L a s V e g a s
Date : October 1 - 8, 2002
It actually wasn't in my original trip plan to go to Las Vegas again within a year and a half
since the last visit, and to stay at Bally's again. But things worked out well, I got to tour
all parts of the city which I didn't get to do last time due to the extremely hot weather and
short stay. And as always, Las Vegas always has constructions going on, just a city that changes
all the time. Plus
O
c
t
o
b
e
r
- the perfect time to visit Las Vegas. It's hot enough for me to wear all those summer clothes
I seldom get to wear much in Vancouver and cool enough to walk all day outdoor and not to feel like being
in an oven.
Ouch (*o*) ... I actually got sunburn on my face, ... No, you don't see a tanned me
here 'coz I don't tan.. I thought I put enough sunscreen on but the sun was more intense than I thought
.... I'm just probably no longer used to being under that bright sun that much anymore.
|
|
Wings over Denver. What was I doing there?! I transferred flights in Denver, Colorado and flew over the American Rockies, Colorado River, Grand Canyon. The scene is a little different from the Canadian Rockies indeed where glacier and snow caps cover most of the mountain tops. The meandering river in between the bare top plateaux with occassional snow is the landmark of this area from Colorado through Utah to Nevada. |
aerial view of the green Colorado river
|
|
Hmm.. On this trip alone, I think I've done as much walking as I would normally do in a
couple months' time. My feet were just so sore!! I practically spent a lot of time at the
Fashion Show Mall near the north end of the strip. Hehe, one merchant even joked that
I'll have to go back next year when the renovations and expansions are all done and it'll be
one of America's biggest shopping mall hahaha.
Of course most of my walking was done to discover the city itself, to look at all the different hotels, to watch the shows in there and out there, like the few I'm sharing with you here: |
At the Mid-Northern end of the Las Vegas strip
|
At the Mid-Southern end of the Las Vegas strip
|
Volcano@Mirage, after dusk at O'clock sharp
|
Pirates@TreasureIsland
|
 Hmm.. this cow is certainly odd-looking compared to the bronze one I saw near NYSE |
High-heel Clown!
|
Mini-Opera style show inside Venetian... they're only singing english..
|
At 6 pm, lights dim. Enjoy the evening! Hehe, this is my dinner time too.
|
Mermaid@Aladdin!?
|
So I buzzed to downtown, see the Stratosphere at the back?
|
It's rather coincidental for me to see so much, so much about ancient Egyptian history within
this year. Other than the mummy, wall paintings, temple I saw in NY earlier this year, I paid
a visit to the Museum of King Tutankhamum at Luxor. Guarding the pyramid is the Sphinx.
Seen here is a picture taken at the
monorail station.
Ho ho, other than my sore feet, I commuted with all types of transportation including Bus, Monorail, Tram, Shuttle, and Car. Buses are actually very convenient running 24 hrs a day, stopping all along the strip. Unlike Vancouver where transfers are good for return trips, there, transfers can only be used on a different route not runnining returning direction. |
|
|
Day & Night views from the North Tower of Bally's. Yes, can see Venetian and all the way to downtown Stratosphere. |
|
|
Because hotel rates skyrockets on the weekend, I stayed off the strip across from the HardRock cafe near University of Nevada. See that HardRock hotel behind HardRock cafe with the big guitar! So different from other HardRocks I've been to, this one is definitely made for Elvis fans! Pas moi! |
| Anyone aware there's a Chinatown in Las Vegas?! At least some people I talked to after my trip weren't. So here it is. Other than the Chinese style gate, there's an interesting monument. I hope the picture is clear enough as I took it after dark. The monument portraits part of the famous Chinese literature "Journey to the West" (This lively fantasy relates the amazing adventures of the priest Xuanzang Tang as he travels west in search of Buddhist sutras with his three disciples, the irreverent and capable Monkey, greedy Pig, and Friar Sand.) |
|
|
On our way back from Chinatown, when we passed by Bellagio, it happened to be the right time O'clock and
the musical fountain performance was in progress. You could tell way before it's about time since all the
people driving along would slow down to watch the show. You may wonder why I didn't take a picture of the
fountain right in front of Bellagio. That's because something much more interesting was going on in the
street ... There were 2 firemen yanking a hood out of this smoking SUV. Too bad the picture is quite
dark and only the fireman shows up clearly as this was happening a few lanes from us. They were really
forceful to take apart that car. Of course there was no danger of explosion, otherwise, they would've
closed off the area.
