The Adventures of Bear and Butterfly

So I have just returned from a Business trip to Las Vegas. A rather interesting place I must say - albeit only for a short time.

I arrived on Saturday the 19th after a long journey. I had to get up at 6:30 am (on a saturday!!!), catch a taxi (was actually a really nice mercedes) to gatwick airport. The flight was due to takeoff at 10:30 but of course it ended up being delayed 2 hours. So myself and my Aussie boss David, went and found a sports bar so we could watch the Rugby. Much to our bitter dissapointment, we found out that the game had actually started at 6:30 our time and we had missed it completely. After some drinks, breakfast, long lines and shoe removals (yay for extra security), we finally made it on board our flight. 10 Hours later we touched down in Las Vegas around 4pm local time (Midnight UK time). We promptly found a Limo and cruised on over to the Monte Carlo Resort. After being stung $55 for the limo ride we checked-in and agreed to meet downstairs for some drinks. We decided we should try and make the most of our short stay so we headed out for some Dinner and more drinks. We found an Italian restaurant across the road at New York New York ( A New York themed Hotel). To say we were dissapointed with the service would be an understatement. We were seated, a group came in 15 mins after us, were served about 20 mins later, and 20 mins after that we still hadn’t received our food. On top of all this they still expect a tip!! We decided to go and wash the bitter taste from our mouths, so we headed on over to a Vodka Bar we saw advertised in a Tourism video. The bar mas very overrated as were their prices ($12 for a Vodka. Yikes!!!). At around 10:30 we called it quits and headed home (6:30am UK time).

Sunday was largely uneventful. I managed to head down the strip a couple of miles to the Las Vegas Outlet Center to do some shopping. I picked up a shirt for myself and a shirt for Jasmin (which turned out to be too small for her!). Upon returning to the Hotel I figured I was due for a nap, so I headed back to my room. Although my body was ready for some rest, my mind was not. I decided to head down to the bar and get a drink so as to expediate the sleeping process. I ordered a beer and then the bartender asked me for ID! Talk about a slap in the face. I can’t even remember the last time I was asked for ID. Of course I didn’t have any ID on me so that made it even worse. I figured I might have just gotten an anal bartender so headed out the pool-side bar to get my drink. SLAP! Again I got asked for ID. I had enough of that so I went back to my room rather grumpily and watched TV all afternoon. Sunday night was rather tame too. A few drinks and dinner and then back to my room for more sleep.

Monday was a day of meetings. We finished around 5:00 and I headed back to my room for a powernap before the evenings festivities. We met down in the bar (I brought my passport with me this time) around 6:30 for drinking and socialising. An american guy called Steve, asked me if I wanted to go grab some dinner with him and a couple of girls who he obviously knew quite well. So we headed over to Mandalay Bay to find this restaurant that the girls wanted to go to. We ended up in the Four Seasons (a hotel within a hotel), at this uber posh restaurant. By the time we were done we had spent $500 between the four of us. After all that we headed back to the Monte Carlo and I called it a night.

Tuesday was again reserved for meetings. We finished a bit earlier though at around 4, so I decided to get my Rollercoaster ride in. I popped across the road to New York New York and proceeded to get lost trying to find the rollercoaster. Not only doeas New York New York have this scaled down version of New York from the outside. They also have a miniature Ney York on the inside. So after 10 minutes of navigating my way through the streets of mini New York, I finially found the rollercoaster. The ride was pretty good. It was pretty damn fast and had lots of cool parts to it. The only downside was that it was pretty violent too. Definitely not good for the neck. I went back to my room, got changed, and headed back downstairs to meet up with everyone. Despite our efforts at trying to get a group activity going for the night, it became evident that it just wasn’t going to happen. We all split up into our groups and headed off. As this was our last night in Vegas I was determined to see more of it. We walked down to the Luxor (a big pyramid with an egyptian theme) where we had dinner (the worst of the trip). A bunch of us then hopped in some taxis and headed up the strip to the Belagio. We got there just in time to see the big fountain show outside. Im glad I saw it but it could have done with some coloured lights to spice it up a bit. After the Belagio a few of us wandered over to Ceasars Palace. Now Ceasars Palace is easily the most impressive Hotel in Vegas just becuase of the sheer scale of it. The place is huge. It has massive courtyards (all roman themed of course) and even larger casinos. After a couple of hours of wandering the floors and drinking at bars, we sort of realised this was going no where, so we called it quits and went home. I crashed out about 2am only to be woken up by some idiot (unknown idiot at that) calling me at 4am. I couldn’t get back to sleep so I chucked on some clothes and headed down to the casino (what else are you going to do?). I found Mark still going at one of the Blackjack tables. I chucked down some money and joined in. I started off pretty well and doubled my money in rather quick fashion, only to then throw it all away even faster. Oh well. Thats Vegas. I went back to my room for some more sleep, satisfied that I had scratched my Blackjack itch.

Wednesday was a last chance for people to get in some shopping. I had already done mine so I played poker all afternoon. I had a rather up and down time at the table and finished down $20 by the time I had to leave and go catch my plane. We got out to the airport, check in, and made it to our gate. Sitting at the gate were a big line of slot machines, so I decided to use my last $1 i had sitting in my wallet. I chucked it in a 25 cent machine (which gave me 4 credits), bet 1 credit, and won 6 credits. I couldn’t be arsed playing it 1 credit at a time so I hit max bet and ended up with 20 credits. I thought what the heck, and hit max bet again. Ding Ding! 80 Credits! So I cashed out and got $21. A good ending to Vegas.

