14 May, 2006 (Sunday) Las Vegas, Nevada

We left our Dutch and Swedish friends behind and were soon driving down the dusty highway to Las Vegas. As we crossed the desert the temperature hit 38 degrees, warmer in the hotbox of our Jeep.(Picture: Farewell OB - Back row: Sean, Britt, Julie, Mel; Front row: AJ, Me, Bo)


Vegas City
Las Vegas, the infamous city of sin. We drove in on the first edges of dusk, the dust of the desert road clinging to us like a second skin.

First impressions were in sharp contrast to the shady New Reno that I'd envisaged - the streets were thinly lined with t-shirted tourists, trudging up Las Vegas Boulevard (The Strip) in mid-30 degree heat. The casinos and their brightly lit neon frontages stretched off into the horizon. (Picture: The Strip)

Coming up from the south along the I-15, our first sight was of the gargantuan pyramid of Luxor on our left, soon followed by the Disney-esque castle of Excalibur. Our eyes overloaded with crazed comic-book inspired buildings and super-bright neon lights - a replica Statue of Liberty (New York, New York), a giant stone lion (MGM Grand), a to-scale Eiffel Tower (Paris). The streets looked wide and clean. Palms lined the medium and the traffic moved along steadily. Punters looked overweight but well dressed - Florida retirees, young couples and a very slight smattering of teens and married young-things.

Las Vegas. Welcome to Las Vegas.


Vegas Laws
Vegas has no true industry but for entertainment. Each year some 35 million visitors roll into the city that never sleeps with bank rolls of cash and dreams of striking it rich. Each year visitors spend $18 billion, an average of over $500 a head. And all this for a city in the middle of the desert. (Picture: The dusty Nevada road)

Not bad for glitz and glamour, eh? But, like the wavering pools that sometimes appear on the highway, much of Vegas is an illusion (I avoided the word Mirage on purpose). Few in Vegas strike it rich, and whether shows or casino 'freebies', once you scratch beneath the gilt surface there is little real substance. (Picture: Vegas weekly reading - what catches your fancy?)

Well, what can you expect from a town that boasts so many magicians, illionists and hypnotists? Even Vegas' notoriety for seedy excess seems to be somewhat exaggerated these days. Which isn't to say that there aren't plenty of strip clubs or wild parties going around.

But many of Vegas' visitors are elderly people and families. Middle America demands more sanitised entertainment - after all, bland is culturally where it's at! (Picture: New York New York Casino)

Despite the little bins of magazines on every street corner offering every sort of companion - blonde, exotic, college girls and alternative partners, Vegas apparently still has very strict rules governing prostitution. Stripping and all manner of teasing is okay. Prostitution is out. I'm sure it's still there, but legally the state only endorses strippers and escorts, which puts the whole way gig further underground. Nevada also has laws concerning displays of same-sex affection. It's a big no-no - so watch out those of you hoping to share bedding and are considering holding hands at one of the shows ;)

Free Internet? Aside:
Stratosphere has wireless Internet access, but it's charged at $10 a day. Thankfully people get lazy and leave backdoors which allows free access - hurrah for generic user names and passwords. No, I'm not a computer nerd, I never had the talent or the talent for it. I've just learnt a few tricks the last few decades. Part of it is the company I keep. My brother on the other hand... yeah, just ask him how many hours he spends on the ol' 'puter a week. (Picture: Stratosphere tower)