Las Vegas

12^th November - 15^th November

The bus I got to Las Vegas was running late, mostly due to the weakest security check I've ever seen in my life. They checked everyone's pockets (or the obvious ones, anyway), and looked in the top of every piece of luggage. So you could have a gun on board so long as you covered it with a towel. So we missed the connection at San Bernardo, and got into Las Vegas at about midnight. Lots of flashy lights everywhere. I'm told that, as seen from space, Las Vegas is the brightest spot on the planet's surface, and I can well believe it.

I was staying at the Hard Rock Hotel, which is just off the strip. Now, looking at a map, it was only two blocks away from the strip. But it wasn't until I got there that I realised that "two blocks" was the same as "one mile". Each building covers several acres, which makes the place far bigger than maps tend to show. I spent most of my time watching people gamble. Personally, I didn't put a single bet down, but I found the games and the players fascinating. So many people gathered together to give their money away...

I like to think have a good grasp of odds, especially where dice are concerned (It's amazing what roleplaying can teach you), and I was amazed that so many people were prepared to play these games. People's piles of chips were continually getting smaller, except when they cashed in more money, and everyone was having so much fun throwing their money away. That depressed me a little.

I bought dice from the Hard Rock, the Barbary Coast and the Imperial Palace. They varied between $0.50/pair and $2.00/pair.

I spent some time wandering along the Strip, and seeing the other casinos, and the displays they put on at night - the pirate ship battle at Treasure Island was very impressive. And I saw tropical penguins at The Flamingo - something that I previously had no idea existed.

I saw several wedding chapels, and while I can understand the appeal of a Las Vegas Little White Wedding Chapel marriage, the drive-through chapels really confused me - are there really people who want no more ceremony than they get buying a burger?

I had thought that Las Vegas might be a real town once you got off the strip and into downtown. No such luck. Three buildings out of every four were still casinos. The bus station is inside a casino, and even the 7-11's had banks of slot machines in them. I couldn't find anywhere to eat that wasn't at the back of a casino somewhere.

On the Thursday, I was supposed to meet Randy, but unfortunately, he'd been in a car accident a few days before, so that didn't happen. I understand that he's much better now, which is good. But I had wanted to ask him if they put slot machines in the desks at the university. I suppose I'll never know now. So I ended up wandering around the same places I had previously.

And that was about it, really. After that, I headed for Los Angeles.