Heavenly Paradise@AdelineAng.com

There are exciting activities and fun events scheduled on a daily basis at the Las Vegas Strip. Ranging from musical fountain display, fountain show, volcano simulation, and many more; they are both entertaining and astonishing.

One thing for sure: In Vegas, you’d never get bored. So much to do and see! Due to time constraint, my brother and I tried to fit these activities into our schedule for that day to the best our ability, and hoped that we didn’t miss out any that we wanted to attend.

Fountains of Bellagio. A complimentary Las Vegas show of stunning art of dancing water in the 8-acre lake, accompanied by some classical and Broadway tunes. It’s a wonderful creation of the water, music, and light.

We enjoyed it a lot. Simply breathtaking!

Water dancing with the tune of Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.”

We went back for a second time later in the evening, for the night view of the musical fountain.

Fountain show at the Caesars Palace.

Sirens of TI at the Treasure Island Hotel/Casino. A story about pirates, accompanied with captivating melodies and fascinating dances.

This performance takes place in front of the Treasure Island Hotel in Sirens Cove; nightly at 7 p.m., 8:30 p.m., 10:00 p.m., and 11:30 p.m.

Lake of Dreams at the Wynn Resort. Spanning 20,000 square ft. with a sophisticated lighting system and 700 removable panels at the bottom of the lake, the spectacular light-and-water show attracts millions of visitors. There are thousands of underwater LED fixtures. The light and colour combination is marvelous!

Volcano at The Mirage. It erupts nightly from dusk till midnight; every hour on the hour, weather permitting. A nice view of the fascinating and blazing volcano simulation!

The MGM Grand Hotel & Casino is strategically located at the corner of S Pecos Rd. and East Sunset Rd. Billing itself as the City of Entertainment, MGM Grand certainly has a lot to offer.

The City of Entertainment.

The MGM Grand Hotel & Casino.

The Centrifuge Bar at MGM Grand.

The Rainforest Cafe has a unique tropical rainforest setting with animatronic animals and waterfalls.

Have you ever wonder what it takes for a  TV show to be broadcast? How do the producers know if it’s appealing to the audience? Getting a decent feedback from the crowd is important for a new show, prior to its broadcast on televisions. The response collected from the public can be helpful in establishing the show. The next question is, who can the crowd be? You & me!

Are you interested in watching and rating new TV shows? The CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) Television City at MGM Grand is a research centre to gauge audience reactions on new TV shows. Participants use touch-screen computers to record their responses while watching the show in a small theatre.

Free tickets are given out at the centre. Everyone is welcome. Be sure to be there at least 30 minutes prior to the show for a ticket. The screening runs for approximately 60 minutes.

The Television City at MGM Grand.

My ticket to the TV show survey.

We visited the New York New York Hotel & Casino next. The replica of Statue of Liberty signifies the landmark of it. A Big Apple experience in Las Vegas!

A replica of the Statue of Liberty.

The entrance of New York New York Hotel & Casino.

Shopping in the “Big Apple”!

It was busy, and it always is, at the Las Vegas Strip. Busy crowd and heavy traffic. It’s truly a happening place!

The crowd at Las Vegas Strip.

The M&M’s World. Four storey of everything M&M’s!

The Harley Davidson Cafe.

The famous Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas.

Booming casinos & hotels, unique architectures, eye-catching limousines…. Everyone seems to be at a busy pace; be it a gambler, fashion lover, or simply a traveler. This place has everything to offer. Las Vegas, is a city that never sleeps.

There were lots tourists. The living cost here is high, and everything is about money. Needless to say, tipping is a big thing here. What made me mad is that, I was even asked to pay for a city map! I understand that most travelers in Las Vegas are part of a city tour or some sort, and don’t have to worry about getting around by themselves in the city. My brother and I, however, were traveling by ourselves. We somehow managed to get on two bus rides from the bus terminal to the inn that we stayed at, without having a city map and what the local bus system is like.

