I know that ever since i arrived in the USA I have either been planning a trip to Vegas or preparing one. Now, after this last weekend, it looks like i will not be returning to Vegas on this trip so i am very happy to be able to say that i went out with a bang!
We arrived early on the Friday and checked out Fremont Street - the Old Town Vegas. It was very, very interesting with a lot less glamour than the Vegas i know. Nonetheless, it was another place to lose some money. I am glad i checked it out but it was a bit dirty in more way than one.
It was straight on to the Mirage next for check in and to get ourselves used to the surroundings. Naturally, it was not too long until we found the tables and we got into the formulas and maths of single deck blackjack! Laura seemed to have the lucky touch and we had a really good time with the other people playing. Next stop was a trip up the strip to my favourite casinos such as the Cosmopolitan. We gambled, got drinks and laughed as our fortunes fluctuated.
There was a possibility of going to a show that night. Cirque de Soleil, Beatles and even Kanye West! We decided against any of these in the end. Upon searching for Kanye tickets we realised we would be sitting right up in the nosebleeds ("Can we get much higher? So high...") so we gave them all a miss and just wandered about, continuing to try our luck. To continue with the theme, Laura was killing it. My cards were varying but we had a bit of trouble with the dealers. They were generally drawing well and, irrespective of the cards we got, we had to push or still lost! On the walk home, i dropped the rest of the money into a Grease machine, purely for sentimental reasons and was lucky enough to recoup some of my losses!
We woke on Saturday nursing only slight hangovers (a change of pace) and went to the buffet for unlimited food and mimosas - always the best start to the day! Then we headed to the dolphin and tiger show, which we got free tickets for!! It was a lot of fun and an unexpected adventure into the jungle!
That night was the next of the different experiences - The Jimmy Buffett concert! I had never followed his music too closely but i knew what to expect. The sort of sun soaked, sand scratched, surfboard swerving beachy music which all of us can relate to at some stage and to a certain degree. I was really looking forward to it! Fans of Jimmy Buffett are quite fanatical and he has a big cult following. These people refer to themselves as "parrot heads". We met people who were going to their 46th show of his and others who had followed him across the country and were in Reno two days earlier. When i used the rest room, the urinal looked like a mug shot from a Hawaiian bachelor party.
The crowd that was building was unlike anything i have ever seen or known. Lor was winning more blackjack (the old, obese man next to her said he was hoping to get lei'd after the gig...or maybe he said laid. I think it was the latter) and i just watched people walk past me. Old men with coconut bikinis and grass skirts, people with parrots on their shirts, shoulder and heads. A young woman, heavily pregnant, had "Future Parrot Head" painted on her exposed midriff! This was an invasion. Drinks in hand, smiling loudly and proud of the brand often emblazoned on their apparel. This was parrot head central and we were a part of it!
The show was great fun. He came out in an unassuming manner, barefoot and board shorts and just jumped straight into it. His backdrop was a powerpoint presentation of sailing boats and Hawaiian sunsets. It could have been done by a 10 year old but i suppose he played to what the audience wanted and they lapped it up! His main songs, 'Fins' and 'Margaritaville' were a huge hit and left the whole crowd buzzing and ringing. He did not overplay his hand but delivered what was expected of him. All in all, he played for about two hours and i can honestly say it was a new, fun experience and well worth the money! The people watching alone was worth it.
Following the show, more drinks were definitely required. We found ourselves surrounded by cowboys (the rodeo was in town!) and we met up with Amanda who broke hearts and taught me how to line dance. I swung Laura across the dance floor with pizzaz but could not hide the fact that i was lacking some knowledge regarding the correct steps. Now it was time to gamble some more. I am a big fan of the get out of jail stakes but the stakes were quite high here and i did not want to bite off more than i could chew and leave myself unable to afford food for the next week. Blackjack was going well at a gimmicky spot where i had hoped to play with a dealer dressed as Lady Gaga but, when she took her break, i sat with Brett Michaels. Was he a wrestler or something? Either way he was quiet and dealt some decent cards. I found myself up and my eyes becoming heavy so put down my biggest bet of the weekend. I got two face cards and he got a number so i doubled down. This was make or break. I had 19 and 20 come up and had really started counting my chickens when he drew another number...and another...and it came to 21. Sort of summed up my gambling weekend! Still, breaking even at the table was better then what a lot of people can say when they come to Vegas!
We headed home, at some un-godly hour. stopping for a foot long hot dog and another quick, impulse gamble before sleeping like people who had spent their entire weekend drinking, laughing, dancing, gambling and exploring the fantabulous, unbelievable anomaly which is Las Vegas.
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