40th: Day Seventeen - The journey home

So the holiday is coming to an end and shortly we will be making our way to Las Vegas airport. We have done so much (as you have possibly read) and I cant say it's been cheap. Being a good financial type person, I've actually been saving for this for 2 years, a little each month. I like the little pots that Intelligent Finance let you fill with money online.

Anyway, the experience of 17 days in the USA has been extraordinary. So I intend following up the holiday with some thoughts on this vast and surprising country. Watch this space.

A couple of closing thoughts on the holiday however:

Gambling:  I have not mentioned the gambling too much, but we've done some obviously.  I was tempted to enter one of the poker competitions that are everywhere, but felt that I wasnt experienced enough with the game.  Most tables had a $30 buy in, but in the Wynn, the amount changed daily and were as high as $2700 (a random sum it seemed to me). The more private "high stakes" areas had limits that were not shared with us common people.

Tattoos: I did a rough tally that two-thirds of American guys under 30 in Los Angeles and Las Vegas have tattoos on show. I don't mean little ones like mine, I mean BIG impressive ones. It must be a right of  passage along with losing your virginity, to get a tattoo.

Drinking: We have seen now trouble due to drinking on this holiday and that's a bit surprising in Las Vegas as you can find $1 drinks everywhere.  The only drunks we have seen were British.  What a surprise.

Smoking: In California, smoking is frowned upon, in Las Vegas, you can still smoke indoors which seemed strange after a few years of smoking ban at home.

World Cup: To my surprise, adverts for the World Cup are everywhere and there is plenty of opportunity in the casinos to bet on it, so I hope that the USA enjoys the event.

Food: They don't do small portions.

See you all in the UK, but to end with, a silly picture...