Still awake...

It's official, my body clock is out of whack! The trip so far has been plagued with afternoon siestas and varying bedtimes. It's no wonder that I'm finding myself fatigued at strange hours of the day. I haven't had a consistent sleep since leaving Australian shores. 9/4/08 was no different, got out of bed around 2 pm local time and headed down to the Fashionist Shopping centre for a light wander through local retail. From what a can tell there's a large discrepancy with Customer Service, either you get somebody who is downright willing to bend over backwards to help you or somebody who would rather be anywhere else.

After watching Circque Du Soleil at Treasure Island we headed off the strip to the Hard Rock Hotel. Had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe in Vegas there's a checklist of "must eat" American foods: Buffet, donuts, apple pie, buffet, pizza, hot dog, hamburger to name a few. One thing that we have learnt about Vegas clubbing is to search for VIP passes for clubs. Most outlets, bars will have some pass that grants free entry to the clubs, this will go a long way in saving you 20-30 bucks per venue.

Turns out we weren't swindled the night before by the bum handing out club passes. The passes entitled us to front of the line VIP entry and soon enough we were in Body English at the Hard Rock Hotel. Ferry Corsten was performing tonight at Gods Kitchen and for the first hour of the night the bar was giving away free Vodka. It got messy. We met a top bloke from Los Angeles who was out in Vegas for the week as well and headed over to LAX for a little hip hop. Checked out the Vegas sign at the beginning of the strip at sunrise, eventually got to sleep at 8:30 am.


10/4/08: Last few days in Vegas have been a blur. You can feel the atmosphere building up slowly for the weekend madness, pity we won't be around to see Vegas during the weekends. Woke up at 4:30 this morning, everybody headed off to see the Beach at Tao, I opted to sleep in and rest up for what would be my last night in town. Headed to the Venetian to watch Wayne Brady - Making *#!t up, it was an absolute riot. Top class entertainer lots of impromptu singing and stand up which is definitely worth the price of the ticket. Last night out was spent at Tao nightclub. It was quite simply one of the best clubs I've ever been to, elaborate decor, plenty of people and the best music. Songs that stood out were "You shook me all night long" (AC/DC), "Smells like Teen Spirit" (Nirvana) and "One More Time" (Daft Punk). I'm loving life right now.

Vegas is definitely a black hole, sucking you in and erasing all concept of time and finances. It then spits you back out on the other side returning you to reality tired and with many fond memories.I would definitely love to come back here with the rest of the gang! Raced back to the hotel at 4:30 had a quick shower and threw my clothes into the suitcase. Still ha vent slept from the night before, currently at Vegas airport waiting for my American Airlines flight to New York, I can't wait to sleep on the plane...

Las Vegas

7/4/08: Las Vegas, Nevada

BRRRZZZZT!! BRRRRZZT! (That's my best attempt at onomatopoeia) 6:30 am, alarm clock blares off in the corner. It feels like I've slept a total of 1 hour last night, only the pressing issue of missing my flight urges me to get out of bed. I don't know if it's so much as a problem or just more of a trade off, but I'm still feeling jetlagged. Having not adjusted to the new time zones coupled with the lack of regular sleep has made it difficult to push on throughout the day. Checked out from Econolodge hoping that would be the last interaction with dicey accommodation (I would be so wrong).

In my half-awake stupor I carelessly punched in the option "Home" into the GPS unit, within under an hour I was at my destination; an incorrect destination. Carelessness on my behalf, I was on the other side of town with a flight awaiting me elsewhere. What felt like Groundhog day I drove for another 1 and a half hours around the streets of Los Angeles in peak hour traffic. Panic had settled in and there were instances when I passed the same stretch of highway on numerous counts. I had convinced myself that there was somebody messing around with my GPS unit from afar as a cruel morning joke. I eventually found Fox Hire Car and returned the car, $190 USD all up!

Flight to Vegas was pleasant, the plane was full of people who looked like they were going to Vegas, with intention to drink, gamble and of course sin. I am too tired right now, checked into the hotel just after 2 pm, first impressions of our hotel? There are too many kids and families running about. I'm too tired and I predict a short day today. One of the "things to do in the US" was to feast on a US style buffet. Food was ordinary at best, which seems to be a re-occurring theme.

Despite being on the "main" strip of Vegas I probably wouldn't recommend staying as far down as Circus Circus. The time spent commuting up and down the strip to the more "interesting" places is quite the trek. Being on the main strip of Vegas is like being in a pinball machine, plenty of flashy lights, loud noises and gimmicks. The place is so alive and captivating it urges and convinces you to spend money. Played a couple of the tables at the major Casinos: The Ballajio and The MGM. We really need to do some research for daytime activities, I have a gut feeling most of it will be spent sleeping.

8/4/08: We have now officially planned out our evening show itinerary: Spamalot at the Wynn. Circque Du Soleil - Mystere at Treasure Island and Wayne Brady at the Venetian. Second night out on the town we headed to Pure Nightclub at Caesars, we were promptly denied at the door for being under dressed, thankfully shops here don't close until Midnight so we popped into a shop and bought the required dress code for entry.

Definitely an eventful first night out partying in Vegas, as we walked back to our hotel we bumped into some random advertising places to club on the strip. He smelt of liquor and cigars clearly wearing the cologne of a homeless person. In any normal sober case I probably would have ignored him however seeing I shared the same albeit less mature odour we talked and he gave us advice on where to go, at a small fee of course.