 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Day 1: Tuesday 17th April Our big adventure began early, the alarm was set for 6.30 a.m. so that we were ready for the taxi to take us to Heathrow. We made it to the airport with plenty of time so, after checking in, Ashley and I settled down to a big fry-up to keep us going in case the in-flight food wasn't up to much. For those of you who don't know Ashley, he is Heather's little brother who was joining us on the first part of our adventure, and to be a witness at the wedding. Neither Heather or I had been on a long flight before, so it was a bit of a novelty for us. The seats were a bit cramped but comfortable enough, and there was a little L.C.D. video screen in the head rest of the seat in front so you could watch videos during the flight. Not only could you watch films, but there was also several radio channels, a classic comedy channel, National Geographic channel etc. One of the most interesting things was the flight information that was constantly updated, telling you the altitude, speed and outside air temperature (we reached a maximum of 39,000 feet and a speed of 507 m.p.h.). You could also see a graphic display of exactly where the plane was and the distance to Chicago, which was where we had to change planes. 
After an 8 hour flight we finally landed in America, but the only view of Chicago we had was when we went outside so I could have a cigarette. We had a 2 hour wait for our connecting flight to Las Vegas which was pretty boring, we just sat and read and eat sweets. Once on the plane and up in the air the views were magnificent! We were lucky enough to be sitting on the left hand side of the plane and so we had a fantastic view of the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam. It was really strange seeing snow-capped mountains in the middle of a desert. 
Four hours later we finally landed at our destination, Las Vegas. It will not surprise any of you that the first thing you see when you step off of the plane is slot machines. After grabbing our cases we caught a taxi to our hotel, the Best Western Mardi Gras. The sun was setting over the mountains as we drove into town, and all the lights were coming on, which was an interesting way to see Vegas for the first time. Finally, 20 hours after stepping out of our London flat, we reached our hotel, and although it was only 7.30 p.m. Vegas time it was 3.30 a.m. London time and we were all exhausted! Despite our bodies craving rest we fought our tiredness, and after checking in and dumping our suitcases we hit the hotel bar for a few beers until eventually crawling into bed at the very un-rock & roll time of 9.30 p.m. And may I take this opportunity to thank our room's previous occupants for setting the alarm for 4 a.m. and forgetting to turn it off when they left. |
|
 |
|