Month: June 2025

First of all, back to last night for my night-time adventure. Off to Ballagio to see ‘O’. And it really was a most spectacular show. Up to the Gods went I thinking I’ll be too far away to see much. But I quickly settled in and just loved every minute of it. It was truly amazing. Spectacular in every way. Largely over water but they would also cover the water and suddenly you’d wonder what was going on. How do they do it? Better than any Olympic diving I’ve ever seen and from such heights. It was an incessant barrage of extraordinary acrobatics and atmospheric wonder. I’ve seen Cirque du Soleil before but this was something else. So glad I decided to do it.

When it was over I walked over to see the fabulous Ballagio fountain display which was amazing and a fitting end to the night.

Ubers are amazing in Vegas. After a massive show like last night hordes of people head for the Rideshare pick up point and by some logistic miracle everyone gets picked up and transported off to their destination in a matter of minutes.

Back to ‘home’. This morning, full of optimism that Norjie was arriving this evening, I got an omelette for brekky, then just couldn’t eat it. I don’t know what it is with the food, just big and hard to struggle through.

Then I decided to book tickets online and go to the Sphere for the show ‘Postcard From Earth’. First minor meltdown!! Boring long story short, payment for the ticket went through but damned if I could download the ticket. I nearly went mad and in the end I got an Uber up to the Sphere.  Presented myself at the box office with my problem. The poor guy who got me was amazing but even he got a bit exasperated. Anyway, I got in in the end after password changes, recharges and the cost of roamimg.

The Sphere is a most incredible space with surround everything , all around you coming from everywhere including the whole area shaking you about. It was frightening for the first instance. It was a massive documentary about Earth but really you were paying for the sensation. In the end it was about two people who love each other starting life on a new planet after we’d fucked this one….blah blah. Sounded a bit too Mormonish for me.

While I was in there Norjie’s plane was being cancelled due to a a weather event in NYC. I also had to sort out the charging of $400 US extra $ on my bill. The travel agent said I didn’t have to pay and told me what to do but of course the hotel didn’t want a bar of it and insisted I did have to pay so that was an unpleasant interlude that got me nowhere.

Then the Norjie flight stuff just worsened and worsened and the flight was disembarked and she didn’t know when she was going to be able to rebook. The Big Girl pants fell right off there and then and it was back to being propped up by my support crew including poor Rose in Malaysia. Poor Norjie got herself on a flight for tomorrow morning so hopefully all will be OK.

With all that going on I took myself down to Happy Hour and sprang straight for the Margarita. Fingers crossed for tomorrow. I don’t know how I can keep writing so much when so little really happens. Mainly a lot of angst.

I took it easy this morning. Didn’t get myself going until around 10 and then went and found a yoghurt and orange juice for breakfast. I’m getting better at this stuff now but it is still incredibly expensive.

I mulled over what to do today. Almost went to a show at the Sphere but decided I’d try booking a cheap seat for ‘O’ tonight instead. O has been on my mind ever since that lovely young man in the Avenue told me to go and see it. I booked the cheapest available seats so probably won’t get to see to much but I had to make the effort. So with that all sorted I took myself off to the last Resort/ Casino I wanted to see, The Venetian.

Again, I’m full of contradictions and vascillations. I mean, honestly, Venice in Vegas?? Seriously? Gondolas floating down canals through a luxurious shopping ‘Grand Canal”, with American Gondoliers singing away and people cheering. It couldn’t sound worse could it? But it was the best of the Casinos I’ve seen yet. Fabulous restaurants, mainly Italian, that you can’t afford to eat at, set in ‘piazzas’, people wandering up and down, seemingly in very jolly moods, replica Venetian buildings. God it’s hard to describe and as I try I find myself cringing at myself. This place does get under your skin but at the same time I’m looking forward to leaving and hitting the road.

Back to home base, down for Happy Hour before my first nighttime adventure.
Norjie arrives tomorrow night, I’m looking forward to Phase 2 of this adventure and am really hoping, hoping it goes well.

