The journey to Sin City was not the smoothest; zero sleep, delayed bus, frantic clusterfuck airport security; and a freezing cold, turbulent flight with only shorts and T-shirt. Probably not the wisest time to do a 36 hour water fast - but one has to counteract the boozing in Brew Town. When leaving the plane the 37 Celsius temperature was like a punch in the face. Thankfully the slot-machine-filled airport was fully air conditioned.
The reason I went to Vegas was the uber-cheap flight, and to pick up a car to drive across Arizona. Sin City - a sprawling tacky metropolis of iniquity and vice; "where pimps 'n' thieves run free, and good men die like dogs"* maybe it has a bad side to it - I didn't find it.
*Hunter S Thompson.
I arrived at midnight into the circus of the hotel/casino digs. It was 2am in Milwaukee and I was shattered, but had a quick look around. ‘Ballys’ - the epitome of chav; inside, a seedy casino which would swallow up most UK shopping malls. Zillions of slot machines and poker tables, wrinkly chain-smoking women vacantly staring into flashing lights, lots of marijuana smells wafting through the air.
Marijuana is legal in the state of Nevada, the cab driver told me they’re proposing to legalise it in all 50 states - the tax revenues are too juicy. I’d scouted out enough for now, straight to bed.
The next day was spent planning the next stages of the trip - flights, busses, hostels, car hire, cheap hotel deals, logistics, stay on budget, etc. The 36 hour fast was broken with fruit, steak, and eggs - in ‘Paris’ under the ‘Eiffel Tower’.
There’s nothing quite the salubrious feeling of eating after a fast. Gratitude takes on a whole a new meaning as you feel the energy permeating every fibre of your body, you suddenly see in HD as your cognition steps up a gear and focus sharpens.
The evening was interesting to watch - organised chaos on steroids. I strolled through the strip to try and pap some cool photo’s, I followed wherever my eyes led. People were friendly, and having fun; families, stag and hen parties, showgirls, croupiers displaying cavernous decolletage, gamblers and boozing. Despite the mayhem, it felt safe.
In one of the malls, a police officer caught my eye as she walked towards me, she looked stunning. Our eyes met and I said hello. She was super friendly, we chatted for a couple of minutes, I said how lovely she looked and took her photo. I think it made her day - what a cool chick.
There was something relaxing about walking through the chaos completely sober. Along the street somebody offered me their joint, ‘erm, no thank you’. I’ll be driving in the US for the first time tomorrow - with at least 6 hours driving to do, I’m nervous!
