BIRTHDAY PARTY IN LAS VEGAS: PART 3
(*Introduction: This blog is about a trip I took last year in Las Vegas.)
Upon waking, we saw that it was a warm April day in Las Vegas. Since I was conveniently dressed in my yoga pants, I did some stretches. However, my caffeine level was low and I needed to get some coffee. I could never function without coffee in the morning. I did not see any coffee brewer in the hotel room. Since T was still in the shower, L and I decided that we would get some breakfast for T. L was worried that T was not having a wonderful birthday, so we wanted to grab some breakfast and maybe a muffin that could be served as a birthday cake.
Thankfully, the Hard Rock Hotel had numerous restaurants on the premises. I grabbed a seat on a bench near a girl with dripping hair (must have just gotten a shower). I hadn’t gotten ready yet because I was so caffeine deprived that I ran out of the room in my yoga pants and glasses. T thought that I looked cute in spectacles, but I’m sure that I looked more like an owl. I felt naked without makeup, but coffee was my priority, so I had to ignore my frumpy appearance.
As I waited for L who was in a long queue to place an order for breakfast and coffee, a youngish man, with a unique scarf, artfully draped around his neck, plunked down in front of me. He mumbled something, but I was too stunned to recall what he said. He opened his wallet and pulled out his credit cards as if he meant to boast of his wealth that he did not have. Anyone could discern that he was a fake because of his attire; his apparel was of poor quality. He may have attempted to look like a dilettante but failed to look rich. Thus, I could not understand why he was flashing his credit cards, which were probably fakes or all maxed out. Even if he wore something expensive, he still wouldn’t have fooled anyone unless there was a woman who was indeed looking for some “action.” And I discovered that many women did go to Vegas for rendezvous.
All I could do is say nothing as the young man greeted me in my mother’s tongue. It started to amuse me because he thought me rich and in need of a gigolo. It was so ridiculous. How could I look rich or appeared as if I was itchy for some action under the sheets? I looked like a darn nerd in my glasses.
Seeing that I was not cooperative, the man departed quickly. In truth, I wanted to blurt out, for goodness sake, did I look like that I needed to toss wildly in bed? Perhaps I appeared like a good target because I looked gullible. The ladies next to me looked at me as I stared back at them with a look that said, what just happened? The girl with drippy hair asked, “Do you know that guy?”
“No, I don’t know who he is.” I was dazed and was reminded that I was indeed in Las Vegas where anything could happen. Both L and I were amused that I was mistaken for an affluent woman. However, the young man could have been a mere scam artist instead. Two days later, I saw him wearing the same scarf around his neck approaching other women as if he worked at the café by delivering their drinks. I wondered if he only possessed one set of outfit. I jokingly told my friends that he needed to get himself another set of grifter uniform. He had to be more creative if he wanted to snag a moneyed “cougar.”
When we got back to the room, T was still in the bathroom, so L and I lit up a single candle and sang the birthday song. She was amused or irritated that we had gotten her a pathetic little muffin (a cake is hard to carry on an airplane). I don’t believe we sang very well either (although L has a good voice). Even the breakfast we got for her contained a sausage which she could not eat due to her allergies to pork. So, I offered her a neck massage. I wasn’t a great masseur, but I was certain that even a crocodile would turn lame if gave it a massage, so I attempted it and hoped that her tension will ease. Poor thing, our presence must have stressed her out. How could she not when we were trying to poison her with pork and gave her pathetic presents? Instead of having fun, she was too worried about whether we were enjoying ourselves. Seeing L fall backward on the bed laughing, she needn’t have worried whether we were having a good time. And if you should wonder if I ever rubbed a crocodile, I haven’t tried and am not planning to because I like to eat and need my hand for that.
