MY LAST STOP ON MY WORLD ODYSSEY-LOS ANGELES

WEATHER: Vegas was a warm 39C and Los Angeles was a beautiful 24C

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Seeing my Browns again

BUMMER OF THE DAY: Saying goodbye to my McElhinny’s

DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 424km

I say goodbye to Miss Tippett, the McElhinny boys and Las Vegas today.  This week has gone so quick and I now find myself looking at my last week ahead on my Odyssey. It is quite ironic that I started my trip 15 months ago travelling on the Trans Mongolian where I met a couple from LA, The Browns, and we just clicked from day 1.  They were the first people I said that I would come and see the following year on my way home as I knew that I would be coming through the US, that much I did know, and now I find myself heading to them today as my last stop. 

I was up at 6.30am as I hadn’t packed yet.  This is the first flight I have had in a long time that was an afternoon flight at 4.10pm.  It felt a little strange packing in the morning of the day I was leaving as I always like to do it the night before, but I had plenty of time this morning and got it all done before Tippy left for work leaving me in charge of the kids-look out Aunty Bernie was on the case.  I didn’t buy anything in Vegas, so I didn’t need to worry about things fitting back in; I just had to keep an eye on the weight of the big backpack.  I wanted to get some Vegas rays one last time, so I was poolside by 9.45am.  Luke and Jake followed me out 30 minutes later and this is where I spent the last 1.5 hours playing with the kids in the pool.  I’m going to miss the ankle biters aka little people.  I have promised them I will send some Tim Tams and Mint Slices to them when I get back to OZ and I will be true to my word.

Tips got home at 12 and then we piled my entire luggage and the kids into the car and we were on our way to have lunch with some football moms before taking me to the airport.  It was interesting to get an inside look into the lives of soccer moms and the trials and tribulations of coaches, other mom and dads and the new team selections.  I guess there is no getting away from the politics of sports no matter what age or level.  It was nice when it was time to leave that the moms said they would pay for our lunches as a farewell and good luck to us both and after I tried to give them cash they would have nothing of it.  I have only met nice and generous people while I have been here and it is nice to know that these people still exist in the world.  I found some people on my trips that would be chasing that dollar change or the better exchange rate for the extra 3 dollars, sometimes it is just not worth the hassle and here people are in Vegas giving us free meals, free cocktails, free show tickets and free lunches. I am extremely lucky, that is all that I can say.

Luke and Jake stayed with the soccer moms and their kids to hang for the afternoon, so with hugs and kisses goodbye from those 2 it was time to head to the airport.  The goodbyes don’t get any easier as my stops go on and if anything it gets harder.  I can’t imagine what I will be like when I leave Australia in August saying goodbye to my god-daughters and Shelly again.  It won’t be too bad as I know I will be back at the end of November but even so good-byes still suck. So with BIG bear hugs from Tips and Nick, it was time to for me to leave.  Sometimes it can take a trip like this to make you realize what a great friendship you have with people and to be able to rekindle that again is a real joy and I hope that we can keep in touch more now that we have caught up on the last 2 years of our lives.  21 years of being friends with Miss Tippett is a credit to us both, as everyone knows sometimes life can just pass you by, but with a little effort and a catch up every few years is all we need to keep it nurtured.  I am proud to have Miss Tippet aka Tips aka Tarsh aka Mrs McElhinny as my friend and look forward to a trip to Oklahoma in the next year or two.  We both have exciting new ventures to head to with my arrival back home and then my move to Ethiopia and her family moving to another state in a few weeks’ time I have a feeling we may be sending each other messages more than we think we are going to as we adjust to our new lives.  Love ya McElhinnys and thank-you so much for opening your home and your family for my visit.