The advantages of staying in Las Vegas? You’ll get to stay in some stunningly majestic hotels at a very resonable rate, due to the competitionamong businesses. On top of that, there are loads of exciting performances & shows offered at no cost.

Here are two of the many hotels that we visited, the Excalibur and Mandalay Bay.

The Excalibur Hotel & Casino.

Stained glass and chandelier at the entrance.

A two-storey high water fountain beside the escalator.

A tram ride to the neighbouring hotel, Mandalay Bay.

Amazing meal deals: All Day Long Buffet for only $25!

Mandalay Bay is easily noticeable from far with its golden, shiny glass windows.

Shopping area in Mandalay Bay.

Mini water fountain near the lobby.

A 12,000 gallon, 14-foot saltwater aquarium at the lobby.

The Shark Reef Aquarium is one of the main attractions of Mandalay Bay. For a reasonable cost of admission fee, visitors get the opportunity to observe more than 2,000 animals in 1.6 million gallons of seawater; sharks, giant rays, sea turtles, moon jellies etc. You name it, they have it!

The hot weather in Vegas was something that we had to get used to, after the long and cold winter. It was around 36 °C when we were there.

The “Slurpee” from the 7-11 convenience store came to our rescue…

If you enjoy the big city nightlife, Las Vegas is the place to be at! Nice architectures, fancy performances, great varieties of food etc. can be found on the Las Vegas strip itself! Besides, it’s a shopping paradise for fashion lovers and gambling heaven for casino visitors.

Mt. Charleston has the highest elevation above sea-level, standing at 11,918 ft (3,633 m) in the Spring Mountains range. Mining is an important industry at the mountains. Snow residues can be observed at the top of Mt. Charleston even on this very day, when it’s close to 40 °C in the city!

This past winter, the weather in Las Vegas set a record low of 29 F (~ 3 °C). It was a shock to the locals as they are not used to the cold. The fact that it took 24 hours to melt away the snow was very unusual. Talking about cold winter, perhaps I should invite some of them to come visit Canada in the winter someday :P

The famous Las Vegas Welcome sign.

Designed by Betty Willis of Western Neon (a sign company) in 1959, the sign has been there for 50 years, to greet visitors arriving in U.S. Highway 91 from California. The letters were hand-drawn and placed in special, eye-catching diamond shape, outlined with neon, surrounded with chasing lights, and tagged by a row of coins spelling out “Welcome.”

This sign is one of the best known images in the world. Recently, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The desert vegetation can be seen along the highway in Las Vegas.

For shopping enthusiasts, you’d find Las Vegas an exciting city to be at! There are two major outlet stores in the city, conveniently located just off the Las Vegas strip; one on the north and the other on the south. A huge selection of name brands can be found at the outlet centre which accommodates as many as 150 stores!

Prices of merchandise were unbelievable! There is no reason(absolutely no) why someone would not go for name brands, when the prices were comparable with, or even lower than the no-name merchandise. It’s a great saving; very reasonable prices for quality products. Who would say “no” to it?

Shopping lovers, allow yourselves one full day at the outlet center. Shop till you drop!!

Upon our arrival at the outlet store in the afternoon:

The Las Vegas Outlet Center, on the south of Las Vegas Boulevard.

We must have spent at least seven hours in this building. Legs were tired from all the walking (good exercise though), hands were sore from carrying multiple bags, back was pain from long hours of standing, and body was exhausted at the end of all the excitements.

It’s worth the pain though. We had great fun picking gifts for ourselves, family, and friends. It was already dark as we left the building:

The Las Vegas Outlet Center in the dark.

What’s the difference between the three main sites of the Grand Canyon? This is how I’d look at them. North Rim, is easily accessible for visitors who would like to pay a quick visit to the canyon from Nevada. West Rim, is well-known for its Skywalk and the site is greatly developed by the natives. Last but not least, South Rim is the home of National Park (one of the first national parks in the States) and is great for outdoor enthusiasts to participate in red rocks hiking and on site camping.

