– Forgive me Father for I have spent a night in Sin City.
– And what are your sins?
– All seven capital ones, I’m afraid…
– Tell me about it.
I arrived to Las Vegas in the afternoon washed-out after a terribly hot Valley of Fire. The temperature still exceeded 40C/104F. Sweat ran down my forehead, stifling air didn’t allow me to breathe normally.
The fridge filled up with cold beer and here comes gluttony and overconsumption. From alcohol there is only one step to excessive pride and belief that I can do everything.
I am in Las Vegas and this is The Strip. Everything can happen here. Here in casinos I will win insane amounts of money. I’ll leave this place with seven digit number on my account.
Here I can do everything – get rich, party all night long, marry the first Afro-American with a golden chain on his neck I see…
(BTW if you would like to do more than that – check these posts: 70 free or cheap things to do in Las Vegas or this an extensive list of 101 things to do in Las Vegas!)
We pass shining, luxury buildings of the casinos. We hear loud music, everything glitters, twinkles and encourages me to give out my money like they were flyers advertising sexual services – I could find tons of them in the street anyway. People with drinks in their hands walk, stagger, lose control over where is the sky, where the pavement.
Casino Royale tempts me with its lights and I surrender.
As soon as I enter I hear a joyful scream of a girl with a Barbie doll make-up. A pile of clinking chips is just falling out of a machine she’s playing. I try too. I feed the machine with a dollar, I press the button and… nothing. Again – nothing. And again, and again… So this painted doll had more luck that I do?!
Envy…
It seems that only more serious gambling will make me rich. I buy a beer and it costs only 2$! Father, how can I limit my consumption then?
I join a Black Jack game. I plan to turn 15$ into a fortune. My first hand – and I won. Second one – won. Third, and another one… 15 dollars turned into 60 already. My heart starts beating faster, I take one sip of the beer after another. In my mind I hear the rustle of money I count, thinking if my new Mustang should be red or white with golden rims.
Greed…
Pity I didn’t know any useful tips for Las Vegas, they’d save my wallet from the upcoming disaster…
The croupier changes at my table. An elderly American who was giving me lucky hands all the time leaves to another table. We get an Asian woman with sharp facial features.
The first hand – and I lose. Second one – and my pile of chips gets smaller again.
I put more money on the table not to leave it. Still no luck. How is it possible that I was so lucky with that croupier but now I fail every time? My cheeks turn red, hands shake and I see my Mustang drive away as I put my last chips on the table.
Wrath, rage…
We leave the casino to a crowded street again. It seems that hot air sticks to my skin, people rush around. Majority has colorful drinks in a huge glass confusingly similar to a bongo. We buy it too. It’s made with fruity sorbet and it refreshes perfectly in the desert heat. It’s strong like hell. 12$ but come on, I need to cope with my failure somehow.
Overconsumption…
We pass the crowd and we get to the famous “Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas” sign. Drunk tourists take blurred selfies. Local photographer smelled a good business here and for 10$ only he can take you a picture with his DSLR which will immediately appear on your smartphone.
It’s the middle of the night, our wallets are empty. We come back tired, drop sweaty clothes on the floor and lie in the bed. Lust…
And the next day we don’t have anything left but sloth, extreme laziness. And overconsumption – of mineral water…
I admit, Las Vegas can be tiring, just like Los Angeles. After a night there I felt like running to the nature again – the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park or Bryce Canyon, any of them! In Vegas you can go crazy and have fun while in the nature you can rest, calm down and get your priorities right again. And I recommend you to do both 🙂
For that, make sure to check how to organize a trip to the USA! And if you liked this post, please use the buttons below and share it on Facebook, Twitter or Google+! Thanks! 🙂
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