Thank goodness this is my last domestic flight in the US.  Their airports are really quite stressful to go through, with the self-check-in process, the Nazi’s on the check-in counters and then the security measures.  You think I would be used to it by now but for some reason it just takes longer and they are so much more thorough and just ‘mean’ looking.  I guess if you process hundreds of people every day which 90% of them are jackasses, I probably wouldn’t be too happy either.  I proceeded to the self-check-in counter to get my boarding pass and United ask how many bags you have and also you pay at this stage as well.  As I had purchased a cheap arse ticket I had no free bag allowance and again paid my 60USD to get them to LA.  This is the last time I will have to pay for my baggage as I will then be back to my international ticket for my flight home in 7 days where I am back to having 2 free pieces of luggage.  The sweat out was now how heavy my big back was going to be and I was hoping if I was over, since I had paid for my bag, they would go lightly on me as I had paid for the checked bag…but would they?  Maybe they really wouldn’t care and be happy to double dip me and get more money.  Well I didn’t have to worry as my big backpack was 20.1kg and my other checked in bag was 13.2kg.  I would hate to think what my rolly bag would weigh, but it would have to be over 10kg, plus my handbag and my Frank Lloyd Wright glass picture I am now carrying around 45-50kg of luggage- wowzers…. Imagine carrying that for my whole trip?

McCarran International Airport is ranked 22nd in the world for passenger traffic, with 39,757,359 passengers passing through the terminal and is ranked 9th in the world for aircraft movements with 505,591 takeoffs and landings.  It is a busy airport and security was a shambles.  There were so many people passing through and they only had a few screening stations open.  The lines were all skewed, there were hundreds of us and it was just a mess.  I made it finally to the front of the line and for the first time all trip my Ethiopian bangles were an issue.  I beeped through the x-ray machine as I always do, but this time they weren’t going to just wave me through like all other airports have on the last 20 odd flights.  They did ask if I could take them off which I can’t as they are bent onto my arm, so a female officer was called.  As we waited for her, the male officer told me next time I should go through the standing machine scanner and this is the only time I have talked back to these guys when I said it is a shambles on the other side, and even if I was aiming for the standing machine I would have been hard pressed to get it and with a shrug from him the female officer arrived and I went through what was the most vigorous body search ever.  I was told not to touch anyone or anything and we had to get all my stuff off the security belt to a section at the end of the belt.  So I wasn’t supposed to help and the lady who had the job of frisking me dropped my Frank Lloyd Wright glass picture as she tried to juggle all my crap.  I was alarmed to say the least, but she was so apologetic and told me she would check it after she had rubbed her hands all over me.  She had to tell me exactly what she would be doing, running her hand over and under my boobs, up and down my legs, on the inside of my pants I was wearing (front and back), the soles of my feet etc.  I was offered to go into a room, but I declined and just wanted to get it done…..   To finish it all off I got swabbed for drugs and was finally allowed on my way.  We checked my picture and it all looked okay, she really was apologetic and I am not sure what she would have done had it been broken, but she was just doing her job, so I told her no harm done and with a wave I was on my way.