Grand Canyon boasts to be one of the most scenic sites of the world; red rocks, high cliff, and mighty Colorado River. Hydroelectric generation here serves the neighbouring state, California.

Future development plan of Grand Canyon? David Jin, the founder of Skywalk on the West Rim, is developing airplane runways to accommodate international flights. Aircraft will be able to land directly at the Grand Canyon in the near future. Isn’t it bizarre?

I like the saying of David Jin:

Just like an eagle can fly into the Grand Canyon, my vision is to enable visitors to walk the path of the eagle, and become surrounded by the Grand Canyon while standing at the edge of the Glass Bridge……..

My dream was to find a balance between form, function and nature. Once a dream…now a reality.

It has been a great visit to the Grand Canyon. I’m looking forward to visiting the canyon again in the future…

Our third and last stop at the canyon was Hualapai Ranch. Here, we had the opportunity to visit the Hualapai settlement. Buildings from the early days were available for viewing; horse stable, jail, post office, barber shop, dance hall, and more.

The horse stable.

Buildings with unique architectures.

The Horseshoe game.

Getting a hair cut, bath, or just a shave?

Our next stop was the Guano Point, which is also known as the home of the Hualapai tribe. Here, we were treated with a hearty meal prepared by the Hualapai. Dinning in the midst of the majestic Grand Canyon was a wonderful experience.

The entrance of Guano Point.

Lunch served by the natives; corn on the cob, chicken stew, beef, baked beans, and salad on the side.

Tabasco and Mexican hot chili sauce. Yumm..

Overlooking at the Colorado River.

Red rocks of the Grand Canyon.

Climbing to the top of the rocks.

Las Vegas was the last stop of my two-week trip. One of the highlights during my stay there, was of course, a visit to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, a neighbouring state of Nevada. Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time, but follows Mountain Standard Time instead. Therefore, Arizona is an hour ahead of Nevada during the fall and winter months; and they share the same hour for the rest of the year.

How grand is the Grand Canyon? Spanning 446 km in length, stretching between 6.4 and 29 km in range, and extending a depth greater than 1.83 km; the canyon is a creation of the Colorado River over a period of 6 million years. Even though it’s not the deepest canyon in the world, Grand Canyon is well-known for its majestic and colourful landscape.

There are three main visitation points at the Grand Canyon; North Rim, West Rim, and South Rim. Due to time constraint, we only had time for a day-tour to visit one of these points. I’ve always looked forward to exploring the Skywalk on the West Rim. Thus, West Rim it is!

We came across with the highway construction site near the Hoover Dam, on our way to our destination. Upon completion, this highway will ease the traffic flow of larger vehicles in this area. Looking for some big bucks? Apparently, rookies who work here get paid as high as USD 100 an hour. Of course, this comes with great risks for working at high elevations.

The highway construction site.

The Hoover Dam.

A scenic view of the Grand Canyon.

On our way to the West Rim of Grand Canyon, we passed by the 900-year-old Joshua Tree forest.

Joshua Trees (taller) and yucca plants (shorter).

A closer view of the Joshua Trees.

How would you like to visit the Grand Canyon? By land, water, or air?

Upon arrival at our destination, we took a shuttle to the Eagle Point. It’s the home of the famous Skywalk and Native American dwellings.

The breathtaking view of the canyon from the West Rim.

The Skywalk, a horseshoe-shaped glass bridge constructed with five thick layers of heavy-duty glass imported from Germany. The cost of construction was more than USD 40 million.  Suspending 4,000 feet above the Colorado River, visitors have the privilege to step beyond the edge of the Grand Canyon for a closer view of the canyon. How sturdy is the Skywalk? It can withstand the weight of 71 units of fully loaded 747 Boeing aircraft (more than 71 million pounds)!!

Opened on March 28th of year 2007 to the public, the Skywalk has recently celebrated its two-year anniversary.

