Vegas Part 2 - The debauch

So, Vegas Part 1 has come and gone... Now for Part 2

Tuesday

Tuesday was a sleep in day... Meaning neither of us rose from our beds at an hour either of us would consider early, and for those of you who know my father you'd understand that this is an achievement. 

We got breakfast/lunch at Johnny Rocket's (a franchise nostalgia burger joint) which was actually inside the casino.  The place was dead, but then all the staff started doing a dance to KC & the Sunshine Band's "Get Down Tonight"... After this the place was buzzing, as a whole bunch of would be eaters stopped, watched the impromptu performance and then came in for some burgers.

Dad and I made the decision, despite our recent intake of fast food that we would ride the roller coaster at New York, New York... Which we did... Without incident... ... ... Except that I hit my head really bad on one of the turns, but outside of a really sore head that didn't really matter... Dad was going on and on about how apart from the mechanics taking us up to the start of the roller coaster we essentially just ran off the momentum from the first downward dip... I mean, it was worded much more eloquently than that, but he did go on for some time.

We then headed back to Excalibur to go to a Craps lesson.  So, we shot dice for about an hour.  It is a really complicated game to start with because there is so much going on, but it is actually fairly simple once you see it played for a while... Don't ask me to explain it in any real depth, but believe you me, it is pretty interesting.

We caught the monorail back down to the end of the strip we ended at the day before and began where we left off...

Treasure Island, the Palazzo, the Venetian, Paris... We even walked by the Flamingo and with some morbid fascination tried to find the site we thought the late JMac died.

View from the Palazzo toward TI and the Mirage

Outside The Venetian

Piazza San Marco... But inside, and with no pigeon shit

Getting ready for Italy... Gelati in St. Mark's Square

As much as there wasn't any pigeon shit in St. Mark's Square in the Venetian, we nearly saw a kid slip and injure himself on a dropped scoop of ice cream... Although pointing this out to the ice cream vendors and helping them clean (Dad helping them clean) did earn me a discount...

The Flamingo

Alleyway beside the casino

Palm trees that we saw on all those new reports a few years ago

Bally's and Paris

Eiffel Tower

Paris also looked outside inside

We gambled briefly in Paris, with Dad playing blackjack and me shooting dice.  We both walked out of Europe a bit lighter in the pocket.

Though, tonight was average wings night, and that meant one thing...

Hooters Hotel and Casino

Yep, Hooters...

I mean, it was mostly Dad's idea...

Completely his idea actually...

Don't believe me?

Check out this photo:

Clearly didn't enjoy my Hooters experience... I was dragged there against my will... Can't you tell?... Though Kenny looks like he is smiling

Aside from the wings (which met my low standards of food eating, but not Dad's higher standards), we were forced to endure 5 of the most obnoxious and loud (and frankly, embarrassing) Australians I've ever seen... Two tables over, 5 of the most bogan people you'd ever wish to see... They, for some reason, had a hula hoop and were insisting that they show the Americans at the table next to us how to spin it... Now, the mother got up (picture Kim from Kath & Kim on crack), failed horribly, then two of her very questionably dressed daughters tried the same (the only one to succeed was one who imitated a having sex motion... Clearly well practiced), and then the father went up and had a go (picture, a taller, more idiotic, less British sounding Austin Powers dressed in Australian country looking clothes)... To their credit, the Americans on the next table seemed really into this whole experience...

'Turn away' moment of the day: *the mother is about to get up and do the hula hoop*
Me (to Dad): "I'd never say I'm ashamed of being Australian, but Jesus Christ, right now I'm embarrassed"
Australian Woman (yelling): 'THIS IS HOW WE DO IT IN STRAYA"
*proceeds to fail miserably at hula hoop*
Dad (to me): "Yeah..."
Me (to Dad): "Yeah, you're picking up what I'm putting down"
*woman loudly expresses why she failed, then tells her skankily dressed daughter to try*

Surprising moment of the day:
*Woman who told her skankily dressed daughter to hula hoop actually pulled down her short skirt to give her some more... Modesty I guess...*

Unsurprising moment of the day:
*Girl then puts hula hoop around her neck and spins it perfectly... Mimicking the motion that a girl would use if she was putting something down her throat... Yeah, I'll let you join the dots on that one*

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Can we all take a moment of silence for our Australian national pride

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And we're back....

After this we hit the tables at the Hooters Casino, I played some 3 card poker, them we both played blackjack.  As blackjack kind of idled, we both moved over to 3 card poker.  Dad was only learning the game, so he made a slow start, but I, as was custom for the day started well and then completely bottomed out... I busted and Dad kept playing...

First hand after I busted out (with Dad now getting my cards as I was no longer playing my box), Dad showed me his cards... Q-10-5... Plays the hand, dealer doesn't open... Gets his money back...

Second hand after I busted out, Dad shows me his cards again... 4-4-4... 3 of a fucking kind... 30-1 pay out... Yeah, I kind of yelled and hit the table with my hand... Wasn't my finest moment... I couldn't tell if Dad was happy that he got the 3 of a kind of guilty that I hadn't gotten it (given my run of luck and his better run of luck... And my attitude in the immediate aftermath I feel as though it could be the guilty one)

We didn't stay long after that, back to the hotel and off to bed... Big day, and one final day in Vegas to go...