McCarran has added a new terminal since I was last here and I had to catch a train to my departure gate, which is just as well as it was at least an eight minute ride to get there.  It has more than 1,234 slot machines throughout the airport terminals and also has 251 gambling machines both airside and landside. I thought for a mini second to pop in a quarter but didn’t and continued on to my gate.  When I got to my gate United were making announcements that the flight was 12 seats over sold and they were asking for volunteers to stay an extra night in Las Vegas, with a night’s accommodation, meal vouchers and a 150USD credit.  Needless to say there were no takers, not a single one that walked up to the counter.  This is the first time I have heard an oversold announcement.  I had Eric coming to get me, so it wasn’t even an option for me.  The departure lounge filled and then another announcement was made that they were upping the ante and they had found a flight with seats an hour later on an American Airlines and they were offering people 300USD to change to that.  Well that got people out of their seats and there was a line-up of over 20 people ready to take up that offer.  Even if I wanted to a 300USD credit was probably useless to me as I am not sure when I would be back to the States and it wasn’t transferable.  So I just watched the people as one by one they got new boarding passes and made their way to their new departure gate.  I was in section 7 boarding, the last one to be called, when United made another announcement that if people had rolly bags they wanted to check at the air-bridge they would take peoples bags for free.  Being in the last boarding section I was guessing that there wouldn’t be a lot of room left for my bag as it was a full flight, so I walked up to ask about it thinking that it was going to go valet like my Ottawa flights but he said that it goes as checked luggage (I had stuff that was breakable and stuff I didn’t want to lose) so with his advice that there would be room, I kept my bag and waited patiently for my section to be called, and with my handbag, my glass picture and rolly bag just hoped there would be space left.  We were 20 minutes late in boarding when they finally started to call the sections from 1-7.  There were 3 people in front of me that had 2 bags each and they were seated in the row 28, the row after me, as I had peeked at their boarding passes.  They were obviously as worried as I was about available space because as soon as we walked on the flight they started to put their bags in any available overhead space starting at row 5 and the people who were belted in had complainy faces on even though their row was full and all their bags were stored.  I can see it was a bit ballsy but what harm is it doing them and it would hopefully give me room when we finally made it to our row.  So with 3 of their bags in row 5, 11 and 20 there were two obvious spots that I could see at our rows with 4 bags to go in, so while they farted around I moved like lightening and slipped my rolly bag into one of the free spaces and took my seat.  They had to fluff around depositing their bags in row 29 and 30 and then we were finally all seated.  The next best thing to having an empty seat next to you is being seated next to a child, and this was my only positive for the whole day so far, that and getting my bag into the overheads.  I do hate that part of travelling, the bag fiasco, but I got there and for some reason this flight took for-ever to board.  Americans are the worst plane borders that is for sure.   

We pulled out from the gate and then sat there for another 20 minutes as apparently we had to be weighed before we could taxi off and then finally we were on our way.  Talk about a right old rig ma role for a 44 minute flight.  The aircraft was a 737-800 with a seating configuration of 3x3.  The view we had as we flew the 424km was desert, valleys and mountains.  It was quite a scenic flight and I took a lot of photos (as I always do) and this is really the last flight I will be able to do so.  My flight from LA to Brisbane is a night service arriving in at 6.30am, so there really won’t be too much for me to take photos of at night.  As the flight was so short there wasn’t even a drink trolley to come through, but the hostee’s did walk down with some trays of water for us and before you knew it we were starting our descent in to LA.  The last of the view was the urban sprawl they call LA and it stretched as far as the eye could see, the flatness and the grid looking of the city just making it quite clear just how massive the city Los Angeles really is.

We ended up arriving 20 minutes late and as soon as we started our taxi I texted Eric and filled him on where I was at.  Along with everyone else who has come to collect me from the airport I have told them not to park the car and to just drive by and pick me up so we don’t have to pay the exuberant airport parking fees.  I arrived into terminal 7 and it all looked quite new as I found my way to the baggage carousel.  We only had to wait around 15 minutes for the bags to start arriving and my 2 were one of the first ones to come out, so with a text to Eric that I was ready, I went outside to wait for my ride.  After another text asking what Eric was driving, and then another to tell him I was under the United sign, to send another one when he missed me on his first pass, we finally got it right and I got a massively big bear hug and a welcome to California smile.  It’s good to see my Brown’s.  Well Eric so far, Christine had just wrapped a shoot and was at home waiting for my arrival.     

LA traffic is busy.  All the time.  24 hours a day with just a few pockets of relief between certain times of the day.  Unfortunately we were not in one of those pockets and it took us just over an hour to get to the Browns who have a house in Hollywood.  How fancy and romantic to say I’m staying in Hollywood for the next week.  My timing fitting into the Browns schedule has been exceptional as they both work crazy hours in the advertising industry, but as luck would have it Eric is off to Canne next week for the film festival and Christine just finished a massive shoot and gets to have tomorrow off and then will be in town at least for Monday-Wednesday next week.  I know how precious their time is and makes this visit that much more special to me.  Their home in Hollywood is beautiful and straight out of a House and Home magazine.  I am so lucky to be here AND with Eric cooking us dinner of steak and salad, this is a magnificent way for me to finish off my world odyssey in great company and a little style.

Welcome to Los Angeles and the state of California   

            

HUMAN NATURE ROCK LAS VEGAS

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Getting my photo with the band AND TOBY!!!!

