VEGAS - WITH NO GAMBLING!

Things ain't what they used to be - where are all the slots with their pull handles, cascading coins (filling the vast arenas with their exciting clattering noise), buckets of coins to feed and filthy hands from all that handling?  Replaced, like the rest of civilisation, with screens, buttons to press, and automated money.  Insert your loaded ticket card and then watch the dollars disappear into thin air - or get a slight thrill as a few get added to your card - if you are lucky.  So the hotels are filled with screen zombies who don't even have to lift an arm, but just sit mesmerised like all of us in front of our screens.

It all just seemed far too easy to lose a lot of dollars in a short space of time, with little or no fun and a lot of hassle to work out how to operate the payment systems, the machines and life in general.  So we didn't.  Sorry, guys but no big wins if you don't play!!

And as we were only there for a day and a half, we were actually busy crusing the strip, floating around the lazy river at the hotel and going to a show.  The Strip has also changed, as it always does with regenerating ever bigger and bigger hotels and luxury inners to attract the punters.  Here are a few of the bigger ones

 

OH NO - DELETE THAT ONE!!!

and our favourite Murano glassware ceiling at Bellagio

As per the first post and the picture of MGM Grand 22 years ago, I did manage to get a shot across the roads and bridges (at a major cost to health of blistered feet, heat exhaustion and closed off road crossings) to the way it is now

no more big lions mouth entrance (reception now round the back) as gambling space is doubled and rooms expanded.  Our room was down one of hundreds of long, long corridors - it is just phenomenal - 62000 rooms in the middle of the desert - crazy place.

BAFFLING JAPS AGAIN
We have all seen their crazy antics in every tourist place in the world - Lake District included of course, but it was a bit much to take when rows of them got up and left about 15 minutes from the end of an amazing Cirque Du Soleil extravaganza (Ka)!  Then more of them about 5 minutes from the climactic end and then the rest as the cast were taking their well earned standing ovations - weird, and somewhat distracting for us.  But what can you do - they did have strict instructions not to film the whole show - it obviously caused them a lot of pain to have their selfies denied for a whole 2 hours.

ONWARDS
Only just got around to writing this, after several days.  Being on the road again, new places, busy driving/walking all day, headaches from heat and some stressful situations - means a distinct lack of time in the evenings for blogging - so next ones on wonderful Zion and Grand Canyon, may be a while hitting the streets.  Bear with us!!