This trip happened just like that. I pinged Meena and Ravita in the last week of August to go on a trip together and surprisingly by next weekend we had all the bookings done. Everything just fell into the place – office leaves, flight tickets, Airbnb bookings, car rental – everything. I was so glad to see Ravita equally, or rather exceedingly excited about the trip. I went to Meena’s place on the night of September 17^th and the three of us flew together to Vegas on the morning of 18^th. The trip was on.

Itinerary at a glance

Date	Activity
Sep 18^th 2021	Fly to Vegas
Sep 19^th 2021	Drive from Vegas to Kanab
Sep 20^th 2021	Angel Landing hike at Zion National Park
Sep 21^st 2021	The Narrows hike at Zion National Park
Sep 22^nd 2021	Bryce Canyon National Park
Sep 23^rd 2021	Drive from Kanab to Williams via Page – Horseshoe bend and Antelope Canyon
Sep 24^th 2021	Grand Canyon National Park
Sep 25^th 2021	Bearizona and Grand Canyon Caverns
Sep 26^th 2021	Drive back from Williams to Vegas. Fly back to Seattle

Day 1: Las Vegas, Sep 18^th 2021

What to say, Vegas is just the shiniest place on the earth. The Sin City comes to life the moment you set your foot in. It’s not just the colorful slot machines all around or the vibrant neon lights radiating “Fabulous Las Vegas” at every nook and cranny, it is also the people who you see there. Some people come there to try their luck, some to forget the specters of the past, some to mark a new beginning in their life, while some to just live their dream. But there is one thing common among all of them – smile. Yes, Vegas is a city of lights, smiles and memories.

We landed at McCarran airport on September 18^th around 10.30 AM and took the shuttle to the car rental center. The queue there was quite long. Someone rightly said – there is never an off season in Vegas. By the time we picked up our car it was already 12 PM. Our airbnb was not very far away from the airport, probably 20-30 minutes’ drive. It was reasonably priced, nice house in a quiet neighborhood. The owner lived in the house itself, so it was very well-maintained. It was 1 PM by now and we were famished. We dumped our luggage and headed to an Indian restaurant for a sumptuous lunch buffet – Pure Indian Cuisine Inc. The restaurant was just across McCarran airport. Not just the food there was good, but it also had a complimentary view of planes landing and taking off. After lunch, we went back to the airbnb and rested for a couple of hours.

Around 7 PM, the fun began. We headed towards Freemont Street Experience. It is a pedestrian mall and attraction in downtown Las Vegas. A useful tip – don’t waste time trying to find parking during the peak hours on a weekend night. Park your car a bit farther away and just take a walk. Freemont Street is Times Square on steroids. Extremely vibrant, colorful, crowded and lively. It was like the entire city had made its way here. The entire stretch was filled with activities – live concerts, loud music and street artists performing stunts, showcasing beautiful spray paintings, creating music out of tins and cans, and dressed up as funky characters to lure the tourists. There was a huge display screen canopying the entire mall which changed the theme based on ambient music. We roamed there for about one and a half hours before heading over to the Strip.

Las Vegas Strip, or colloquially The Strip, is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard Road which is known for its concentration of luxurious resort hotels and casinos like Bellagio, MGM, Venetian, Mandalay Bay and many more. At the heart of The Strip is Bellagio where every 15 minutes, tourists are treated with an amazing water ballet. Spurts of water dance to the tune and reach as high as 400 feet in the backdrop of an Eiffel Tower replica. The view is surreal. The fountain show at Bellagio was undoubtedly the best water show I have ever seen. We, then, went inside Bellagio and spent some time at their Conservatory & Botanical Garden. Unlike what the name evokes, it is just a small garden in the lounge of Bellagio, but it packs a punch. Each season, the horticulture and engineering teams of Bellagio transform this place into a showcase of nature’s abundant treasures. Brought to Bellagio from all over the world, most of the flowers, fruits and trees here are natural. The color, the decoration, the scent, the imagination – its awe evoking.

We dropped Ravita at the airbnb at around midnight as she was not feeling well. After that, Subodh and I went to Treasure Island casino to play blackjack. We picked Treasure Island because it paid 3-2 on blackjack and had a minimum bet of $15. Other casinos either had a much higher minimum bet or paid 6-5 on blackjack. We were each other’s wingman and had the responsibility of restricting the other from playing beyond the money we agreed upon. Subodh played first and made quick 25% profit on the money he put. He smartly left the table after that. I, on the other hand, was not that lucky (or, should I say smart). I lost most of my money in the initial rounds itself, and eventually all of it. Having said that, I must acknowledge that I lasted quite long at the table despite starting poorly. Frank Sinatra has rightly said, “Las Vegas is the only place I know where money really talks–it says, “Goodbye”.” By the time we were done it was already 2 AM in the morning. Our pockets were a bit lighter, so we had room for a little more of Vegas. Two of us went again to Freemont Street. It was 2.30 AM but that place was as lively as ever. The live concerts were still on, beer was still flowing, and people were still shaking their legs. The people who say New York never sleeps must have never visited Las Vegas.

*Water doing an amazing ballet to the tune*

*Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Garden*

*Brought from all across the world, most of the flowers used in décor are natural*

*As they say, money won is twice as sweet as money earned*

Day 2: Drive to Kanab, Sep 19^th 2021

Next morning, we checked out and headed to our next destination – Kanab. This was a calm day when we drove from Vegas to Kanab. On our way, we took a deviation and explored Valley of Fire state park. It had nice landscape view but nothing extraordinary. We checked into our airbnb at Kanab by 5 PM. We had to wake up early the next day. So, we had an early dinner and slept. It was much needed to wash away the weariness of the previous night and prepare the body for a strenuous next day.

Vegas is, probably, the largest oasis in the middle of a desert. Drown your worries, immerse yourself in this illusion and commit all the sins you can because – what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!