Lap of Luxory

After checking in, we had lunch at the buffet, one of the better in Vegas. Lots to choose from and items were of better quality than most all-you-can-eat emporiums. Still, you had to be choosy. Some stuff was cheapo. Al headed to his conference, leaving me to explore. Went to the solarium that had topiary on it and enjoyed the fall decorations. Gasped at the prices posted at the restaurants and cafes. Couldn’t even afford water. Having a long afternoon ahead, I wasted no time in exiting the beautiful Bellagio in search of adventure. OK, more like overpriced shopping opportunities. Of which there are no shortages of in that town, that’s for sure.

Made a beeline to Mandalay Bay. If you can call people-movers, covered walkways and monorail shuttles a beeline. Anyhoo, I headed straight for the aquarium and paid my $15.95 to see exotic sea life. Or at least whatever the rich underworld figures who run Las Vegas have grown tired of in their personal salt water tanks.

They took a souvenir photo of me and tried to get me to buy a package, but since I was alone, I was afraid that would just scream LOSER and took a pass. Actually, it was a pretty good photo, too bad. Had I been allowed to pose with an actual sea turtle, I would have bought it in a heartbeat, but all they had were cheesy strip backgrounds or a mock up of the ugliest fake shark ever. Never mind.

Enjoyed the fish, sharks, jellies, water monitor and golden crocodile (it’s a hybrid between two species, a saltwater crock and something else, and it’s truly a beautiful shade of golden yellow, very pretty) among others. I have photos, but they’re too big to post, I’ll have to figure something out.

Best of all were the green sea turtles. It was really funny, listening to the comments of other patrons. One woman exclaimed sea turtles were her favorite. Then I saw a bored male trying to hurry his girlfriend out. She kept saying, wait, there’s the turtle, maybe they’ll come back. He just rolled his eyes in exasperation over her ability to squint into the inky water for minutes on end waiting for a glimpse of flipper. It’s so encouraging to know there are others like me out there. Apparently they’re mostly female as well.

We were rewarded with some happy, active turtles floating merrily along the curved glass. Portions of the “tank” were around a pedestrian walkway that formed a tube through the habitat. A glass floor showed the bottom and an arch formed over the top where fish could go over viewers. One turtle came right to the glass and tried nibbling on the faux coral! So alert. It was really nice to see them enjoying themselves. They had three! I asked a gal about them – specifically, what was their “problem”, as I could not see any missing flippers or ‘bubble butts’ among them. She said there were two males and a female, and they were perfectly fine. Another aquarium could no longer care for them, so they came there. I’m still a little skeptical, I really thought the only way you could have a sea turtle was if it was unfit for life in the wild. To give them the benefit of the doubt, I’ll assume that they were captured before these types of regulations kicked in and now they are too tame to release. I’ll pretend if you’ll pretend. But can’t get the nagging image of Al Pachino gifting his gun moll with a couple of hatchlings…

Then came my favorite part: Exiting Though the Gift Shop! I swear I’m going to open something, a turtle petting zoo or whatever, just so I can have paying customers exit through the gift shop. Might be a good way to sell off all the stuff I buy at gift shops…

Bought some really important items like key chains, shot glasses, and a little tin of mints embossed with sharks…

Next it was on to the Luxor in search of Egyptian souvenirs. I don’t know how old the Luxor is, but it’s time for a refurbish. I’ve gone there over the last ten years, and it always looks a little worn and empty. I noticed some stores inside had closed down and there was definitely less Egyptian-themed stuff than in the past. Only bought a little candle holder with a camel. Tons of really cool stuff that was way too heavy to carry home. One store was ½ price and I saw some cool shadowbox pictures that they offered to ship very reasonably, but I couldn’t decide which of three I liked best! I took a card and they said I could just call and order over the phone, and I may take them up on it.

Exited through Excalibur. That casino always seemed aimed at little kids for me, and many stores bore this out with child-size suits of armor and play swords, etc. One cool store had dragon items, but nothing so great that I lingered. Met Al back at the hotel, and he said there were evening activities at his conference, so he went to get some free food and entertainment. Left to my own devices once again, I headed over to Caesar’s Palace to see their exotic car collection and shop, shop, shop!

Love the shops at Caesar’s. Never forget the first time I went in there and was awestruck by the ceiling. If you’ve never seen it, it’s a cool idea: a blue sky with fluffy white clouds painted on a very high curved ceiling that is lit from behind to give the impression you are truly outdoors. Hallways create a town square feel with shops down the corridors. Cool ‘statues’ of gods and goddesses fill fountains and decorate the building inside and out. I love Greek mythology and history, so this is paradise to me. Unfortunately the Museum Store that used to be there is gone, so my shopping was seriously cramped. I relied on a few hotel gift shops and chose a little chariot statuette. Oh, maybe not-so-little. Maybe nine inches long by four high: just enough to be impossible to pack. I asked about shipping. I was told by everyone, oh, just ship your purchases home. They downright discouraged it at this gift shop. Oh, it’s expensive, as much as the ($18) item. Use your hotel, I was told. Ok, made sense. As a guest, they would help me. This is a tourist destination. These people want to please their guests. HA! Stay Tuned.

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