Las Vegas Antics

Since we were getting into Las Vegas  at 6:30 a.m. and couldn't check in until the afternoon, I thought that Monday would be a good day to go to the Grand Canyon but my cousin had already gone and my aunt didn't seem very enthusiastic about going and that's when I switched to Valley of Fire State Park for our first outing. I was also encouraged by a fellow yogi who told me she'd gone to the state park and enjoyed it more -- especially since it was more affordable etc. My cousin wasn't convinced about going to the state park but, luckily, she slept for most of the ride and was fairly impressed once we found our way deep into the park...

Since my cousin had never been to Vegas, we went to look at the Bellagio and Ceasar's Palace the next day. For some reason, the Fountains of Bellagio were not cooperating and we also got "lost" in  C's Palace and I’m sure it’s designed that way on purpose. Realized during this trip that the hotels are really hotels with shopping malls attached. I have to say that the fake skies in the hotels/malls are impressive though.

Fake Sky

Ventured out on my own for breakfast to a nearby neighborhood and had a very delicious meal plus saw a stunning building, The Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. The building alone was worth the trek.

Brain Center from a Distance

Brain Center

While my aunt attended a conference, my cousin and I ventured out to see the Hoover Dam and all I could think was What an amazing planet we live on.

My traveling companions are veteran shoppers and enjoyed going to the outlet malls. We hit Fremont Street and finally saw the Fountains of Bellagio in action; the area was packed so I let my companions out and by the time I parked, met them and walked back, I think we saw a total of five fountain shows. I accumulated 19,000 steps on this day.

Went to visit my uncle's half-brother, Sam, who has lived in Vegas for over 20 years; we should have gone to see him first because he had all of these recommendations for food. I try to keep in mind what Rick Steves says about Europe -- Behave as if you're coming back and try not to fit everything into one trip but, of course, sometimes you really don't get back to a destination for a long time. Sam's wife is patiently waiting for her son to go to college. It's my turn now. She's from the Philippines and can't wait to spend the majority of her time there.

Before we knew it, the time had come for us to pack and get ready for our crack of dawn flight. It was a 5:50 a.m. non-stop journey. Flying non-stop is nice. Waking up at 3:00 a.m. -- not so much. My aunt left on a later plane that got delayed significantly so leaving on the first flight out had its advantages.

I did Las Vegas my way -- state parks, non-chain restaurants and spending time on the pool deck reading while eating cold oranges. Think that my favorite outing was to the state park. Read a recent Instagram post about Las Vegas being anything but subtle. Well, nature's construction in Valley of Fire is not subtle either. I loved the silence, scenery and the adventure of it all.

Once I got home, missed my roommates and was ready to travel again but I didn't have too much time to give into that feeling since I  had to jump into weekend two of yoga teacher training. The other feeling that I love about vacation is when you lose track of time and can't tell Monday from Wednesday -- that's when you know you're really relaxed.