It’s a bit rough getting up for a 6am pick up. But needs must. This time there are 5 of us. An Australian couple from Melbourne ( always and forever an Australian in the mix), a German woman who’s lived in the US for 25 years and her German Mum. And then there was Alfonso The Guide, the redoubtable, ever enthusiastic Alfonso in his giant Mexican sun hat.

First stop the Welcome to Las Vegas sign for a photo op. Oh well, join in the fun!! There was a guy dressed up as Elvis hanging around who obviously has his photo taken with the tourists and probably does some busking as well. The Germans were desperate for a photo with him but a more bad tempered Elvis you’ve never seen. They took their photos but Elvis looked as if he’d rather eat them than have his photo taken with them. They didn’t think they had to tip him which may explain a bit.

Onwards for brekky at…you guessed it, McDonalds. Yuck, my least favourite thing. We each had to order what we wanted and I said an Iced Coffee. The girl smiled at me, said ‘sure’ what flavour would you like that, Caramel, strawberry etc,etc…Coffee I said. Yes but what flavour? Fortunately Alfonso came to the rescue before I throttled her. What…no flavour???

Next stop…more or less, was the Hoover Dam. That was a killer because Alfonso drove across the Dam, parked the car and we had to walk back across the Dam for photos etc. It was huge for me. Already over 40C and a very solid walk.with the prospect of having to walk back to the car. Fortunately Alfonso worked out that we were rather hot and bothered and went and got the car to pick us up at the other end. But bad start to a long day of walking under the scorching sun. The Hoover Dam is really very impressive but in my view one large Dam is like another large Dam.

Then through the Joshua Tree Forest. I just love a Joshua Tree. They are so quirky and totally unique and the big ones are so old. I’m excited by them so loved seeing so many in a large forested area.

Next stop, West Rim of the Grand Canyon. Well there is no doubt that this is a most amazing geological phenomenon. We had to leave our car at the entrance and proceed by shuttle bus. Lots more walking in the heat from bus to rim at Eagle Point, to Skywalk. The Skywalk was smaller than I thought but nonetheless took us out over the Canyon on a glass walkway which was nothing if not scary as you looked down into the Canyon way, way below. Still amazing views and a completely awe inspiring structure. Back on the shuttle for another viewpoint Guana Point. Then back in the Shuttle to the car. Exhausted.

A word about the Hualapai tribe whose land this part of the Canyon is on. They run the whole show and live in that small area under their own laws.

Back to my little bit of tinsel town with one minute to spare until Happy Hour ended. So I burst in and gasped to quickly give me a glass of wine. They weren’t too impressed but they did. I then thought I’d actually eat something so I went to Chin Chin. A new experience. I got a chicken salad that was great. The freshest food I’ve had so far. The Expresso martini was cheaper than a glass of wine so I had one of them too.

I’ve retreated to my room to listen to the roller coaster trundling past my window until midnight. Surprisingly not a sound that worries me.

Today I’ve been ruminating some more about this place. The conclusion is that I really understand it/them as little as I did when I first arrived. The experience is a series of contradictions and as such I vascillate between a kind of growing affection and growing exasperation.

Today I decided to start late because I was tired after yesterdays adventures. When I eventually got going it was around 10. I went to find some brekky but nothing really suits. I had an orange juice and decided to stuff it and have coffee and eggs as well. This time I didn’t get charged at all for the coffee…confusing. Was that a mistake or is it what they do?? I don’t know.

I then read up on whether I should be tipping the hotel staff. Apparently I should be leaving between $5 and $10 /day in the room….shit. They’re definitely going to leave a horses head in my bed at this rate. So I came back up to my room and left $20. The room service person came while I was there and I said to him I wasn’t sure what to do but I’d left a tip for him. What happens…I come back this afternoon and the tip is still sitting there. Again, I’m confused.

I went and looked at the pool. Should I lounge about by the pool?? But its 111F….what’s that? 40 something surely. Is it too hot? There was a lovely bloke guarding the entrance to the pool who encouraged me to sully forth but to stay hydrated!! But there were also things to tick on the list of things to tick so I decided to plunge on. Another Uber…you absolutely cannot walk anywhere. At least I can’t. This time it was off to what I’d heard was the doozy of them all, Caesars Palace.

