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Sunday, 2 December 2012

LAS VEGAS, USA

Las Vegas a.k.a. Sin City is the largest city in the state of Nevada. It is famous for its mega casino hotels, endless entertainment, shopping malls and fine dining.

Las Vegas is the centre gambling in the United States and known also as the entertainment capital of the world..


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When you visit Las Vegas, be sure to drop by the “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign. This welcome sign is the first thing that greets you before you enter the city of Las Vegas and is situated at the south of Las Vegas.


There is a small parking lot beside the sign. You can opt to drive, take a bus or even walk there but it is a bit far on foot especially under the sun.


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“What happens here, Stays here.” Just a friendly reminder. Smile with tongue out



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Welcome the McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas.
Yay! I’ve just arrived in Las Vegas after a 5.5 hours flight from Hawaii.


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Hey, what is a gigantic lizard doing here?


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The interior design of the airport is very sleek and modern. Even the escalators are decorated with silver plane figurines.


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The advertisement of Celine Dion’s performance at The Colosseum, Caesars Palace. I took an airport taxi to the hotel and the fare was about USD 20, including tips.


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Luxor Hotel, the second largest hotel in Las Vegas is easily recognized because of its huge black glass pyramid shape


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It is the first hotel that uses slanted elevators at 39 degree angles due to its unique building shape.


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I booked Luxor Hotel online through their official website and got a cheap deal, only USD 63++ per night for a double queen bed room!


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I can see the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino from my hotel room window. And yes, the window is slanted too.


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The interior of Luxor Hotel.


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The casino inside Luxor Hotel.

The hotel official check-in time is 2p.m. The earliest time you can check-in is at 11a.m. for an additional fee.   Since it was too early to check in, I decided to take a dip at the outdoor swimming pool. For your information, the swimming pool area only opens at 9a.m



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The view at the swimming pool is stunning with the black pyramid as its background.


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The entrance door at Luxor Hotel.


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Taking more pictures at Luxor Hotel. Reminds me of the time when I visited Egypt back in the year 2006.


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The shows at Luxor including "Fantasy" (a famous topless show), comedian Carrot Top, "Menopause the Musical” and “Criss Angel Believe”.


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Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino next to Luxor Hotel.


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The Stratosphere Tower, at 350 meters is the tallest structure in Las Vegas and also the tallest  freestanding observation tower in the United States. The Trump Hotel on the right picture is the tallest residential building in the city.


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If you think that Las Vegas is grand under the broad day light, Las Vegas at night is even more spectacular when all the lights are switched on. The Strip is a north-south street lined with large casino-hotels, shopping malls, and other attractions. The northern end of the Strip is marked by the tall Stratosphere tower and at the southern end is the black pyramid. Frequent city buses run up and down the Strip and connect the Strip to downtown.


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The Luxor Sky Beam boasts the world's most powerful beam of light shining from the top at 42.3 billion Candela.


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The medieval castle facade of the Excalibur. It is named after the mythical sword of King Arthur.


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As we strolled down The Strip from Luxor, New York – New York is just around the corner at the next intersection. The Roller Coaster is a major attraction at New York-New York.

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Replica of the Statue of Liberty.


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Replica of Brooklyn Bridge.


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When it opened in 1993, the MGM Grand was the largest hotel in the world.


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For a chocolate lover like me, a trip to the M&M's World is a must. If you can locate Grand MGM Hotel & Casino, you will easily find the M&M's World as they are located at the same side of the Strip.


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Having fun posing with the M&M’s figurine.


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M&M's World, only 4 stores in the world is certainly not to be missed. You will find all sorts of M&M merchandise here eg. T-shirts, toys, mugs etc


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You can even customize your own M&M chocolate in any colour and design at level 2.


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The rainbow wall of M&M chocolates. I grabbed a bag full of M&M chocolates of my selection here.


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E.T. stands for “Extra Tasty” (left) and “The Mpire Strikes Back” poster (right).


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Posing with real life M&M figure. Lucky me!


