The next day in Vegas started somewhat later – something past 10am. I was certainly still under the influence, but the starts of a rough day were in me. I readied myself then went out to find some food with my roommate. He was feeling infinitely better than I was, so after we got our meals (at New York, New York casino) and what have you, I departed to return to the hotel room, while he went out to enjoy the day. I crashed on the bed for an couple of hours, downed some tablets that are for migraines, tried to watch some television (women’s golf), and quickly fell asleep.
Surprisingly, this ‘remedy’ did wonders for me. When I woke up I was as ready as I would ever be. I’m always surprised at how often I get lucky with hangovers – I never have headaches and generally can push through them. This one was a little worse, but still no headache, and I only needed a feed and some rest to be back and ready for action. I was up and out soon, and hit up the MGM Grand, down to the Luxor, up to Caesars, and then back into the Bellagio – blackjack-ing my way from one end of town to another. I didn’t see a single fellow Contiki-er at all during this time. I found out that very few of them knew how to gamble (as if it were a hard thing!), and those that did were happy to sit at the cheap tables. The cheapest table I sat at was a $25 table, while I played at a $50 and then a $100 for a little while after I hit a string of ‘good luck’ on the $25 tables.
Someone might point out that you can bet $100 on a $25 table. Yes, this is true, but the image that you cast of sitting at a $100 table is infinitely better – at least, that’s judging by the persons women that would regularly come up to ‘talk’ to you. Similarly, this is the table that brings the waitresses that give you free drinks the quickest and most often. They go by the $5 and $10 tables once an hour – they hover around the $100 tables constantly because that’s where the big tippers are.
After this gambling romp, I headed back to our hotel to be there in time for our bus that would take us to the show we were seeing – V the Show. The bus was buzzing about our first night’s activity, and then the backing-up day. I heard some stories, but didn’t take any specific notice. I do remember walking onto the bus and down the aisle and getting some greetings and smiles, complete with them knowing my name. I respectfully replied with random tags like ‘mate’, ‘ace’, or ‘pal’. I still had no idea what had happened the night before.
Lining up to get in, I stood among the crowd that was on our tour. I smiled and nodded politely to a few people that I remembered, until a woman who I hardly knew (I would learn her name was Kathryn) was on our tour came up to me and started conversing as if I were an old friend. I went along with it, until they said “You don’t remember much of last night, do you?” I confessed, and then she, and the rest of her crowd, began to fill me in on all the antics that I recounted on my previous post. I was amazed, and entertained. Questions started to get asked about the marks and bruises on my face. Rumours had already begun, fueled by my roommate (who, if you recall, I had tried to drunkenly explain my evening to), that I had been in a fight, got kicked out a casino, been caught cheating, ‘stayed overnight’ in the Tropicana with people not on the tour, and all sorts of things. I had people ask me, but I generally gave dead answers, because I was saving the story for a particular time.
V was well worth the price of the ticket. It was hilarious, it was entertaining, and it was really fun. Everyone in the crowd enjoyed it. Afterwards there were plans to go out partying again. I had already been let loose on Vegas once – I dare not let it happen again. I bid my farewells and decided I should do a few touristy things first. I took some night snaps, watched the fountain at the Bellagio (and was very impressed), and wandered the streets. Finally I went back to the Bellagio – I had had the best luck of all the casinos there – and gambled the night away, finally making back enough of the money that I had lost in the days to turn a $1 profit for the whole 2 days. I still have that chip, sitting on one of my shelves in my room.
I went back to my hotel (I found it rather easy this time) and hit the bed around 2am. I got a good amount of sleep, because my roommate wandered in at ~6:20am – when we were meant to get to the bus at 7:30am. My alarm went off at 6:30am, and he was still awake. He decided to do as I did to him – retell his drunken night in detail. It sounded like he had a real hoot – though it’s certainly not the kind of ‘adventure’ I would undertake.
We were both ready and down to the bus on time. As we were standing around, I met another person who I had been hanging around with on the first night and talked a little with them. I think the whole idea that I had had a whole night of activity that I had no memory off – and that that might, though didn’t I found out, offend the people I was talking to – that I began to get a touch worried and scared. I said to myself no more big drinking nights again. 12 days later, I’d be throwing that promise out the window.
Thomas.
Deus Lo Vult 