Checked in to the Sahara and then headed back to the Stratosphere to get my all day access to the tower and rides for $24.95. The observation deck is at 900 feet and from here you can take 3 rides. The 'Big Shot' fires you 160 foot further into the air. There is 'X Scream', which is a new ride that drives off the top of the observation deck and dangles you over the strip in mid air.
I plumped to have my first ride on the 'High Roller'. Before I got on I don't mind saying that i was scared. My knees were trembling, my hands sweaty and I wasn't even on the ride. The 'High Roller' is the worlds highest rollercoaster and just takes you on 3 laps around the observation deck. It actually wasn't that bad, but i didn't feel the need to prove my manhood further at this moment. If someone else had been there to egg me on, I'd have done them. My biggest fear was not knowing what the rides did and I thought that I could always go back and do it later.
That was until I saw what it did from the ground. Basically it goes from 0-30 mph in 2 seconds and drives off the roof of the deck. There are no tracks beneath it. The track extends with the coaster. That is crazy and an accident just waiting to happen. I'm such a chicken. That thin black line you can see on the top left of the observation desk is the rollercoaster!
So to prove my machismo I went to the Nascar cafe in the Sahara to do Speed the ride. For $13 you can ride it as many times as you like for the day. This ride goes from 0-70 in 4 seconds, shoots round a corner, does a loop the loop, shoots round the casino and goes straight up a 200 foot tower before stalling and doing it all again, backwards! A backwards loop the loop is interesting. I did the ride 3 times in a row and with my pride restored I went out to further investigate the strip, this time in daylight.
In the Mirage you can go and explore Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden for $12 and see the Dolphins. I didn't. I just went to see the white tiger house, which today contained a normal coloured tiger having not contained anything yesterday.
You don't have to spend a great deal of money. You can just take in the free shows and people watch. Vegas is such a fascinating place.
Caesars Palace has a shopping mall that has been contructed to look like Rome. Personally, I'm not sure about Celine Dion appearing in the Coliseum! I'd pay if she was fighting lions, but not to see her sing.
The casino floors are all fairly similar. They all contain the same types of slot machine (not very varied or interesting to me), which can be played from 5c a credit up to $1000. they have blackjack, poker of various types, roulette and craps tables. These start from $5 minimums and go up to $10,000. They all have poker rooms that contain the typicals types. Smoked filled rooms with people in stetsons and sunglasses. All the big casinos also have shopping malls full of designer shops.
The Bellagio is so posh that is employs someone to go round and pick all the fag butts out of the ash trays and then stamp the Bellagio logo in the sand.
Just walking the strip is physically exhausting so I started to head back to my room. It is after dark now and the strip has come to live. It's also the time when the girls-direct-to-your-room leaflet distributors come out on every corner. On the face of it it seems like a great idea, but then they try to charge you $49 a go. It just the sheer brass neck of these people who try to shove this filth into the hands of everyone who passes including women and also parents who clearly have their kids with them.
I showed great will power on the gambling front and headed for my room having run out of cash in my pocket. I didn't take advantage of one of the numerous opportunities to get cash out. After all it will all still be here tomorrow.
