Woke today and was laying in bed when my neck muscles just weirdly went into spasm & left me stranded in the bed! It ia sooo painful cos I couldnt move to my left. Graeme worked on it while I whimpered haha then had a hot shower and lots of meds to try and ease the spasm a bit. Didnt want it to affect our first helicopter ride as we are flying out over the grand canyon today. We usually mostly do a lot of walking when we are away on a big trip and dont spend a lot but this is a oncer that was too good to pass up.
And it was the best $380pp we spent, especially when you find out the chopper you are on is worth USD$3million!!! I got the price down $100pp as I had seen a special online but knew we hadnt booked the 5 days in advance for it, but after he tried to sell me the more expensive tour, he looked and found 2 spots left so we got that at a much better price. Its a 75 min flight with 2 stops and 35 mins on the ground as well.
Our pilot was Tim, he reminded me of a better looking Ron Howard! Funnily enough, after not meeting any other kiwis on our trip, the other passengers today were 2 english girls and 3 kiwi's from Christchurch!! Heard the accent and thought- really??!! Plus we were on an "all Black" chopper which we joked was most approriate lol.
We flew out over the desert and a maassive solar farm which is only 3 yrs old, then over the Hoover dam which we really wanted to see. Dont think Id like to work in that power station- it is directly below the dam, so if it ever gave way, you would be a goner!! Next we flew on to query the west rim and Tim put the chopper down for half an hour for us to look at the majestic canyon and river below. It was quite surreal, then we moved around seats and flew to the next stop where there are some bigger joshua trees- apparently they can go for 2 years without water! Flew back over a town that was built for workers in the surrounding area - alot of houses all identical in neat grids of streets.
Hoover dam
The flight was very worthwhile and something we will always remember. Hard to believe you are traavelling at approx 250km/h cos it feels so slow! We did hit one massisve updraft which threw us all up then weightless back down- Tim aid that was the worst he has felt and makes pilots uncomfortable! But he handled it well.
Tim the pilot photobombing!
Giant solar farm in the desert
The shuttle too us back to the Aria then we went back to the hotel to rest up for a bit. I have been fighting a bug for the last couple of days and have had a really sore throat. You notice that a lot of older asians cough and sneeze withoout covering their mouth and I had one yesterday give me a full blast sneeze right in the face with no apology. So am now paying the price I think..grrr.
We decided to go to the Bellagio for a buffet meal tonight as its our last night in Vegas but there was a very long line and it didnt move, so we wandered over to the Aria and found they had one there too that we got into quickly. Could not complain, they have e.v.e.r.y. Type of food you could ask for and as usual the customer service in the States is really good - although what you have to pay in tips here is painful...but its the way it is so we dont begrudge service staff who are on low wages and rely on the tips to make a good income.
After dinner we went down to the lake at the Bellagio to watch the fountain lights they do on the half hour to music. Its funny, that hotel is very popular with asians and they are delightful to watch when they are oooh'ing & aah'ing over the fountains dancing! Although one guy came along late and decided to try his luck and ducked down under the 2 guys beside us and popped up in front of them in the front row, where everyone had been waiting in the cold wind for ages. The guys were so shocked they just stared at him - I go 'Aah no, thats this mans place' while Graeme taps him on the shoulder and indicates for him to go!! He knew he had tried his luck, so ran away quickly- was quite comical!!! The hotel also has pretty impressive displays with an asian inspired theme, plus indoor flower beds - all very pretty.
Day 36-
Up today and packed as we move on to our last destination on the american map! Off to San Francisco- we got an uber to the airport and check in outside actually! They offer a tip service, curbside check in where the guy also wears a uniform & hat like a pilot - only in Vegas! We bought a wheelie cabin bag since everyone else here takes a backpack and a small wheelie bag onboard, so this time our bags werent over the limit!
Went through border control - the staff there were really nice and hilarious. Our guy called out our first names and something funny as each person went through. Some were like 'aah....' and didnt know what to say but we all ended up cracking up at the back and forth banter he gave us! Saw on the departure board after we got through that our plane was being delayed 2 hours - bum, but what can you do. We wandered round the shops then got lunch in a nice diner. The departure time was then moved forward a little, as the plane issue had been fixed.
Flight was good, only 1 3/4 hours and we were in San Fran. I had emailed the shuttle service we have used all over the States, to let them know we were delayed and that was all good cos they monitor your flights anyway. Got out to the kerbside agent they had for supershuttle and checked in online. They usually allocate you a van within 5 mins or so, but nothing....... Their staff member was pretty ineffective and just kept looking at his clipboard. But after 40 mins Graeme was starting to steam and since it was a booked anad prepaid shuttle, it shouldnt have happened. The guy told us there were no vans nearby, and we ended up waiting an hour. Just as we said we are going to make our own way, a van finally showed up - and surprise suprise it was right when a later flight with passengers arrived for their pick up! Then we saw other shuttle vans from this company sitting in the carpark we realised they had been there all the time and were stringing us out until the later passengers came. All the other cities we have used the company have been good, but this franchisee was not! Dirty email went their way.
So finally got to our hotel at the end of the stops - Fishermans wharf is gorgeous and I can see why people say to stay there and not in town, it postcard perfect and very cruisey.
We chucked our bags in the room then out for dinner- seafood chowder heaven, its served everywhere here and is really affordable. Will crash tonight, my. Neck is still pretty sore with all the travel tooo.
Day 36-
Up today and packed as we move on to our last destination on the american map! Off to San Francisco- we got an uber to the airport and check in outside actually! They offer a tip service, curbside check in where the guy also wears a uniform & hat like a pilot - only in Vegas! We bought a wheelie cabin bag since everyone else here takes a backpack and a small wheelie bag onboard, so this time our bags werent over the limit!
Went through border control - the staff there were really nice and hilarious. Our guy called out our first names and something funny as each person went through. Some were like 'aah....' and didnt know what to say but we all ended up cracking up at the back and forth banter he gave us! Saw on the departure board after we got through that our plane was being delayed 2 hours - bum, but what can you do. We wandered round the shops then got lunch in a nice diner. The departure time was then moved forward a little, as the plane issue had been fixed.
Flight was good, only 1 3/4 hours and we were in San Fran. I had emailed the shuttle service we have used all over the States, to let them know we were delayed and that was all good cos they monitor your flights anyway. Got out to the kerbside agent they had for supershuttle and checked in online. They usually allocate you a van within 5 mins or so, but nothing....... Their staff member was pretty ineffective and just kept looking at his clipboard. But after 40 mins Graeme was starting to steam and since it was a booked anad prepaid shuttle, it shouldnt have happened. The guy told us there were no vans nearby, and we ended up waiting an hour. Just as we said we are going to make our own way, a van finally showed up - and surprise suprise it was right when a later flight with passengers arrived for their pick up! Then we saw other shuttle vans from this company sitting in the carpark we realised they had been there all the time and were stringing us out until the later passengers came. All the other cities we have used the company have been good, but this franchisee was not! Dirty email went their way.
So finally got to our hotel at the end of the stops - Fishermans wharf is gorgeous and I can see why people say to stay there and not in town, it postcard perfect and very cruisey.
We chucked our bags in the room then out for dinner- seafood chowder heaven, its served everywhere here and is really affordable. Will crash tonight, my. Neck is still pretty sore with all the travel tooo.
1 comment:
Liked the part where the Kiwi sense of fair play came to the fore and sent that person who tried to steal someone else's seat. Or was it Graeme's German sense of "you vill do ass you are tolt!!"
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