The next few posts will detail my trip to Las Vegas with Mui, Janger, Herb, B, and Ju on November 23rd to November 27th, 2008.
Having been in planning mode for close to a year, Last Sunday I finally left for my trip to Las Vegas. Being around 10 the last time I was there and having not remembering much, I couldn't wait to arrive in Vegas. The day started way early with a text message from Janger at 3:30am: "LAS VEGAS BABY!!!" Our flight was at 7am...
I got in another half hour of sleep before waking up at 4am to get ready. Lana was kind enough to pick us up, and got us to the airport by 5am. After a relatively painless check in at the airport we had some quick (over priced) breakfast, then waited for boarding. Herb fell asleep sitting on the wildly uncomfortable airport chairs, as he pulled an all nighter playing Red Alert (idiot).
Once on the plane (Air Canada) we found our seats and were on our way to LA for a connecting flight. I hadn't learned my lesson from the Mexico trip, but I saved money (score one for the advisor). The flight to LA was made short by the in-flight movie.
At YVR we had to go through some strict security before boarding the flight to Vegas. Janger had the button on her jeans inspected, probably for fear that the button contained radioactive substance. She got held up again at LA for her earrings.
On one of the flights we were in, sitting in first class was Patrick Stewart. I didn't notice him on my way in because he had a hat on, but Herb pointed it out to me first. I was going to go up to him to tell him Star Wars > Star Trek, but I thought better of it, after much debate...
Flying on United was horrid, there was no in-flight movies, and the aisle was built for midgets. Luckily it was under an hour flight and we got a whole row to ourselves.
Flying over Vegas was beautiful even in broad daylight (it's prettier at night). We got out of the airport and caught a cab to our hotel, Flamingo, which cost us $20 (including a miscellaneous $1.80 charge, we'd look into this later). Check-in at the hotel was smooth, the whole trip was actually going pretty smooth. Mui and I landed the upgraded "GO DELUXE" room on the 19th floor at no extra cost. The room included a huge LCD tv, and even had a tv built into the mirror in the washroom. I'd wake up in the morning and watched tv as I peed. And because the tv was built into the mirror, I watched myself pee while watching the tv. Vegas is awesome.
The view in our room was of the pool (which was closed due to wussy tourists not being able to take the cold water). We weren't facing the Strip, but the view was still pretty good.
After doing a little unpacking Mui and I met up with Herb and Janger and walked over the bridge suspending over the Strip, to Caesar's Palace hotel. B and Ju weren't in Vegas yet, they took a different flight which arrived four hours after we did. The weather on our first day there was great, perfect t-shirt temperature. Caesar's looked epic, as it was covered with statues of Greek Gods and Goddesses. In the middle of every Forum shop junction was more statues, along with hordes of tourists budging there way looking for openings to take pictures.
The forum shops was lined with expensive designer shops: Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, and a bunch of other ones that wouldn't look me in the eye as I was a waste of their time. We had no idea how much time had passed until we received a text message from B letting us know that they were at Flamingo. Reluctantly we left the Palace and made our way back to the hotel. Going back to the hotel I noticed that our hotel was really pink, even our washroom was pink, I guess it fits with the whole flamingo theme.
After meeting up with B and Ju we walked around Flamingo looking for Steak 46. We saw an ad for it and the steak it showed looked delicious. When we finally found the place, they had a sign out front letting us know that they were closed on Sundays. Isn't this Vegas? The place that doesn't sleep? That was fine though, as we made our way to Margaritaville. Margaritaville served seafood and pasta dishes, but as the name suggested, we were there for drinks. We decided to order this huge tube of their specialty margarita, over 100oz of it.
Throughout our dinner they randomly bursted out into dancing sequences with a girl in shorts and a bikini moving around provocatively. She'd cap off her performance by ditching the shorts climbing up an indoor volcano and then sliding down into a huge container of green water. Entertaining! Some people compliment food with wine, Margaritaville likes to compliment food with bikini girls in water tanks.
Men on stilts walked around making balloon hats for everyone, at our table the man made a twisty one for Mui. After finding out that we were from Vancouver he told us he wasn't allowed in Nanaimo anymore because of speeding tickets.
After dinner the gang walked down North along the Strip. We made it as far as the Venetian then walked back to our own hotel to change for clubbing. Before leaving for the clubs we met up in B and Ju's room, and B described it best when he said his room was from Motel 8. It was pretty bad, couldn't even watch yourself pee while watching tv.
We took a cab to Tryst, paid the $30 cover and got into the club at 10pm. Surprisingly there was no line-up. Tryst had a bunch of lounges, but they all had reserved signs on them, and so we made our way outside to the waterfall / pool area. When we went to buy some drinks that's when we got slapped with the $12 per drink charge, ugh.
Tryst had a bunch of hired girls in skimpy outfits dancing up on pedestals. There was this one guy who we named Ne-Yo, who just stared at this one girl. He even took a picture with his phone, this man has no shame.
I tried to hold it in as much as possible as drinks cost me $12, but I had to go. In the washroom they had people in there passing you paper towels and brushing off your shoulders, then they expected tip. I would later use trickery to get past these grifters, by trickery I mean I waited for the guy next to me to finish peeing first then while he distracts the grifters, I quickly wash my hands and book it.
After I got back from the washroom, Janger was out, cold. Her arm was limp, and she draped all over Herb. Herb held her up for a while then decided that he'd take her back to their room. We'd later find out that at the door, security guards surrounded Herb thinking that he slipped something in her drink. Herb had to wake Janger up and got her to sign a waiver form before the guards let them leave. Seems like the waiver form is more to cover themselves then to actually stop criminals as any drunk can sign their name.
Throughout the night, Ju scoured the floor looking for girls. He'd eventually find one who he talked and danced with until we left. When we left the club Ju got a hug but no number. Ju gets shafted at every vacation.
We went back to the hotel via cab with a Jamaican cabbie. He was playing with his iPhone and he showed us his Bob Marley wallpaper. He didn't say he was Jamaican, but he also sported dreadlocks, ya I'm stereotyping, but come on! Bob Marley picture, and dreadlocks!
The four of us went to the closest grocery store and picked up some water (no way I'm drinking Vegas tap water). And located right next to the grocery store was a pub / bar thingamajig. We saw signs of it on the outside advertising $2 for a hotdog and a beer.
First day in Vegas was great, we shopped, we ate well, clubbing was fun. Looking back this was one of the more physically relaxing days of the trip. The next few days were not for the weak of sole though.
It wasn't till the next day that we'd find out that B and Ju found $200 right outside their room. They hit the tables with that money and ended up winning enough to buy liquor. Right on boys!
At the tables though, Ju didn't have ID but he assured the casino people that he was over 20. B corrected him saying that he's over 21...But they let him play anyways! Wow.
No comments:
Post a Comment