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 The M&M Ice Cream and..........

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.............Ice Cream Cookies is just delicious.


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While I walked around with the M&M World bag dangling on my arm, two girls stopped and asked where I got it. I was more than happy to show them the direction.


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Walking towards the Bellagio.


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Paris at Las Vegas.


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How I wish to go to Paris some day. I guess the replica Eiffel Tower of Paris will do for now.


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The statue of Julius Caesar pointing his finger ahead as if saying, "Veni, Vidi, Vici" (I Came, I Saw, I Conquered)

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The auditorium hall of Caesars Palace where famous artists like Elton John, Celine Dion and Rod Stewart performs.


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Caesars Palace is easily my favourite place to take photographs in Las Vegas as the architecture is simply stunning.


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Roman statues at the side of the main entrance at Caesars Palace.


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Interior of Caesars Palace.


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A monstrous limo outside Caesar's Palace.


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Fountains of Bellagio. More than 1,000 fountains dance, enhanced by light and music.


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The Bellagio, Caesars Palace and Mirage at the same row along The Strip.


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Some of the beautiful statuette.


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The Flamingo is the oldest casino/resort on the Strip still in operation today.


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Monte Carlo Hotel and Casino.


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The man-made volcano in a lagoon in front of the Mirage erupts every hour from 6p.m. to 11p.m.


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The Venetian is a luxury hotel and casino resort also famous for their Venice Gondola Rides. I've been to the Venetian in Macau which is largest casino in the world, so I skipped the Las Vegas Venetian.

The tower in front of the Venetian is the lifelike replica tower of  St Mark’s Campanile in Venice, Italy. Madame Tussaud is just located beside the Venetian.


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Harrahs.


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Hooters Casino Hotel where you can also dine in the restaurant. This is the place to meet with the sexy Hooter Girls.


You will be spoilt with choices when it comes to dining experience in Las Vegas.
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Harley Davidson Cafe and Coyote Ugly.

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Planet Hollywood.


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Outback Steakhouse.


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But in the end, I just ate Mc Donald’s. (laughs)


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Guys will not miss the opportunity for a strip show or getting a lap dance at one of the many strip/nude club in Las Vegas.


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As for the girls, you can always head to some of the male strip shows.

Adult entertainment is big in Las Vegas. You can see the billboards everywhere. Whether you are straight, gay, lesbian or bisexual, there is something for everyone here.


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Show girls performing in a cube like elevated stage by the street to attract customers.


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“Fallen Angels” on the street. You can take photo with these two sexy “angels” but of course, you’ll need to tip them afterwards. Nothing comes free in Vegas.


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Map of Las Vegas Strip.

The gambling and entertainment industry in Las Vegas is mostly focused on The Strip


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Las Vegas is a shopping haven for the ladies.

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Premium brands like Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Prada have flagship stores in Las Vegas.


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The Forum Shops is a huge high-end shopping area.

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Fountain of the Gods – beautiful Greek style fountain in front of the Forum Shops.

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Golden lion head decorating the tall columns of The Forum Shops.

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Fashion Show Mall is another great shopping mall that offers nearly every major U.S. retail chain store and designer’s store.


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If you want to get the best deal, Las Vegas Premium Outlet is the place not to be missed. The Las Vegas Premium Outlet-South is near Luxor Hotel but mind you, its not walking distance. I took the bus and off I go shopping.


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Let's go shopping.

DKNY, Calvin Klien, Michael Kors, Ann Taylor, Coach, Guess, Nike and Levi's are some of the designer brands you can get here for less than 50% compared to the selling price back in Malaysia. Trust me, you need at least a day, to shop here.

Well, I had limited time here, so grabbed what I could. Me and my beau bought so many items that we had to take a cab back to the hotel.


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For those shoppers, here is the map of the Strip Shopping. The best shopping deal you can find is of course at the Premium Outlets, either at the North or South.


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Goodbye, Las Vegas.

What happens in Vegas, stays in my memory.

From Las Vegas in the State of Nevada, I traveled east to the State of Utah. 

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