I'm serious.  I've seen a little of the whole world in the past 2 weeks.  And I didn't have to leave the country.
   My trip to Las Vegas was an experience I'll never forget, and one that will bring a smile to my face for a very long time.  I'll try to record as much of it here as I can, though it will be hard, because so much happened.
   I drove up to my sister Amber's house in Denver the afternoon of the 9th.  Our flight to Las Vegas wasn't until 10:00 pm, but I wanted to get up to Denver early to avoid the rush hour traffic, and mainly just to get the 2 1/2 hour drive over with (I hate driving in the city with a passion).  Amber was at work so I hung around her house, mostly surfing the net, until she got home.  We got a bite to eat and watched some TV, anxiously waiting until could head to the airport.  I was very nervous since I had never flown in a commericial plane before, just in my uncle's 4 person plane.  There were some very serious butterflies in my stomach!
   Finally the hour came to head to the airport and Amber's aunt drove us to the drop off in front of the Frontier Airlines desk.  After a few problems with MY ticket (it's always my stuff causing problems) we were able to check our bags and head into the terminal.  DIA is very impressive, it's HUGE!  I'm so glad that Amber was there to show me around; otherwise I would have been lost.  I was terrified about security, having heard how strict they are about your carry on items.  It went fast however and we went right on through.  Walking around barefooted while my shoes went through the x-ray machine was disgusting...  Eeew.
   We rode the "train" between the concourses then finally sat and waited until our row was called to be seated.  I didn't realize how small the average plane is.  You are literally packed into your seats like sardines!  Amber gave me the window seat (thank you!) and I tried to distract myself while we taxied out onto the runway.

   Takeoff is wild!  It’s like the start to a rollercoaster ride, slamming you back into your seat.  Then you climb for what seems like forever until finally the pilot turns off the seat-belt sign.  Frontier was a great airline, each seat had it’s own little TV screen where you could watch a movie or TV if you wanted (and paid for it), or just watch a little MapQuest map showing the progress of the plane, along with altitude and speed.  That was great, and kept me occupied.  Cruising altitude and I, however, do not mix well at all.  I swear my head felt like it was about to burst.  As we began to descend into Las Vegas (which is amazing from the air) I started feeling better, well, until I started worrying about the landing that is.  The landing was horrible.  Amber said that it was one of the worst she’s ever had.  The plane would rock from side to side, drop, rise a little, rock, drop, rock...  Then with a thud we landed.  Ack, I wanted to run off that plane and kiss the ground.

   The Las Vegas Airport is nuts.  That’s all I have to say about that.  It was 12 pm and there were people everywhere.  The baggage area was basically a zoo and we waited for about 25 minutes to get our bags then we headed out to get a taxi.  I was so sleepy by this time; it was way past my bedtime.  But getting a taxi proved to be a lot harder than we had anticipated.  The line was an hour long, in a chilly, breezy Las Vegas night.  Brrrrr.  Once we arrived at our hotel, The Signature at the MGM, we just wanted to get in our room and crawl in bed.  We check in and the super polite managers tell us that they are out of the room size we had reserved, so they were bumping us up to a 1 bedroom suite, which on our internet deal was about $65 more dollars a night.  We must have had this dazed, almost angry (not intentional!)  look, in our eyes cause the other manager jumped in and was saying, “Oh it’s a great room, you’ll love it!  There are TWO bathrooms!”  *giggles*  We said, oh that’s great, and got our keys, found the elevator and looked to see which floor we were on.  Well, hello Vegas, we’re on the 31^st PENTHOUSE level!   We looked at each other in shock and giggled like 12 year old girls.

   We walk into our room and all we can tell is that it is big, really big.  We can’t tell much else because the light switch at the front door isn’t working.  Finally we find another one and holy cow we about falling over!  The room is crazy.  It’s bigger than most apartments.  And fancy!

The Dining Area

The Bedroom

The Living Room

The Kitchen

  We ran around the room screaming and pointing everything out to each other.  In total there was, a bedroom with two closets and big flat screen HD TV, and a little couch, a dining area and living room with a foldout couch, another big TV, a balcony, two more closets, a simply wonderful bathroom with two sink areas, a glass enclosed shower, a jetted tub big enough for two, and another TV (yes!  In the bathroom!), and a separate toilet area, then another bathroom (kind of a guest bathroom I guess) which looked like a very fancy regular hotel sized bathroom, and to top it off a complete kitchen.  I’ve never, ever, stayed in a place so fancy or big.  It was amazing and the view of the Las Vegas strip was incredible.

   By the time we actually calmed down and got to bed I barely hit the pillow before I fell deep asleep.