Excalibur

Wednesday

This was my last day with my father before he went back to Australia and I was by myself for 4 or so months... So, being the family person I am, I left Dad in the room and I went down to play Poker...

This time I made it to the final table, and despite a few hairy moments early in the tournament I did manage to win a few hands... The most memorable was when I was all in and really super luckily pulled a flush to remain alive...  My final table experience only lasted 2 hands though.  I went all in with pocket 10s and got beaten by a guy with Q-J who flopped two pair... Ah well...

Dad and I made our way down the strip to find some lunch, we decided to sample Australia and went to the Outback Steakhouse... No one there was Australian, which was disappointing... They didn't appreciate the Australian accents we were putting on for the occasion, also disappointing... We did get to see some genuine Aussie cuisine though, just like we've been getting all our lives for an appetiser (see entree) we got cheese fries...

So Aussie!

The meal was pretty good, but we just liked taking the piss for the sake of it... Apparently Kangaroo Island is a part of our mainland and Tasmania doesn't exist... Though, for all intents and purposes, for many Australians Tasmania doesn't exist...

We did our shopping on the Strip, went through Marshalls... Didn't buy a thing, but we went through... For a pair of accountants that counts as going shopping...

As Dad had a flight out we retired to our room and he did some emails and we counted down before he had to leave.  Watched Family Feud, laughed at the awful answers they were giving, then headed down and gave our teary goodbyes (Note: No tears actually shed)

With Dad gone I went into my Vegas hurry up offence... I gambled on the way back to the room, I got to the room and booked a shuttle to a firing range, and then I went shooting...

This was the first time I'd ever held and shot a firearm... It's kind of exhilarating, but my god is it loud!

I went to The Range 702 and did the Black Ops Experience... What surprised me was, firstly, the cost, and secondly, despite me offering ID they didn't need to see any... In the package I was doing I got to shoot 4 weapons: a 9mm handgun, an MP5, an M4 and a SAW... Don't ask me what they mean, this is just what I shot...

Entering the firing range I was first taken aback by the strong smell of gun powder (which I guess wasn't out of the ordinary) and the number of shell casings on the floor... That and the sheer noise...

The handgun was first, and before I even fired a shot (or picked up the gun for that matter) I jumped a mile in the air because the guy in the lane next to me was shooting one of the larger, louder guns... Despite wearing the goggles and the earmuffs it was so, so loud... But anyway, the handgun was first... The recoil was massive compared to what I was expecting, and how much pressure you had to apply to the trigger was also really surprising to me, although it is probably best that it isn't a light trigger...

I only knicked the girl on the arm, she'll be fine... That zombie got a fair number of head shots as well... The Last of Us taught me well

MP5, the handgun is on the table behind me

 The M4 was the loudest gun I shot, and it also had a bit of kick, more than I had expected...

I didn't hit this guy but managed to get the zombie pretty well... You're welcome mysterious stranger

M4

The gun that apparently everyone gets the Black Ops package for is the SAW, which is a mounted machine gun with a belt feed for the ammo... I found this one surprisingly difficult to control (in that, my already questionable marksmanship was even more questionable)... The end of the gun got really hot as well, so I was told not to touch it but hold the handle at the end of the gun... Though it was worth the money I paid I reckon

SAW and my questionable marksmanship

I hadn't really been that interested in shooting, or guns, or COD, and I don't reckon this experience will change that, but it was heaps of fun... Also really makes you respect the weapon... Would I do it again? Yes, yes, an emphatic yes... Do my views on guns change because of my experience? No, I'm still happy our gun control laws are our gun control laws

After this experience I went to a show at Hooters, which was some hypnotist doing his thing, it was also really cheap compared to other shows available on the Strip... Was pretty funny and I'd recommend it, but if I went again I'd want to go with friends... I then made my way down the Strip and gambled my night away... I went to the Luxor, gambled with some Marines... I went to New York, New York, gambled with some Texan oil extractor... I went to Paris and played Craps on the same money for about 4 hours going up and down all night (the dealers there were brilliant, they seemed to like me because I was polite and Australian... Apparently that isn't so common)...

Accent moment of the day: (playing Craps)
Dealer: '8, easy 8'
Me: "I'll have five, six and nine please"
Dealer: 'Four, six and nine?'
Me: "No, no, five, six and nine" *hold up hand to show 5*
Dealer: 'Oh, five... The way you said it sounded like four'
Me: *putting on a thick Australian accent* "Yeah, fouive"
Dealer: Hah *smiles, laughs, goes about their business*

The dealers later tried to imitate me with much amusement to myself, themselves and the other players... Having an accent isn't always a bad thing.

Then many hours later I stumbled back to Excalibur in a sleepless daze, packed my bag hastily, and made my way to the airport a lot lighter in the pocket, and my eyes a lot wider to the world that is Las Vegas...

This concludes Vegas, and while what happened there didn't stay there, I do hope you enjoyed the shit I got up to... I would also like to point out that I have rolled over onto Thursday now, which is a travel day and onto Indianapolis... The next post will be Indy...