Las Vegas

Its going to be a long blog, I guess, but I need to start this somewhere so here goes.
We had our thanksgiving weekend starting Nov 23rd to Nov 26th of this year and we decided to go to Vegas. So we left on wednesday 22nd evening and drew along Highway 152 which was the least moving one coz of vacation time time heavy traffic..but we enjoyed the way with our freshly uploaded dhinchak hindi songs:) We reached Buttonwillow at around 9pm,we stayed at a motel there which rakesh had booked. Then next day we again drove the remaining 250 miles or so to vegas our end destination. We reached Las Vegas at around 4 pm. Checked into Paris Paris.
We freshened up and left for sightseeing at 7 pm. Actually its such an awesome sight when you enter Vegas..huge palatial hotels everywhere but Vegas had not yet got its hold on me, I mean I had visited places before and I didnt find anything great about this place yet, I had seen all this in Discovery Channel in much detail and I couldnt find anything new. Also, had visited Reno with Rakesh, casino wasnt new to me. But as evening progressed, it got better.
First we visited Caesar's, took plentiful pictures. Saw a cool free show at Caesar's where giant statues of a king, and his kids prince and princess come to life and talk loudly with all possible attractive sound effects and visuals as to who should reign the kingdom blah blah!

Then we went to Bellagio, this is one of the top 10 most amazing hotels. Such beautiful decor inside that I cant explain. We also went to Flamingo. Here I got lucky on the Big Wheel or Big Six as they say in some casinos. Let me explain a bit about it for those who dont know ;) There is a big wheel placed vertically or standing upright and somebody would be there to rotate it. It would stop on one of the nos. i..e 1,2,5,10,20 or 40. Now these same nos. are present on the table and you've to place your bet on any or all of these nos. starting with 1 or 2$ minimum. So depending on which comes correctly you win. So if you bet on 1 and place 1 dollar chip, you get 1. If you've put, 2 chips on 1, then you get 1:1 i.e. 2 chips in addition to your chip and so on. So I used to get lucky for quite some time. We both together made around 39$ on that table. But we also lost around 10$ at some other tables...hehe... then we came back tired to sleep at 12 or 1.

Next day we left for Lake Mead. Now this is a man made lake created using the Hoover Dam. Alas, we couldnt reach upto the dam due to traffic but we went upto Lake Mead and me as usual got some really good pics!!!


Then again we were back to Vegas and started our casino hopping:) We went to Venetia and I enjoyed the beautiful ceilings with huge paintings..and Venice look alike gondolas..There was a couple getting married in the gondola..and when the priest or whoever who got them married clapped, everyone who knew that couple and also those who didnt..like us..clapped loudly wishing them well and a happy married life:) It was enchanting. Along the corridor there were displays of beautifully hand painted face masks and they were so costly because they were so beautiful!!!

Then we went to Harrah's...here like the name goes I felt that hum sab "haar" gaye "haarah's" mein...hehe..we gambled but lost badly. But the surprising point was a woman in lively swim costume ready to pose with the tourists and we got to take a complimentary picture with her. She was sweet and asked R to click my picture with her using our camera!!!

Then, we went to TI..Treasure Island...there was some free show going on outside and we had just crossed the road, and we both ran across to see the show but alas, it was so crowded we just got a short glimpse of the show!!!

We also went to Wynn, it seems its the latest casino built over there. It had beautiful decorations inside the hallway. One example was there were beautifully lit chinese lanterns dangling from the roof and music playing in the background. Slowly but steadily they were moving up and down and the whole atmosphere looked so colorful. Also, R managed to get some very beautiful pics with me and a red flower painting, those are my favourite :)

At night after dinner, we went to Bellagio where we again gambled and lost miserably, we saw a show "O" played by Cirque Du Soleil. It was an amazing show put up by around 40 artists atleast. I couldnt understand their logic but it was just awesome and the effort that they put up was just great.
Now I read some article on them and I know so much more about the show so here it goes for you all:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_%28Cirque_du_Soleil%29

We were dead tired when it got over at around 1. I was so desolate that we had lost in gambling that whole day, but R went on and played at roulette his yet another favourite table. And guess what he recovered whatever we lost and actually made some profit...yippee...


Next day we went to Zion National Park. Its a complete world from this make belief world of Las Vegas. Rocky mountains beautifully carved as if some sculptor etched life into them!!!

Amazing, we thoroughly enjoyed the views and took some amazing pics..and then returned to our crazy town of Vegas...when we were on our way back, it was an awesome sight that R pointed out to me. We were driving through complete darkness and suddenly behold there is light or something like gold shining out from the horizon..guess what it was...it was the outline of Vegas that we could see..that city had some much brightness with all the luminous lights glittering at the distance that it simply dazzles you...what a life it carries..!!!

