Viva, Las Vegas! (Day One)

Raz woke us up at 5 but nobody was getting up from our beds. I was the first to take a shower. I wasn't able to take a bath last night from a severe headache. Thank God, I'm feeling much better now!

There's a nearby IHOP near our hotel so we went there for brekky. Our waiter's Pinoy and he helped us with directions to Goldilocks. We plan to eat there tonight and buy pasalubongs.

Seeing Vegas in early morning is a different experience. You'll see vomit on the street. So many nude ladies flashing their boobies and va-jay-jay in discarded magazines and ads. The hotel facade looks lonely without their flashing lights. Not too many people around (probably still sleeping from too much partyin' last night). It's hot here in September. Your lips get dry too. Good thing, I'm wearing my comfy Polo Ralph Lauren flip-flops ;oP

The Strip is a very long stretch of a road (4 miles, according to Wikipedia). You can find fancy hotels, casinos, and shopping malls there. At the northern part, there's the Stratosphere (our hotel). At the opposite end, you have the Mandalay Bay (where they held the auditions for "So You Think You Can Dance".
Since it's my first, I plan to see all the nice places & attractions in two freakin' days. We tested our cameras at Sahara. At Riviera, Raz took this "cheeky" photo. I also found a cute toy ;oP
Checked out Wynn and it's beautiful inside. All the plants and flowers inside are real. They've got this nice waterfalls too that have nude statues. I wonder how this looks at night. It's my first time to see an escalator that goes beyond the usual boring design. They also have designer shops like Chanel, Rolex and Louis Vitton.Next was The Venetian. I only took photos of the gondolas 'cause the ride wasn't available due to increment weather. I would've loved to sing along with the gondolier.
It's already nearing 11 so we decided to try the brunch at Bellagio. Joy said that it's one of the best buffets around. It costs around 30 bucks. I also got myself some wine to complement my meal. Grabbed some piece of lamb leg, prime beef, shrimps, sweet & sour chicken, veggies, pizza and rice! Of course, I have to try their desserts too. Delish!
While walking around Bellagio, I found this infamous chocolate fountain at Jean-Philippe Patisserie. It's the tallest choco fountain in the world. I'm pretty sure Tabel, Joy, Nikks, Ruthie and all the chocoholics in the world would've enjoyed this place. Read the trivia too ;oP
Caesars Palace is next. I found this Atlantis show that features moving statues. It's barely audible so I lost interest halfway through the show.
The ladies went to several shops like Gap, Express and Lacoste. At Gap, I found this nice cashmere sweater that looks good with a polo shirt. I have no plans of shopping for clothes. I will have to look this up at Dulles Town Center next time. Oh, the ladies got an instant "kilig" factor with this Abercrombie & Fitch half-nekkid model.
It's time to meet up with Tamyts. She's still shopping at MGM so we went there. I'm also getting my first alcohol fix--margarita with extra shot of tequila. The plastic half-yard container is a nice souvenir. Am sad that I didn't get to see the white tigers =o(
A trip to Vegas won't be complete without watching a show. So we went to the Fashion Mall to purchase tickets for tonight's show. We're eying "Zumanity" at New York-New York or the "Love" concert at the Mirage. Unforch, there 0 ticket left for us. Crap!

I checked if the mall has an Apple store 'cause I'm interested in upgrading my first generation iPod nano. Found their store and checked if they have the color that I want. Found it too. It's a good sign. I bought it ;oP
We then looked for the Goldilocks at Maryland Parkway. We bought an all-day bus pass for 2.50 bucks. The bus driver warned us that the area is kinda dangerous. Joy called the store to know its exact location. After getting off at Maryland, we began searching for a familiar yellow signage. We found another Filipino store called BJ Bibingkahan.

I dunno why but everything, I mean EVERYTHING, is off at this store. From the rude waiter to indifferent staff. We would have shrugged it off if only the food is good. I'm super disappointed with their diniguan & laing. They failed miserably in comparison to their local counterparts. *Sigh* Before I left, I bought some pasalubong for my friends in Virginia.
We went back to our hotel. We've been out since 7 in the morning and our feet were already screaming in pain. Raz wasn't feeling good too. We're supposed to meet Tamyts at Coyote Ugly so we need all the rest we could get.Around midnight, we reached New York-New York. It's fun to see replicas of the NYC landmarks, such as, the Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty, Empire State & Chrysler buildings, etc. We tried reaching Tamyts for like a gazillion times but she's not answering her freakin' phone. I even went inside the bar to check if she's just too busy dancing on the ledge or sumpthin. No sign of our friend.
We decided to just go back to the hotel. I quickly unboxed my new baby. Sweet!!! Two years ago, I got my very first iPod nano in Singapore. Back then, it was just 4 GB. This model here has an 8 GB of space. Has a new feature called Cover Flow (just like in iTunes) and new games. I like the color and the design.After my shower, I noticed that my underarm has turned pink. Damn, A&F shirt!