U.S.A.
U.S.A.
facts & history in brief
U.S.A.
Map
Las Vegas is in southern part of the Nevada State, U.S.
The city is divided into the downtown called Glitter Gulch,
and the Strip, a boulevard of hotels and casinos few miles
south of downtown.
The Paiute Indians used Las Vegas' natural spring just north
of the present downtown on their seasonal visits to the area.
Rafael Rivera a Mexican scout rediscovered
it in 1829, and the area soon became
known to overland travellers as
las vegas - 'the meadows' - a place
with water and feed for horses and
rest for the weary travellers.
The Mormons built the town's first structures, a small
mission and fort, in the 1850s.
The fort later became a ranch house and later the land
was sold to a railway company in 1902.
The railway company subdivided and sold the land when
the railway reached the town.
During those days Las Vegas had a few workshops,
convenience stores, hotels and casinos.
In the mid 1920s the railway company laid off hundreds
of people but most of Las Vegas' population was saved
by the huge Hoover Dam (then known as Boulder Dam) project,
that commenced in 1931.
The same year Nevada legalised gambling and simplified
its divorce laws.
The first big casino on the Strip, the El Rancho was
built by Los Angeles developers in 1941, starting the
development of today's Las Vegas.
In 1946 mobster Bugsy Siegel, built
the Flamingo, setting the trend
for the new casinos.
Improvements in transport, air conditioning and reliable
water supplies, Las Vegas became one of the country's most
popular tourist destinations.
Las Vegas is of course synonymous with attractions, but
here is a short list of some of theme apart from what
the Casinos, Hotels and other attractions have to offer.
Downtown or Glitter Gulch is the intersection of Fremont
and Main Streets, where millions of lightbulbs and miles
of neon tubing keep the Gulch in perpetual daylight.
Some of the city's most famous casinos are here, including
the Golden Nugget and the Gold Spike, strip clubs and
souvenirs shops.
The remains of Old Las Vegas Mormon
Fort State Historic Park is a mile
north of downtown, it used to provide
refuge for travellers along the
Mormon Trail between Salt Lake City,
Utah, and San Bernardino, in southern
California.
The Strip Is where many of the larger casinos, hotels and
theme parks are like Circus Circus one of the original
casino-cum-theme-parks.
The Imperial Palace Auto Museum,
where you will find some rare models and vehicles once
owned by the rich and famous.
There's Czar Nicholas II's 1914 Rolls Royce, Japanese
Emperor Hirohito's 1935 Packard and Adolf Hitler's
1939 Mercedes and many more.
The nearby and architecturally beautiful Hoover
Dam and the 180 km long Lake Mead created by and for the
Hoover Dam, is an hour's drive
southeast of downtown Las Vegas.
A 50-story elevator ride takes you down to the
turbine room at the bottom of the dam.
30 kilometres west of the Strip
is the 65 million years old Red Rock
Canyon with 900 metres high walls
of striking multicolored sandstone,
jagged peaks and Joshua trees with
many spots for picnicking, hiking
and climbing along the way.
Two hours' drive from Downtown Las Vegas is Overton,
that was settled in the 1880s, with a few motels,
bars and stores most of them restored to
reflect another time, in sharp contrast
to the glitter of Las Vegas.
The 1000 year old Anasazi Indian pueblos
(Reconstructions) are just north of Overton about
80 kilometres northeast of downtown Las Vegas.
The Grand Canyon, America's second most popular
national park is only a few hours' drive east from
Las Vegas.
The canyon is 365 kilometres long and nearly 16
kilometres wide, multicoloured rock, dropping about
1600 metres down to the 1.7 billion year old rocks
and the Colorado River below.
There are excellent opportunities for hiking,
horseriding and rafting.
In Las Vegas the summers are
hot and the winters are cool, making
spring and fall the best times to visit.
The city with a good International Airport,
has excellent air bus and
railway transport service.
Las Vegas' population is about 1 million
and covering an area of 215 sq kilometres.
Just as well there's no law to stop people like Hui Chin
and I entering Las Vegas, who visit places seeking out all
the bargains and enjoying ourselves to the max.
After our arrival, as usual we went to ask a few questions
from the Tourist Information Kiosk lady,
who was very pleasant and helpful.
Took one of the many shuttle buses to Circus Circus.
We picked up a "free Accommodations
paper in San Francisco, which advertised
rooms at US$35 for two at Circus Circus.
There were a couple of cheaper
ones listed in that paper, but we didn't
know where they were in relation
to the centre of the 'Strip'. Location
is essential on our 'shoestring budget'.
Our only reliable and affordable transport are our two feet.
At the 'Reception' we've received the usual story.
All the $35 rooms are taken, only $49 ones are available.
If we staying more than 1 night, the following nights going to
be $59.
Now that didn't make much sense, because
normally it is the other way around, but what could we do?
There was a $1 surcharge for phones too, which riled us too.
We didn't know anybody in town, so we wouldn't be making any
phone calls. It wasn't mentioned in the advertising either.
(A couple of days latter I overheard an elderly man talking
to another elderly couple about that 'phone charge'.
The man was talking about, being so furious about that
'phone charge', that he and his family were coming to
Circus Circus for two weeks, biannually for the past
seven years, but they are so upset, that they will not
come anymore.)
After settling in and going for an 'exploratory walk',
we found out that the other cheap place, the 'Travelodge'
was right next door.
Too late now!
Over the next few days we had 'Sweet Tours' as our
tour to Hoover Dam , through the Mojave Desert to
Williams and to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon
"One of the 7 wonders of the world in the U.S."
This Tour was rather expensive at
US$129 per person, but was much
more enjoyable, as there were only
9 of us plus our friendly, chatty
and likeable driver/tour guide Nan.
7 years ago I went in fully booked large tour
bus to the west rim with Interstate Tours.
The tour was 'hijacked' by a large group of Korean
visitors and their guide who only conducted his group,
in their lingo, not allowing time and opportunity for
our driver to conduct the tour to the 6 of us, who did
not understanding Korean.
I've complained at the time, to Interstate Tours, the
tour firm and the Las Vegas Tourist Office and the Las
Vegas Chamber of Commerce,
they never even bothered to answer.
I had to get off my chest.
Hui Chin and I enjoyed Las Vegas very much.
The 'Strip' was bright, glittering and entertaining enough
to impress us a 'bit'.
I, being a 'HUGE' gambler, borrowed a couple of dollars
off Hui Chin in an effort to make my fortune on the 5 cent
'poki'.
I left the 'pokis' about 20 minutes later,
thinking - with about $5 in my cup - that I was well ahead,
Seven years ago I worked out a strategy after some
observations.
I stood back from a bank of machines and
watched as gamblers come and try their luck on each or
some machines and walk away in frustration to try another one.
Standing back I watched how many spin they had and whether the
machine paid anything out.
If someone walked away after a
few, say ten or more spins, without a 'strike', I would go and
try that machine, usually with some luck.
Well I did say, I'm a big gambler, didn't I?
I am a lousy loser in fact.
I don't like gambling because I might lose, that's all.
Hui Chin I walked up and down the 'Strip" and Downtown
many times trying out all the attractions, trains,
monorails, Bungi's, free beer, free food, free Margaritas,
and cheap food (And I wish I would have been allowed,
- cheap woman. I'm joking here of course.) the next best
thing after free food, of course.
Well, it has been said before by Elvis, Viva Las Vegas.
We enjoyed Vegas very much.
'Viva Las Vegas'.
You can click on these photos for an enlargement.
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