Las Vegas- Revisited
This trip was my pre-reward/motivation before my one full week of super satisfying work at VM. After which I rewarded myself with the unfortunate Hawaii trip. I went to Vegas on 1 Dec with a bunch of friends. Instead of a usual 8 hours drive, we had a 1 1/2 hours flight! It was a good flight deal at $98 excl taxes (United Airlines) although we found some cheaper deals later (Virgin) $88 excl taxes.
Once we reached there, we went to Mandalay Bay to collect my friend’s marathon package for Sunday’s run. We were going on budget, so we stayed at on of the cheapest hotel- Circus Circus. It was unfortunately at the other end of the Strip.
First stop after checking into the hotel was to Las Vegas Premium Outlets. I wanted to buy a red winter jacket from Timberland. It fits nicely but then I thought that I might as well go other outlets to check out if there were better designs and cheaper. Nope, after inspection, I still prefer the red jacket. When I went back, the size that I was looking for was already sold!! So, I went back empty handed. Lesson learnt: If you love the jacket, try it right then buy it fast. Otherwise, someone will just buy it away from you.
P/S: Sounds like one of the quotes: ~If you love someone, say it right then out loud. Otherwise, the moment just passes you by. - Julia Roberts
Sunset was early so me and Wenhan set off to check out the night scenery of Vegas. As an avid photographer (not a pro yet), I went around taking shots. Not a single building escaped my lens. Here are some nice night shots.
Wynn
Venetian
Ceaser’s Palace
Being poor, we only check out those free shows. But we didn’t go for all. In fact, if you look at the list, we look like we’ll be going to Vegas again. Yup. Anyway, here’s a list of free shows to look out for:
1) Bellagio Fountains & Botanical Gardens (Visited!)
- 3pm to 8pm every 30 mins
- 8pm to 12am every 15 mins.
Botanical Gardens - all day
2) Caesars Forum Shops- The Atlantis Show (Next visit)
- 10am to 11pm every hour
3) Fremont Street Experience (Next visit)
- 8.30pm to 12am hourly
4) MGM Lion Habitat (Visited but lion asleep so next visit too)
- 11am to 10pm
5) Mirage Volcano & Tiger Habitat (Visited & next visit)
- 8pm to 12am every hour
6) Sirens of TI- Treasure Island (Next visit, closed for renovation till Xmas)
- 7pm, 8.30pm, 10pm and 11.30pm
Note: This is supposed to be one of the best free shows. Recommended by my friend.
Not forgetting the M&M’s world! Look at the colourful M&M’s.
Transportation in Vegas. You can walk from one end of the Strip to the other. Total distance is approximately 5km one way. Or you can take the bus (which could be slower due to the traffic jams). It costs only $5 for a 24 hour pass. It will be useful if you plan to travel to the old Vegas town or the premium outlets. Driving around is not advisable as it’s hard to find parking slots.
Vegas is both equally nice in the day and night. Here are some nice day shots along the Strip.
Wynn (Again)
Treasure Island
Inside Venetian. Remember to check out the Grand Canal Shoppes. Experience Gondola rides (if you have $$. It’s about $50 for the whole Gondola dedicated to you and your lover plus the nice singing voice. I prefer male rowers over females) You don’t have to pay to hear them sing. Just stand next the the canals.
Also, check out the grand walkway at Venetian. It is a very nice artwork and architecture.
Check out Mirage’s Secret Garden too. And if you are lucky, you can get this mythical feeling, just like in the photo below. No photoshop involved at all.
And I have been to Paris, Monte Carlo, New York and Egypt in one day!
Do check out Luxor. The building is rather interesting with the inclination lift. A nice engineering building.
To have a nice buffet, check out Le Village Buffet inside Paris. Go early to avoid the long queues. It’s really very a long wait unless you get lucky like us.
Look at those nice yummy king’s crabs! It is reasonably priced (Around $25 depending on weekdays/weekends). Remember to eat the tiramisu as well!
There’s also this interesting sight in Vegas. “Girls to you in 20 minutes. Call 702.888.xxxx”. There’s this group of people by the road side trying hard to hand you the photo cards. They are everywhere along the Strip but they don’t seem to monopolize the market. There are also magazine stands (Like in the photo) which give free ‘magazines’. Interesting culture.
There are many things to do in Vegas. You can shop, gamble, sight seeing and eat. And it’s open 24/7, 365 days (for the casinos). I am unlike typical Vegas visitor. I went around taking photos (never-seen-before tourist). There are interesting night spots (ahem the CLUBS along the STRIP) in Vegas too if you are an adventurer. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. But I blatantly shared everything. Vegas photos were the last of my trips before my camera got stolen in Hawaii. How unfortunate!
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