Introduction: This blog is about a trip I took last year in Las Vegas.

The following day in Las Vegas, T recommended touring the Strip; she said that the hotels exhibited their own unique themes and that we should view them all. So, after a quick breakfast, we set out to the Strip. Indeed, each hotel carried their own theme and many of them were entertaining while some were a bit tacky. I will say that my favorite hotel was Bellagio. The exhibition that was constructed from flowers in the hothouse, under a glass dome, was breathtaking. And I must admit, the fountain that was synchronized to dance to music in the pool was amusing.

Of course, after walking under the hot sun for a couple of hours, we needed some sustenance. We purchased crepes when we entered the Paris Las Vegas hotel. Even L could not resist the sumptuous-looking crepes. I was immensely surprised when a French lady took our order; I recognized the perfect French accent. I asked myself, did the hotel people fly her over from France? I was rather awed. When we tasted the crepes, we were not disappointed for the crepes tasted genuinely French and buttery. We were not in Paris in person, but the hotel personnel made the effort to allow us to taste a little bit of Paris.

After a day of touring the strip, we had to get ready for dinner at a sushi restaurant. It was an authentic Japanese restaurant, and we were all excited about it. I wanted to wear my sleazy lavender dress since we were planning to go out to a club afterward, but I changed my mind and wore a black dress instead. I didn’t want to show cleavage while sitting in front of the Japanese chefs; it did not do to look provocative.

The sushi was indeed very fresh and exquisite at Kabuto restaurant. The portions were just right and lovely, and the service was superb. The prepared sushi was like art itself. However, I was warned by my friend not to ask for extra soy sauce for it would be impolite since the chef had seasoned the sushi perfectly and would think it an insult if I requested for condiments, so I didn’t ask to avoid being described as a boor but sorely missed eating sushi drenched with soy sauce. Yet, I had a spectacular experience of tasting the Edomae Sushi (traditionally prepared). T, being a sushi-junky, was in heaven; I don’t think that I ever saw her become so excited before. I strongly recommend the Kabuto restaurant if you are planning to visit Las Vegas and want to experience tasting the traditionally prepared sushi, which was uniquely different from the regular sushi restaurants.

Finally, we were off to the club at the Wynn hotel. L and I were perfectly fine with waiting in line, but T paid a steep price to get us in by purchasing expensive tickets for us. I should have stopped her because the drinks were expensive, and we could have used the money. L was clever and added some water to her drink from a fountain to make it last, and we laughed heartily; she can be so cute. I told her that I felt uncomfortable about being in a club and she readily agreed. We decided to be brave for T’s sake and I said, “Courage!”

Even if everything was expensive in the club, the pool and the scenes inside the club were so enchanting that I did not regret it. We really enjoyed drinking as we sat near the pool and soaked up the music and the lights. There were no chairs to sit on, but we found some ledges where we could sit. The “have” were sitting at the reserved tables while the “have-nots”—us three—were sitting on whatever we could find.

Interestingly, some people were ignoring the scenery and were gambling at the bar. I knew that Las Vegas was a gambling town but could not fathom how anyone could prefer gambling over observing the beauties of life. But then, the man might have wanted distraction from life itself; if that was the case, he could have gambled in the reception area. Perhaps he wanted to attract women by looking like the “have” since he was in an environment full of girls hoping to catch wealthy men. I surmised that Vegas is full of people looking for opportunities. I grinned thinking of what I would have done if I sat next to him. I might have said, “Hey Mister! I am of the ‘have-nots,’ so could you buy me a drink since drinks are outrageously expensive in here after you have won some money? … and if I may be so bold … could you buy my friend a drink as well so that she won’t have to drink watered down beverage?”

I could have sat on the ledge all night looking like the “have-nots,” but we decided to give dancing a try. It felt awkward at first, but the birthday girl was in the mood to party and danced recklessly. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and we followed her example. It felt good to see her enjoying her birthday party. Since the dance floor was crowded, I was securely hidden, which was comforting for I like to hide. If I could carry my own house like a hermit crab, I would be quite happy. For a brief moment, I had to smile as I thought of the image of me dancing with a shell on my back.

It was so crowded on the dance floor that all I could do was shuffle my feet around like an old lady. And as I shuffled and shuffled, L, being cheeky, twirled like a little elf while T, being tall, was able to dance more freely. But then a group of men was crashing on the floor hitting us all; they acted like juveniles. To my great amusement, L later told me that she took revenge by pinching their buttocks when their backs were turned. I did wonder (duh) why she grinned mischievously when she was dancing next to me. She appeared to be especially delighted while she danced after the pranksters left. I should have known that she was up to something. L told me that the men thought T had pinched them since she was dancing like a wild woman—I guess they thought that T was an uninhibited type. I could not believe what L had done but loved her for her audacity. I really wouldn’t know what to do without her. I felt awkward about dancing, but L made it worthwhile. T continued to dance wildly, so I thought that she was enjoying the night as well. However, like the Cinderella, we had to depart; but unlike her, we kept our slippers on (who would bother to pick them up?).

After another night of slapping and wiping our faces (except L), we went to bed. Again, L fell asleep ahead of us and did not budge at all. She would have made a wonderful roommate in college since sounds did not disturb her. Finally, I too fell asleep and was so tired that I didn’t dream—not even of slot machines.

(Please check out Birthday Party in Las Vegas: Part 5)