Road Trip - Las Vegas

Day 8: We finally arrived at our airbnb accommodation at one in the morning on 9th September 2016 (approx. 6 hours, 520 km from Yosemite). It's the nicest airbnb accommodation on our road trip thus far. Private entrance to our room facing the swimming pool with an en-suite bathroom. It was modern and clean with a TV & fridge. The neighbourhood was quiet and safe. It was located less than 10 minutes from the strip. The hosts were also very helpful and friendly too. 

Our airbnb accommodation

It's been quite a hectic road trip thus far, and Las Vegas was not the place to slow down. 

Ah, Las Vegas! It needs no introduction. Internationally renowned for its casinos, entertainment, shopping, fine dining and nightlife. Even though it's my first visit, it feels familiar..

Here's a quick summary of what we did.. 

As you may already know, we bought some Groupon deals weeks ago (read 'Groupon Our Travel Buddy' post) -- Go Karting, Fatburgers & a Russian restaurant Café Mayakovsky.

We splurged and watched not one but two Cirque du Soleil shows -- 'O' at Bellagio on 9th September (Day 8) and 'Zumanity' at New York, New York on 10th September (Day 9). Loved em' both! But of course, if I could only choose one to watch, it'd definitely be 'O'.

'O' mazing!

We walked up and down The Strip from one end to the other. An ordinary street of hotels, malls and restaurants during the day, transforms into some place magical at night. Bustling with people, shows, music and lights. 

Flamingo

To be honest, I don't remember much of our meals. We did try Chipotle Mexican Grill (an American fast food chain specializing in tacos and burritos) for the first time and loved it! Definitely my favorite fast food chain to date! {I loved it so much, I made it on board -- check out my Chipotle Burrito Bowl recipe}

First Chipotle experience ;9 - brown rice, beans, chicken, salsa, cheese

We got tickets (online) to Stratosphere. If you don't already know it, the Stratosphere (or currently known as The Strat Hotel, Casino and SkyPod) is a hotel, casino, tower located on Las Vegas Boulevard just north of the Las Vegas Strip. The 1,149 ft (350.2 m) Stratosphere Tower, is the tallest freestanding observation tower in the United States!

There are three thrill rides at the top of the tower.

• Big Shot at 1,081 ft (329 m) was the highest thrill ride in the world until the Sky Drop opened on the Canton Tower at 1,591 ft (485 m) in Guangzhou, China. You’ll be shot 160 feet in the air at 45 miles per hour in a matter of seconds – all while overlooking the majestic Las Vegas Valley.

• Insanity, opened in 2005, at 900 ft (270 m) is the third highest thrill ride in the world; it dangles riders over the edge of the tower and then spins in a circular pattern at approximately forty miles per hour.

• X-Scream at 866 ft (264 m) is the fourth highest thrill ride in the world. It consists of a single car that rolls back and forth on a straight piece of track that slightly overhangs the tower and pivots vertically in a see-saw motion.

But due to bad weather conditions, we weren't able to utilise them on our Day 8 & 9. We did however get to use it on our way back to San Francisco on Day 14 and rode on all three of the thrill rides -- X-scream, Insanity and Big Shot! {in that order}

X-scream was the least scary, perhaps because we were sitting at the back, and it didn't quite see-saw down far enough. Insanity was the worst for me because we're seated in a circle, facing other passengers, dangled over the edge of the tower and it spins in circular motion.. looking down at the lights below just made me dizzy and nauseous. The final ride, Big Shot had the best view! Alex rode on the Big Shot FIVE times while I could only handle three!

The Big Shot

Crazy A! 😆