Gone in 24 hours

(Lloyd)

So this will be a slightly different blog experience as I'm without my usual co blogger. I have gone solo in the past, but have also done Vegas in the past, and this time will be enjoying it with good friends to see in my 50th birthday.  Felt like a chance to add some new perspectives to the bog with people offering their experiences of Sin City, some for the first time.

I will add my own but later but the first contributor was one of my travelling companions yesterday, Andrea Somersall. She has set the bar very high in actually writing it all before I even started my musings and got her copy in well ahead of schedule. Andrea, by way of introduction is a great friend of ours from Undy, enjoys her travel, provides the best logistic support you could ever want when in a running race and works as a School Teacher. Gold Star for Andrea, top of the class.

Day 1

Who wants to do a guest blog? asked Lloyd in our Vegas group chat. The lack of response was deafening. David chose to ignore all comments on the chat and I thought it feels a bit like a busman’s holiday, writing a weekly learning log for my class. Surely what goes on in Vegas stays in Vegas. I’m not sure how it happened but I’m in charge of day 1. So here goes. In for a Penny …

Woke up bright and early, excited as it was holiday day; a day I’ve been looking forward to for the past few months. Something to look forward to after the last few chaotic covid years and my first trip on a plane since 2019. First job to post my Vegas countdown to the group, which I had periodically been doing since we’ve booked. V Day was here!

The morning passed by uneventful, after yesterday’s losing of my passport! We had arranged to pick up our travelling companions at 11am. By some extraordinary chance I was ready by 10.30am. Case weighed, and at 18kgs was well within the 23kg allowance. Just needed to swap half of my clothes with David’s, just in case one of the suitcases didn’t make it 😆. However this was thwarted by David’s case mysteriously already being put in the car. Ah well, I had packed a few essentials in my hand luggage, just in case, as well as Ben putting an AirTag in my case so I could sit on the plane and smugly check it had made it into the hold, after the luggage fiasco at Heathrow of recent weeks. What could possibly go wrong?

We arrived ahead of schedule at the birthday boy’s, with the car subtly decorated (apparently he doesn’t like a fuss, until no one makes a fuss).

Cases fitted in as pre checked by the men, a few weeks ago, then we were on our way.

The two hour journey passed by in a flash, with lots of excited chatter. Car drop off was problem free and before we knew it, after a relatively short bus ride, we were at bag drop off.

Security was slow but steady and we were through and in Wetherspoon’s for food and refreshments within thirty minutes. So far, so good 🍔🍻

Chrissi and I had a quick look around the shops and then it was time to find our gate which we knew would be about a twenty minute walk/transit train ride away.

After a quick comfort stop for the other three we breezed through the departure gate and excitedly found our seats which were behind each other; the best we could come up with at online check in yesterday. It was all quite fraught, at least at our end. Who wanted an aisle seat? Who didn’t want to sit in the middle? 🤪

We were both in a row of three, aisle to window seats. Apparently Chrissi and Lloyd have an agreement about sitting next to a particular gender. Unlucky for Chrissi, the window passenger was female so she got to sit next to her, whilst Lloyd took the aisle seat. David and I, sitting in front of them had nobody sitting by the window, but just as the flight was closing a young lady appeared and fill the seat 😏

As the flight closed David and I thought we’d just check the AirTag to see if our cases had been loaded. However the last known reading of the tag was an hour earlier, still in Terminal 5! 😬

As we are on a ten hour flight I thought I’d write the majority of the blog now and update whether our bags arrive the same time as us later 🤞🏻.

I don’t really mind writing a blog. I just hope I’ve done it justice. I always love to read about Lloyd and Carys’s adventures so it’s only fair to pay back the favour. Time for a nana nap now so I’ve got some energy left when we get to Las Vegas 🎰 🎉🥂

Nearly there …

Chrissi especially enjoyed her vegetarian light meal 🥒 🍞

Edit: cases arrived with us. I seemed to have been in a weird time zone since getting off the plane. Security took forever but once through we jumped in a taxi for the short drive to Caesar’s Palace where the buzz of Vegas was evident. Our room has a nice view overlooking The Mirage hotel.

