couple of babys in it. These kids just loved to show off. They knew they had an audience and really played up to them.

It was late in the day but still hot. This is a really nice place to spend an afternoon and enjoy t he sun. The dolphins are always curious and being able to sit so close  to the pool edge is nice.

Despite the constant warnings someone drops a camera in the pool  and they have to get a diver out to retrieve it for the safet y of the dolphins.

You can even go underground to see the dolphins underwater. They play up to you even more here since (apparently) they hav e much better eyesight underwater.

Anyway, if you go after a certain time of day you can pay to  see only the dolphins. I recommend it. 

Flamigo - Went to fardens here. We saw the penguins which may well have been the last year you could see them. I'm sure there were more birds etc on this trip. It was also quiet in that there were not many people here. Our last visit was dissapointing since most of it was closed off (for a wedding I thing) but this another great place to visit (for free) to enjoy the sun and some wildlife (particularly if you like fish)

Aladin - We saw the waterfall/rainstorm. Hmm! The reason I mention it though is that there are a lot of things to see such as the moving statues at Ceasars and so on. We were really lucky for our first trip as we always seemed to arrive just as these things started up. Despite all we'd planned to see, we saw saw so much more due to pure dumb luck.

Excalibur - The one place I hated. Why? Because it took us an age to find our way out. We follow the signs and end up where we started.

With experience we now know our way round most hotels. but this one still gets us lost. It seems designed as to never let you leave. To this day I still hate it. 

Sahara Buffet - Pretty much our diet for this trip. Cheap and not bad. You can do worse and pay a great deal more. Try it for yourself at least once.

I like the fact that drinks are self service. I hate not having a drink when I want one. 

Players cards - Not really an issue for us since we were not here to gamble. It never entered our heads to get one. Even on the next trip. It took us a few trips to realise they are worth getting no matter how little you might gamble.

Bars - we only sat at a bar on the odd occasion after hours of walking and we though we deserved a drink. We notices some people didn't pay for their drinks. The barman would just put a glass in front of them and put the reciept and a pen in the glass. What on earth could this be for? Now we are those people ;-)

Downtown - Despite staying downtown we spent almost no time here. I regret it now but it's too late. At the end of a day we'd stop off and buy some beer and go back to the lady luck. We'd have a beer or two and watch some TV then crash out. We only ever went back when out energy levels were at rock bottom. We has a refrigeratior in the room so we always had a cold been to go back to.

Last night - We go to circus circus. We hate it. It seems like it's a place for kids. Maybe it is, in which case, hreat because as much as I love kids, I don't want them running around while I'm drinking.

We decided to do some gambling. We've got cash left and a very early flight in the morning. There is only one thing for it. Gamble, drink, get a couple of hours sleep and catch the plane.

We do a little gambling in CC but it's not fun (losing and don 't like the place). So we head out to slots of fun. I play one more machine one the way out and hit the bonus. Big thrill and we have our money back.

We go to slots of fun, I have good luck, my girlfriend has bad  luck. I hit a bad streak, she hits a good streak. We just cannot lose this money!

We eventually decided we should get back to the hotel since out  flight is in about four hours and we are both pretty drunk. We grab something to eat and grab a cab.

I lay my head on the pillow for feels like 2 seconds and the  alarm goes off. Time to go home.

Little did we know it at that moment but this was just the fir st trip of many.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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