I went to Egypt

   The first day we headed out into Las Vegas to do some site seeing.  The whole plan was that we go out two days in advance of Amber’s conference so we’d have time together to do fun stuff.  We walked and walked and walked all day looking at everything there was to see.  I was very overwhelmed by everything, Amber would be trying to talk to me and I’d have this distracted, glazed look on my face.  She found it hilarious.

Can't tell we're having fun, can you?

I saw the Statue of Liberty!

   I don’t remember now all the casinos we made it to that day…  It’s getting all blurry.  Casinos are a spectacle like no other.  You have to see one to know what I’m talking about.  Noisy, crowded, colorful…  The list could go on and on.  I guess one of the biggest impressions I had at first was the scale of everything.  Everything is huge.  Casinos are almost a maze to try and get through.

And I saw New York!

   My favorite moment of the day had to be when I first saw the Fountains of the Bellagio.  Wow.  I love fountains, always have, but these fountains are like nothing I’d ever seen before.  If you ever get a chance to see something in Vegas, go to the Bellagio.  You won’t be disappointed.

Paris anyone?

   Oh, now I remember, we walked through Paris a bit, took tons of pictures of the Eiffel tower, ate at the Mon Amie Gabi restaurant (I have a new favorite seafood dish: scallops!) then wandered around looking at the casino area.  We saw a menu for the Eiffel Tower Restaurant and stopped to read it.  Oh yummy, and it’s a 5 star restaurant, too… This young man who works there (not sure what his title would be) saw us reading it and asked how we were and then asked us if we would like to have a tour of the restaurant.  Uh, yeah!

The fountains of Bellagio and the Eiffel Tower

  So into the elevator and up to the restaurant we went.  He showed us the kitchen and the dining area, along with the view, which was superb: a very, very classy place.  It overlooks the Bellagio and the fountains there.  He stood talking with us for several minutes, asking about our trip, how long we were in town, where we should go, what we should see, etc.  Finally he asked if we would like to try to get reservations for dinner there, as it’s really hard to get one (he would push a few things around for us).  When Amber asked me what one thing I’d really like to do in Vegas my first answer was to eat at a really nice restaurant (you know, one where you actually have to dress really nice, know which fork to use…).  This was THE place, I knew it.  We said we’d love to have him check if a reservation was available.  We ended up getting one for Sunday night.  Yay!  I was super excited.

   Saturday was much the same as Friday, more touristy stuff, lots of walking.  Amber had tickets for O by Cirque du Soleil at the Bellagio for that night, so we got all dressed up and spent an hour out front watching the fountains before the show started.  O is an big water performance, and it was incredible.  I’ve read a lot of reviews on it since then to see what others had to say and my favorite quote was, “If you don’t like Salvador Gali’s paintings, then you won’t like O.”  What that means is that it’s very symbolic.  It’s not just high divers, synchronized swimmers, trapeze acts, clowns, and water.  Some of it was a little odd, and I have to admit I didn’t quite “get” it, but I had a good time trying to.  My least favorite part was getting squirted with water by one of the clowns.  The theater was already freezing, I’m in a nice dress, and now I’m wet, too.  *sigh*

Me outside the Bellagio before O

   Sunday we had to move out of the Signature and over to the Rio, where the conference was being held and where our paid for rooms were.  It was sad leaving that room.  It was even sadder when we entered our new room at the Rio.  It was nice, compared to most motels, sure, but it was nothing comparison to the Signature.  We got all depressed about it and went back out to do more exploring of Vegas.

Made some new friends at the Excalibur Castle

   Sadly, the Rio is off the strip and not close enough to walk safely, so we found the Rio’s free shuttle service and made good use of that.  Also we took countless taxis, and do you know how crazy taxi drivers are?!

The half-scale replica of the Arc de Triomphe (so cool!)

   I had wanted to do some shopping for family and friends in Vegas, but I had not anticipated the prices!  Wow, wow, wow.  Shopping was cancelled.  When I finally found a t-shirt for $20 I freaked out and took it straight to the cashier.  Yeah, I know, that sounds expensive.  You have no idea.

   Finally we’d seen all but a few remaining hotels and casinos and I had my favorites.  I love the Bellagio, I love it, I love it, I love it!  Okay, then Paris, ‘cause I’m all about French stuff.

Good View of Paris

   The Venetian was one of my next favorites, it was beautiful and really felt like you were in Italy.  Even if the gondoliers were cheesy and marched around the Canal Shops singing.

The Venetian *mmmm*

   Oh, here’s a story!  In the Canal shops (where there are stores like Gucci, Versace, Jimmy Choo, Donna Karen, etc., etc.) there was this white statue.  There was a crowd around it and people were laying money at its feet.  I was peering at it trying to figure out who it was supposed to be, maybe a saint or something, when it BLINKED!  I jumped out of my skin and laughed hysterically.  Amber almost rolled in laughter at my surprise that the “statue” was actually a living person in some really heavy white makeup.

