Viva Las Vegas

After leaving the Grand Canyon we kept moving. Next stop Boulder City, Nevada to see the Hover Dam. The 4hr drive took up most of the afternoon. The drive was pretty easy, my favourite part was the mountains as we headed into Boulder city, I had no idea of how mountainous the area was. 

For some reason it was really hard for us to find an RV park for the night in Boulder City. After a bit of a search we finally found a place down by Lake Mead, however when we arrived we were told that because we were not an actual RV (just a mini van) we could not stay for the night and to try the camp ground next door. A bit annoyed we tried the campgrounds next door, but they were horrible, they didn’t even have any showers! So our search continued. Finally we came across another RV park who was happy to take us for the night for only $10! Super stoked we setup for the night, had some showers and caught up with the family on Skype.

 Day 1: To start the day we made our way to the famous Hover Dam. The dam was huge, however the water level was currently at it’s lowest which was sad to see. After looking around the dam we went inside to take the tour. The tour was sweet; we went inside and got to see the turbines and the inner workings of the dam. All very amazing for the time in which they were built.

In the afternoon we made our way into Las Vegas. Our second time to Las Vegas, and just like New York City it was really different to drive into vs. fly. We had organized to couch surf with a guy called Eric for the few days we were in town. Eric (originally from New York) was a bartender in Vegas; we arrived at Eric’s place and were welcomed at the door by other couch surfer’s Rob and Abi who were just finishing up at Eric's. We actually all hung out and exchanged stories for a few hours before Abi and Rob left when Eric went to work. As Marc and I were pretty tiered we actually just kicked back on the couch, relaxed and watched TV for the first time in a week… a bit sad for our first night back in Vegas but it was all we wanted to do!

Day 2: After a really good night sleep we woke up late and caught up with Eric who suggested some places for us to visit while we were in town. For lunch we made our way to a place called 'Firefly' for some lunch tapas. The food was reasonably priced and very tasty too. 

 After lunch we wandered around the Vegas strip, great to be back to such an incredible place. We purchased some discount tickets for the Cirque du Soleil show KA, then for the rest of the afternoon we went out to the outlet malls to check out the bargains. We were watching our money so did not do much shopping but I did pick up some really nice birthday sunnies (thanks mum and dad).

That night we had a quiet dinner at home before we made our way back to the strip. We had time before the show started so visited Eric at work at the newest hotel on the strip the ‘Cosmopolitan’. The Cosmopolitan was a beautiful new hotel, very modern and had a really different feel to it (compared to the older hotels). Eric was a little busy but we had a quick visit and a beer before taking off.

We made our way back to the MGM grand for KA that started at 10pm. The stage was pretty sweet it took up most of the room with railings and walk ways all over the walls and ceiling. The show was pretty amazing lots of acrobatics, marshal arts and crazy moving sets. The show was more story based then just acrobatics which was not exactly what we were expecting but we still both really enjoyed it. After the show we were both pretty tiered so made our way back to the house.

 Day 3: For some reason the weather in Vegas was pretty cold with scattered showers. In the morning we went for a run around Eric’s neighbourhood, the roads were huge but not very pedestrian friendly.

After our run we went back into Vegas first stopping off at Town Square mall for a look around. Next we made our way to the ‘Miracle mile’ another shopping destination on the strip. It took us a while to walk around because it was so big. We stopped off at Sin City brewery to sample the beer then bought some of my favorite jeans before heading back to Eric’s.

In the evening we splashed out for dinner at an all you can eat Sushi restaurant. The servings were huge and some of the dishes were really good. Our favorite was the lasagna sushi that had melted cheese mmm. After dinner we were stuffed so ended up having a nap on the couch before heading out to catch up with Eric, Abi and Rob.



Back on the strip we started with some drinks at Holistiens (delicious milkshakes!) then met up with the others for drinks at Hooters. It was not too big of a night but still fun. The boys played some blackjack and we just hung out before heading back to the house.

Day 4: We decided to stay an extra day in Vegas. Eric had the night off and had some friends coming into town… who were we to turn down one final night in Vegas.

During the day we met up with Abi and Rob to go and show them some of the sights that they had not seen. First we visited the Vegas sign for some photos. Next Old Vegas where we grabbed some lunch and looked around some of the old casinos. It was still cold so not as much fun to walk around. In the afternoon we visited Harley Davidson to pick up another pin and poker chip.

In the evening we had some dinner at Eric’s while we watched the Yankees and Rangers playoff game, unfortunately NY lost to Eric’s dismay. Abi and Rob’s last night so after dinner I dropped them off at the airport and said our good byes.

That night we headed out with Eric to the Palms where he used to work. We had a blast went to three different clubs Playboy, Ghost Bar and Moon and danced the night away. 

Had a really good time in Vegas the second time around, it was great seeing outside the strip and enjoying the sights.