~.~ More trip Pics ~.~ |
|
|
It's the most fascinating to catch the "Faberg¨¦ - Treasures from
Kremlin" exhibition at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art. I must thank that lady who was lining up to
check-in at Bally's and told me about paintings she saw at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art before.
Yup, I was only expecting to see Monet, Van Gogh, etc. when I found out I could look at the fabulous
work of the master jeweler of Russia and Europe, Peter Carl Faberg? Not only I saw with my own eyes
these pieces of art work, but I also learned some more Russian history. In fact, Kremlin means an
invincible castle, and Tsar (Czar) is derived from the Roman Caesar. Their last name Romanov, also
Romanoff, probably speaks for the name itself.
Russian people are very fond of Easter. During the Easter, people often give eggs to celebrate. The Tsar and his family would receive guests. It's been said that at the end of the day, the Tsar and Tsarina would have sore hands from handshakings and their cheeks would be blackened from hugging people. The Imperial Easter Egg tradition started when Faberg?s work caught the eye of Tsar Alexander III and Tsarina Marie Feodorovna. Every year, the Tsar would order an egg with a hidden surprise for his wife to be presented to her on Easter. This tradition was continued by his son Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia. These eggs are so expensive even at the time of purchase that the Tsar paid as much as a normal worker's tens of years' salary for each... One would always wonder how Faberg¨¦ practised such superb techniques to work with jewels at the end of the 19th century. Out of the nearly 200 pieces on display, I'm sharing with you some of the very significant items. Something I didn't get to figure out is that seismograph machine sitting by one of the display cases. Hmm.. I definitely don't expect geologists have anything to do with these art pieces, but who knows... |
 Faberg? Alexandrovsky Palace Egg, 1908, The Moscow Kremlin Museums (Armoury of Kermlin) Water-color-on-ivory portraits of the 5 children of the imperial couple of Nicholas II are found on this egg body. This egg's surprise is a miniature replica of the Alexander Palace and its gardens in Tsarskoye Selo. Built in 1769 by Catherine the Great, the palace later became the principal residence of Tsar Nicholas II and his family. |
 Faberg? Moscow Kremlin Egg, 1906, The Moscow Kremlin Museums A masterpiece of art, a favorite of the Tsarina, it represents the Uspensky Cathedral, where the tsars were crowned. It has a set of working clocks with chimes in 2 of the towers. This egg's surprise is unlocked with a gold key. When wound with this gold key, the egg plays 2 of the tsar's favorite triumphal Easter hymns. The interior of the cathedral is reproduced completely with rich carpets, decorations, and High Altar. |
 Faberg¨¦ Trans-Siberian Railway Egg, 1900, The Moscow Kremlin Museums Engraved in the egg body is a map of Russia showing the Russian Empire and the route of the railway. This egg's surprise is a working replica of the Trans-Siberian Railway train. Wound with a gold key, the working clockwork locomotive is made of platinum with a ruby lantern and a diamond headlight. There are five coaches marked ¥Iail,?¥Omoking,?¥Bor ladies only,?¥Jon-smoking,?and ¤ hapel.? |
 Faberg¨¦ Sapphire and Diamond Pendant (Lost Jewels), late 19th-early 20th centuries, The Moscow Kremlin Museums Hidden in 1919 by a manager of Faberg?workshop, this pendant was not recovered until more than 70 years later. Found under the floorboards of the manager's former residence during a renovation, it is now part of the Moscow Kremlin Museums' collection. I feel so lucky to be able to see this piece on its 1st ever exhibition since discovery! |
 N.I. Nordenstrem, Uniform of Emperor Nicholas II, 1896, The Moscow Kremlin Museums Nicholas II wore this uniform during his coronation ceremony on May 14, 1896. The gold epaulettes are decorated with the monogram of Alexander III, Nicholas£r father. After the coronation ceremonies the uniform was given to the Armoury and has remained there ever since. |
| Heehee, who's on my thank you list this time? Definitely Tommy for lending me his memory. Otherwise, I won't be able to take so many pictures and even clips of the Bellagio fountain and Caesar's Palace Atlantis show! And there's auntie Teresa who was giving us rides around. If you get to see a picture of me holding a camera taking pictures for others in the Ofoto site, that picture was taken by an actress called Andrometa Dunker. Well, I doubt you've heard of her yet, but I do wish her success some day la. Oh, I forgot to ask for her autograph.... |