Looking down the canyon from the Skywalk was an unforgettable experience.

“Eagle Point” was named after the shape of canyon which resembles an eagle with its wings widely spread.

Looking out the majestic Grand Canyon landscape at the edge of the Rim.

The house of the North American tribe, Hualapai (meaning “people of the tall pine”) who live here.

Spring is my favourite time of the year for traveling. Nice and cool weather without having to put on thick winter clothing is wonderful. Furthermore, it’s the perfect time to beat the crowd before summer kicks in. The lower cost of flight ticket and accommodation during the off-peak season is another added bonus!

I’ve travelled to the major cities in Canada in the past; Vancouver and Victoria (British Columbia), Calgary and Edmonton (Alberta), Toronto and Ottawa (Ontario), Quebec city and Montreal (Quebec), Halifax (Nova Scotia) etc. How about the United States? Piscataquis County (Maine),  St. Louis (Missouri), New York City (New York), and Boston (Massachusetts), are among the places I’ve been to before my recent trip.

The West Coast of United States is somewhere I’ve been longing to visit. The majestic Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, famous Hollywood in Los Angeles, beautiful beaches in San Diego, the gamblers’ paradise of Las Vegas, mighty Grand Canyon & Colorado River in Arizona…..

My dreams came true, at the end of my two-week backpacking trip to the West Coast of United States. Together with my brother, we got the most out of our trip by traveling to various cities in a short period of time. We walked from one street to the other, hopped on and off buses, took the subway train one after another, travelled from one city to the other… It was certainly an enjoyable and fulfilling one. By overcoming the ups and downs throughout the trip as a team, we savoured the excitement of traveling. Things are made possible, when two are together. Thank you for the laughter and help, my little bro. The trip would not be as fun without you.

So much to do
So much to see
In this little world we live

People to meet
Places to visit
Go on an amazing trip

In a foreign land I stay
Challenges to face everyday
Listen to what others have to say
Learn new cultures on each day

Enjoy sceneries I’ve never seen
Listen to voices I’ve never heard
Savour flavours I’ve never tasted
Walk the path I’ve never travelled

Appreciate the goodness of life
Live out the dreams I have
Gorgeous dawn brings a brand new hope
Majestic dusk welcomes the serenity and peace

Unveil the unknowns
Explore nooks and corners of this globe
Hold onto the faith that lives
With this I cling to my believes

A journey full of adventures
Open my eyes in every single way
A world filled with treasures
In front of our eyes they lay

Dream of a dream
Live out a dream
A dream that persists
And forever lives

It was time to bid Hong Kong goodbye, after spending four and a half days in this beautiful island. I had an early morning flight leaving for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I got up when the sky was still dark, and waited for the first available airport shuttle bus at dawn.

Carrying a suitcase, a purse, a laptop bag, and at least two shopping bags filled with souvenir goodies, I slowly made my way to the bus stop. The weight I had on me wasn’t even funny. Oh well, it’s worth the effort after all :)

The interior of Hong Kong International Airport, colloquially known as Chek Lap Kok Airport.

The modern design of the airport.

Was there anything for brunch? My hearty meal was served by the Cathay Pacific Airways; omelette, yogurt, fresh fruits (orange, apple, and dragon fruit), a roll, and a cup of orange juice.

I had truly enjoyed my stay in Hong Kong, despite the hiccups when arranging my accommodation. The weather was gorgeous most of the time, during my stay there. The urban city life, quaint architectures, hustle and bustle, delicious delicacies, nice scenery… have deeply captured my heart. Hope you too, will enjoy your stay in Hong Kong one day.

Walking around and taking the public transit is one of the best ways to experience the local culture in a foreign city. After my visit to the Macau Fisherman’s Wharf, I hopped on a bus and headed towards Rua dos Mercadores.

