ok, so its the third morning and I have a load of cash in my pocket.
Sampled the Mirage buffet which was not in the same league as the Rio, but ok. Angie hits the pool again and I blow a few hundred bucks back at VP and BJ at the Bellagio and Caesars. Can't honestly remember what we did for lunch, but afterwards we head out to the Belz Factory Outlet for Angie to begin her spending spree. Actually, this is a pretty cheap option as the Nike Discount Store gets most of our business (Trainers that would cost $80 in England going for $40, Jeans also half price - its a great deal for tourists).
I have an unreal experience at what looks like a general goods store, but surprisingly carries Rolex watches. There is an incredibly garish, jewel -encrusted timepiece that I can't resist trying on -
'So how much for this then?'
'Well, sir, that particular model usually goes for $15,000 but we can let you have it for $6500'
'I'll think about it
'
Its a hell of a discount, but I spoke to one of the staff and they told me that 'we gave the gentleman who brought it in $4000'- ah, right, its a PAWNSHOP! I don't care how beautiful it was, that watch will always seem soiled to me in some way. Just the idea of some formerly wealthy gambler being beaten down to $4000 for a $15000 watch (and no doubt losing that as well)took some of the shine off it for me.
In the evening we get a taxi up to the Sahara, where we have tickets for the Steve Wyrick magic show. I wasn't sure what to expect, as there are a lot of, shall we say, 'mixed' reviews on various websites. We have dinner in the Sahara Buffet (up through the Nascar Cafe), which is VERY nice, particularly in the vast range of desserts on offer and get into the theatre around half an hour before showtime.
The guy who seats us looks at our tickets and says 'Oh, no, you can do better than that, let me put you over here' and directs us to an excellent location, dead centre and halfway back. I feel obligated to slip him five bucks, even though I have no idea where our original seats would have been
. Anyway, about ten minutes before the show starts two absolutely stunning looking women in slinky cocktail dresses sit directly behind us (I have Radar for this sort of eventuality)and start chatting away incessantly. My own stunning looking woman bets me five bucks that they are 'plants' and will be called up as volunteers to assist in a trick during the show.
I accept.
Steve Wyrick? What can I say? Perfectly competent, if not exactly inspired illusionist, (I don't want to damn him with faint praise,the trick where he turns a black poodle and a white poodle into a Dalmation is pretty impressive)but the guy has absolutely no spontaneity or charisma whatsoever. It becomes painfully obvious after a while that everything, including some terrible ad-libs,is a tired old script. Worse, it is even MORE obvious that every volunteer he pulls 'at random'out of the audience is a stooge,(yes, one of the ladies in the cocktail dresses gets called up
) I can't exactly describe how easy it is to tell this, you'd have to see the show for yourselves - but I gave up applauding when some poor female Japanese 'tourist' was apparently having trouble understanding the instructions to shoot a gun at a vase on a table, but some INCREDIBLY helpful member of the audience was able to shout 0NE TWO THREE, BANG! in Japanese to help her
Still, only paid $19 to get in anyway, and it was still fun if you just concentrated on the tricks rather than the patter.
Stopped off at the Peppermill Lounge on the way back for a 'Scorpion' (ridiculous, goldfish-bowl sized cocktail)and to check out all the illicit liaisons going on in the near-darkness! Nice place, bet its great in the winter with the fire going full blast.
'And so to bed' as a great man used to write (answers on a postcard please
)
hmmn, I'm getting worse - this is still day three and I have to get two more Royals and a disastrous Grand Canyon trip in here somewhere...
Later
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