So huge, so glitzy. Every brand name was there, every famous Chef known to man. Restaurants, glitzy shops, little side shows and of course the pokies and card tables everywhere you look. 3 hours just to wander around it. Full of people doing the same. Such a transitory population I’ve never seen before, Did I just pay $7 ($10) for a small bottle of water, yes I did but it won’t happen again!!

Back to the safety of my room around 3pm today and holed up to gather my thoughts. Honestly people are so friendly and everyone goes out of their way to be helpful but there is always that sense that its a bit hollow. Everything, absolutely everything is geared to keeping you in the casinos.

Enough for today, think I’ll go down for my quick happy hour glass of wine then batten down for the night. 6am pick up tomorrow morning for the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam!!

Early start today. Pick up for the tour to Death Valley was 7.30. Thought I really should get something into my tummy so I scouted around and found a place to get some muesli and yoghurt,  a bit of decent food for a change.

I was the last pick up on the bus already loaded with one Aussie (a solo woman from Cranbourne would you believe), an America couple from Miami, and a German couple.

Off we went with a nice, hyper-enthusiastic , young woman guide for the 3ish hr drive into California and Death Valley. It was definitely a descent into the Valley, verified by popping ears. The lowest point in the US and the hottest. That low point was a massive salt lake. We stopped to walk out on the lake. It was 46C or 114F.

It isn’t even that the scenery is totally unique, obviously Lake Eyre comes to mind and the area around is like the Painted Desert outside Coober Pedy with great rocky outcrops in amazing colours. But it is the overall feel of the place. Star Wars was filmed here and as we drove in our guide put on the Star Wars music. I swear you could see Darth Vader coming at you.

We walked up to look at views and drove down steep valleys such as Twenty Mule Team to get our fill of the surrounds. It was just SO hot.

On the way back I very tentatively asked if the guide thought that international tourism was down. The Americans immediately asked what I meant, was it because of Trump, they said they thought it was false information. The Guide was very clear that this was a very busy year for her. So…nothing to see here.

I got back to NY-NY and collapsed into my favourite Happy Hour to rehydrate in precisely the wrong way. There I met some lovely people once again. At this rate I’m going to have a lot of visitors coming to Melbourne!!

Nothing planned for tomorrow. Cant even think at this point!!

Today I got up determined not to have another Starbucks coffee and maybe to eat something for brekky. So up I got and into an Uber first thing to the Downtown area. Fremont Street…off the Strip for the first time.

I was a bit over-eager getting there just after 9 which meant it was like a ghost town, nothing much to see here. So I wondered up and down in search of the elusive coffee/ brekky. Eventually the best I could do was an all American diner, Dennys, which was exactly what you’d expect. Massive breakfasts of egg, bacon, hash browns and pancakes. I got the smallest I could find but of course couldnt get through half of it. I got a coffee, the filter type stuff for $4 but it was all you can. drink and not too bad. Better than yesterdays effort and I sat there until things started to wake up.

I took it into my head to go to the Mob Museum. And it really was surprisingly interesting. I immediately got into a conversation with a young, likeable, red neck who was lamenting the government for being so high taxing and started asking me whether we had a better system of government. I did say yes but you would have been proud of my diplomacy.. I didnt ask if he supported the current regime but I would have loved to.

The museum was interesting but amazing how much of it we are so familiar with from Boardwalk Empire, the Sopranos, Pulp Fiction, Godfather etc etc. The most interesting thing was a talk given by Frank Calabrese Jnr who has written a book about being part of the mob lead by his father and uncle. fascinating. Look him up!

When i left the museum Fremont St was alive and bopping with buskers, trashy shops, neon lights, overhead lights etc. Hedonism and misogyny oozing from every pore. I went into one of the older casinos for history sake but soon looked for an Uber place (you cant just get them on the street) and came back to familiar territory i.e. happy hour and calamari early dinner.

Tomorrow is Death Valley day. I’m looking forward to getting out of the city and having a completely new experience.

