HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Seeing Tippy after 2 years
BUMMER OF THE DAY: The realization I am on my last stop
WORD OF THE DAY: Las Vegas Baby
DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 2088km
I had se t my alarm for 4.15am and didn’t hear the first alarm go off till 4.25am. I didn’t have a good night’s sleep last night worrying about sleeping through my alarm when I have early flights. So waking up 10 minutes later was a start for me, even though it didn’t make me late as I am a night packer so I just had to shower and pack away my jim jams and I was ready to go. The sun was just starting to come up at as we loaded my 3 bags and my glass picture into the car and hit the road precisely at 5am. One thing to be said Teegs and mine time keeping has been exceptional the last 4 days; we just click like that which is really nice. I have had an amazing time in Minneapolis and I am so glad that I stopped into see Teegs. She is one of these people that we can just pick up where we left off like it hasn’t been years and we had a ball. There is always the initial worry when you go to visit people after a long hiatus that maybe something changed and we just aren’t that compatible as friends anymore, but we both need not worry -we had clicked like we always have and another sincere thank-you Teegs for your time, your enthusiasm showing me your home town, meeting friends and family and for just being you. You’re one of my travel friends that will always have a place in my life and I am so thankful we met all those years ago on our Central America trip. Love ya Teegs and thanks again for hosting me. I will make you an honorary Australian so people will know just how cool you are. You Betcha xx
With no traffic on the roads we got to the airport at 5.20am. With me all packed up and a wave to Teegs I was inside for check-in. You would imagine there wouldn’t be too many people there at 5 in the morning but it was a busier than I thought it would be. I self-checked in at a terminal and then was 3rd in line for the bag drop. The machine didn’t ask how many bags I had so knew what to expect when I got to the counter. I didn’t see what my little bag weighed but my big backpack was only 41 pounds, so I have a little leeway on my next 2 stops should we go shopping. I really did chock my little checked in bag and I think that is now the way to go. I knew it was a long shot but I mentioned to the check-in chick that I was on an international ticket heading back to Australia and asked about getting the bags free based on that, but she asked the killer question if this flight was on my international ticket, which the answer was a big fat no, and my answer was a big fat no. She was nice about it though and it was worth the question. I am sure the lady in Miami a few years ago let it slide based on that but I was actually heading home all the way on the same day which may have helped my cause. Never mind no harm in asking so I paid my 60USD happily (well as happy as one can be) and then moved through security and the body scanner they have at Minnie and I was through to the gates at 5.45am. Boarding was at 6.10am so I had time to get a subway roll for breakfast and then walk the 25km (well felt like it) to my gate which was the last one in the terminal travelling over 5 of those land escalators, I’m telling you it was miles away. I figured if I didn’t get a chance to eat my roll I could take it on my flight with me as they let you on all domestic flights to bring on your own food as only the soft drinks and water is free, food is an additional cost, so it is good that they let you do that.
I am flying Delta, which I haven’t flown on since 2010 when they started services out of Australia and I flew them to the USA in their brand new planes. This flight was half full and I made it to row 34 when the hostee said there were only 70 people on the flight today so I could sit anywhere hinting that my row 37 seat was going to be too far away from everyone. The whole backend of the aircraft was empty hence I had no problems changing my seat yesterday. This was also the same flight that they had me sitting next to some-one; I guess that is computer generated seats for you. People were still boarding so they sat me at an exit row and said to just wait till everyone was on and then I could pick a closer seat. So I was moved to 33E, just a few rows forward and I had the whole 3 seats to myself. The plane seemed quite new and was a MD90 with a seating configuration of 2x3. I had moved to the opposite side of the plane, so I am hoping I have the correct side to see the strip when we come into land as I had access to at least 10 seats I could have picked to sit in. A lady walked on with a wedding dress in hand and I heard her tell the hostee she has been waiting 17 years for this moment and it was the first time that her and her fiancé had been on a plane! It really humbled me, there are people out there who haven’t been on planes before for what-ever reason (fear, money, time, location) and it is just one of things I take for granted as I am on my 57th flight. They had around 6 people travelling with them, with the wedding on Friday and they were flying back on the Monday. Delta made an announcement half way through the flight to congratulate them and to wish them luck for Friday which was really nice of them to do that. Made the flight that much more special.
