USA

I am up to date on the blogging at last! Some entries need padding out abit though. Mark and I are having another poker/shopping day today so I came back to the internet cafe I saw yesterday and spent 2 hours catching up. Phew, might spend a bit of time people watching now - always amusing in Vegas!

Today was the day Mark had been waiting for - he could play poker while I went shopping - everyone was happy!

I walked down the Hawaiian marketplace and found this cheap (ish) internet place - hurrah! I walked around for nearly all of today and only covered a couple of blocks as the hotels are so massive it takes ages to walk anywhere. I was knackered when I met Mark back at the hotel in the evening.

Also confessed to Mum that the doctor in New Zealand I saw a few weeks ago said I had the start of pnemonia but I didn't want to tell her in case she worried, so I waited until I was better to tell her and write it in this blog. Those anti-biotics knocked it on the head - phew!

We went to a burger place for tea, the veggie burgers were yummy! Went to Treasure Island to try and catch the show but it was cancelled due to high winds - we'll have to try again tomorrow... Saw the volcano at the Mirage.

Went to downtown Vegas today to the Fremont Street experience. Mark wanted to play a bit of poker at the well known (to poker players?) Binons Horseshoe so I left him to it while I went for a walk.

Once it went dark, all the neons went on and you could recognise it from the films http://www.vegasexperience.com/. We also caught a show on the biggest LED screen in the world and the tag line wasn't kidding, it was OTT!

Must be jet lagged even though we didn't realise it - slept solid til 1pm!

We eased into the day by lying by the pool for a few hours - I'm getting so dark I hardly recognise myself!

Went to Casears Palace shopping centre for a wander and had some food at Planet Hollywood (the restaurant, not the hotel as both are here) and by the time we wandered back to the hotel it was 8pm...time is still going too fast - I'll be home this time next week.

Spent most of today travelling, arrived in LA at midday and then had to wait a few hours for our connecting flight to Vegas. Had some of the local food within a few minutes of arriving in the US - Maccie D's!

The descent / landing in Vegas took ages and was so bumpy, after 10 flights in two months, I nearly had to make use of one of those paper bags!

Vegas is as big and brash as I remember if not more so! It is also around the mid 30's - hot, hot, hot!

Staying at the Paris hotel opposite the Bellagio and we can see the fountains from our room - my favourite thing in Vegas - I'm happy!

Mark set himself a daily limit for gambling - very sensible you might think - but then he lost today's, tomorrows and Tuesday all in one go as he was so excited! Oh dear! No more poker til Wednesday for him!