But I realized that you would just keep nagging for some details on my trip to the city that never sleeps, Sin City, or just the city I’d like to call ‘Las Vegas’. I’m sure I made some of you guys very jealous with my last post, and all I can say is: you’ll even get more jealous when you read this report!

It all started very early in the morning, when we got up at 4 AM to be in time to catch our 7 AM flight. Going to Florida cost us $100 in overweight luggage, thus after shifting some clothes from one suitcase to another (some of us like to take half of their closet with them when they go on a weekend trip, and no it’s not me ), we were all set to go to the airport. No running to the gate this time, we even had plenty of time to stop at Dunkin’s for a yummy chocolate glazed Donut or stare at the planes for a while. The weather was nice too, so we could see a lot when looking out of the airplane windows. We saw Rocky Mountains covered with snow, a lonely road going through a death valley and even a little piece of the Grand Canyons. Some of the passengers already started building a party on the plane, and the little whiskey bottles were brought in constantly. I never saw so many people standing in the aisle during a flight, even though it was a bit of an eventful one. Somewhere around the middle, we had an enormous air hole, and suddenly the partying and yelling was replaced by silence and people quietly sitting in their seats. Lucky for us, we had a good couple of pilots, and after some shakes and bumps, we saw the Hoover dam, the lake and ‘finally’, the Strip. Amazing as it was seen from it the air, it would get even more amazing once we set foot on the ground

Vegas atmosphere already starts at the very gate you land. The noise of slot machines welcomes you when leaving the airplane, and from there on, it doesn’t stop. We thought that Florida was very hot, but it was nothing compared to the boiling dry heat that overcomes you when going outside. A little bus took us to the end of the strip, where we checked in in Circus Circus, and immediately changed into bikini’s and shorts. Indeed, not the Strip, but the pool was our primary destination. A nice refreshing dip in a shark and manatee-free pool was the highlight of our afternoon. After enjoying a nice Watermelon Daiquiri, some sun and an other lifeguard every 30 minutes, we decided to get ready for some casino-exploring, all-you-can-eat-dinners, and the long awaited arrival of our Floridian companion. Normally, Eline was going to land 15 minutes after us, but she accidently switched the AM and PM flight, only to arrive a bit after midnight. But if you think we went straight to bed then, you’re wrong! After dusk is somewhat the perfect time to explore the strip. Still warm enough to wear almost nothing, and a lot of lights, excitement and people to see. The first casino we visited was the Venetian, where you can take a gondola that sails you right into their mall. Once there, you can’t see if it’s day or night, as a nice cloudy sky lightens the small Venetian alleys. You can see Palazzo D’oro, Piazza San Marco, Ponte dei Sospiri.. A nice little foretaste for this summer, as I’ll be visiting Venice for the 3^rd time already. Another great casino is Caesar’s Palace, where you can find the Trevi fountains, the Colloseum and a lot of Roman Palazzo’s. The Venetian and Caesar’s Palace are some of the bigger Casino’s of the strip, so you could say that Italy is well represented… We also stopped for some drinks at Margarita Ville, saw some bands play live here and there, and stopped at some famous places like Treasure Island, Casino Royale and the local Mc Donald’s. After seeing enough lights and hearing enough slot machines, we decided to call it a day and went to our nice little Circus Circus bed.

The next day started of a bit the same. We slept a bit later, took a little brunch and went straight to the pool. Another cloudless day, and mercury was rising to unknown heights. We switched the pool for Adventuredome, a very large indoor amusement park located in our very hotel, where they happen to have the largest indoor rollercoaster, which we immediately had to try. Eline and I were on the front row, Elke and Laurens behind me. I have never heard so much screaming in my life! We also took our chance at the Slot machines. When in the neighborhood, you should definitely try the Midas Touch Slot Machine in Circus Circus. A nice little old lady was trying her look at this big slot machine, and thought it would be fine if Eline and Laurens just put their coins in because she wasn’t exactly in a lucky mood. Eline put her coin in the machine, took the handle for a swing, and coins just started rolling out. You should’ve seen the old ladies face, as she was already standing there for 10 minutes, getting nothing out of it. It got even worse when Laurens also decided to empty the slot machine. She cursed and cursed while both of them went to cash their profit in nice green dollar bills. I didn’t get lucky though, but there’s a saying that if you don’t have luck playing games… Oh well

On our way back to the hotel after some shopping, we also scored some VIP tickets to Pure, a nice nightclub at Caesar’s Palace. So we all dressed up again, and left at about 11 to stretch our legs to some funky music. The waiting line was still pretty long, but we got in for free, so that was a nice compensation to the high prized drinks over there (no good drinks under 17$, at least if you want to drink something else than ‘dishwatery’ beer). You could compare Pure with Culture Club (only way better), and with a Loungy bar on the roof of Caesar’s Palace, where you can overlook the strip while sipping a wine and dancing to the beat. Elke almost immediately had an admirer, and a girl fell completely in love with Laurens and his outfit. We all had a good time out, and got at the hotel late enough to have a long lie-in the next day.

