Even more about Las Vegas. Sorry about that...

 Hi there

My second week hotel stay in Vegas was at the Flamingo. The dates coincided with the Las Vegas Cyber Security Convention which is also known by all and sundry throughout the world as the Cyber Security Hackers Convention.  Oh dear...  On the night before the start of that convention, the tv news channels all warned that there would be hacking -  what?  Huh?

I had no trouble whatsoever with wifi at my first hotel, the Rio.  But at the Flamingo I couldnt access wifi the entire stay. I figured it was me, not being a very good worker of my phone, but one of the guests told me it was because the hotel was making it more difficult for the hackers.

From Flamingo window.  More colours on The Sphere.

below: The Linq Promenade, leading to the High Roller Ferris wheel. The Flamingo is on one side of the Promenade and the Linq Hotel is on the other side.   

I went on a zipline from the roof of the Linq Hotel right on down to another roof beside the High Roller.  Great!  But before the flight on the zipline I had to tick my nearest weight from the half-dozen choices that were shown to me on a tablet screen.  I had no idea how much I weighed in lbs but I was told to just press any weight on the information screen. 

When I moved on to the place where I had to be outfitted with the harness -  and because I'd been on ziplines before - I realised the harness was way too big for me, and I asked for a smaller outfit.  I might have slipped out of that original one.  And all because I had put down my wrong weight on that computer screen.

Above.  The Linq Promenade.  If you look real closely you can see the many ziplines at top of photo

above:  the Palazzo Hotel, foyer.  I have a faint feeling this view was the same as one I photographed about five years ago.  So, some things in Vegas don't change...

above: In the Linq Promenade.

Me:  in my room at Rio Hotel, the first hotel....

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And talking about television in Las Vegas....   It was odd that practically every tv ad break was trying to sell me pet litter but I never once saw in my two weeks' stay, one advertisement for travel.  In New Zealand, I would say that practically every tv ad break shows some form of travel advert, be it ads for planelines, countries, tours, or cruises.  

At the Jerry Seinfeld show I met a lady from Seattle who'd never ever thought of going overseas.   I read an article a long time ago that said because New Zealanders lived so far away from big centres around the world, they tried harder to travel the globe, whereas Americans felt no need to travel overseas because they had everything in their own country.

I enjoyed Seinfeld.  I also had booked for Rod Stewart, but as I arrived at the theatre, a notice was put up saying the show was cancelled because Rod had a sore throat (turned out to be covid).

The Seattle lady said to me, "I saw Rod Stewart yesterday.  He was running so fast through the Linq Promenade.  Trying to avoid fans?"

More like not wanting to pass on Covid...? 

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Los Angeles Airport - LAX

I had done a very stupid thing before I left New Zealand.  I looked up hundreds of you tube videos telling me how awful it was going through LAX and especially going through border security.  The videos were scary, I was petrified I'd be robbed, or I'd clash with security people, or I wouldnt know where to go, or what to do (even though I've been through LAX over a dozen times).  

What a mistake looking at those videos.  I breezed through security and border control in about 10 minutes  (I only have cabin bag) and after racing past 8 terminals outside LAX terminal B to get to SouthWest Airlines, I managed to get a flight to Las Vegas three hours earlier than the one I had booked, with 30 minutes to spare and no hassle getting through security a second time.  Hey, 'Anytime Fare', anyone?

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Auckland Airport

What a mishmash of an airport. Building works everywhere.  Didnt enjoy it.  Another lady and myself couldnt find the bus stop to catch the bus to the domestic terminal, after we'd arrived from Los Angeles.   I was terribly upset as it was because I'd got to border control when I discovered I'd left my passport on the plane.  I almost broke into tears, but a lovely security guy rushed back to the plane and found it for me.  Thanks, man.....

When I was traversing through Auckland Airport, having just landed, I sighed into the air, "At last, I can walk on the left side-"

Yes! hooray we're home" (from the guy in front of me).

"I hated walking on the right!" (from the lady behind me).

"I could never turn corners without automatically veering over to the left"  (from the woman to my side).

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