Day 1 - Gatwick to Las Vegas

Flight from Gatwick to Las Vegas uneventful and we touched down ahead of schedule. We travel by air conditioned coach from air conditioned terminal to air conditioned hotel. And are very thankful as it is very hot and temperatures are touching on 40 degrees!

We have met up with our fellow travellers and now the adventure begins.  We have waited a long time to do this trip and at last we have made it.  Tomorrow we plan to hit "The Strip", see the sights before trying for some last minute tickets for a show. Before we settle to sleep we have a cold beer and chat with the tour leaders who are a lovely couple, then register with the casino so that we can get heavily discounted food which turns out to offer quite a variety of typical american faire with some alternative oriental dishes and some extremely fattening puddings!  Mary and I eat moderately and my treat is a "sherbet" ice-cream which I quite enjoy but Mary declares "disgusting" - though I do agree that her mango sorbet was a better choice!

On our way back to our room we wander through the slots which I really find quite depressing and then take up an invitation offered in the lift earlier that day to join a group of square dancers in one of the side rooms.  We are given a warm welcome and enjoy watching and listening to two or three dances being called and performed.  We recognise quite a few of the moves, right hand star and left hand square with opposites and partners, but the whole thing is quite fast and the "caller" sings the instructions in a style very different from what we are used to with the more sedate barn danes of Somerset or Suffolk.

It's half past eight and we've been awake a very long time, hoping to last until 9.00 at least!