It's Alive!

   I also love Caesars, mostly because of the fountains and the gardens.  It was neat.

The Fountains of the Greek Gods at Caesar's

   Speaking of shopping, we walked into this one store in the Bellagio, and I thought it was a more “reasonable” shop, maybe I could actually afford something there.  I saw this rather hideous long greenish coat and picked it up to examine it when the price tag fell out of the collar, displaying a modest asking price of over $3000.00.  I promptly and very carefully put it back on the rack and walked out before I did something stupid or snagged a $400 thread.

Dinner at Paris (the flash just didn't get me...)

   Our dinner at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant was amazing; we got a table next to the windows overlooking the Bellagio.  The staff treated us like royalty.  Our waiter set us at our table, lay our napkins in our laps, served us in 3 courses and even took our picture!  I was dressed to the nines, in my black dress, high heels, and all.  I’ve never had so much fun just eating dinner!  It was really expensive, but totally worth it.  There were attendants in the bathroom!!!  I’ve never seen such a thing!  We had Scallops for our appetizer, Salmon for the main course and then a chocolate soufflé for dessert.  The food was cooked to perfection and the chocolate soufflé was amazing!  If you ever are in Vegas and want to go out for a perfect dinner (and you don’t mind spending a little money), go to the Eiffel Tower Restaurant!  You won’t regret it.  When I told my sister Carla about it later she shrieked and said that she had just done a study on that restaurant for her culinary classes.  She said it is one of the best restaurants in the country.  I believe it.

Not a Bad Picture of Me Taking Pictures

   Here’s a great story:  We are trying to navigate our way through the casino at the Rio and find where their free show was (each hotel has some free attraction), and we’re getting lost, so we are consulting our handy little map and arguing over which way was which.  Suddenly, a string of Mardi Gras like beads gets thrown across my feet and slides to a stop a little ways behind me.  Hmmm, how weird, I’m thinking and before I could pick it up this lady shrieks and grabs it and runs off.  Okay then…  I go back to the map, seconds later another string of beads.  Now I’m confused.  I look around as I’m picking them up and finally I see.  The Chippendales dancer, with half his clothes missing, is throwing them at me.  He winks.  I blush.  I tell Amber, she laughs and we go back to trying to find our way.  And hello!  Another string of beads lands at my feet.  I bend down, pick them up, smile at the half-naked man and try to concentrate on the map.  Then another string of beads!!!  Amber is now laughing her head off and we realize that they are throwing beads at the women in the area so they’ll come and have their pictures taken with these guys.  Now he starts beckoning me with a finger and I smile, blush, shake my head no and suggest that we move along.  Another string of beads and Amber says, “Come on, let’s get you a picture with him!”  She grabs my arm and I freak out, twist away and run behind a pillar.  Amber is bent over with laughing and the half-naked man is giggling.  Then this stranger, who’s been watching, apparently, starts telling me to go on over and have my picture taken, “It’s Vegas, no one knows you, go have some fun!”  Now I’m as red as a cherry.  Finally the show starts, the Chippendales leave and I’m safe!  Whew.  It ended up that the show was very lame and embarrassing as well.  Amber finds a slot machine that she likes and shows me how it works and I sit and watch her play.  I think I hate slots, they are money eaters.  Anyways, as she’s playing and I’m watching the Chippendales return!  Now we’re less than 6 feet away.  I groan and try to hide in my seat.  No such luck, I get 3 more strings of beads (I think) from the same guy along with several winks.

   Despite it being a very weird, embarrassing experience, I got a huge laugh out of seeing a guy who is used to women falling all over him (even with their husbands or boyfriends standing by, gag!) get all frustrated and totally determined to get me to come to him!

After Dinner at Paris

   That’s the thing about Vegas, people act insane and do things that they would normally never do, just because it’s Vegas.  I heard the saying, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” so many times, I got sick of it.

View From the Voodoo Lounge

   The Voodoo lounge at the top of the Rio was actually quite nice.  The view from 51 or 52 floors up was perfect.  There was a live band we got to watch, and they were really good.  Crazily enough I had the keyboardist from the band starting winking at me five minutes into the set…  What is with these men in Vegas!?  He even came up to talk to me afterwards.  Weird, weird.  We did a little dancing and I had some very friendly guy from Puerto Rico dancing all over me, I finally just left for the restroom so he’d leave me alone.

Me at the Bellagio Again

   Monday Amber was at her convention and I spent my time window shopping, and playing on the computer.  At night we’d go out and have fun.  Monday evening was a night like no other…  Bear with me, ‘cause this story is worth it.

