I was awake at 7am on Thursday 10th September, having had over 8 hours of sleep for the first time since Saturday! I really fancied a day of doing nothing but I also had work to do and in the UK it was already the afternoon and in Turkey it was already gone 5pm.
Briony was also awake and we didn’t want to disturb Louisa so we decided to go downstairs to the casino. We crept out in our pyjamas (me in a t-shirt as I didn’t have any) and it was the first time I’d taken in the Excalibur properly. It was huge, noisy and very bright. I was also surprised that smoking is allowed indoors. Briony got settled at a Craps machine while I logged on to my laptop to realise I’d already missed 4 more cruise training sessions and the Resort Experts’ team meeting. Briony showed me the rules of Craps, and I still didn’t really get it yet. She put $100 in to play with and then got stuck on the machine without it letting her cash out – she had to call her husband (an avid gambler) to get help. I still didn’t know if I would allow myself to ‘waste’ any money on gambling while I was in Vegas. I know it’s something everyone has to try once but, being in a situation where I didn’t have money to splurge, I could only think of all the other things I would prefer to spend the money on, but we would see.
I also needed to speak to Captain Caveman who had been to his mortgage appointment yesterday to look at buying the flat we’d seen. I’d not known the outcome yet so I was trying my best to speak to him. It was very hard to find a quiet corner and WiFi signal so I ended up leaning on a wall next to the ladies toilets. His appointment had gone well and he told me he was thinking he would put an offer in, if all went well he could be in a new home for Christmas. Louisa messaged to see where we were as we had woke her when the door closed and she thought it was just the bathroom door. She came down to join us and had to navigate the casino which is quite easy to get lost in.
Jamie, a friend I met in Phong Nha Vietnam, drove over to meet us at 9.30am so we could all discuss our plans for the coming week and decide when she could join us. I brought my copy of The Handy Travel Planner with me as it already had a few Must Dos, Sees and Eats that I had noted down, mainly from the internet and a friend back home. We went through my list crossing off stuff which wasn’t worth doing and adding in any other recommendations. Jamie already had in her diary that she would see us after work tonight, we were all joining her and her friends on a night out in Fremont Street tomorrow and there was talk of karaoke, ideally at the weekend. I fancied an all you can eat buffet and had noted the prices in this hotel, but it didn’t get great reviews. Briony was up for a buffet somewhere but it wasn’t on Louisa’s list. Briony fancied the Ice bar and a show, but Louisa and I didn’t fancy an ice bar, Louisa was perhaps up for a show. Jamie gave some recommendations for food places and also said she and her eldest child would join Louisa doing the rollercoasters, which neither Briony nor I are a fan of. All of us wanted to go out to the Vegas sign for a photo, see the fountains at the Bellagio and go to Caesar’s Palace and the Venetian. Briony and Louisa were keen to experience more of the casinos too. We still had 5 full days and nights together so there was plenty of time.
It was only 10.30am when Jamie got a round in at the bar of the hotel. It was on my list to sample the $3 (£2.24) margaritas so that’s what I ordered, Jamie had a Coke and Louisa had her Coke with a rum in. Briony had already brought a coffee with her. I’d checked the drinks menus to see that a spirit was about $10-20 per shot so I was going to avoid them and stick to the perfectly fine margaritas. I’d set my spending limit at £50 per day, although I was hoping I could do it in less as I’d not been paid yet. The margarita was strong, had a salty rim and ice but was served in a plastic cup with a plastic straw – something I really don’t like.
We decided today that it would be a relaxing day by the pool and we went to check it out. It was very hot and no shade so I figured I’d last about 10 minutes with my factor 50 on before I needed the shade. We all went to the bar and I offered to get the first round in. I ordered another $3 (£2.24) margarita and the girls decided to order the frozen raspberry daiquiris which comes with a refillable plastic cup with a lid and is massive. They are very sugary and probably have about 4 alcohol shots in almost a litre (32oz) of drink so I definitely didn’t fancy one. When I went to pay, I nearly fainted – the round was just over $103 (£77)in total!
Ironically I needed to stay fairly sober as I had to speak to one of the owners of Resort Experts about my pay this month. I know we were meant to be on holiday but I could not get over the price of the drinks, and I’d just spent 2 days of budget already!
I went to the room to get my swimmers on after my phone call and had a little swim, the girls had another drink and all was well at 12.30pm. I’m not a sunbathing person so I popped in to the hotel for a couple of hours, leaving the girls enjoying the delights of the pool scene. It’s certainly a sign I’m getting older as I didn’t want to spoil tonight’s plans to meet up with Jamie and see some sights. At 3pm I came back to have another $3 margarita. Louisa had to leave the pool and go for a lay down and Briony had turned down free tickets to a show from some big fella in the pool. No one had eaten anything so Briony suggested she order a pizza and chips from the hotel bar. I took my pills and managed a slice but it was just too stodgy for me, the chips were good though. At just after 4pm I decided to go check on Louisa and take her some food, while Briony carried on with her drink and got back in the pool, saying she would be up shortly. Jamie was meeting us in the bar at 5pm so there was still time for everyone to be ready for some sightseeing. Louisa was breathing but was out for the count so I left the pizza on the desk and I went to meet Jamie as arranged. Briony and Louisa didn’t make it to the bar – those daiquiris were not to be sniffed at! Jamie and I waited to see if anyone would come as Jamie had kindly offered to drive us and show us some of the famous places. Louisa messaged to ask where we were but then fell back asleep, then when she surfaced Briony was in bed asleep.
By 7pm, having waited 2 hours, I took the liberty to leave without them and off we went. I did message to say we were heading to the Venetian and if they wanted, they could meet us there. Jamie had given her contact details to Briony earlier so she could get in touch when they had rested up a bit.
By 8.30pm we had seen the fancy hotels including the fountains and decided to go for a drink at one of the places I had on my list.
The Tipsy Robot is a bit gimmicky as a robot makes your drink – you still need to get up from your seat and collect it though. We got a 2 for 1 discount and they let us keep the discount card to give to our friends, so I paid just £19 for this round of drinks.
We had still not heard from Louisa or Briony so we decided to go for some food. We chose Tacotarian which is a vegetarian taco cafe (do you see what they did there?) and ordered 4 tacos between us. It was great food and only £19 (again) so it is possible to get decent and healthy food in Vegas if you know where to look.
By 9.20pm I was flagging and needed sleep and Jamie needed to get back to the family – we both had a lot to do tomorrow. I took a couple of photos of places we might book for bottomless brunch this weekend and then Jamie drove me back to the hotel. I was in bed before 9.45pm but my roommates weren’t there, from the evidence in the room they had got ready and gone out. I updated my budget tracker, having spent a total of £115 today and was disappointed with myself for not being prepared. I got a message from Louisa 10 minutes later asking where I was as they were now at the Bellagio.
Gratitude List
1. $3 Margaritas
2. Cooling off in the hotel swimming pool
3. Surviving Day 1 of Las Vegas.
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