WORD OF THE DAY:  HUMAN NATURE ROCKS

We were off to see the Human Nature Concert tonight and we were able to get the boys tickets as well.  The first question they had was ‘what type of music do they sing’?  Now these kids are all over the top 40 songs, they know the words, the song names and the artist.  The radio station here that we listen to play them over and over again, there really isn’t too much variation in playing of songs on the station, and we could hear the same song up to 4-6 times a day.  No wonder the kids know them so well and it is just as well that all the current songs are goodies.  So without seeming old I had to tell them they were ‘old’ songs without putting them off and I knew/hoped that Jake would enjoy it with all the dancing that is part of their show.  Not sure how won over they were, but tough, as they were coming with us anyway.  I just hope my enthusiasm would wear off on them.  We did talk about staying in a hotel for the night tonight and seeing the Freemont Experience and the staying Downtown rather than the strip, but the prices weren’t too favorable, the boys were being monsters and Tippy had an early work start so we decided to just see the show and then come home afterwards.

I was so excited.  Tarsh knows the Manager of Human Nature.  Not a behind the scenes guy, not someone who works at the show, this is the guy that bought them to Las Vegas.  The chances of me meeting them, worse case a photo with them was quite high and I was like a child being led to the candy store.  I have seen Human Nature 3 previous times, all in Brisbane over a 3 year period.  Shelly and I just love the group, love their music and we LOVE Toby Allen.  We aren’t groupies as such; we don’t want to get into bed with any of them we are just big fans.  We parked for free in the Imperial Palace car park and made our way into the bowels of the hotel.  It was quite busy, so we all made sure we all held some-ones hands, as I guess it wouldn’t look good if we lost a child in a strip hotel.  We found the Human Nature Theatre (yes their own theatre) on the 3^rd floor where we were also to pick up the tickets for the evening.  The theatre was open, so we headed in to find our seats and get ready for the performance.  Tarsh’s friend, David, came up and said hello and stayed for a chat for a while before he had to head to the sound booth for the evening which was directly behind us.

Our seats were amazing.  The theatre was set up with tables that ran vertical to the stage.  There was the lower floor level where the tabled sat around 14 people, there were booths directly below us, we were on the second tier and right on the edge of a table of 14, there were booths behind us and then a third tier.  As we were higher than the floor we had an unobstructed view of the stage and I think the best seats in the house.  I rekon they were even better than the ones who were right next to the stage as they would have had to have cricked their necks all night.  We really couldn’t have had better seats.  I was so excited and couldn’t wait for the show to start.  We ordered a cocktail each and the waitress was nice enough to bring the boys a red soda each and then the show began.

The show was pretty much exactly the same show that I saw in Brisbane a few years ago.  I wasn’t sure if they would modify it for the American market, but there certainly was not an issue for me.  They still had all the same enthusiasm, moves and good looks just as I remembered.  The best thing was that we were allowed to take photos all we liked we just weren’t allowed to use flash photography during the show.  Well no one needs to tell me that twice right.  So all through the show I could take guilt free photos to my heart’s content.  They even used the tables on the ground level as their stage and would step onto them like a catwalk, and people would have to pick up there drinks as each of the 4 members sashayed their way up and down.  When they first did walked the tables I’m not sure the people sitting there knew what to do and they left their glasses on the tables and Mike accidently knocked her drink over when he turned around.  I mean really, wouldn’t you just pick up the glass for goodness sakes.  This also put them in prime view and seriously they were only like 2m away from us.  It was a shame that Toby was on the far table to the left, but we got great views of Andrew and Mike and I think I may have become a bit of an Andrew fan as well now.

