We arrived in Vegas just after sunset on Tuesday 15 May and checked straight into our hotel called Circus Circus which is right on the strip. We were both pretty tired from spending the whole day in the car so weren't up for any sightseeing. We drove to the nearest In n Out for dinner (Vegas is quite built up so driving on the highways is actually pretty hairy) and then just relaxed in our room for the rest of the evening. It was SOOO great to have a big, comfortable, warm bed to sleep in after the past few days camping!

Wednesday we awoke after a fabulous nights sleep and did a bit of admin things in the morning. Then we headed out into the city to explore - rookie mistake... We were hit with a wall of scorching air the minute we stepped outside the hotel. It is so unbearably hot outside that it's actually rediculous. We gritted our teeth and wandered around for a bit before taking shelter in a nearby Denny's for lunch. We ordered a single starter portion of nachos to share and were both full at the end - it was enourmous - these Americans sure know how to eat! We braved the heat once more and got as far down as the Venetian Hotel, where we saw the painted ceilings and gondola canals. Afterwards we decided to head back to our hotel room where we worked on a bit of admin until it cooled down a bit.

That evening we decided to see the strip - its way better at night (pretty plain and boring during the day actually.) We drove to the MGM Grand at the bottom end of the strip and them worked our way back up, stopping in and wandering around the various hotels and casinos. The streets are pretty busy and we thought that Las Vegas is a bit like taking New York City, with all its lights and people and action, and condensing it into a place 1/10th the size. The hotels along the strip are all quite impressive on the outside, but all pretty similar on the inside, and its true what they say about them being a maze - we struggled to get out on more than one occasion. You get all types of people walking along the streets too, and at every traffic light there are at least 3 or 4 people handing out brochures for "gentlemens clubs." We were beginning to get a feel for the extravagance and hedonsism that characterises this place. Even at night it is still pretty hot so we picked up a few beers which you can just drink while walking down the street. After watching a fountain display at the Belagio (very cool) we walked back to the car and drove up to the top end of the strip to a thing called the Freemont Street Experience. It is basically a massive sound and light show that is put on every night (imagine St Georges Mall back home lined with casinos and with a roof completely made of LED's) We kinda caught the very end and then just wandered along the street. We did see the world unhealthiest restaurant (according to Guiness World Records) called the Heart-attack grill, where the waiters all dress as doctors and nurses and they serve at 10 000 calorie burger - no jokes. Also, if you weigh over 350 pounds (160kg) you eat for free?! Too bad they were closed :-/ It was late when we finally got back to the hotel and we just crashed into bed for another awesome nights sleep :-)

Thursday morning we checked out of the hotel, packed up the car and got on our way. We stopped at a Walmart on the way out to pick up some more supplies for our next camping leg (including a blanket!) The streets were pretty deserted compared to the night before - it really is a city that sleeps during the day. We keyed in the coordinates on the GPS and soon were on our way to the next stop - The Grand Canyon!