Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Thirty Three

'I've never found sin in pleasures of the skin

Not when I've never been with a man that did not worship me in his hands.'

(Lauren Eden)

This week started in Pelican Hill with another lazy day by the pool, and the news that one of my besties had got engaged; a fabulous beginning to a Monday, congrats Dave and Abi! In the afternoon we went for a drive to Huntington Beach and for tea at a beautiful seafood restaurant called The Cannery overlooking Newport Beach. I had the crabcake to start with, followed by a shrimp pot pie and shared some delicious rose, it was quite pricey but one of the best meals I had whilst in the area, I would totally recommend it to anyone heading that way.

On Tuesday we checked out and drove to the airport to fly to Vegas. It literally took an hour, and it was like stepping into an oven when we arrived, over forty degrees. We then got a taxi to our hotel, The Cosmopolitan... oh my goodness, best hotel ever! It is all very modern with a sexy twist, the lobby has huge screens with naked silhouette illusions on, but they were abstract enough that it wasn't lewd, more Bond-esque. They changed constantly to include different scenes and styles, I could have watched them all day. 

The second floor has a chandelier that encases the whole level with jewels, the restaurants are all very avant garde - one is called Rose. Rabbit. Lie. and looked to be Alice in Wonderland themed, my fave! In my room, the little cubicle where the toilet was and inside the wardrobe had the coolest printed wallpaper in metallic and with Victorian womens' heads respectively, and there was a massive bathtub with a blind that could be raised so it could be seen from the bedroom. All that doesn't even start on the incredible view from the balcony, which had a round sofa on to take it all in. It literally felt like I'd stepped into a dream!

We had reservations for tea at Yellowtail Sushi in the Bellagio hotel, so after unpacking and getting changed we walked there (it was the hotel next door). It is one of my boss's favourite places so she ordered for us all, as well as a few of the specials that the waiter recommended we had tuna 'pizza' (tuna tartare on super thin flatbread), seafood 'dynamite' (scallops, shrimp and mushrooms in a spicy citrus sauce) and the 'Mile High' roll which was tempura crab with avocado and asparagus with assorted sashimi on top. I am a sucker for sushi anyway, but this was up there with the tastiest I have ever had, and the uniqueness of the dishes added a wow factor.

After the food I was 'released' as Aum was staying in his parents' room that night, so I took advantage of a free evening, put my glad rags on and went for a cocktail in the hotel casino on the ground floor. Although I didn't fancy a flutter, mainly due to having no idea what I was doing and not wanting to look like a knob, I ordered an espresso martini, which was an eye watering $20 once I'd added a tip. It was fun to watch the world go by for an hour before the jet lag hit me like a shovel to the face!

On Wednesday Aum's parents were at a conference all day, so after a ridiculous buffet breakfast in the hotel (it had chocolate truffles, a carvery and even sushi available from 6am!) we had a relaxing time sunbathing by one of the two pools - the other was for over 21s only as it had a DJ and copious amounts of booze, so I very reluctantly had to give it a miss. Whilst we were there they played The Strokes track Games which is one of my favourites, and is one of those that transports me back a few years ago, so I have picked that as my song for the week, check it out below. The temperature soared to the early forties so we went back to the room to escape it at around 3pm to get ready for an early tea at Hard Rock Cafe. Afterwards we walked to the MGM Grand, to watch their Cirque du Soleil production, KA. 

Now I am not a huge musical theatre goer, I much prefer watching more traditional plays, but my God, KA was out of this world. There was zero talking in the whole piece (they used a make believe oriental based language to communicate) but the choreography, special effects and costumes made it a visual feast that kept me open mouthed yet silent for nearly 2 hours, and those that know me will confirm that is a rare occurrence! At one point they created a shipwreck scene where acrobats seemed to sink underwater by being suspended from the ceiling, there were fireworks, fight scenes with huge scimitars, and a double upright centrifuge where the actors ran across the barrels without harnesses 25 feet in the air! Mind blown.

On Thursday we decided to walk along the strip to have a gander at some of the different hotels. They all have their own quirks and are like a mall within themselves, with casinos, theatres, multiple restaurants, shops and attractions inside each one. We started at The Bellagio next door, which has a huge fountain and light show outside every night, and inside has a chocolate fountain of Willy Wonka proportions, a botanical garden that changes theme every season, and a stunning glass sculpture all across the lobby ceiling designed by artist Dale Chihuly.

Next up was The Venetian which, as the name suggests, was decked out to feel like the canals of Venice, complete with gondola rides available on the waterways throughout the interior, and loads of swanky Italian designer shops. It was so collosal inside we got lost quite a few times! We had another couple of hours chilling by the pool after the hectic morning, soaking up the last hot rays of 2017!

That evening we went for tea at Paris Hotel which, you guessed it, is Parisian themed. We ate in The Eiffel Tower Restaurant, which overlooks The Bellagio fountains so we had a great view of the show whilst dining. As it was our final night I treated myself to three courses, which Aum helped me out with. I opted for the slow cooked octopus with beluga lentils to start, followed by crusted sea bass with a clam jus and finally we pre-ordered the special, a blueberry lemon souffle, which was the lightest thing I have ever put in my mouth! 

After our gorgeous meal we caught a taxi to Hershey's Chocolate World and M&M's World so Aum (and I!) could buy some sweets and presents for people back home. Satisfied with our zany coloured M&M's and Hershey's Kisses we took some photos of the strip all lit up on the walk back, especially New York-New York with its replica Big Apple sights, our last night in Sin City!

 

On Friday we were up and packed bright and early as our flight was just after 10am. We ate breakfast at The Henry in the hotel (a proper waiter service restaurant open 24 hours), where I had a doorstop sized French toast with berries and syrup - seeing America off in style for another year! We landed yesterday morning after nearly 24 hours of travelling but headed back to bed for a few hours as it was still night time in the US and we were like zombies. 

In the afternoon I went back to my flat to unpack and repack a bag for a few days as I am staying at Aum's to look after him until his parents return on Tuesday. S came round for a coffee to say hello, it was nice to see him, I've actually missed being able to talk to him so often because of the massive time difference. He came to Aum's that evening later on and we had a bottle of wine and chatted for ages; he'd bought me a really unique wooden phone case from a trip with his family to Cardiff which I thought was super thoughtful (and exactly my taste, impressive for such a newbie). It put the little token gifts I'd brought back for him from Las Vegas to shame!

Today I got to be reunited with my doggy! We took her for a walk to Sale Water Park with my mum, stopping for ice cream as the sun made an appearance. We went back to hers for a roast dinner with the family and my Aunty, and I am now back at Aum's waiting for S to come and visit again - it seems I have found a boy who actually wants to make an effort and see me often, hallelujah!