   Amber is the Executive Director of the Problem Grambling Association of Colorado, and she is at the Problem Gambling Conference in Las Vegas.  Ironic, I know.  Anyways, the big G2E (Global Gaming Expo) Expo is starting Monday as well and Amber and some of the people she knows are invited to the big VIP welcoming banquet.  Amber invites me to go along with her as her guest.  I’m thinking, cool, this will be fun.  Free food!  If you’ve ever been in Vegas you’ll know what mean!  So I dress nicely, but not too fancy, we meet up with Amber’s associates in the lobby and take a car over to the Wynn hotel.  Within 5 minutes of being with these people I know I’m very out of place.  They are talking about buying stuff at Tiffany’s and Gucci and whatever and about their million dollar homes…  Two are with the Isle of Capri, one owns her own restaurant and I forget about the other one.  Anyways, I’m wearing an outfit that costs less than $30…  We get to the Wynn, which is very swanky, and find the entrance to the banquet.  You know when you see those red carpet scenes, that is almost how it felt.  They had velvet ropes set up and everyone had to show their conference badge to get in.  I have no badge and I’m hoping that I can just go as Amber’s guest.  Turns out that I and two other people in our group can’t get in.  The others give us some other person’s name to use (who has an invitation but won’t be coming) and we are lead by security to a man with a computer who asks for our names to check the list.  I’m literally shaking inside.  I just know I’m going to get caught and thrown out of the Wynn hotel on my own, all alone.  He finds the other friends’ fake names and they get in, now it’s just me.  He can’t find my “name”.  Then he asks for who I work for.  I blank, because I have no clue!  Luckily Amber was right there and blurts out a company.  They still can’t find me, and ask if I have any ID, um no…  *laughs*

   So, they can’t let me in, and tell me to go back to my hotel and get my badge.  Oh good grief!  I tell everyone to just go in and I’ll go find something to entertain me for a couple hours.  They protest and come up with a plan.  Since Amber is already stamped, I’ll take her badge, go back out into the casino, wait for a few minutes, let my hair down, give Amber my jacket, and go in on my own.  I’m so worried it is not going to work…  But, actually I get right on through and I get my hand stamped!  Whew!

   It turned out to be a very nice party, with a huge crowd of very important gaming industry people, a huge buffet style banquet, a live jazz band and an open bar.  I mingle, I chat with heads of casinos and gaming companies, I thrill them with stories of my life on a ranch.  They are shocked.  I laugh under my breath…

   After it was over our group decides to go to a very famous nightclub at Caesars, called Pure.  The night before Nick Lachey (the singer who married Jessica Simpson) was there to celebrate his birthday.  So, yeah, it’s a very popular place that you can’t just walk into.

   We get there, 8 of us piled in a 5 person car.  I’m with Amber, her acquaintances, the gambling director from Iowa, and a few others.  We go to the VIP desk in front of Pure and find out that no one is one the list that night.  The bouncers are giving us “the look”, which is very intimidating.  So the Iowa guy calls someone he knows inside and gets us all on the list, the lady in charge of Pure comes out, looks us over and lets us through.  This place normally has a $30 cover.  Nuts.  It was actually a very, very nice place.  There is another open bar, and these amazing dessert tables with chocolate fountains, and people (most of the same crowd from the banquet) are talking, dancing, or watching.  We dance, we laugh.  It was great.  I’m at a VIP party at one of Vegas’s hottest clubs.  It’s surreal.

   After they shut Pure down for the night some of our group wants to go to the Ghostbar at the Palms hotel.  So into the car we pile again and head off.  Somehow we picked up another guy in our group and when we get to the Palms VIP access he pays for all of us to get in ($30 per person!).  This bar is at the top of the Palm hotel, and is another hot spot.  The view was incredible!

View From the Ghostbar

   The other people we’re with are by now heavily intoxicated.  I just found a spot by myself and watched the view and took pictures.  Two young men asked me if I’d take their picture and I say yes, and afterwards we start talking.  I find out that they are from Boston!  We actually had a great conversation and they were the only normal guys I met the whole time.  They were respectful and kind, weren’t hitting on me, and we spent almost an hour talking about what we’d seen, where we each should go next, showing pictures we’d taken, etc.  It was great.  They were feeling out of place like me, so it was fun to talk with them.

Farewell!

   Tuesday was our last day and after we packed our stuff and left it with the desk we headed out to see a few more things before we had to go back to the airport.  Most of our time was at the Bellagio, just watching the fountains.

   The flight back wasn’t too bad, except that Denver was under snow and Las Vegas had been 70 degrees.  I was freezing!

   Quite the trip?  You can’t imagine.

Yours, Truly... The World Traveller