Human Nature are an Australian pop vocal group. The group was originally formed as adoo-wop band in 1989 while the current members were at school together in Sydney. So far, the band has had 17 Top 40 hits and five Top 10 hits in Australia since 1996 when their first album Telling Everybody was released. Three of Human Nature's albums have reached multi-platinum certification in Australia with four others reaching platinum. The group has certified sales of 1.6 million records in Australia. They have also had minor chart success in the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

Brothers Andrew and Michael Tierney joined with Toby Allen and Phil Burton while at Hurlstone Agricultural High School- representing their school in a combined regional schools concert at the Bankstown Town Hall on 27 November 1989. The quartet was known as The 4 Trax, a name that they retained until they began their recording career. Before being in Human Nature, Toby Allen worked as a perfume salesman while studying to be an accountant, Andrew Tierney was studying to be a physical therapist; Phil Burton was studying to be a music teacher and once stacked beer for a living. The youngest member of the band Michael Tierney was studying for his Higher School Certificate in high school.  After an initial stint as buskers and wins in a number of club talent quests, The 4 Trax started performing professionally in clubs and built up a following winning- several awards as club entertainers. They started sending demos off to record labels. The band was signed to Sony Music Australia after walking into the office of Sony CEO, Denis Handlin, and performing an a cappella version of "People Get Ready". A recording contract was offered immediately. The band changed their name to Human Nature at a suggestion from Michael Tierney.

The group also helped build their reputation by working as support acts for Michael Jackson and Céline Dion on their respective Australian tours.  The band teamed up with John Farnham for "Every Time You Cry" which was one of the biggest hits of 1997, and due to the success of the previous tours, were asked personally by both Celine Dion and Michael Jackson to continue to support them throughout their European tours in June–September 1997. The band played to crowds often numbering over 100,000 people, and also took the stage for three nights at Wembley Stadium. Upon their return to Australia in October Human Nature embarked on their first ever national concert tour.

For their fifth studio album, Human Nature decided to release an album of Motown covers, Reach Out: The Motown Record, on 6 November 2005. It peaked at number one on the Australian charts and has reached 5 times platinum, with sale of over 350,000. On 29 October 2006, Human Nature won their first ARIA - highest selling album - after 15 nominations.  With Reach Out being such a success, the quartet decided their sixth studio album would be along similar lines. Dancing In The Street: The Songs Of Motown II was released on 13 October 2006, and debuted at number one.  Mid-2007 saw Human Nature return to Australian arena stages with the Dancing In The Street Arena Tour.  The 24 November 2007 saw Human Nature hit No.1 on the ARIA Australian Albums Chart with Get Ready, the third Motown-themed album, which this time featured appearances by several original Motown artists including Smokey Robinson, Martha Reeves, Mary Wilson of The Supremes and The Temptations.  All three Motown albums have now sold close to a million copies in Australia. Human Nature's total album sales in Australia number almost two million.

At the start of 2008, Human Nature headed over to perform for the first ever time in the United States, with a two-month engagement at Atlantic City's Tropicana Casino. In April 2008, Human Nature took the stage with The Supremes' Mary Wilson on the television show It Takes Two. They performed two duets from their Get Ready album: "It Takes Two" and "River Deep, Mountain High".  In May 2009, Human Nature began a year-long engagement in Las Vegas at the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino, performing 6 nights a week. They are the first Australian band to have a residency on the strip. The group made a brief return to Australia in December 2009 to perform a "homecoming" show with Smokey Robinson at the Wyndham Estate winery in the NSW Hunter Valley wine region.  On 11 May 2010, Human Nature announced that the Imperial Palace had signed them for a further two years, and had also given the group the honor of renaming the Imperial Palace Showroom after them. They currently perform six nights a week in the "Human Nature Theatre". The mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman, decreed that 11 May 2010 would be known as "Human Nature Day".

Human Nature finished their first concert tour of the U.S. on May 6, 2012. The group performed to a sold out crowd at New York City's Beacon Theatre. As of May 14, 2012, the group has resumed their residency at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas, NV.  The band consists of: Andrew Tierney, Michael Tierney, Toby Allen and Phil Burton and is the same lineup that performed as the 4Trax in 1989.

