Las Vegas Deja vu

After a brief stopover for over 40 hours in the Bay area it was time for a long drive. Six guys including me from the university rented a six seater Mazda. This was my second visit to Vegas in the span of 6 months. The last time I went there was during the July 4 Independence day holidays.


Below are some of the best pictures of my 2008 year end trip which can be visually woven into a story.

Day 1 - December 24 2008 (Wednesday)

The 520 mile - 11 hours drive to the Sin City is underway

After a satiating dinner its payback time

Cruising along the freeway guided by the GPS

Vegas here we come .. All roads leading to you

Check in time to the Sahara at 2 AM

Day 2 - December 25 2008 (Thursday)

Casino in Sahara

Time stops for the Las Vegas and the Gamblers. Day or Night its a tryst with the lady luck all the way



Casino in Stratosphere



My model friend in the trip



No opportunity missed



Planet Hollywood

Keep it filled ..



A whole new world inside



Queued for the Spice Market



Continental cuisine inside the Spice Market





Its about choosing what to relish from the ocean of choices available



What do I eat?



Back to the Sahara after a filling Christmas feast - View from the 21st floor room



Slot machines



We are off in the Limousine to the Sapphire Gentleman's club for Premier nightlife entertainment on Xmas night

Day 3 - December 26 2008 (Friday)

Hotel Paris - Daylight robs the charm off Vegas



Peppermill Restaurant - The Mexican tortillas, poached eggs, baked beans and meat fuelled me for the entire night ahead



The Encore in the twilight

Explore the Encore





Red Theme Decor











The twin of Encore - Hotel Wynn



Explore Along











Closer to 21 the luckier it gets.... That's Blackjack





Everything glitters in Vegas - So do the traffic lights

The Palazzo hotel



Hotel Venetian

A night in the Gondola

Magnificent facade of the Venetian



Its always an evening of Romance inside Venice



'Mera joota hai japani' playing the original from the Raj Kapoor movie Shri 420



Royal Costumes



Her eyes can talk too









An artist brings life to that white sheet of paper



A hallucination of reality





Wishful pennies









To pose is an art .. Capturing it is another





Flame of Royalty







Its for the tummy



A living relic

Madame Tussauds [Las Vegas]

James Bond (Daniel Craig) - Quantum of Solace



The Blue man group



Arnold Schwarzenegger



Oprah Winfrey



Dwayne Douglas Johnson - The Rock







Jennifer Lopez



Jenna Jameson









Lary King







Beyonce Knowles



Marilyn Monroe



Wherever you see The Majestic Grandeur

Casino Royale



Lights of fantasy



Thinking is the hardest thing there is, so a few engage in it .. at the cost of life ? Say No to smoking



You either get throned or dethroned - Date with the Lady Luck ... At your own risk

Hotel Flamingo



Dance along with the Flamingo Girls



The spirit flavours - Blue Raspberry & Strawberry



A sip tat can last the entire strip





Vegas Strip Traffic





Chihuahua getting the warmth of its master



Hotel Paris



If this is the dummy, I can imagine the real









An evening in Paris





On top of the world





The headlights are more dazzling then the strip...





The majestic Bellagio



Electrifying Passion



Hotel Bellagio



The games are the same...The players change





The clumination of entertainment






Bellagio fountains



Dont mess with the cops








Synchronized showers







The buzzing Planet



MGM Grand





It drizzles as you revell - The Rainforest bar



The Lions emerge at 12 noon

Inside the monorail - Everything points to Las Vegas



Day 4 - December 27 2008 (Saturday)

After the 3 nights of fun in the entertainment hub of the world we left for Arizona - the border of Nevada - just a few miles away from Vegas to the Hoover Dam. My second visit to the Vegas gave me the experience of familiarity and at the same time exploring the unexplored.

I am sure that this wont be the last !!!

A Denver Quickie !!!

I had planned this trip to Denver during mid October. Mainly this trip was also to celebrate the unofficial completion of my MS from Santa Clara University. The MS race was a quick sprint to finish and lasted a little less than 15 months.

I was excited about flying domestic for the first time in USA. The southwest airlines touched down a freezing snow covered Denver on the night of Dec 18 2008. I was warmly received by my friend Sridhar.

The trip was initially planned till January 1st 2009 but owing to the bad weather conditions, shutdown of the tourist places and other reasons I had to cut it short to Dec 22.

Day 1 - December 19 2008 (Friday)

This was my first view of the snow. The sun was shining bright even as the landscape was dominated with the white snow. As soon as I stepped outside my friends apartment, the chill air seemed to pierce the skin, ears and every exposed part of the body. To tackle the freezing temperatures layers of clothes, gloves, cap and a warm coat are very much essential.

In the evening after my friend was back from office we decided to go out for a drink to a Bar which was just next door - a five minute walk. We had to pack ourselves cosily to walk a few hundred meters to the Mile Nine Bar & Restaurant.

