Las Vegas

Wednesday 29 July 

Landed in Las Vegas early evening & met up with Darren & Paula for drinks at our resort, Wyndham Grand Desert. 

Photo from plane of Hoover Dam just before we landed.

There are slot machines at Vegas airport!!!

View of the Vegas Strip at night from our window on the 15th floor of the Wyndham Grand Desert Hotel.

Weather forecast for our time in Vegas! It was hot & dry but not as sweaty as the humidity in New Orleans or Thailand. 

Thursday 

Amazing brunch at MGM Hotel (photo taken in the foyer).

Photos taken en route to the Titanic Artefacts Exhibition. It was superbly done, with the corridors between the exhibition rooms exact recreations of the gangways on the original ship (with appropriate sound effects!) There were also replicas of a 1st & 3rd class cabin, the Promenade Deck & the magnificent wooden stairway that swept through the centre of the ship. One room had an "iceberg" & was set at approximately the temperature that night would have been (ie freezing!!!) It was pretty moving to see not only personal items retrieved, but also parts of the actual ship.

The Luxor Hotel & Casino which housed the exhibition..

The biggest piece of the ship that was salvaged from its resting place two & a half miles deep.

I the evening we watched the impressive Bellagio fountain display before the show which runs to a different song every 15 minutes. 

Cirque du Soleil O - an awesome show that featured aspects of olden day circuses - clowns, the high wire, acrobatics, "animals", but so much more. The diving was to me the most impressive part of a hugely spectacular show.

Friday

Lazy morning followed by a Wyndham promotional lunch with gift vouchers & then went for a walk around the opulent Caesar's Palace Hotel in the afternoon, where the house white wine was $15 a glass!

In the evening we went to The Rat Pack show, which was very entertaining, especially Dean Martin. Tried our hand at some gambling, but with very small stakes.

Saturday 

Picked up a hire car & drove to Hoover Dam, which is a miracle of engineering.

We were all so impressed by the enormity of the Grand Canyon. Check out the posers below!

We went to two lookouts & a Wild West town. 

In the evening we had dinner at Tony Roma's in the Old Las Vegas strip, which was very vibrant & festive. A beer & hotdog $2 to encourage you to gamble as well as all the dancing girls on tables. Even have a zip line running across the 3 blocks as well as a few bands playing in the strip. 

Sunday 

Girls went shopping at Fashion Show while the boys went to the hotel gym & then a few beers at the pool & spa. View from the lift of the hotel looking at the other wing with the airport close behind. 

Met up with an old Miltonian, Pierre Joubert, for a great lunch at a Cuban restaurant. 

Watched latest Mission Impossible movie, Rogue Nation, which we all thoroughly enjoyed. 

Monday

Another sad day, saying goodbye to Darren & Paula. Dropped off hire car & flew Virgin America to San Francisco. 

Special thanks to Darren & Paula for such a fun & memorable few days in Vegas.

New Orleans

PPSunday 26 July 

Drove from Sheraton Hotel to Orlando Airport to catch Delta flight to New Orleans via Atlanta. Arrived in New Orleans around 1 pm & caught a taxi to Avenue Plaza timeshare resort. Went for walk around the Garden Quarter which was just down Saint Charles Street. There are some very impressive & gracious homes there, mainly built in the 1800s, & the complete opposite of the quirky French Quarter.

Sandra Bullock's house, which supposedly has a full size big wheel (for her son) in the ballroom. This gives a sense of the size of the rooms in these houses!

Where Jefferson Davis, President of the Southern Confederacy, died. 

Had po' boys for dinner - crawfish & green onion sausage, & surf & turf. Delicious!

Monday 

Caught the bus down Saint Charles St to the French Quarter. The local greeting is "Y'all have a good time in N' Awlins". Tried some of the local food - gumbo, soft shell crab, pralines, crab cakes & crawfish.

Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. 

Carousel Pub in the Monteleone Hotel which has a real carousel that takes 14 minutes to rotate once.

Saint Louis' Cathedral looking from Jackson Square, with the Mississippi River in front.

Tuesday 

Caught bus back to French Quarter to board the Natchez Steam Paddle boat tour on the Mississippi. 

The only real steam paddle boat left on the Mississippi. 

After our 2 hour lunch cruise which featured local specialties including red beans & rice & bread pudding, we were met by a local live statue who kept this pose for at least half an hour in the very humid weather, with sweat dripping off him. 

Met up with David Bernberg (a Zimbo living in New Orleans whom Eastland introduced us to) & his friend, the owner of Crescent Brew House on Decatur Street. Great boutique brewery where the beers & company were very good. 

Then went on a lame mule buggy ride around the French Quarter that Jane chose. (It was fine & told lots of the history of the area. Paul just couldn't understand a word he said in his Deep South accent!!!)

Then we went to Cafe du Monde to have coffee & beignets (another treat for Paul!!!)

We finished off our day with a last walk down Bourbon Street which was a lot more festive in the early evening. 

Wednesday 

Went for walk to Lafayette Cemetery in the Garden District before catching a taxi to the airport to fly to Las Vegas via Atlanta. 

Florida & the Caribbean Cruise

Monday 6 July 

Was a very long day waking up at 5 am to catch the shuttle to Heathrow Airport. Then flew to Orlando, Florida, after short stop at Frankfurt, Germany. Met by my brother, Michael, who then took us to a shopping mall to meet up with Juanita, Ryan & my cousins (Philip & Jane) and families. We were held up at the airport, initially by thunderstorm & then confusion over a Washington stamp in my passport with incorrect date. Only got to our timeshare hotel at 11 pm (4 am UK time), so on the go for 23 hours!