The guys really don’t stop dancing the whole time they are in stage and there was even a few points of crowd participation with dance moves and Jake and Luke were up in a flash, but it was a little too cool for school for our 12 year old Nick.  The show wrapped up 90 minutes later at 9pm and I was getting a little nervous on whether we had to ask David if we could meet them when they made an announcement that they would be outside the theater to sign programs and selling their latest album.  This was AWESOME and I was so nervous!!!  As we were waiting for the theatre to clear out one of the usher ladies tapped me on the shoulder and said that the drummer guy would like to give the boys a set each of drum sticks that was used during the show and asked if we could wait a few minutes until he came out.  How nice is that, so we waited for a few minutes and the piano man came out with only 2 sets of sticks, not realizing that Nick was hiding behind Tippy the whole night and not dancing they had only seen the 2 smaller boys.  So he ran back stage and got another set which was extra super nice and then I was hurrying everyone out so we didn’t miss the boys.  Human Nature were standing behind a glass counter that had all sorts of Human Nature stuff tucked in there and I joined the line to get my ticket signed by them.  But when I got to the queue I felt a little scabby asking them to sign my ticket, so when I got to the top of the queue Phil was the first member up, so I bought 2 programs (they were only 10USD each) and I got one dedicated to Shelly, Phil signed it and then passed it down to Andrew, then to Mike and lastly Toby.  In the meantime I also asked for a photo with them which they were very obliging but I wasn’t allowed to stand behind the cabinet with them, I had to stand in front and then they all lent for the shot that Tippy took.  Not sure what the big deal is about them staying behind the glass cabinet, but I guess it must be for a reason.  As I waited for my second programe to come down the line for me, I was lucky that Toby was the last member on the line and asked for a picture with him on his own and he was more than happy to say yes.  They also signed the drum sticks that the boys had been given which was groovy and all of us, including Nick, left the show with smiles from ear to ear. 

The show was as good as I had hoped, Tippy thought it was amazing and Jake and Luke also had a ball.  Nick I think may have secretly thought it was okay, but didn’t want to seem like he was having fun.  You know how kids can be at the age of 12.  I would see that show over and over again, they really are true entertainers and definitely taking the time to see the show if you get a chance.  Vegas was a little bit different in regards to it was a more personal venue being in a smaller theater and it felt like they were only playing for you. It was a great atmosphere and as usual they were very engaging with the crowd.  It made me proud to call them Australians and the Americans seemed to love them as well.  

Jake and Luke were still singing 2 of the songs the next day and Jakey and I were busting the moves from one of the sings that they got us to participate in, so this was nice that they were still thinking about the show the next day.  My work here is done and the band now have 2 move fans to the fan club!!! And for me, to walk away with a photo with the group and a photo with Toby is a major Odyssey Highlight, like up in the top 10 and I still smile now thinking of just how nervous I was to be standing in that queue, what a buzz and Shelly was the first person I text and the pictures were loaded straight into Facebook when I got home. 

HUMAN NATURE ROCKED LAS VEGAS

LIVIN LA VIDA LAS VEGAS FOR THE WEEK

WEATHER: Desert hot the whole week min day was 32.5C and max day was 39C

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK: Working on my tan each day-that is vacation and I also have to 

mention the HUMAN NATURE show we saw on the strip and my photo with them-HIGHLIGHT OF HIGHLIGHTS