For the next 4 hours until half past midnight was fun and relaxed. We caught up over the happenings in our lives the past one year since we had met for the first time. When friends meet over drinks and good food with the right ambiance to go with it, there is no shortage of words to keep the meeting engaged.

Day 2 - December 20 2008 (Saturday)

After a good night out we started the day pretty late. Sridhar rented a Toyota Corolla and along with his roommates we headed out for the night to Black Hawk which was supposed to be the Las Vegas of Denver city, of course not to that extent.

Sridhar cruised the Corolla through the Denver freeways to the Black Hawk for which he had caught a fancy after making some decent gains during his previous visits.



The Ameristar Casino in Black Hawk was our destination.

I explored the casino a bit and also played Black Jack for a few dollars just to soak into the atmosphere. After losing a few dollars which I was bound to I decided to say quits and settle down in the lounge bar in the same casino.

There was live music which was being rendered by some talented band of musicians.

The warmth exuding from the fireplace, good music and classy drinks kept me engaged for the next 3 hours as my friends tested their fortunes playing Black Jack and Poker. My very good friend Harsha happened to call me from India and we reminisced over the good old times back home. It was a perfect evening which I had asked for.

We left the casino at 1-30 AM and the Ameristar had proved again why it was Sridhars hunting ground. He had made a good win and was jubilant even on that dark eerie cold night far away from home. By the time we reached home it was about 3 AM.

Day 3 - December 21 2008 (Sunday)

Yet again it was a late start and we set out for the Royal Gorge Bridge. Somehow I missed experiencing driving on the Denver roads. The theme of the season in Denver was white. Snow everywhere and a chill in the air. By the time we reached the spot it was 4 in the evening.

The Royal Gorge is called the Grand Canyon of the Arkansas River. More details here.

The Royal Gorge Bridge is one of the worlds highest bridge. It was built in 1929.

This bridge is motorable and the speed is limited to 5 mph. We walked the entire length of the bridge. The temperature when we reached was unbelievably the lowest which I had heard or experienced in my life. It was - 16 degree Celsius. The cold was literally biting the hands, ears and cheeks. It was as though the organs inside were burning, in spite of the cold. It is a feeling for which no words will do justice. It has to be experienced ! All the shops were closed for the season owing to the unbearable cold.

These Bighorn Mountain Sheep seemed to be at ease with the environment. Classic creations of Nature ! I was curious about the white area which seemed to be frozen snow near the mouth and the back of the sheep. Probably it is some sort of adaptation.

We were walking endlessly in the cold.

Thankfully we reached the other end of the bridge and we walked a little more to a point which presented a lovely view of the Royal Gorge Bridge.

This is the deep gorge with the frozen Arkansas river flowing in between.

The Royal Gorge swing where you can swing free air to and fro over the gorge. It was closed for the winter. I am sure it would be an experience which only brave hearts would dare to try.

We walked back to where we had parked the car and almost experienced rebirth after the heater was turned on to the maximum. We had dinner on our way back in a Nepalese restaurant which served Indian food. It was about 10 PM by the time we were back home.

Day 4 - December 22 2008 (Monday)

All through the Sunday and the freezing Royal Gorge visit in Denver, I was in continuous touch with a friend in Bay Area, California and making plans for yet another trip to the worlds sizzling nightspot Las Vegas. I had decided to return back to Bay Area and spend the final days of the 2008 with the base at home away from home. I rescheduled my air tickets from Jan 1 2009 to 4 PM of Dec 22 2008. Sridhar dropped me to the Denver International Airport at 3 PM and it was a hurried curb side check in to the San Jose Flight. I reached San Jose at about 6 PM and that night and the next day was spent in my friend Rudresh's antique German style house in San Jose Downtown.

Six of us (Santa Clara University Boys) left to the Vegas, Arizona and LA Triple Trip on the evening of December 24 2008 (Wednesday). The Denver Quickie had a bit of memories to cherish even if it was not the best.

Bye Bye 2008....Welcome 2009

The year 2008 was an eventful one with me getting done with all the course work for the MS degree in about 15 months. It was a year which I spent in entirety in a foreign country & was dominated by coursework, travel and experiments with the DSLR.

I rounded off an eventful year with some travel to cold Denver, bright Las Vegas and exciting Los Angeles. The picture above was captured in front of the Venetian hotel - Las Vegas.

I look forward to do some interesting work, travel a bit & capture memories on a regular basis in the new year that will begin in a few hours from now. A simple life !!!

I take this moment to say thanks to my Parents, Sisters & their families, my Friends & the people I work with currently in Santa Clara.

Here are two posts which caught my attention -That Thing Called Change by a journalist blogger friend of 3 years and My Highlights of 2008 by a talented guy with who I went to school about 20 years ago. This guy had sparks of brilliance then and is surely on path for great success.

Once again I wish a very Happy New Year 2009 to my Parents, Sisters & their Families, Friends & My Blog Visitors !!!