KEY POINTS:
The desert state of Nevada is useful for only three things according to one travel guide: mining, military testing and making a fortune. And I wasn't going to Las Vegas for mine shafts or stealth bombers.
Las Vegas, city of sin, emerges out of the shimmering heat haze like a mirage. It's a modern-day El Dorado where millions of hopeful tourists flock every year to try and strike it rich on the pokies or black jack tables.
Slap bang in the middle of the desert, surrounded by four mountain ranges, it is amazing to think that this vibrant, wealthy city had a population of only 30 in 1900. It now stands at about 575,000.
The boom came in 1931 when gambling was legalised and workers on the nearby Hoover Dam were able to flood the city in their weekends and gamble their paychecks away. Since then, Vegas has become a playground for the rich and famous, made infamous by Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, its extravagant casinos and of course, the King, Elvis Presley.
After stepping outside the air-conditioned airport into a furnace blast of hot wind, visitors are immediately struck by the scale and glitz of The Strip, six miles of the hottest property in the desert, lining Las Vegas Boulevard. It's home to 14 of the world's 15 biggest, most expensive, jaw-dropping hotels, each trying to out-show the competition with no-expense spared decadence.
From the Burmese-themed Mandalay Bay, complete with beach and shark bay, and the Luxor, a black pyramid complete with Sphinx), to the castle Excalibur, the luxurious Venetian complete with gondola, and of course, the legendary Caesar's Palace, Vegas is Disneyland for grown-ups. It's easy to imagine punters being swept inside these self-contained fantasy lands, never to be seen again.
Each hotel is a mini-city, some are actual replicas of New York, Paris and Monte Carlo, complete with restaurants, bars, clubs, shops, stage shows and, of course, casinos.
I expected it all to be tacky and seedy, a caricature of itself, with nothing but neon lights, casinos and strip bars on every corner. And tacky it is, but somehow it also manages to be oddly classy.
On the surface anyway. There is, of course, the downside; the shock of finding people of all ages hammering coins into the poker machines; and those who spend days at a time with one arm attached to the one-armed bandits. There is more to Vegas, though, than the shiny spectre of instant riches.
One of the world's great natural wonders, the Grand Canyon, is less than an hour's drive away, as is one of the world's great man-made wonders, the Hoover Dam.
Back in the city and outside the casinos the bars and restaurants are full to the brim, and there are thousands of strangers walking the streets, yet the place feels safe and clean.
So, yes, Vegas is tacky and yes, it is all about money, but if you take it for what it is - a playground - then you realise the ride is fun and fast, and if you get sick, you just get off until you feel better, then come back for more.
*Jared Savage travelled to Las Vegas courtesy of Air New Zealand
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KNOW WHEN TO HOLD 'EM
There are many world-class shows for the non-gambler. If you're not a gambler there's other things keep you amused in Las Vegas - although you may still end up separated from your cash.
See a show. There are nightly concerts by some of the world's biggest names, as well as musical theatre and comedy shows such as Monty Python's Spamalot or Mel Brooks' The Producers. Cirque du Soleil has six different shows, or try animal tamers Siegfried and Roy, or magicians Penn and Teller.
Hit the shops. The up-market Forum (a four storeyed-mall with a Michaelangelo inspired atrium) houses big names such as Armani, Cartier and Gucci. Tourist trinkets can be found in street stalls or hokey gift shops, and chocolate lovers cannot miss M&M World. Even in the desert heat, the little coloured candies melt in your mouth, not in your hand. Or for a $20 taxi fare, head to the Las Vegas Outlet Mall, which has more than 130 factory shops for the big brands.
- Detours, HoS