Since I had only one short day to spare in Macau, I had to list down places of interest, so that I don’t miss out things I wanted to see or food I wanted to taste ;)

Macau is known as the first and last European colony in China. Macanese P (MOP$) is the currency used in Macau. Hong Kong dollars (HKD) is widely acceptable too. The exchange rate was at 1:1 during my visit.

The unique European-style architectures.

The famous Pork Chop Bun everyone should try! Silk Stockings Milk Tea is so-called because it’s as  smooth as silk stockings.

Busy street crowded with tourists.

Macau is popular for its food souvenirs.

At a public park.

The Ruins of St. Paul’s. The most famous landmark of Macau. The church was built in 1580 and was burned down in 1835 (leaving only the facade the staircase and portions of a wall).

A nice combination of colour for the building.

Another popular store for food souvenirs.

This restaurant is famous for its Macau-style desserts: Double-boiled Milk with egg White, Steamed Egg with Rock Sugar, and Steamed Milk with Ginger Juice.

Steamed Milk with Ginger Juice, to go with my yummy Polo Bun :)

Due to the time contraint, I had to head back to the ferry terminal to catch the ferry returning to Hong Kong Island. I really enjoyed my short trip in Macau.

Busy traffic in front of the ferry terminal.

The comfy seats in the ferry.

At last, I was back to the Hong Kong Island before the night kicked in.

Underground walkway is popular in Hong Kong. It’s a great way to avoid the heavy traffic.

My last night in Hong Kong, I spend it with my friend. We had supper together at a busy restaurant.

A generous serving of noodle soup with octopus.

If you allow yourself sufficient time to visit around during your stay in Hong Kong, it’s highly recommended to organize a day trip to the neighbouring city, Macau. TurboJEToffers frequent (departures every 15 minutes) ferry schedule on the Hong Kong <-> Macau route. The traveling time each way is about 70 minutes.

Some travelers visit Macau during the day and return to Hong Kong Island in the evening, in order to enjoy the night view of the city. Keep in mind that the ferry fare for evening departures is slightly more expensive, about HKD 30 extra.

I’ve to admit that my knowledge of Cantonese and Chinese characters was put into good use in this trip. It has certainly saved me from lots of troubles.

The HK China Ferry Terminal is located at the China Hong Kong City, on Canton Road. It took me a while to figure that out. I saw the ferry terminal from afar, but couldn’t get there. It was funny now that I looked back, even though it was frustrating at the time…

Busy Tsim Sha Tsui in the early morning. Everyone was getting ready for work. There were free newspapers available on the street. I was handed newly published newspaper on my way to the ferry terminal.

One of the things I looked forward to doing during my short visit to Macau, was visiting the casinos! I’m not a gambler, but have always been enjoying the fun of visiting casinos, especially the world-famous ones.

Upon arrival at the Macau ferry terminal, I was welcomed by the coach buses from various casinos. Resorts/casinos offer rides to their visitors at no cost, with these comfy, air-conditioned coach buses. It was quite an experience!

Opened in August 2007, there are currently 3,000 suites and 550,000 square feet of casino space offered at the Venetian Macao. With 3,400 slot machines and 800 gambling tables, it boasts to be the largest casino in the world!

This 40-storey building is the largest single structure hotel building in Asia and the fourth largest building (by area) on the globe.

The captivating interior design at this Renaissance-Venice themed luxury hotel and casino resort.

The main lobby of the resort.

Enchanting design and layout. I felt very much like I was in Venice!

A statue? Would you like to dress up and act like a statue with your eyes closed for a job? Honestly, I pitied the young girl…

Experience a boat ride in the canals of Venice.

After my quick tour around the Venetian Macao, I took a bus back to the ferry terminal. Employees from the resorts/casinos were well-dressed with their great, big signages. A free ride to the resort/casino, anyone?

Macao is a busy city, mainly due to the big crowd of tourists on a daily basis. Nonetheless, it’s nothing compared to Hong Kong Island. I took a stroll towards the Fisherman’s Wharf, one of the main attractions in Macao you shouldn’t miss.

