I have to say that upon arriving in Las Vegas my first impression on the drive from the airport was underwhelming. We were staying at the Flamingo on the 22nd floor, right in the middle of the strip. The view from our floor to ceiling windows was starting to alter my negativity. As the sun began to set things began to change. We stumbled upon the fountain show on the lake at the Bellagio playing to the operatic Nessun Dorma. The next night we noticed it was set to Cher’s “If I could turn back time”. There was wild applause as it finished. The fountains of water lit up and danced in time to the music. It was spectacular. The crowds were now out and about. Next, the man made volcano at Treasure Island erupted shooting lava like lighting into the night sky. It had been a long day and we were fading so we decided to retire to our room to enjoy the view but not before buying tickets to see Cher the next night.

The Cher concert was amazing, helped out by a great backing band including the lead guitarist from White Snake. As we walked back to our resort I couldn’t help but think there are so many resorts here, each with their own casinos, theatres, shopping strips, bars, restaurants and cafes and they are all packed. This goes on 24/7. There must be some serious coin being turned over in this here city. Where else in the world does an ATM charge $10?

Well, Ruthie managed to do it again. She got me up in a helicopter over the Grand Canyon. I must admit it was smoother than I imagined it might be. The whole experience was made better by our pilot Jimmy who made us feel at ease with his knowledge and humour. The views over Lake Mead, the Hoover Dam, the Colorado River and the canyon was breathtakingly beautiful. We landed at an Indian reservation about 3000 feet above sea level to stretch our legs. On the way back, Ruthie sat in the front and at one stage I thought she was flying the chopper but that may have just been turbulence. A big tick off the bucket list!

On the helicopter flight we had met Autumn and Ryan who were having a drive through wedding in a “take out window” the next day. They invited us to come along. Ruthie thought this would be a hoot so the next day we caught the monorail to that end of town but as the song goes “get me to the church on time”, we didn’t make it to the chapel on time. Guess a drive through wedding doesn’t take that long.

As it turned out, we happened to be in Vegas for one of the busiest times of the year. It is spring break in the States and the college basketball conference playoffs are on. For a lot of Americans going to Las Vegas for this has become an annual event with many returning year after year. They can bet on the basketball live here and last year there was a 10 billion dollar turnover. It’s insane. You can carry an open container of alcohol anywhere you like in Vegas and smoking marijuana is legal. We found an open street bar that sold 50 cent beers at happy hour. The bell rang right on the dot of 5 and the beers were lined up ready to go. Sitting here and people watching became our favourite afternoon pastime. I can’t describe the sights we saw. I also worked out sending Ruthie in to buy the beers was the quickest option as the bar was so packed. Often she would come back with our 2 beers and her dollar still intact. The college guys were buying 20 at a time and would just give the sweet talking Ruthie 2 out of their supply. That’s my girl!

Our new cruise friend Jerri actually lives in Las Vegas and she kindly picked us up one day. We went to a great Mexican restaurant out of town set high upon a hill with sweeping views back over the city. Jerri then took us back to her lovely house where we met her pride and joy Bella, a chihuahua poodle cross. Jerri had done her homework as to where to live and had decided on Henderson on the outskirts of Las Vegas. All the essentials were nearby and it was out of the hustle and bustle but still close enough to Vegas. Ruthie was given the chance to drive on the other side of the road and we all survived! Actually she did really well but she did admit that the concentration factor was harder than she thought it would be. And we learnt you can turn right on a red light! Thanks Jerri for a great day.

Besides the Cher show, we also saw Donny & Marie (the number 1 show on the strip), Hall and Oats and the Beatles Cirque du Soleil. All the shows were sensational! You can’t go to Vegas and not have a flutter but there was no luck there. I’m blaming the scantily clad girls dancing on the tables for distracting my concentration. Their tactic worked. It’s really hard to describe the number of resorts and everything contained within them. It’s just mind blowing. We certainly had a number of jaw dropping, eye opening, only in Vegas moments here. You know what they say, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. All I can say is, Las Vegas 1, JK and Ruthie 0.