BUMMER OF THE WEEK: It’s gone far too quick

WORD OF THE WEEK: Take that biatches……

This is the forth time I have been to Las Vegas.  My first time was on a famil (work trip) in 2002, the second time was for my honeymoon in 2004 and the third time was in 2010 with my ex-sister in law.  So the party scene has been done, I have been into most, if not all of the Strip hotels, I have visited the Grand Canyon, The Valley of Fire, seen a few shows and had a flutter, only once to say that I did it.  This trip to Vegas was to visit a long-time friend Tippy and her family for a week.  I have been so busy the last 4 weeks, it was nice to have some ‘family’ time in Las Vegas and not feel guilty that I am not out and about sightseeing as I have done a lot of it here already.  Guilt free travel days are the BOMB.  Tippy and I used to play squash together for the same club (her families courts) in Brisbane and we trained together in the Australian Institute of Sport for a few years in the 1990’s.  She was, and still is, one of my best friends and when we are together it is like we are 17 again and time has just stood still.  We have always been like that, years can, and do pass before we see each other again but when we do we are those 2 girls back in Brisbane with hopes and dreams and 21 years on we still have those same hopes and dreams.  They maybe a little varied now, but I guess some things don’t change, except she now has 3 energetic boys and a husband.  Me?  Well I am on my 440ish days of travel, husband-less, home-less, job-less and car-less, but the happiest I have been in my entire life.  And why not, I have a wonderful boyfriend, a move to Africa and a new start for me at the age of 37, and of course a week with my mate Tips.  Maybe 37 is the new 21……..  I bought a gift for the boys while I was in Easter Island.  They are Polynesian looking necklaces with a bone symbol on a leather chain and it looked like they really liked them.  They have been wearing them all week which is a buzz for me that they weren’t just being nice and still like them a week later.

The boys finished school for the summer on Thursday with a half day of school and it was nice to be here to see them say goodbye to all their friends.  It isn’t just for the summer, the McElhinny Family are moving to Oklahoma in a few weeks’ time so they are finding it a little tough trying to comprehend that.  I am glad to help Tips with that and also the boys, they really can be a loving handful-and I mean that in the nicest possible way.  After meeting some of the mothers the day before I was like an old friend already.  It was cool to see the kid’s burn off some energy and not letting the 35C heat put them off.  It is a dry heat but it is hot all the same.  We decided to hit the Country Club that afternoon and use their pool facilities and let the kids run wild with an ulterior motive of the adults getting some hot Nevada sun.  Just to top off our busy afternoon we had a daiquiri to try and combat the burning hot sun.  Ahhhhhh this is vacation time.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a tourist through and through, but it is also nice to have some down time.  Tan baby tan. 

Living with 3 energetic boys for a week can be a challenge, one that I am happy to take on and help where I can.  I see it as pre-training for my return to 7 weeks with my beautiful God-daughters and all their nieces and nephews.  Tippy needs an award for what her little guys put her through daily and any mother in fact, with multiple children I can tell you are not given enough credit.  They are little devils with angelic faces, don’t be fooled and NEVER look them directly in the eyes, their cute-ness will win you over every time.  So how have we been spending our days now that the boys are on ‘vacation’ as they say here.  Well the other thing Vegas is known for besides the strip is their amazing desert weather.  It is a dry heat and the temperatures have been in the low 100’s, which to us metric people is 38C with the sun high in the sky and not a cloud to be seen it is perfect tanning weather.  I didn’t even get this type of weather when I was in Barbados and it is another thing that Tippy and I have in common, our love for the sun and working on our tans when we can.  We are sunshine babies that is for sure and this is what we have worked into our busy daily routine.  We have been to the club pool, where the kids have more things to keep them entertained, but we have used the home pool more, so the kids can come and go as they please in and out of the pool.  With drinks in our hands, music from the house we catch around 3 hours each day.  Is there a point where some-one can be too brown?  I sometimes look at people and think they are too brown, but myself, I always think I can use some more sun.  Maybe I have a sunorexia, when I look in the mirror I don’t think I look as brown as I actually am.  It always takes some-one who’s not as tan for it to actually make me think I maybe browner than I am.  I’m just getting some final rays before getting back home to Brisbane and into a winter there where everyone will be white and I will be BROWN.  The sun is so hot here that the arms of the sun lounge are too hot to touch.  I have found as the days go on I am sitting in the pool with my book rather than sitting in the lounge chairs as the heat is so, well hot…… To over compensate the pool water is so cold, but once you are in you get used to it, but with your body temperature so high I guess getting into a cooler body of water would seem colder than what it really is. 

It is great to spend time with the boys.  Nick is the oldest and the computer/tech wiz of the family.  Next is Luke and he is the sportsman of the family and then little Jake is the baby and he is the singing/drama kid.  He definitely has a career as an actor and he actually sings quite well.  Zoe is the same age as Jake, so it has given me an idea on what she will be like in regards to talking and comprehension.  They really are mini adults at this stage and just listen to everything you say.  And I thought I had to watch what I said 2 years ago.  I really would like to see the guys in Oklahoma next year and it will be interesting to see how they develop over the next 12 months.    