Yaohan in Macao? Interesting…

The “Tang City.”

Unique stairs.

Souvenir store. Food/snacks you shouldn’t miss!

My favourite polo bun. A sweet bun coated with crunchy cookie dough that resembled a pineapple.

Put Chai Ko, a palm-size pudding cake.

Portuguese egg tart. Yumm…

How can you possibly miss out the dim sum in Hong Kong? There is a wide variety of dim sum dishes, which includes meat, vegetables, seafood, desserts etc.

Yummy dim sum. It’s best to enjoy with a large group of friends.

Piping hot dim sum dishes.

After my dim sum brunch, I headed to Stanley, a nice little town, with Tina.

At a bus stop by the highway.

The view of dam as we crossed the bridge on our way to Stanley.

Stanley was crowded with tourists. The Stanley Market was an interesting place to visit. There are different stores in the building, ranging from clothing, food, souvenirs, to accessories, and much more.

At the Stanley Market.

In 2000, Murray House was successfully restored in Stanley; by putting together more than four thousand pieces of stones and columns that were marked and put away, before the demolition in 1982. The demolition was due to the construction of new Bank of China Tower in Central.

In front of Murray House, a Victorian-era building.

An overlook of Stanley from the Murray House.

Murray House in 1860.

We left Stanley after spending a few hours there, and headed back to Kowloon. What else should you try in Hong Kong?

The stinky tofu! It was crispy, greasy, and stinky. Delicious!

Busy crowd, with people from different culture background.

We visited a Chinese fast food restaurant, Ka Ka Lok, or better known as Café de Coral. Serving more than 300,000 locals in a day, it arises as the largest and most popular Chinese fast food chain restaurant.

Very presentable dish with grilled salmon, pork balls, and veggies.

The yummy-looking dish with grilled salmon and fish fillets.

Why is the restaurant so popular? Delicious and inexpensive dishes, friendly staff, and cozy ambience. On top of that, effective layout and quick service! Place an order and pay the cashier. An order number will be issued. Find yourself a table and wait for the number to be called upon. Collect the food from the front counter and enjoy!

The interior look of restaurant.

I met up with some friends (Stanley, Tina, and Bessie) for lunch in SoHo, Central. It was a fun get-together, after all these years (about 3 years). Lan Kwai Fong, a street in Central, is famous for its busy and exciting nightlife; dining, clubbing, and drinking.

The double decker tram, or known as “ding-ding” by the locals.

Busy construction sites can be seen everywhere on the Hong Kong island. Its rapid development is unbelievable!

A typical ice-cream vendor in Hong Kong.

Try out the smoothie and juice. They’re great energy boosters!

Subsequently, we visited Wan Chai; HK Convention & Exhibition Centre, and Golden Bauhinia Square. It was a nice view of Tsim Sha Tsui from Wan Chai.

Causeway Bay was the next stop. It’s a busy shopping district.

Magnetic chess/board games. Anyone?

Rent a shelf compartment and promote your products! It’s a wonderful idea, due to the staggering store rental and limited business area.

Mr. Corn: Pamphlets! Anyone?

The Times Square.

Busy crowd outside Times Square in the evening.

Tina and I visited a Taiwanese restaurant for supper.

Cold noodles with salmon and crab flakes.

I had the minced pork noodles with egg and tofu.

After our late supper, we headed to the Victoria Peak by bus, for some gorgeous night views! The scene is simply breathtaking!

Peak Tram. It was the last tram of the day, from the top of mountain to Cotton Tree Drive, at midnight.

Next, we took a bus ride to the Wan Chai Ferry Pier. The night view of the island from the water is never to be missed! We headed north, back to Tsim Sha Tsui.

Very neat bench design. The back rest can be moved to either left or right, depending on which direction the ferry is heading into.

Pretty lighting was seen from the Avenue of Stars.