Day 4 continued - Las Vegas

After a tour of the strip last night, which was again totally surreal, we have decided to rest up during the day by the hotel – catch up on some correspondence, use the spa and pool facilities or visit Walmart and then head out for the evening with the aim of winning some big bucks at the craps (crabs?) table – either way, it gon get messy. All of the buildings are massive, fluorescent and in yer face and you feel really small in comparison. I've just had a call (from Cash). It's lunchtime. I am craving an iced cold beer and something spicy. Watch this space. Photos to follow soon. We found this little place just off N. Nellis Blvd., Las Vegas, Nevada 89100. We enter through the bar entrance and notice the gambling machines that are built into the bar. We play a dollar at a time, then within 5mins, are chasing a win. Jamie, the waitress, needs to ask us several times if we are ready...we not ready...we gambling. Eventually we decide on what to have - I go for the Cajun burger with tater tots and a Blue Moon - 7/10 and Cash goes for a bacon cheeseburger with pepperjack cheese and onion rings with a pint of something cold - 5/10. Service - 9/10. Think your typical American bar and you've got it here. To the left of us is also a guy known as TC from DC, who wins big after playing for a while. There is a dance, there is some hollering and there is a lot of jive talking. Frickin' love it man! We eventually step out to get some playing cards from Walmart and are smacked in the face with 119 degree heat. F*ck yeah!!!! My face is melting off but I love it (apparently it's quite humid today - tell that to my pits and gusset!!!). We play cards for a couple of hours, and I teach Cash the art of poker. He slowly gets it and then becomes quite cocky! We don't have chips or money so we play for dares. By the end, we have both been out in the sinbin heat on a number of occasions and I won back the right not to have to do tequila shots or drink milk (I feel I have been too honest about my kryptonite...) I did manage to get my own back a few times and when we finished playing at 7pm, we both had broken even. Nap time and then we head out about midnight to Sin City. Our lovely taxi driver gives a few tips and do's and don't's and then we are let loose. We enter the Ballagio like a couple of casino virgins and are eager to try everything. We head to the machines first and lose. Then we head to a bar and order a whiskey and a gin and tonic where we spend quite a bit of time and money. Cash bets big and loses...I play not as big but also lose. We both get a couple of wins, get overly excited then lose it all. We then go for a walk to the other hotels - Vegas is shiny and brash and nothing like you've ever seen before. We are hungry so we head into a McDonald's. I have a strawberry and cream pie. It's sweet and crispy but the pastry is a little dense - 6/10. Cash has a 1/4 pounder bacon habernero ranch cheeseburger with fries and a refill and a cup of big mac sauce. The burger is better quality than back home and it is spicy - 6/10. It's about 4am and we want to go to Caeser's Palace before we head home. It looks like a massive Greek palace. We head over to the machines and it's quite empty, save for the few hardcore players and drunk folks. We have been in for about 10mins when one of the Black Jack tables becomes free. We've both had a drink and are feeling lucky. We sit down and offer up $30 (2plays) and we volunteer Cash to play. It is 415am. At 417am, we get up from the table, thank the lovely croupier and confidently embarrassed, walk away to the main reception. We need a cab home and we need it fast. They tell us where to get a cab and within a few moments, we are back on our way home to Bumblefuck with our gambling spree behind us. Both our taxi drivers have had to get directions as to how to take us home. We calculate our wins and our losses in the cab. I reckon between us, we have spent about $100 and learnt some valuable life lessons - 1) pick a hotel that is close to the city, 2) if an item of clothing does not have a price on it, it's probably more than you can afford and 3) to stay for one night in the Bellagio will set you back $200, which is a lot less than I thought it would be. It is now about 540am in the morning and the sun is coming up. I have had a strong cup of gourmet coffee and am now wide awake. Cash is fast asleep, snoring away... We leave for an impromptu visit to San Francisco in a few hours so I best get some shut eye...