I walked up Fremont Street to experience the Fremont Street Experience. It's an experience just getting passed all the weirdo's. They all want to talk to you. I've learnt, after nearly 11 weeks in the States, the tactic of avoiding eye contact and just ignoring them. Always walk with a purpose and stick to the main streets.
As for the actual experience, it was pretty tacky. There's a few nice casinos like the Golden Nugget and Fitzgeralds, but they pale into insignificance when compared to the casinos on the strip. Fremont Street is the home to famous Vegas cowboy and cowgirl signs. Apparently the LED display is really good.
At least I returned to the hostel up. My $4.50 may not have broken the casinos banks, but it did pay for my breakfast.
When I got back to the hostel there was a nice guy called Mark there who has been travelling the States and has just arrived in Vegas. He made a nice change from the other muppets in the dorm like the porn king from New York, who claims to have been in Melbourne, Australia working as general manager in a strip club. I felt like saying 'Why are you staying in a hostel then?', but bit my tongue as he was built like a brick shit house. There's matey from Denver who's 45 and trying to be 18 again. Or the Japanese guys with long black hair who keep leaving their hair in the plug hole.
The lure of the strip was to much for me and I offered to show Mark (and Kurt) the strip. I'm glad I went back because I saw lots of things that I missed the first 2 times. In truth you could always find something new in Vegas.
In Circus Circus there is the largest indoor theme park in the world. It's bizarre. It's complete with roller coaster and magic carpet.
At Treasure Island we watched the 2 ships battle it out. This free show occurs 3 times a night, at 6, 8 & 10 and is amazingly pointless, but so impressive.
At the Mirage we watched the Volcano erupt as it does every 15 minutes after dusk.
Outside Bellagio they have a water show that is sychronized to classical music. I've never seen anything like it. It was amazing.
I was also offered drugs for the first time in America.
I know I said it wasn't busy the other day, well today it is manic. I guess with it being the weekend and thanksgiving then everyone has come for some Vegas action. With all the extra people the minimums on the tables go up. It's impossible to find a table in the lower part of the strip with a minimum of less than $25.
In the end we found a table in the Sahara and played blackjack for $5 a go. For about 2 hours I did well, not being up or down, but playing with $40. I was enjoying the free drinks (all free if you're gambling) served by the waitresses in skimpy outfits. After 2 hours my luck and my hands changed and I ran out of cash. I foolishly withdrew some more money from the handily placed ATM (right by the exit) at 1.56 am. By 2.11 when we left I had lost $100. I lost 21 hands out of 22. That's how quickly it can go.
We decided to walk home, not being able to afford a taxi. As we turned onto Fremont Street we met a weirdo. It was a guy who spoke just like Forrest Gump. He said 'Can you spare 53c'. For some reason all the vagrants in Vegas ask for exact amounts. We ignored him and continued. He then said "I've got some doughnut left. I can give you some of my doughnut. I am a doughnut." We carried on our way. We didn't take up his offer, tempting as it was.
Eventually we got to bed at 4.00. Not good considering we've got to be up at 7.00 to go to the Grand Canyon.