After a quick bite to eat and one very strong pear & blueberry crunch cocktail 🍹 we retired to our beds, not having a clue what time zone we were in. Who cares. We’re in Vegas baby. Apparently it’s the city that never sleeps but I’ll let Lloyd embellish on that. Happy holidays!

(Lloyd)

So we are quickly into our next holiday, only just recovering from the Sardinian experience, having left my job of 20 years and being given a great send off there, and also fitted in some early 50th birthday celebrations with family. One could say good training for Vegas although perhaps there is a bit of a sting in the tale. Have kept myself healthy over the last few years having suffered with gout quite a lot since my 30s but less so in recent times. Well it has been back for the last week or so and I have stubbornly ignored it trying to live normal active and celebratory life. Perhaps today was the payback!

Luggage all packed. Chrissi got me some lovely new cases for my birthday .. which we didn't use. She thought they would be too big for the aeroplane of something.  So our bedraggled old faithfuls stay with us for one more outing safe in the knowledge we knew they would fit in the back of the car of Mr David Somersall (Andreas husband) who would do the driving. Perhaps travelling with others make us better planners, but we had even checked to see if our suitcases would all fit a few weeks back!

And then we were off, leaving Undy around 11, car selfies and Vegas in our heart and soul.As if by way of the god of Carys haunting me (and the many times we have argued over stopping) I really needed a wee and had to persuade Dave to stop at Reading services. Will I ever live this down?

We were soon at the Purple Parking at London Heathrow, bantering and buzzing our way via bus to Terminal 5.  Arrived there 3 hours before flight due to depart, so playing it as we normally would. A risk? As it turned out no, the airport very calm and collected, luggage and boarding all done as a self check in. Maybe we will see the luggage again, maybe not, always a risk. 

A small queue in security and a hop, skip and a jump into Wetherspoons for Cheese and Ham Toastie and a couple of strong ciders to enjoy the building ambience.

Limping a little with the gout I mentioned earlier and noted it perhaps for the first time as we walked and trained our way to boarding. All settled in our seats, and the push back and take off without fuss. About 10-15 mins in the air the throbbing in the foot moved to a new level and sadly accompanied me for the rest of the trip. I'd be lying if I said it didn't spoil things, fellow sufferers will know the chronic discomfort, and all travellers know that aircraft seats not the best at the best of times.

But we are holiday, I made the best of it, enjoyed the breaks for the evening meal, went with the vegi option and keep the boozing to a minimum.  The on board choice of films and games were great and still ensured 10 hrs passed fairly swiftly even with the pain.  I watched the Ghostbusters Afterlife film which I thought was rubbish, only coming to life itself for the last 30 minutes with the old cast, old jokes and a bit of nostalgia. I'm a glutton for a bit of nostalgia as we know.

Watched a 90 minute documentary on Warnie, a great cricketer gone far too soon, although I might have fallen asleep during some of his flippers.

Re-engaged myself with an old mobile game from a few years ago, Angry Birds, a surprisingly compelling way to pass the time, as well as a much older game, Solitaire!

Landing at Vegas and life began to take a more normal turn, and the painkillers kicked in a bit!  US Immigration always quite a challenge, so an hour there, especially as our seats were towards the back of the plane. Luggage reappeared and we were soon taxi-ing our way through the neon lights, man I love this City, so exciting, so engaging so illuminating.

Our hotel of choice this time, Caesars Palace, his statue directed us to check in. Our friends took the last King room available at the time apparently so Chrissi and I got a minor upgrade to a slightly bigger King room! Forgot to tip the chap on the desk, our tip at the earlier taxi rank was turned down, unheard of!!  But you should be tipping well here surely? They don't earn much, the service staff.

Checked into our room, thought nothing was working, but that turned out to be our brains and the ability to press the right switches and buttons.  Realised by now we had been up all night (UK time) but undeterred we needed a few hours in Vegas on our first night.

Took a wander around the restaurants and shops in the Forum at Caesars, but a lot seemed to be closing at 10. So we crossed the road to Link Promenade where it was lively but again seemed to be closing a lot. Found a bar come diner which is all we wanted, snack and a drink.  Nachos for me, very tasty, very American style BBQ.  The waitress (who we did tip handsomely) said most places outside the casino still closing early post covid as they not quite back to normal or have the staff yet.  She also gave us 20 percent off visits to a range of other local places so she did her job very well.

And that was our job done for the day.