Well maybe I’m starting to settle in but it is definitely a difficult city to acclimatize to.  So I’m going to start where I’m at. Back at the Italian Happy Hour place of yesterday. I’ve calmed down and just have a glass of Pinot instead of a cocktail. I’m surrounded by large groups, often of just women, they look like hens parties, and it does occur to me that it’s Friday night so things are heating up. A very different vibe to last night. No chatty lovely ladies tonight!

I’m a bit scared of being too boring but I think I might as well eat here early like yesterday and tuck myself up.  Mainly I’m even more scared about the amount you could spend on a meal. 

That takes me back to this morning. I mucked around for ages, undecided what to do. I went looking for a coffee and had to go to Starbucks to my horror. I got a small cappuccino which was $US 8 which quickly turned into $US 10 with sevice charge and the bloody tip. So…$10 for a coffee…Some $16 AUD. Now there’s something to think about!! I told Chris and she nearly fell into the phone.

After the coffee I set off, against all advice, by foot, up the strip. I just had to get a feel for my surroundings. My goal was Ballagio, really not far up the road. But it is far up the road as you trudge along up hill, down dale, over overpasses, through major massive shopping centres that are like Chadstone on steroids. I finally got to my target with sore feet but it was gorgeous. Amazingly decked out and a step up. I went to the O booking office to see if I could get a cheap ticket but that wasn’t a goer. I havent been able to bring myself to spending squillions on a show yet.

At this point I wanted nothing more than an Uber to take me ‘home’ to the sleazy, pulsating New York- New York. So that’s what I did. I hobbled back to my room and collapsed. And here I am with Happy Hour vino and come roasted cauliflower. If I don’t lose weight on this holiday I don’t know why (apart from the calories in wine of course).

I should also note that I’m surrounded on all sides by the flashing neon of the pokies. And, just for the record the cauliflower was a very bad choice compared to the calamari.

In my room aroller coaster floats by my window at regular intervals. I’d love to know how to add photos to this blog…Ham???

In the absence of a link from Ham I will start to put my thoughts down as a way of soothing my soul and gaining some sort of order.

The flight: is really a horror flight because not only are you in the air for 16 hours, but your also going backwards so it is dark all the way. Very discombobulating. You arrive before you left so you are really all over the place. My stick worked wonders in terms of pre boarding but the airports are extraordinarily gigormous so you’re walking for hours. For example to even pick up your luggage and get to the baggage claim in Vegas you have to walk miles, get on a train and then walk more miles. All through pokie machines of course. People tell you this but it still hits you between the eyes. The flights were very full of Americans returning home, including a very large and loud contingent of Mormon Missionaries, feeling over confident and telling everyone within earshot that they had been doing missionary work in Australia. Fuck me !!

Border control was not at all the shit show anticipaed. They didnt even look at my phone for fucks sake. Just asked me what I was doing here and told me to have a good time!

Anyway, long story short, I felt pretty good that I’d got to Vegas. I got a taxi from the airport which was advertised as $25 flat rate which very quickly turned into $35 US with a service charge and then a tip.

I was exhausted when I finally got to New York -New York which I thought was fully paid. Only to find that there was a resort tax of $45/day adding $408 US ($650 AUD) to my bill. By this time I was worn out and very upset by the additional charge. I sent an email to the travel agent,  wanting an explanation for this. We’ll see what happens there. I must say that at this point my great support team in Melbourne came to the rescue and told me to just get on with it which sent me off to get a cocktail and a chat with two American women who just love Vegas and come here around 3 times a year. They gave me some tips and I actually felt better. I explored this site and went across to MGM Grand. Its over 100F outside so there is no way I’d be walking too far.

It’s a mind blowing affair this place. Its one big Casino. And its all electronic gambling. The bars have gambling installed at each seat and as long as you are gambling they give you free drinks. (I’m not gambling), I asked the women where the Casino was and they laughed hysterically telling me I was in it! There are some blackjack tables but the roulette is now just electronic machines. No temptation for me there.I also saw some poker tables but am far too intimidated to go there.
I have to process all this some more, its beyond my tired old brain today.