Leaving Las Vegas

OK. Now I'm surprised. I was not really interested in Las Vegas before I left, but Laz and Damien (the other Quark Group directors) insisted I visit the place to see how "over the top" it was. So, well, why not. I was, however looking forward to the Grand Canyon plane, bus ride, chopper landing, pontoon and return - that should be cool.

So, Las Vegas. Ummm, in a word? WOW! That place is insane - "over the top" is about as much of an understatement as "when our Sun supernovas, the Earth may be a little different". I barely scratched the protective coating of the cover over the surface in the 3 days I was there.

I really, really have to go back sometime for a bit longer - but probably no longer than 2 weeks, as more than that will likely drive a sane (well, that's questionable) man over the edge.

And the Grand Canyon - what a totally amazing experience that was. The pilot couldn't keep the plane on the ground the first 2 landing attempts due to wind, but managed nicely the third time - after the first 2 touch and go attempts we went around for a second approach and saw some awesome scenery we'd not normally see during a regular landing. The chopper landing was called off due to the temp being 120F at the bottom of the canyon (the air was too thin to safely land or take off with a passenger load), so I went on the Skywalk instead. I wasn't really interested in this before finding out the chopper landing was canned, but I was there and it was there, so why not? Well, it was definitely worth doing - standing over the biggest natural canyon in the world and looking down at the floor is, well, an experience that cannot (obviously) be matched on this planet. If you're going to the Grand Canyon, take the SkyWalk! :)

The Bellagio Fountains really are amazing. Caesar's Palace is massive. Most everything on the strip is impressive in size, architecture, extravagance and many other ways. And with all of the works in progress now, in a year or so it will be all that more impressive to visit. I've seen it on telly and it looks like Vegas. But only Vegas feels like Vegas - and you cannot experience that without being there yourself!

Regards,

The Outspoken Wookie