Hey there!
How have you all been? It's a relief to finally find some 'ME' time and talk to you guys. As promised, here is a real quick recap of our vacation. Define AWESOME and you would perhaps land on the west coast.
Will be honest, when we first planned the trip, I wasn't too sure how it would all go..it was not so short a trip, was all the way on the opposite coast, involved a lot of driving (although I would happily occupy the passenger's seat), lot of money and of course the fact that there might be last minute changes, the fear of cancellations or messing up here and there. I thanked my stars none of that happened.
So began a life time experience all with the last 30 mins of the flight that landed in Vegas. During that time all I could see was the breath-taking landscape of the Colorado, the undulations in the topography that almost tried to reach higher up where I was.. You know at times you feel like sending out a tweet 'I am in heaven'..I truly felt so at that moment!
As we came down sweeping the clouds with wide opened mouths viewing the LV skyline I thought I wish I had all the world's money to live here..
Tell me how many of you have in-flight sickness? umm..with a few air bumps I do feel my heart sinking..guess what when you are at a leisure trip, you kinda enjoy everything..yeah even that :D
I remember the first 3 days at the Strip.. it was like getting into new clothes almost twice a day (all my shopping finally paid off..yeye!), carrying band-aids in your purse cuz you knew your new plumps or heels would betray you (I am still carrying the mark on my ankle in fact) ...anyway walking endlessly and tirelessly on the streets, in the Hotels and Casinos ( a truly dreamed destination for gamblers) ...aah Streets of Vegas- with escalators on both ways for pedestrians to cross a bridge..Can you imagine!
It was the land of James Bond or Oceans 11 , I whispered to myself as I explored more of the 'pulse'. As I walked I felt Key Perry singing in my ears "Shut up and put your money where your mouth is/that's what you get for waking up in Vegas' ~
Wear anything you want to...8 out of 10 folks who toured on the strip sipping alcohol even in broad daylight did leave me suprised, every step I walked I was greeted with men and women distributing little cards..On taking a closer look I found pics of scantily clad women and other info which I didn't bother to look at! Sin City? The worst part is you cannot avoid these men who almost thrust these cards in your hands..the pavements are littered with these cards. .
So anyway, back to the better stuff, walk along till you are welcomed by the almost 50 feet high MGM grand Lion..Hats off to the person who came up with the concept and more to the people who built it! But this is just one of the 'many' constructions that leave you jaw-dropped...take a look at Luxor's pyramid with the the fascinating Sphinx Or maybe enter the Bellagio garden to make you feel like 'Alice in Wonderland' Or click the Eiffel tower in Paris, Brooklyn Bridge in NY Or see the Statue of Liberty in Vegas before GRU steals it (lol!)... be in virtual Disney land in Excalibur Or maybe step into Venetian to get a near-Venice feel or take a quick trip to the zoo in Mirage- white lions and tigers are not found so easily..Or maybe if you are lucky you can see the trainers feeding lions at MGM grand! It's almost like bringing the world famous destination spots all under one roof.
Speaking of roof--I was thrilled to walk on Freemont Street what a fabulous concept! See it with the neon lights off or experience real thunder right above your head..even better with Queen singing out loud "WE WILL, WE WILL ROCK YOU" or "WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS" in max volume...definitely gives goose-flesh to even the most unenthusiastic person on earth!
Take some more wild steps from the intoxicating Vegas into the Mojave desert....drive all the way to Grand Canyon..spot the meandering Colorado river from any of the rims..see the setting sun and congratulate mother nature for another brilliant creation.
When we left Nevada and entered California, I kept wondering what I would find in the 'Golden State'..CA was equally fascinating with a huge variety inside-out. Need one place with the most amazing beaches or lofty mountain ranges or even hot deserts all nearby..this is the place TO BE.
The next couple of days were spent at Universal Studios, Disney Land and beaches at San Diego and LA..of course not missing out the famous Hollywood sign which I have only seen on Television so far! I also remember Griffith observatory from where we viewed the planets Venus and Saturn with the telescope..absolutely loved it!
The real magic of Hollywood however was felt while touring in Beverly Hills, Bel Air and Sunset Blvd...never could I imagine seeing the palatial homes of the Stars...actors, film makers, artists, worshiped all over the world. When the guide told us 'that's Johny Depp's house over the hill..beyond the bamboo fences' I was ecstatic! One by one, we peeked into homes of Russel Crow, Steven Spielberg,Tom Cruise, Bela Lugosi, Will Smith, JLo and many more...Finally the one where the bus stopped nearly stopped my pounding heart---the last residence of MJ! The only word that hovered was RESPECT for the legend..this is where he lived his last days? The music I grew up with..the smile I adored all my life...the moves that made me and a zillion fans go crazy..
The euphoria ran down my spine as we moved on in our journey..exploring more of the Hills, smelling $$$ in the air with every avg. house in the neighborhood priced over 10 million.. On my way back from the Pacific land, mesmerized with the charm , the laughs, the jokes, cherishing more love, more togetherness and 'WE' moments, posing in front of the lens every single day and even with Harley Davidson bikes and Corvettes, with breath taking scenic beauty all along, with the every day thrills, shows, awesome food and night life I kept asking myself ..who said there is poverty in the world? who said people in Africa die of malaria cuz they cannot afford a $5 mosquito net? Truly this is one hell of an alternate world (like we believe there exists an alternate time) is it not??