Im glad I went there. It was like a huge theme park. Quite a thing to behold. I can’t say I would want to go again though.

Alanna sent me this forward today & I just had to share it here…

One more sleep & Bodra will be back! Woohoo!

GROWING UP IN NEW ZEALAND

I’m talking about hide and seek/spotlight in the park. The corner dairy, hopscotch, four square, go carts, cricket in front of the garbage bin and inviting everyone on your street to join in, skipping (double Dutch), gutterball, hand-stands, elastics, bullrush, catch and kiss, footy on the best lawn in the street, slip’n’slides, the trampoline with water on it (or a sprinkler under it), hula hoops, jumping in puddles with gumboots on, mudpies and building dams in the gutter. The smell of the sun and fresh cut grass.

‘Big bubbles no troubles’ with Hubba Bubba bubble gum. A topsy. Mr Whippy cones on a warm summer night after you’ve chased him round the block. 20 cents worth of mixed lollies lasted a week and pretending to smoke “fags” (the lollies) was really cool!.. A dollars’ worth of chips from the corner take-away fed two people (AND the sauce was free!!).

Being upset when you botched putting on the temporary tattoo from the Super Tattoo bubblegum packet, but still wearing it proudly. Watching Saturday morning cartoons: ‘The Smurfs’, ‘AstroBoy’, ‘He-man’, ‘Captain Caveman’, ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’, ‘Jem’ (truly outrageous!!), ‘Super d”, and’Heeeey heeeeey heeeeeeey it’s faaaaaaat Albert’. Or staying up late and sneaking a look at the “AO” on the second telly, being amazed when you watched TV right up until the ‘Goodnight Kiwi!’

When After School with Jason Gunn & Thingie had a cult following and ‘What Now’ was on Saturday mornings! When around the corner seemed a long way, and going into town seemed like going somewhere. Where running away meant you did laps of the block because you weren’t allowed to cross the road?? A million mozzie bites, wasp and bee stings (stee Bings!).

Sticky fingers, goodies & baddies, cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians, riding bikes til the streetlights came on and catching tadpoles in horse troughs.

Going down to the school swimming pool when you didn’t have a key and your friends letting you in, drawing all over the road and driveway with chalk. Climbing trees and building huts out of every sheet your mum had in the cupboard (and never putting them back folded). Walking to school in bare feet, no matter what the weather.

When writing ‘I love….?’ on your pencil case, really did mean it was true love. “He loves me? He loves me not?” and daisy chains on the front lawn. Stealing other people’s flowers from their gardens and then selling them back to them…

Running till you were out of breath. Laughing so hard that your stomach hurt. Pitching the tent in the back/front yard (and never being able to find all the pegs). Jumping on the bed. Singing into your hair brush in front of the mirror, making mix tapes…

Sleep overs and ghosts stories with the next door neighbours.

Pillow fights, spinning round, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for the giggles. The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team. Water balloons were the ultimate weapon. Weetbix cards pegged on the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle. Collecting WWF and garbage pail kids cards. Eating raw jelly and raro, making homemade lemonade and sucking on a Rad, traffic light Popsicle, or a Paddle Pop… blurple, yollange and prink!

You knew everyone in your street - and so did your parents! It wasn’t odd to have two or three “best friends” and you would ask them by sending a note asking them to be your best friend. You didn’t sleep a wink on Christmas Eve and tried (and failed) to wait up for the tooth fairy. When nobody owned a pure-bred dog. When 50c was decent pocket money. When you’d reach into a muddy gutter for 10c.

When nearly everyone’s mum was there when the kids got home from school. It was magic when dad would “remove” his thumb.
When it was considered a great privilege to be taken out to dinner at the local Chinese restaurant (or Cobb’n'Co.) with your family. When any parent could discipline any kid, or feed her or use him to carry groceries and nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it.

When being sent to the principal’s office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited a misbehaving student at home.

Basically, we were in fear for our lives, but it wasn’t because of drive-by shootings, drugs, gangs, etc. Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat! Some of us are still afraid of them!!!

Remember when decisions were made by going “eeny-meeny-miney-mo” or dib dib’s-scissors, paper, rock. “Race issue” meant arguing about who ran the fastest. Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in Monopoly.

Terrorism was when the older kids were at the end of your street with pea-shooters waiting to ambush you, or the neighbourhood rottie chased you up a tree!

The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was boy/girl germs, and the worst thing in your day was having to sit next to one. Where blue light disco’s were the equivalent to a Rave, and asking a boy out meant writing a ‘polite’ note getting them to tick ‘yes’ or ‘no’. When there was always that one ‘HOT’ guy/girl.

Having a weapon in school meant being caught with a slingshot. Your biggest danger at school was accidentally walking through the middle of a heated game of “brandies”.

Birthday beats meant you didn’t want to go to school on your birthday!

Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better. Taking drugs meant scoffing orange-flavoured chewable vitamins C, or swallowing half a Panadol. Ice cream was considered a basic food group. Going to the beach and catching a wave was a dream come true. Boogie boarding in the white wash made you the next Kelly Slater. Abilities were discovered because of a “double- dare”.

Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest protectors.

Now, didn’t that bring back some fond memories??

If you can remember most of these, you’re a Kiwi legend!!! Pass this on to another Kiwi legend that may need a break from their “grown up” life… I DOUBLE-DARE YA!!!!!