Tuesday

Caught shuttle to Epcot (Exploratory Prototype Community Of Tomorrow) Centre, where we met my cousins for lunch. Driver told us Epcot stands for Every Person Comes Out Tired, which, after the previous day, was very true!

Went on some good rides, starting with Gran Fiesta Tour at Mexico, then Mission Space, Soarin Hanglider flight & finally Space Ship Earth. The Canadian & USA stands were also very entertaining. 

Wednesday 

Spent day relaxing at timeshare catching up with sleep. The amenities at Hilton Gold in Tuscany Village were amazing with 2 pools, 3 spas & well equipped gyms. 

Went out to the Red Lobster for an incredible dinner with family. The waiters earn $2.13 per hour & rely on tips, which explains the good service & reasonable price of food. 

Thursday 

Spent day at Disney's Animal Kingdom. 

Started on the Kilimanjaro African Safari ride which was incredibly authentic & saw game like okapi, that we had never seen before. Other highlights included the river rapids ride, a brilliant Lion King production, a 3D bug's life, an amazing live bird show & a couple of hectic rides. Expedition Everest in the Asia section was my favourite roller coaster ride as it went up the mountain & then backwards down with a lot of screaming from Jane, which I captured on the Gopro. 

Friday

Had a quiet day & went shopping with Michael while Jane had her hair done. I was very impressed with the enormity of the Walmart Store & the ease of exchanging the SD card that was faulty. Had dinner at Golden Corral which was like Sizzlers but much cheaper (& had candy floss!) Went round the enormous outlet store mall next to our hotel, but didn't buy anything.

Saturday 

Said goodbye to Ryan & drove down to Miami to embark on our Carnival cruise. Michael dropped us all at Miami Port before returning the Dodge hire car. The view of Miami from the Carnival Glory ship was very impressive. 

Sunday

Half Moon Cay was our first stop which was an exotic island in the Bahamas owned by Carnival. Soft white beach sand & crystal clear warm water. 

Monday

Day at sea relaxing & eating too much. Breakfast was a brunch so included eggs benedict & steak. Dinner was lobster tail for starters, prime rib for mains & creme brûlée for dessert as it was Captain's formal night.

Tuesday 

Arrived in St Thomas, a U.S. Virgin Island, at 9 am. The Virgin Islands were the 1st to come up with the concept of duty free shopping. Went on Godfrey's tour which lasted about 6 hours & took us all around the Island. We saw Maygen's Beach which is rated as one of the top ten beaches in the world but snorkelled at Koki Beach for a couple of hours & sampled the local brew. 

Wednesday 

Docked at San Juan, Puerto Rico. Went with Felix on a 3 hour tour of the city, which included various stops at beaches, government building & the fortress in the old city. Puerto Rico is one of the biggest islands in the Caribbean & falls under the American federal government. The Rock Legends show provided the best night's entertainment.

Thursday 

Our last stop was at Grand Turk, which is a small but beautiful island under Britain's sovereignty. The ship docked at a small pier that was literally on the beach. We soon found a snorkelling tour with McKenzie, the skipper. I have never seen such clear water & the reef dropped off from 3 m to several 100 metres (7000ft). We were able to touch a friendly nurse shark at our first snorkel stop.

Friday 

Day at sea on our way back to Miami. Enjoyed the great facilities on board, like the impressive gym, mini golf & adult only pool & spas. 

Watched the ice sculpture demonstration on the general pool deck. 

Saturday 

Hired a minivan from Miami to our timeshare in Weston. A sad day, as our cruise had come to an end & our last day with Michael, Juanita & the boys. Went on a airboat tour in the Everglades & saw LOTS of alligators. 

Sunday 

Relaxing morning at the resort then joined in the afternoon by Uncle Alan & Aunt Sylvia Tilley. 

Monday 

Alan drove us up the coastal road to West Palm Beach to see his condominium & my cousin, Jane's, house. 

Went to Cheddars for a great dinner. 

Tuesday 

Alan kindly drove us all the way down to Key West, the southernmost tip of USA in the Florida Keys. It was nearly a 600 km round trip but very scenic over the 42 bridges joining the keys. 

There were 2 Carnival cruise ships in the port, so had to queue to have this photo taken. 

Wednesday 

Picked up hire car & drove to Fort Lauderdale to meet up with Moira (Viljoen). Her husband, Charles, showed us the 100 ft luxury boat that he skippers. 

Thursday 

Drove across to Sarasota on the I75 to catch up with Eastland & Glynnis Collen. Went out for dinner at the Sandbar & watched the sun set over West Florida Gulf. The ambience & food at this beach restaurant were amazing.

Friday 

Eastland showed us around Sarasota, which is also a beautiful city & we met up with his son, Kieran, at O' Learys pub on the beach. 

That evening we had a lovely braai with old Bulawayo friends, Velly & Wendy, and another Zim family, Dave & Briony. 

Saturday 

Met Julie from Kadoma & watched the All Blacks beat the Springboks at her house. Went to the White Horse pub for last drink with Eastland & Glynnis. Drove to Orlando via Tampa. Had dinner at Appelbee's.

Special thanks to Alan & Eastland for showing us such lovely places in Florida which made our visit so special.