Sin City -Save the best for last

How can we complete our journey to Vegas without the Grand Canyon ? We saw the Grand Canyon via the Scenic airplane and on-foot as well. The beauty of the Grand Canyon...one of the seven wonders of the natural world.

The plane we took, sits only ~15-20


Can you see Hoover Dam from here? This majestic dam power distributes to Arizona, Nevada(Las Vegas included), and some states in California


Overlooking Lake Mead from the air


Other shot from the air. It has been snowing...in the desert


Reached the South Rim, and began on-foot




Breathtaking view of Grand Canyon


Another postcard perfect view of Grand Canyon

Well, this is the last of Vegas series. After all the fun, play, and eat. It's back to work time! See you in my kitchen.

Tag: travel, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon

Sin City - So sexy and beautiful

As if I have seen a lot. No. I've just seen the one at Sentosa, Singapore. But the musical fountain @ Bellagio, Las Vegas is the most beautiful and elegant I've seen so far. I would term it sexy, just the right shape, and curves, able to express herself, knows when to do it, and most importantly is herself (although man-made). What makes me enjoy, even more:
-It's FREE, conveniently located along the Strip
-Good mix of music, classical and modern
-Great, superb choreography
-No tacky lighting effects
-Plus, the cooling weather(~15degC)

Just make everything totally enjoyable. Cool!













They say picture says a thousand words, then a video would surely paint a million words. Still, this would not do justice. Be there yourself. It will be worth a billion zillion words.


Watch out for the "climax"...last few seconds...We watched this segment in person. Love it! If you hear the "boom", it's the water cannon at work!



Did not catch this, but thanks to the person who uploaded it. Enjoy too!


Courtesy to those who have uploaded. We did not create these videos, but we are the ones who took the photos, though.

Tag: travel, Las Vegas, music fountain, Bellagio

Sin City - Stripping all day, all night

Not recommended to drive along the Strip in Las Vegas, unless you have plenty of time to spare.


We got on the Monorail in Las Vegas, plus... walked along the Strip this way, that way, northwards, southwards, all day, all night. I call walking along the strip , "Strip-ping."

Here are some pictures we took. Let them speak.

That's New York


Venetian, that's Venice




Excalibur- but where's Merlin ?


Paris, Las Vegas


Paris, Las Vegas


Found Merlin at night, have you ?


New York, blurry at night

Tag: travel, Las Vegas, The Strip

Sin City - Need to stay away from them, at least for now

Whatever chocolates, or doughnuts, how can they be more sinful than these ? Buffets for breakfast, dinner, breakfast, dinner, breakfast, dinner. Most Vegas breakfast buffets have a "egg station" where you can opt any style you wish -omelette, fried, sunny-side-up, scrambled.

Always found in the spread are sausage, bacon, ham, more scrambled eggs, eggs benedict, corned beef, pancakes, waffles, french toast, bagels etc. Breakfast buffets range between US11.99-13.99 in the Strip hotels. But the more expensive ones usually serve better quality food, likewise for dinner buffets(price range between US16.99-24.99). And you can always find crab claws, shrimps/prawns and prime rib in dinner buffets with the other miscellaneous standard items. THAT'S...a lot of food!


Notice the mountain of crab claws. Eat all you can !


The next peak beside the crab moutain is a pile of prawns/shrimps. Also, eat all you can!

Don't mention buffets to me now. I need to stay away from them at least for a month.

Tag: travel, Las Vegas, buffets

Sin City - Matured Content

"Crazy Girls" found outside Riviera Hotel entrance. We took a shot at it, then continue our stroll along the Strip.

Tag: travel, Las Vegas

Sin City - Love at first sight, then bite

I was long introduced to these sweeties by this sweet lady even before her post. I did not have a single bite on the originals till I was in Las Vegas. Perhaps their open factory in Excalibur, Las Vegas has attracted me to the first bite. It was love at first bite, at least for the doughnut family. I can't remember when was the last time I've had doughnuts. It's not something I would reach out for unless there is a lack of choice. But, Krispy Kreme (KK) doughnuts, they are yummy! I ate one, not enough...then I grab another. OH, Simcooks, does that mean I have to walk for 200 mins?? I will continue to have KK doughnuts back in California. KK is also available in Hong Kong, and Japan, to sweeten the Asian tooth. Where is the nut ? Where is the nut ? Well, the dough without the nut called Doughnut. Hey, I remember Dunkin' Doughnuts in S'pore. Have they receded due to poor response? Is doughnut not the IN thing in S'pore ? I better have as many KK as I can before I return home.

