Vegas Baby (and Gatorade saved my life)

We have just left Vegas after four days on the Strip.

Hot, bright, cheesy and stylish - and not quiet how it is in the movies.

Being school holidays the place was crawling with families and small children, but there doesn't really seem to be a dominant demographic.

Our first port of call was Treasure Island (TI) right by the Mirage. The theme doesn't have to much to do with the interior, but comes with a pirate ship out the front. The room was amazing with view right up the Strip to the Bellagio fountain.

Our final two nights were spent in the slightly down-market, but family friendly, Circus Circus, again famous from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

What I originally thought was a sore throat seems to be a bit of a lung infection. The heat didn't help.

Speaking to a pharmacist at Walgreens she said any type of cold mixed with 100F plus heat will make you super dehydrated. Even though I was drinking bottles and bottles of water it wasn't doing anything and she said it was was time to bring in the big guns - Gatorade.

While I can't say I'd buy them if I wasn't sick they work instantly - supposedly it's the electrolytes.

Anyway, back to the city.

The heat never lets up and even after dark the temperature is still in the high 30cs.

Kids, parents and grandparents walk the streets until all hours and despite what you see in movies and on TV Vegas isn't as seedy as it seems.

Drinks aren't free, and while there are often specials to be had you have to tip for every drink.

Maybe if you're a high-roller you can get in on the free action, but for regular plebs like us it just isn't a reality.

Returning to our room late at night we didn't see any terribly drunk or comatose people nor were there any left roaming in the early hours of the morning.

The whole Strip is crazy with a half sized Eiffel Tower, a Roman Forum and a New York city skyline.





Other than the gambling, drinking and sightseeing, one thing to do while in Vegas is take in some shows.

You can get half price and discounted tickets from booths throughout the city. We got tickets to Peep Show at Planet Hollywood and Cirque du Soleil at TI.

I can't say which was best as they were both great examples of Las Vegas entertainment.

Until next time I'll be stocking up on the Gator and tossing back the Tussin (cough syrup).

Barstow to Vegas and things are heating up

Barstow is a crossroad for trains, trucks and visitors to the City of Sin.

With the temperature well in to the 100sf (I believe that's just below 40c) it is a slow and run down town.

Trains run constantly through the station across from our motel, but thankfully the room remained quiet.

My only knowledge of this little place on Route 66 is the quote from Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas "We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold" which means the character had an approximate two hour drive while wasted.

I've had a sore throat virus thing for a few days so used this sleepy place for a little RnR.

The next morning we were packed and ready to hit the road.

We stopped one of several large outlet malls just over the state line in Nevada where I picked up some bargin Old Navy jeans.

By now the temperature was around 110f as we rolled into Vegas.

We checked into our hotel, the massive Treasure Island. Our room on level 19 - where I'm typing this blog - is amazing with views right across the strip.



More on this city later.