The City of Superlatives

The first time I drove down to Las Vegas,I was curious and a little apprehensive by what would pop up at the end of miles and miles of desert road.It seemed like the desert was an ocean and I had been told the wonderful oasis by the name Vegas,would pop out of nowhere and I would be blown away by the sheer grandeur of it all.So I drove on in my Impala, with the hot wind so strong, it was whistling against the windows making it almost eerie in the middle of an afternoon.
About 30 miles before Vegas,I saw a few outlet stores and gambling parlors that seemed beat but nevertheless I understood these were the first signs of the lure of this city so famous for driving people crazy(some in a good way and some driven to desperation).I was hoping something more glitzy awaited me and as I turned a curve, my jaw dropped in awe…beautiful shining architectural marvels stood all around me and I was dumbstruck!These architectural marvels were resorts,meant for people from all walks of life with any budget, all these resorts wanted you to do was to gamble away your money.The resorts were in all sorts of shapes;pyramids,eiffel tower,new york,majestic lion,palaces, the list is endless.
This is a city which can be enjoyed in absolute low budgets, if you are not a gambler(like me), all you need to spend on is for the stay and food.Everything else is free free free!All resorts are interconnected and you can walk for miles and miles through these airconditioned resorts and gape at shark aquariums at the Mandalay Bay,the breathtaking fountains that play every 20 mins at the Bellagio,the volcanic eruptions at the Mirage and many such endless shows.The adventure rides here are crazy as well, with very loopy roller coasters,skydiving and what not that is sure to scare the living daylights out of even the bravest souls around.
When you walk through The Strip, you are pretty much given out flyers sporting ‘girls’ every 1 metre and though the average Indian has every right to be shocked at the openness and tolerance of anything in this city, after a point you just stop gawking and blend in cos everything goes in this city.You walk into a snazzy restaurant, you have skimpily clad girls dancing on bars, luring you to spend money drinking/gambling.You’ve got these girls hanging and swinging from ceilings in glitzy clothes which are a delight to most ‘old’ eyes as I observed.Flaunting seems to be the keyword of this place,be it money,glitz,glamour,shows,cars….its all show and tell in Vegas.After all it didnt earn the name of Sin City for nothing!
The first time I visited Vegas, I was stunned by the superficiality(if at all there is such a word) of it all…I wanted to head back where normalcy and peace reigned.The second time I went to Vegas, I truly appreciated Vegas for what it is.A place where people could be as crazy as they wanted, a place where everything goes and you wouldnt be judged,a place that brought out every little fantasy and encouraged one to sin, a true Devil’s Paradise(the staunchly religious kindly avoid)!Every one needs a bit of crazy once in a while :)!