For the sweet tooth, I'll leave you with this. The open factory that made me love at first bite. Watch, how the doughnuts flip over, and how they undergo the (sugar white) glaze waterfall treatment.



(I did not take this video because I was so paranoid that the memory card in my cam will run dry before I capture all the sights of Vegas. Courtesy:whoever took the video and upload it)


Tag: travel, Las Vegas, Krispy Kreme, doughnuts

Sin City-So sweet!

Many know that the sugar coating on M&M chocolates is patented but not many (at least I do not) know that part of M&Ms history has to got to do with the U.S army. They were developed initially for the U.S army? I did not know that. I was ignorant. I reckon they could still have chocolates that "melt in your mouth, not in your hand" while fighting a war.

I prefer dark bittersweet chocolates. M&M is not for me. But it's free to enter this five-storey building. Ok, will just take a look what the craze is about. Oh no, I could not even move freely in this building. People, people, people. IT'S A CULT!

Four floors of retail space devoted to chocolate-covered candies, everything from T-shirts and golf-club covers to calculators and martini glasses. Just like any other Disney or Warner Brothers retail store. I was not impressed.

I was tickeled by all the 3D exhibits along the walkway, though.


They come to life !


Tag: travel,Las Vegas, M&Ms, chocolates

Sin and Scenery

In search for some cool air and waters during summer July, the sapphire shimmer of Lake Tahoe, one of the largest and deepest alpine lake in the hub of the Sierra Nevada, is one great escape. Interstate hwy-80 leads to Reno,Nevada while Interstate hwy-50 leads to Lake Tahoe, which is divided by the California(CA)-Nevada(NV) state line.

Vacation accomodations in Lake Tahoe are not cheap, costing ~USD140-180 per night. Comparatively, accomodations in Reno are more affordable. For the period 1 July 2006, Saturday - 4 July, Tuesday(also Independence Day holiday), Peppermill Reno offered us a Saturday rate @USD119.99 and subsequent nights @USD59.99. On average, the rates were reasonable for a near downtown location. Themed as the "biggest little city in the world", Reno does not sleep. Reno, birthplace of the gaming corporation Harrah's Entertainment, used to be the gambling capital of the world till Las Vegas' rapid rise. But Reno has not lose its little city charm, with no excessive glitz and glamour.

So much neon!

ba.'fei...yes, buffets. This form of "all you can eat" is found often in restaurants, especially in hotels and virtually every casino in North America includes one, with some being very elaborate. We are definitely not first-timers to buffets. The better ones we have tried in Singapore include Oscars's at Conrad Singapore. But for a fine quality spread of sensational steak and seafood, even desserts, I bet it is an uncommon "SGD40 per pax buffet" in Singapore. Here (we say for Reno), even on popular Saturdays, the buffets in most of the hotel/casino resorts are ~USD24.99-29.99 per adult (excluding taxes). That converts to about SGD40-50 and the spread includes freshly tossed specialty salads; prime rib of beef and roast leg of lamb at the carving station; oysters on the half shell, Jonah crab claws, Alaskan snow crab in the raw bar....and MORE...and MORE...and MORE...

Feasting on snow crabs @ Toucan Charlies, Atlantis Casino Resort, Reno. Spot those oysters rockefeller (baked oysters) & stuffed crab cake

More crab claws @ Pacifica Seafood Buffet, Harveys, Tahoe

Before this trip, we have promised ourselves at least a-buffet-a-day. Since we have been feasting in the past few nights, we decided to have breakfast buffet for a change .

Made-to-order omelet, part of buffet breakfast @ The Lodge, Hilton,Reno

Casino-hopping...Peppermill, Atlantis, Hilton,Silver Legacy, Circus Circus...just for the fun of it but just No Luck. It is said to be the game with the worst odds, but we were ignorant about the rules of the other games eg Keno, Blackjack, Poker etc. So we could only depend on luck. What will be the Marina Integrated Resort in Singapore (Las Vegas Sands)? Sinful buffet? Sinful gambling? We will only know in 5 years time.

Of course, we also enjoyed great scenery in Lake Tahoe. From Reno, we first headed towards North Lake Tahoe, then to the southern end via Zephyr cove to Heavenly, which brings us right up almost 9000ft for a panoramic view of Lake Tahoe.

Lake Tahoe

The clarity of water in Lake Tahoe

View of Emerald Bay

What a winter ski trail look like in summer

I would love to visit Lake Tahoe in fall or near-winter. It will be an entirely different landscape, but still as beautiful, I believe. Yearning for mild-winter sports, or just merely playing snowballs in the ice-fields.

Trip date: 1-4 July 2006
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