Sights & Sounds of Vegas

Okay, so this is Vegas. Entertainment Capital of the World. These are the sights, sounds and impressions that have been forever seared into my memory.
1) There are slot machines everywhere - starting with baggage claim at the airport

2) There are more casinos than convenience stores from the Strip to Fremont St

3) Wherever you turn, there is unmistakable glitz and glamour. Ranging from vintage ritz at Caesar's (left) to glamorous chic at Wynn's (right)

4) They also seem to love their statues with Julius Caesar, Hadrian and real-life street artists at the Venetian. Some were very cool; others somewhat creepy :-)

5) And last but certainly not least, it is hot, very HOT. We had temperatures of over 100F/36C daily and it was amazing to hear the radio DJs describe it as a "wonderful" sunny day! We drank about 3 litres of water daily and slapped on tons of body lotion to prevent drying out. Phew...

Dancing fountains of Bellagio

It is much too hot to walk around Las Vegas in the daytime with it's 100F heat. But when the sun sets, it's cool enough to stroll around and enjoy the sights. And there are no sights as breathtakingly beautiful (and free!) as the dancing fountains of Bellagio. Enjoy the video...

Viva Las Vegas

The best advice I received about going to Vegas is "Don't think - just enjoy yourself" and I've been doing just that. After all my European & Asian travels, it's easy to look at the Las Vegas strip and see kitsch, tacky & loud. But if you set aside cultured adult tendencies, and embrace your inner gambler, this city is fun with a capital F.

The Strip by day: Luxor Casino & New York, New York Casino

A familiar feeling seized me the moment I caught sight of Las Vegas Boulevard from the plane window. It was the scene from the opening credits of CSI - the original series. Be ready for an assault on your visual senses when you first drive down the Strip. It's one incredulous OTT (over-the-top) experience after another. From the Sphinx at Luxor to the NYC cityscapes to Venetian Palazzo, you really have to see it to believe it.

Aunty Jo Jo at the Venetian Grande Shoppes & St Mark's Square

The Venetian was our first stop and we all fell in love with it at first sight. It really is Venice at its best- with the pretty gondolas and classical buildings in airconditioned comfort, minus the canal smells! :-) The casino was pretty good too. I made $150 at the slots. Beginners luck...let's hope it lasts for the rest of the trip.

Exciting SFO arrival

I arrived in San Francisco on Thursday morning to discover a bomb threat at the airport. It was my first ever....so cool!

We took almost 2 hours to clear immigration and another 2 hours for us to claim our baggage. Despite the chaos and lingering fear, it was interesting to watch the behaviour of my fellow travellers. The frequent flyers appeared calm and almost blase as they waited patiently for instructions. Other passengers including some mainland Chinese were anxious, loud and clucked anxiously to one another about their stranded luggage. They were persistantly crowding around the exits causing unnecessary confusion.

Meanwhile, the immigration officers went about their business efficiently and as politely as they could, given the circumstances. Lufthansa ground staff were the most service-oriented; coming up with announcements for their passengers every 30 minutes. Sad to say, Singapore Airlines staff were nowhere to be found. I only managed to scrape together some information by eavesdropping on the conversations of flight crew who were milling around the airport.

Random Bali snippets

As I wrap up my holiday in Bali, here are some random things I've noticed:-

• Paradise is not an overrated word when describing Bali
• Every other person is named Wayan. This is because there is a set order of names for Balinese families:- Wayan (first child), Made (second), Nyoman (third) and Ketut (fourth). What happens if there's a fifth kid? The cycle starts all over again!
  
• Having a daily massage is not a bad thing. In fact, it's a necessity
  
• Riding a motorbike along the paddy fields with a fresh breeze brushing your face is the best feeling in the world
• You can live life at whatever pace you choose - scheduled or unscheduled
• Kuta & Denpasar are best avoided unless you like dour aggressive street vendors
• Don't count on getting any service in the tourist areas if you're not "white". We had the worst experience in Ku De Ta, an upmarket club in Jimbaran Bay and Uluwatu, a premium linen shop in Ubud. We were totally ignored at both venues in favour of Caucasian tourists.