VIVA LAS VEGAS! Many say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas but we'll share some of our experiences with you! We arrived after a long bus journey from San Fran to LA then another to Las Vegas. We were stuck on a crammed bus that was overheating so the air-con had been turned off as we drove through the Nevada desert. Some people wanted to open the emergency sky-lights but the Americans with a few brain cells explained that the emergency sky-roof would fly off and we'd all cook!! Simon blames the overheating on the fact the driver was female!! The room we stayed in can be seen on The Hangover --- no not the big fancy suit with the lion in the bathroom, but the place where the prostitute resides! It was a motel offering hostel rates and in an awesome spot just five minutes away from the main part of the strip. (LB if you're reading this and still plan to go look at http://www.vegas.com/lounge/map.html and stay between Excalibur and The Mirage). At times the walk was a little hot or a little dodgy so we caught a bus. The heat was crazy! It was around 40 degrees and the breeze felt like a hairdryer in our faces. As we made our way onto the strip on our first night we were amazed at all the large buildings. Excalibur was the first one we explored in search of some grub. It was a massive castle with turrets. The outside was pretty impressive but inside was just one large plain room full of gamblers. We found the food hall and munched. As we made our way further up the strip we spotted a boxing event set-up outside Cesar's Palace. Whilst trying to have a nose we ended up being invited inside to make up numbers for the ABC show 'Shaq Vs'. Its an American reality show starring the basketball player Shaquille O'Neal who challenges numerous top athletes in their own sports. Shaq, 7ft 1, challenged boxer Shane Mosley, 5ft 9. At one point Shaq was boxing on his knees!! On the side lines we spotted Freddie Roach (who coaches Amir Khan, Mickey Rourke and Mayweather) giving Shaq some advice. We had to sneakily take photos as ABC had strict privacy rules. The match was close but Mosley won. When the match had ended we made our way through Ceasar's Palace and the grounds which were all very posh and beautiful. We headed across the road to an Irish bar for dollar beers - a rare thing in Las Vegas! We took full advantage of the cheap drinks! At one point we had the bar staff arguing about who was serving us as we didn't tip with every drink so we left to explore more of the strip and see what other bars had to offer. Making our way back towards our motel we stopped off at several bars that were sadly more expensive than the Irish Bar. While sitting in a bar people watching we spotted numerous look-a-likes who were posing for photos. We saw people dressed up as Micheal Jackson, but kim's favourite was the fat guy (with baby, lion and friend) from the hangover film. In the early hours the beer had taken effect and we made our way back to the hostel. Kim woke up the following morning feeling really ill (no not from the booze). Her glands in her neck had been majorly swollen for a week and she was having a bad day. We made our way to Excalibur to have breakfast and Kim could hardly eat as her throat and neck was so swollen. We spent the rest of the day exploring the strip and looking at the various attractions that the individual hotels had to offer. We began by walking down the strip to the Luxor and Mandalay Bay. The outside of the Luxor was far more impressive than the newly decorated interior which lacked a theme. Mandalay Bay was huge. We had to use a side enterance as there was a fancy wedding being set up on the front. Past the casino area were endless convention rooms, an aquarium, a posh wedding chapel and a massive swimming pool with wave machine and fancy private shaded areas for guests. After exploring it all and enjoying a drink in the House of Blues we made our way back to the main area. We explored the MGM grand which was massive, a mile long from the front to the back. It had a lion enclosure, tv studios, amazing pool area and food courts as well as the humongous casino area. Paris was amazing inside. When you looked up it appeared you were standing at the base of the Eiffle tower on a beautiful sunny day. The shops and food places were like market stands along the walls. As we walked down the strip we passed a row of four or five cars that were available to hire, we both found it funny that beside the Dodge Viper and Porsche stood a mini cooper! Cars are so big in America that the mini is such a novelty. In the heat, walking up annd down the strip can be quite tiring. The main road and side roads are not crossable. Instead you have to climb stairs and walk over pedestrians bridges. We had a few small bets on the slot machines but were sad to discover they only dish out tokens to cash in rather than real money! Neither of us won big time. Although it was tempting to have a few card games we were wise with our money. Around 7pm walking past the Plazo hotel we saw several policemen and their cars parked on the street. The security guard told us that some young lad had got out his gun and started threatening to kill people!! Kim was gutted that she missed the action!! Later on at night as we were heading back to our hostel we saw a one guy in hand-cuffs and another bleeding from his head where he had been glassed. It made us realise how unsafe Las Vegas was and how many violent people find alternative drunken ways to entertain themselves. Its a crazy place. Catching the mono-rail to the top of the four mile strip enabled us to see the Stratsophere, Sahara and Circus Circus. They were far away from the tourist crowds and inbetween each building were half built casinos that had been put on hold due to the recession. Circus Circus was full of children - god knows why you'd take kids to Las Vegas! The Wynn was Kims favourite. It was mega-posh with luxurious fabrics draping and plush carpet beneath our feet. In the tiled floor were mosaic butterflies. They had a ferrari and maserati car exhibition inside but enterance was only free for people who owned such cars! We also passed the high rollers who sat in a separate room playing Poker on tables that had minimum bets of thousands of dollars!! On our third evening we made it to the Belagio in time for the fountain show. The eight acre lake infront of the hotel houses a large dancing water fountain synchronized to music. It was awesome to see. We then made our way to Treasure Island's free pirate show. Lots of music, water squirts and fire was combined with poor sleazy acting and awfully embarrsing dancing which made the show a disappointment. Whilst watching it we began talking to a Texan family who invited us for some grub if we passed through their area which was really nice. On the way towards our hotel we waiting for the Volcano to erupt at the Mirage but they seemed to have techinical difficultites. Our last night was an early one as the Grand Canyon the following day was an early start.