We covered all the remaining Casinos like Monte Carlo where I lost at the Wheel :( then MGM, New York New York, Luxor and Alladin...and it was nearing 1 at night...we returned to our casino Monte Carlo..and I thought why not try the wheel again. I had spent lost some that evening but then when I played I not only recovered my money but also made small profit..the whole process was fun when I hit 10 twice!!!
Thus ended our trip of Las Vegas..called as Sin city..marked as the Entertainment Capital of the World.

Next day morning we left for our home sweet home at around 9 and reached by 11 at night..!!!Whew what a trip..:)) Happy reading.

Sammy

Sammy...Does the word ring a bell in your minds ? This is how M.K.Gandhi was addressed in Durban, South Africa by the whites to the non-whites or asians. M.K.Gandhi, yep you read it right Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi...lovingly referred to as 'Bapu' by all big and small.

There is a play now being hosted around the world namely Sammy..and yesterday we went to watch it. I was astounded by the play and all my gandhigiri came back to life :)

I had thought it would be little philosophical etc but no. It takes you through Gandhi's life and his trysts with truth, it had powerpacked performances by the actors supported by their able director Lillette Dubey and a strong script by Pratap Sharma.

I loved the light humour that was used effectively throughout the play. It starts with the life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi when he started his work in SA as a young lawyer. His interactions with his soul through his thoughts and strong instincts have been brought to life so well on stage that any applause would be less for the play.

Gandhiji's journey through life has been well portrayed on stage and I think I love gandhiji a little more now. Also, all his weaknesses were properly or near to completeness shown and you understand how much a person goes through when he transitions from being a common man to a Mahatma...Salute off to him and the team who tried to put together his life on stage in as good a manner and I recommend this play to everyone white or black to watch it and enjoy !!!

Nature at its best !

Today is wednesday and every wednesday morning we have a status meeting with all the key people. So am always in a rush on wed mornings !
I was midway to office when I took the call on the way while driving. The weather was beautiful and slightly cloudy. It wasnt too cold neither too windy neither too sunny so for me I found it beautiful. There's this one point when I drive on 880 that I get to see the mountains ahead of me..and today when there were slight clouds hovering above those rocks...the picture looked so beautiful ...I cannot explain :)
For the first time, I saw that view so beautiful guess the combination was never there...slight greenery and brownish pastures..with beautiful bluish clouds and the sky combined it was just awesome..and I almost felt an impulse to stop and admire that beauty and capture it in my camera..but neither did I have a camera at that time and neither would've been able to do it..as I was driving and attending a business call ...hehe..can you imagine doing all these at the same time..neither can I..but I did experience that...and I loved it ! I dont have the exact picture but I found out which looks close to that scene...so here goes..

17 Mile Drive

On Saturday 4th Nov we went for the 17 mile drive with our friends Aparna aka Appy and her hubby Shashi.

Let me give a brief description of the drive:
The 17-Mile Drive is a scenic road through Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach, California, United States, much of which hugs the Pacific coastline and passes famous golf courses and mansions. It also serves as the main road through the gated community of Pebble Beach. Like the community, the 17-Mile Drive is owned and operated by the Pebble Beach Corporation. Entry into Pebble Beach costs US$9 per automobile. Residents of Pebble Beach and their guests enter for free. Entry is also free for bicyclists and pedestrians.

At the north end, the road originates in Pacific Grove at the intersection of Del Monte Blvd. The famous portion of 17-Mile Drive then begins a few miles south of this point. The road runs adjacent to beaches and up into the coastal hills, providing scenic viewpoints. Travel along 17-Mile Drive takes as long as the traveler likes. There are numerous turnouts along the road to stop, take pictures, or get out and stroll along the ocean or among the trees. Each visitor receives a small map that points out some of the more scenic spots.

Chief among these is the Lone Cypress Tree, the official symbol of Pebble Beach and a frequent fixture of television broadcasts from this area. The only services open to the public in Pebble Beach (gas stations, restrooms, restaurants) are at Lodge at Pebble Beach and the Inn at Spanish Bay; there are plenty of comfortable and scenic spots to picnic.

Just outside the lower Pacific Grove gate to the gated community of Pebble Beach is Pacific Grove's Sunset Drive (which becomes Ocean View Boulevard), which follows Pacific Grove's scenic coastline and is called by some the "poor man's 17-Mile Drive."

It was indeed a beautiful drive and we saw both the sunset on one side and the moonrise on the other side! A truly awesome experience.