The flight was 3 hours and 42 minutes and was smooth as a baby’s bottom. This is my 57th flight with only 2 more flights to go it really is hard to fathom that I am home in 16 days, leaving the US on the 20th June. I have so much to look forward to and I have seen and experienced so much on my World Odyssey that I feel totally blessed and I am now looking at writing my final blog entry in my head. How do I sum into words an experience of a life time, people and cultures, places and hope. Well it is something I can think on over the next 2 weeks as I know I will get all emotional about it all but at the end of the day it is a win win for me as something great comes to an end something even greater is waiting for me. The views we had flying over Nebraska, Colorado and Utah was spectacular. This is why I love my window seats for days like this. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, the sun was out and we could see the ground the whole way. We saw the Rocky Mountains covered in snow; valley’s, lakes, winding rivers and remote towns nestled in between mountains. It really was a beautiful flight. I should have had my computer out blogging but I was a little tired and will just have to rely on my notes as I now officially a week behind. Dang it, but I am now relying on some time at Tippy’s to punch a few out over the next week. I got some sleep on and off as I didn’t want to miss any of the scenery and was woken by the hostee as we started to descend into Las Vegas. I was Lucky I did pick the correct side of the plane and I got some aerial views and photos of the strip as we came in to land. Welcome back to Las Vegas.
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous for its consolidated casino–hotels and associated entertainment. A growing retirement and family city, Las Vegas is the 28th-most populous city in the United States. Established in 1905, Las Vegas was incorporated as a city in 1911. At the close of the 20th century, Las Vegas was the most populous American city founded in that century (a distinction held by Chicago in the 19th century). The city's tolerance for various forms of adult entertainment earned it the title of Sin City, and this image has made Las Vegas a popular setting for films and television programs. The 4.2 mi (6.8 km) stretch of South Las Vegas Boulevard known as the Strip is mainly in the unincorporated communities of Paradise, Winchester, and Enterprise. The first reported European visitor to the Las Vegas Valley was Raphael Rivera in 1829. Las Vegas was named by Spaniards in the Antonio Armijo party, who used the water in the area while heading north and west along the Old Spanish Trail from Texas. In the 19th century, areas of the valley contained artesian wells that supported extensive green areas or meadows (Vegas in Spanish); hence the name Las Vegas. On May 3, 1844, while it was still part of Mexico, John C. Frémont led a group of scientists, scouts, and observers for the United States Army Corps of Engineers into the Las Vegas Valley. On May 10, 1855, following annexation by the United States, Brigham Young assigned 30 missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints led by William Bringhurst to the area to convert the Paiute Indian population to Mormonism. A fort was built near the current downtown area that served as a stopover for travelers along the "Mormon Corridor" between Salt Lake and the briefly thriving colony of saints at San Bernardino, California. Mormons abandoned Las Vegas in 1857, during the Utah War. Las Vegas was established as a railroad town on May 15, 1905, when 110 acres (45 ha) owned by the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad in what is now downtown Las Vegas was auctioned off. Las Vegas became an incorporated city on March 16, 1911; Peter Buol was the first mayor.
Las Vegas started as a stopover on the pioneer trails to the west, and became a popular railroad town in the early 20th century. It was a staging point for mines in the surrounding area, especially those around the town of Bullfrog, that shipped goods to the rest of the country. With the proliferation of the railroads, Las Vegas became less important, but the completion of the nearby Hoover Dam in 1935 resulted in growth in the number of residents and increased tourism. The dam, located 48 km southeast of the city, formed Lake Mead, the largest man-made lake and reservoir in the US. Today, tours are offered into lesser-known parts of the dam. The legalization of gambling in 1931 led to the advent of the casino hotels for which Las Vegas is famous. Major development occurred in the 1940s, "due almost entirely" to the influx of scientists and staff from the Manhattan Project, an atomic bomb research project of World War II. Atomic test watching parties were sometimes thrown. American organized crime figures such as Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel and Meyer Lansky managed or funded most of the original large casinos.
