what happened in Vegas... got blogged

Las Vegas was home away from home, away from home for a weekend. Aside from watching KA and the Lion King, going round the factory outlets, and eating at hotel buffets and at Asian restaurants, my family also walked the long stretch of the Las Vegas Blvd.

When I first visited the USA a few years back, the pilot of my Denver-Oakland evening flight announced that if we were lucky, we would be able to catch a good view of the lights of Las Vegas, particularly of the light beam from Luxor's pyramid. At the time, I wasn't able to see the lights but I got curious because the lights must be very bright to be recognizable in the dark. 

The pilot of that flight had been right. On this latest trip, I was amazed at how bright the Strip is at night! All buildings seem to be on fire because of all the light bulbs -- it was like (and much brighter than) driving by Concha Cruz Street in BF Homes Paranaque during Christmas time many many years ago!

View of the Las Vegas Strip from the overpass near the MGM Grand.

Aside from enjoying the lights of Las Vegas, we also visited the famous dancing fountains of the Bellagio. I've seen it on television and in the movies on several occasions, but being there -- right by the sidewalk -- was a whole different experience altogether. Then, of course, there's the outdoor pirate show at Treasure Island; unfortunately, I wasn't able to get there early enough to catch the last show.

The beauty of being on the Strip, rather than inside the hotels, was that we were able to stop by the food outlets: The Coca-Cola and the M&M stores.

Coca-Cola is such a popular brand. But I didn't know how popular and how diverse its products lines are until I've tried the Around the World sampler set: 16 cups of Coca-Cola products from different countries. All I can say about it is that I don't understand why the different colas taste the way they were. Some I didn't like, because of the bitterness; some were okay but had weird tastes that threw me off. Since I am a food taste tester, I shouldn't sulk at the flavors that didn't agree with my palette; it was a good experience for me.

The Coca-Cola around the world taste test challenge.

My last stop in Las Vegas before heading off the airport was the M&M store. Once in, I thought that this must be what being inside the Goya Fun Factory is like! I admit, I'm an 80's kid.

In the store there's a wall full of different flavors of M&Ms. I've never seen that much real chocolate in my whole life! I then started wondering where my M&M dispenser was back home... I wanted to refill it with chocolate as soon as I got back.

Wall to wall M&Ms!

If there's one thing I've learned about Las Vegas, it is this: this city may be called the Sin City and may be largely rated parental guidance or R-18, but there are some attractions that are kid-friendly and cater to people who are into more wholesome activities.