En route: memoirs from Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon

During the August ('10) stay in California, we couldn't miss the chance to see the neighbouring states and what they had to offer, that is the Las Vegas festivities and the Grand Canyon. There're many tour offers in Los Angeles, but we chose the cheap recommendation from our friend - a 3-day trip to Vegas with one day at the Grand Canyon South Rim, $66 per person.

Rushing early in the morning for the bus leaving from LA Chinatown with a fear of not being able to make it on time, we were quickly cooled down by the tour organization (we departured with a huge delay, the bus guide was speaking more in Chinese than English). However, the consolation came in Vegas - for that price we hadn't expected to find ourselves in the kind of a fancy hotel the organizers provided (Stratosphere, the tallest building in the Nevada state). I remember the moment I got off the bus quite well: the most sultry and sweltering heat I've ever experienced. The comfy hotel room came with a rescue though.

Well, maybe the stay wasn't in a style of Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (1998), though the casinos, wedding chapels, roof pools, Madame Tussauds wax figures, miniature architecture and kitsch of any kind were a treat to take photos of.

Although the bus tours with our convoy were too long and tiring, I really enjoyed the views on the road: the never-ending highways of the Interstate 15, the Hoover Dam on the second day when going to Arizona, finally the fairy-like Grand Canyon.

Girls by Death in Vegas (from the Lost in Translation soundtrack)