Day 8: Forget the Dam Tour

After our early start we made good time on our trip to Las Vegas. It was barely mid day when we arrived at Hoover Dam just outside of the city on the Arizona-Nevada state line. The drive through the mountains around the dam was very scenic, and the view of Lake Meade from the road was quite pretty. We stopped just long enough to walk the dam to take in its sheer size and snap a few pictures before moving on to Las Vegas.

The Hoover Dam Memorial Bridge

We came into Vegas around 1:30pm which gave us the rest of the day to explore the city with our host, Connor. One of the coolest parts about couchsurfing is that often you'll get to meet even more people than just the host. Connor had accepted a last minute request just after hours, and a pair of surfers from the UK, Danny and Charlie, were already there from the night before. Everyone was extremely cool, and we had a great group to go partying around the city. Since we were just in time for lunch, Connor took us out to the Palace Station to experience the ubiquitous Las Vegas buffet dinner complete with 99 cent margaritas.

Charlie taking a break from his margarita to play some slots

Once we were fed stuffed we took a trip to the Bellagio to catch the fountain show in the lagoon outside the hotel, and to wait for the final couchsurfer, Adam from Chicago. The show was impressive and just as outrageous and over-the-top as everything else on The Strip. Since it was Memorial Day weekend, the streets were packed, but I can't imagine Las Vegas as anything other than a bustling metropolis of excess. Massive hotels with striking designs dominate the landscape, and the themes are taken to such extremes. Along the strip you can visit Paris, Egypt, Rome, Venice, or any other number of far off places.

Adam (right) joined up with us at the Bellagio lagoon

The incredible amount of detail put into the buildings is mind-blowing. In Caesars Palace, the ceiling of the mall is convincingly painted to look like the sky, and all of the shop entrances are complete with Roman-style architecture and frescos. Everything is done so lavishly and at such expense that it's hard not to be impressed by these shrines to hedonism.

Geries in Caesars Palace

We came back to Connor's place for a short break before taking a stroll in downtown Vegas, where the older casinos are located. Fremont Street downtown is a huge show in itself complete with music blaring from every corner and enough neon signs to turn night into day. "Sensory overload" is really the only way to describe downtown at night.

Our awesome host, Connor

After walking Fremont Street for a bit we ducked into Bisson's Casino where we took a photo with a million dollars and finally crashed in a little sports bar to pick up a couple of pitchers and shoot the breeze. It was a lot of fun just hanging out and chatting with Connor, Danny, and Charlie and hearing about their experiences with their travels. It was a great and relaxing way to end an exciting day.

A million dollars!

Danny in Bisson's