Once we were all fresh-looking and ready, I suggested and planned out what to eat, but L looked peeved. She had spent money to lose weight and was worrying that I was aiming to fatten her up. L did not enjoy consuming food as much as we did. Now, T and I do not eat all the time, nor do we just eat anything, but we adore the experience of consuming flavorful foods. When I kept pressing about where to go to eat, L asked, “The only concern for you girls is about eating?” She must have been doubly furious because I asked her if she wanted to change her shirt. She bared her teeth and flashed her eyes, which was a warning. I knew I was in trouble. How can we exist without eating? What else can we do other than eat? I mean, we could have looked for that grifter who had approached me and offer him to “service” us; but thank goodness, it was T’s birthday, and she wished to eat.
Other than food, we wanted to see a bit of the desert. It was agreed that we should go trekking since L looked mad as hell about having to eat. We put on our sneakers and hopped onto the car and went to visit the Red Rock Canyon. It was nice to get away from the city. Seeing the grand rocks made us feel that we were indeed in a desert country. We were delighted by the wildflowers and the breeze felt delicious. We trekked as much as we could so that we could work up an appetite (at least T and I did). Of course, after the hike, I was famished and clamored about how hungry I was while L looked glum. T recommended a ramen restaurant and off we went.
The ramen restaurant was busy (near Sweets Raku). When we were seated, a very friendly young lady served us. Since T was highly allergic to pork, we asked for chicken-broth bowls. L seemed to enjoy the ramen the most. It was good to see that she enjoyed it when she least liked to eat. Sadly, when we went back the day after, we did not enjoy the experience as much. Our serving girl, who must have been the owner’s daughter or sister, was petulant and rude. Even if she was a pretty girl, her apparent nastiness marred her face. Right after we were seated, she asked us right away if we were ready to order. Overwhelmed by her sharp question, we asked her to give us a minute to decide. Unfortunately, T forgot to request that her ramen should not contain pork. When T’s ramen bowl had a pork meat in it, although the broth was chicken, T requested for another one. The girl went livid with anger and yelled, “You—did not tell me this!” I knew she was trouble the moment we sat down and saw her sulky face. T apologized that she had not mentioned it earlier but since she was so allergic to pork, she asked if she could get another bowl without any pork in it. I was so angry at the girl for being so nasty that I wanted to tell her, you must have a bug up your a—. I held back, however, thinking that her boyfriend may have forgotten to call her; if he had any sense, he should run away from her or he would be nagged to death for the rest of his life. Even if I returned to Vegas, I never planned to return to their restaurant again. L, on the other hand, surprised me by commenting that their ramen was really good. Yes, the food was really good, but I was not going to risk it by going back for the girl might spit in my soup. If you don’t mind being served by a girl with a pinched face, the restaurant serves delicious ramen.
After eating, T reminded us that her husband had purchased three tickets for Le Reve by Cirque du Soleil at the Wynn hotel (in April 2017). So, we rushed without changing and went to see the show. If you are not into gambling, I highly recommend that you see the shows in Las Vegas. The show setting is more intimate, and the viewing experience is thus more stimulating.
I was shocked when we were seated in the front row. We were so close to the performers that it was almost unsettling. The Cirque du Soleil was aiming to give us a tangible experience and we got it. As the performers dove into the pool continuously, the water sprayed on us. We had plenty of laughs. We joked that we should have brought raincoats. The show was a treat. I never cared for circus shows, but the show by Cirque du Soleil was indeed a feast for the eyes.
After the show, we walked around the Wynn hotel and admired the lovely flower arrangements. I could not imagine how many flowers had to die to make the arrangements (just kidding). Anyhow, there were so many flowers. The scent of flowers and the cigars were enough to make anyone dizzy. Feeling tired, we all decided to head back to the hotel after a couple of drinks and snacks.
Like the previous night, L was already in bed while T and I prepared ourselves for bed. Just as I was ready to enter bed that had many pillows as dividers, L grumbled that we were squished because of the pillow. Her complaint vexed me, and for a brief second, I had a desire to push her off the bed. I grinned and thought to myself that the small enclosure was starting to irritate us all after being together for a few days. It was either we go home estranged or savoring our memories. If you want to find out, please check out my next blog: Birthday Party in Las Vegas: Part 4.