Las Vegas is situated within Clark County in an arid basin on the desert floor, surrounded by dry mountains. The Spring Mountains lie to the west. Much of the landscape is rocky and dusty; the environment is dominated by desert vegetation and some wildlife, and the area is subject to torrential flash floods. The elevation is around 620 m above sea level. Within the city there are many lawns, trees, and other greenery. The city enjoys abundant sunshine year-round: it has an average of about 300 sunny days per year with more than 3,800 hours of sunshine. Las Vegas has one of the highest suicide and divorce rates of the U.S. A study that found Las Vegas residents are 40% less likely to commit suicide if they leave Las Vegas and visitors are more than twice as likely to commit suicide there as elsewhere was published in the Las Vegas Sun newspaper in 2008. The city's high divorce rate is not wholly due to Las Vegans themselves getting divorced. Since divorce is easier in Nevada than most other states, many people come from across the country for the easier process. For similar reasons, Las Vegas has one of the highest marriage rates of U.S. cities, with many licenses issued to people from outside the area.
This is Lass Vegas after all.
Since we had such a great flight we arrived into Vegas 32 minutes early. This was okay with me as we taxied to the air bridge I got a text from Tips that she was just dropping the little people at school and would be there to pick me up around 9am. There was a 2 hour time difference from Minnesota to Las Vegas so I had to wind my watch back 2 hours. So now the time difference between me and Ethiopia was 10 hours, with them in front. Once I got my bags to make my way to the passenger pickup and that will be where she will meet me. McCarran International Airport has changed so much since I was last here. They now have a new terminal which is where we arrived into and then we had to catch an air train to the old section where the baggage collection was to be found. I was in no hurry so it was nice to take my time as it was only 8.10am. They still have the poker machines in the departures and when I was at the baggage collection they had them there as well. Not a bad one to nab some people as they wait for their bags I suppose. The baggage collection area is littered with sign and bill boards of all the shows showing, drinks specials and night clubs. All flashing and spinning as you would expect Vegas to be all about.
I was lucky I exited the airport on the correct side and I found the passenger collection area fine and just waited for my ride to arrive. It was funny to watch people drive past looking for their peeps and the most I saw of one car was 5 times circling around till his passenger arrived. I used the time to make a call to Zeme and spoke to him for a few minutes. I am now finding I am calling him every few days just to say hi and hear his voice. I miss him so much. But we have come this far, so I just need to hang in there and just hope that he gets cracking on his visa soon otherwise we will be running out of time to get it lodged and back again. I do have the backup plan of us coming home to Australia for Christmas, so worse-case scenario my friends and family will meet him in December rather than July and it means that I will have to wait 5 more weeks to see him in September rather than in July. What’s 5 weeks after 4 months but I will still be slightly devastated but it won’t be the end of the world right?! Not like the Brazil debacle which I still haven’t forgiven Tucan for yet. Not just yet……..
Tippy arrived bang on time at 9am and it was SO GOOD TO SEE HER. I haven’t seen her since 2010 and the hug we gave was emotional. Tippy is one of those good people in the world who you are lucky to find and I am super lucky as she reminds me very much of my Best Friend Shelly back home. I am lucky to have 2 of these people in my life that I have known for over 21 years. Gee does that sound old? 21 years to have people in your life, amazing and I cherish everyone I have in my life no matter how long I have known them and there is some sort of satisfaction to keep in touch and see long friends and know that nothing has changed. We are the same people, with the same values just 21 years older and Tippy hasn’t changed a single bit.
We stopped for brunch on our way home and it was time to catch up. We didn’t stop talking the whole time and the waitress had to come back twice as we hadn’t even looked at the menu. It was like we were 17 again and nothing had passed us by, especially 21 years. The boys finish school tomorrow for the summer and they have half days today and tomorrow, so we stopped by home dropped off all my bags talked some more and then went to pick up the boys. This is a daily routine for Tips and was nice to get an insight into her days. I met some of the mothers from school as after school is out all the kids go to the park to play ball and the mothers have a chance to talk. They all seemed really nice and certainly made me feel welcome which was super nice. There was talk of what people were doing for the summer holidays and the swapping of email and phone numbers with the kids for them to keep in touch for the 2 months they are on holidays. Jake didn’t really remember me from my last trip but Nick and Luke did which was nice and then we all set off for home. The boys are high energy. Being 12, 9 and 7 they are full of beans and will be a great week for me to keep a step ahead of them where I can. They are god kids and I will enjoy my time with them and Tips.
So Welcome to Las Vegas. It isn’t going to be bright lights and party times for me here this time. It is family time, quite wines at home and hopefully some sun time to work on my tan. That is another thing Tips and I have in common was/is our love for the sun and she is the only person I know that can sit in the sun for hours and both of us be happy to do so. This is going to be a great relaxing week, well as relaxing as 3 active little people will allow anyway.
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