Because sitting at the pool gets a bit boring after a while, we decided to go shopping (what else to do with 3 girls and a male shopping addict?) Elke and I each bought a very lovely Alyn Paige NY dress, and even Laurens didn’t leave the building empty handed.. Now we all had the perfect outfit for our next night out on the Strip. We also had to stop at the local Abercrombie, where some of us where couldn’t resist buying that one cute top in clearance, the cool shorts… After a quick dive in the pool, we got all dressed up again. Our place to be for tonight was the Wynn, one of the newer Casino’s on the strip, and considered as one of the best places to stay. Too bad our bank account didn’t allow us that, but a friend over in Long Valley his nephew played one of the main characters in one of the musicals there, and he got us 2 for 1 tickets, which is always a welcome bonus.

Sir Galahad got us some very nice seats not to far from the stage, and we enjoyed “Spamalot”, a bit of a parody of “The Quest for the Holy Grail”, one of my favorite Monty Python movies. Mr. Cleese himself was only present in the voice of God, but I must say, I haven’t laughed like then in a long time! The Knights of Ni, Tim the Enchanter, a soon-to-be-dismembered Black Knight, a peasant named Dennis, the French taunters and a rather dangerous killer rabbit had us all cracking up in our seats..

After the musical, sir Galahad (aka Mika Duncan) gave us a little private tour backstage, where we saw some dressing rooms, the stage, some of the attributes from the show.. Another once in a lifetime opportunity!

The night was still young, so we started out with some drinks at Blush, the loungy club at the Wynn. Laurens was having a very generous mood, as he bought bubbles for all of us. There was a nice atmosphere, but a little to calm for us, so we went to Caesar’s Palace again to discover some of the other nightclubs there. Our initial plan was to go to Poetry, but as there were more people leaving than entering when we got there, we decided to make a change of plans and go to the Bank instead. With our nice dresses and suits on, we didn’t have any problem getting in, and even passed a great load of people who were already waiting there for a while. They say nice outfits and good looks get you everywhere, and in Las Vegas this is more than true! There was a bit of a foam party going on, and especially in the beginning of the night the music was great. Elke had another admirer, and if it weren’t for Laurens, I would’ve never gotten rid of some London dude constantly trying to grab my hand to move me up to the bar. I guess that under the saying ‘what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas’, a lot of people just don’t hesitate to take their chances. Too bad for them, I ain’t that easy

The next day we decided to discover the other part of the strip. Bellagio, NY NY with it’s impressive rollercoaster (even better than the one we have over at our hotel), Brooklyn Bridge and the big skyscrapers, Paris Paris (because everything’s just sexier in Paris) with its Eiffel tower and other famous buildings, MGM Grand that includes the biggest bronze statue (of a lion) in the western world, and some very alive lions in the lobby .. every one of them impressive in its own way. They also had a nice Coca Cola Ville, and an M&M store that could easily compete with the one here on Times Square.. We enjoyed the nice water spectacle of the Bellagio Fountains, and kept being amazed by every step we took.

The last night was started with a lot of rosé wine, and Laurens trying to make friends with all other hotel guests in our block, just to find a bottle opener. Some surprising news from a friend back in Belgium, a funky photo shoot on Eline’s new suitcase, and a little pre party in the room were the warm-up. A nice dinner with a crazy waiter and some more rosé wine later, I didn’t feel like walking up and down the strip again, especially because it was already after midnight and we didn’t plan on really going out . So television was my friend that evening. (Crazy as it might be, one of the only times that we watch television is when we’re away for the weekend, or when we were at Eline’s den in Florida (where we saw the whole ANTL season in half a day)

After getting up again and making our suitcase, we decided to take a last hop into the water where some annoying French snobs were acting like they were King of the Pool, with their little loud iPod docks (which actually had some nice music on it) and lofty behavior. I guess they just didn’t have anywhere else to go, because they certainly didn’t look 21, and weren’t allowed in clubs or casino’s. but what’s the point in coming to Las Vegas without being allowed into the two best things they have to offer?

All in all, it was certainly the cherry on the cake when it comes to our little trips around America. At least now I already have a bit of a tan to make all of you brain drained students a bit jealous! for more pictures, you can also check my picasa account. just click the link on the right hand site of the blog.

Cheers!