Since Tippy is leaving Vegas in a few weeks’ time, she has decided to pull in a few favors that have been offered over the years and that she has never had a chance or time to use them.  She knows of my LOVE for Human Nature who is still performing at the Imperial Palace and knows some-one that works with the show.  So after a few messages we are booked in for Sunday night and I might, just might, even get a chance to meet the guys as well.  OMG that would be insane.  I have already text Shelly and told, okay bragged, about it all and I really hope that I can get something signed from them if nothing else.  What a great opportunity.  We got tickets for the kids as well and I hope they enjoy the show as much as I did and a chance to get onto the Strip just once while I am here. 

We left our family ‘bubble’ on Saturday night for a trip to the Sugar Factory, located in Paris, where Tips knows the General Manager.  We had messaged him in the morning to see if it would be okay for us to come in and Perry said it would be great to see the boys and meet me.  We didn’t have a problem finding a park on the strip which surprised me.  Each hotel offers free self-parking they call it and you don’t have to spend a cent which also surprised me.  The Sugar Factory is a The Sugar Factory flagship retail location is a sweet-lovers’ dream filled with 6,000 square-feet of delectable treats, scrumptious chocolates, and an incredible array of candy-inspired apparel and novelty items, with Sugar Factory's signature Couture Pops taking center stage.  The shop also offers signature sundaes, milkshakes, cupcakes, gelatos, ice creams, and café treats. Sugar Factory American Brasserie takes guests on a breathtaking, visually-inspiring journey from beginning to end.  The 30,000 square-foot space in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip offers one-of-a-kind culinary experiences in our expansive dining room, flagship Sugar Factory retail store, decadent Chocolate Lounge and more as it serves up delicious cuisine and desserts to patrons 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  The mouthwatering menu at Sugar Factory American Brasserie has been handcrafted by a team of world-class chefs, including Executive Chef Michael Sellmann and Chef and Restaurateur Bryan Ogden, and features perfectly executed classics such as pizzas, burgers, pastas, salads, steaks, seafood, sandwiches and more.  It was really busy here and I think we were lucky that we knew someone to get a table.  The restaurant is located directly across from The Bellagio so we were able to step outside to see the fountains do their dance at one stage as well which was pretty cool.  We had a great meal, and the boys were good, besides the boys going to the toilets 4 times, not sure what the attraction was in there but it must have been pretty cool.  The boys were lucky they were allowed to get a free bag of lollies (sorry candy) on the way out.  Just what they needed a sugar load before bed.  But Perry was very generous with our bill and also the free candy bags it was a great night.    

Sunday was a home day.  The family went to church in the morning and then we went up to the Country Club for brunch and a mimosa and then we were back home again to the pool for day 4 of our tanning.  We are averaging around 3 hours a day with kids coming and going in the pool, kicking balls, splashing games and we are happy just chatting and catching up.   Monday and Tuesday were pretty much the same deal and actually I didn’t even leave the house in Tuesday at all.  Ahhhhhh vacation time.  Tippy has had some squash coaching to do while I have been here, so I been able to look after the boys in her absence to help out when I can.  We are now starting to look quite brown, I may look a little red, but I will just start to ‘brown’ by the time I get home.  We are officially blackberries and we love it. 

So that pretty much sums up my week in Las Vegas.  It has been a ball.  Lots of talking, lots of catching up, lots of sun and lots of kids stuff including 2 casks of red wine, a bottle of vodka, a bottle of white wine and 2 daiquiri mixes we have had a very social week.  Oh that’s just for the 2 of us.  I’m going to miss Miss Tippett and until we meet again Tips take care of you and the family and I hope to see you all in Oklahoma next year.  

437 DAYS AND MY SECOND LAST STOP OF THE ODYSSEY

WEATHER: Vegas hot and 96C (33C)

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 3^rd 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 57^th 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 57^th 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 20^th 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.