Welcome to Las Vegas - "delightfully tacky yet unrefined"

So says a casino brochure, and we believe it.

New York, Cairo, Paris, Venice, Rome and all before dinner. Why bother travelling around the world when it's all right here in neon glory in Vegas? Vegas is something like a car crash - strangely compelling in a sickening kind of way. You know you shouldn't look but you can't help it. It all starts at the airport arrivals, with slot machines at each luggage carousel!

We've been to see Cirque du Soleil "O" - which I think relates to the shape your mouth makes throughout the performance. Truly gob-smacking and well worth seeing. We've also taken in the various free shows along the Strip - the fountain show at the Bellagio, the volcano that erupts on the hour every hour, the indoor thunderstorm and indoor gondola rides in Venice. Reality is a great place to visit but why live there!

Some interesting people-watching to be had. To offset the glitz and glamour there are many homeless people begging, with their cardboard signs. We had to hand it to one guy whose sign read "Need penile enlargement". Nice try, buddy. There was a dude with a life-size plastic baby doll in a baby sling strapped to his front. Why? Why not? There are lots of people dressed up as characters trying to get money out of passers-by for photos, we've seen Homer Simpson, Spiderman, Elmo, Transformers, Buzz Lightyear, Edward Scissor Hands just to name a mere few. Finally - today we saw ELVIS!!!!We hadn't seen him so thought he might be dead. Not so.

I thought I'd look for the quirky angle on our visit to Vegas with a trip to the dentist! Yay!. Bet you didn't think of that as a reason to come here. I broke a molar on a nut during the flight between LA and Las Vegas, and have just had a filling today. It was great to get an appointment so soon, but I was a little disappointed that it wasn't at 2.30 (tooth hurty - geddit??). Happily the cost was pretty much the same as in Australia, so Mike has been saved from a life of bonded slavery at one of the casinos. Encouragingly, there are many discount lawyers here so I'm racking up a list of suing options - American Airlines for serving the nuts, the nut company, my tooth for being unreliable...... or maybe not.

We picked up our hire car yesterday and we haven't shouted at each other too much yet. Mike was caught in an OCD Sufferers Vortex of Horror with the keyless entry, which was pretty funny. His usual habit is to lock the car then check the door handle to make sure it's locked. So he pushed the lock button on the key fob thingy, and then checked the door handle. Except he was standing next to the car with the key fob, so it automatically unlocked the door. He locked the car again, then stood there checking the door handle, and the door unlocked again. This went on for several times until in a lather of rage, he walked away from the car, whereupon the car stayed locked. The penny dropped. So now he locks the car and runs away, and I have to check the door handle for him while he remains at a safe distance.

Having car and provisions, tomorrow we leave this mad house and head to the wide open spaces and fresh air of the Grand Canyon and beyond.

Mike and Deirdre make it big in Vegas

Mike tries the outdoor slot machines in Vegas, he came up a winner! but only got 2 bus tickets. Lousy slot really. He thinks he'll try the Pepsi slot machine next

The Bellagio fountain, with Paris in background. Who needs to travel the world to see anything?

The old Giza at the Pyramid.

New York as well. This place is unbelievable.

And Venice too. This is all indoors inside a shopping mall.