Cabeza De Vaca Trails: Las Vegas

Even if we were somewhat limited on what we could do with Elisabeth, we couldn’t miss Las Vegas! We got there on a Friday and, instead of staying at a hotel in the city, we decided to go about a half an hour away on the beaches of Lake Mead. The campground was really beautiful with a view on the lake and a short walk to the beach. The first day we got there late in the day so we just had the time to set up our campsite and go to a nearby restaurant on the marina for a bite to eat. We sat out on their patio overlooking the docks on the lake. The next day was our big day in Vegas so we got an early stop just stopping at McDonalds for breakfast. We first drove along the strip taking in the views before finding a parking lot. I had been here once before so I knew what to expect but Antoine and Elisabeth were blown away by the sites!! The funny thing about Vegas is that you can see so many places around the world without leaving the city. There is a hotel for every theme: Paris, Venice, the pyramids of Egypt, Treasure Island, etc. Well we happened to be there on the Saturday which was the big Welter Weight championship fight between Mayweather and Ortiz. So there were lots of people everywhere, especially at the MGM where the fight was taking place. We would have liked to sit and watch the fight if it was being broadcast somewhere but the only places that we could see it would have been in the hotels where you had to pay to see it. But we did go into the MGM to see the ring where the fight was taking place. We started our visit at Mandalay Bay which was very beautiful and had a big aquarium inside. We visited the aquarium which is one of the only predator based aquariums, which meant it had lots of sharks!! They had an amazing exhibit where you were literally surrounded in a giant aquarium filled with sharks, giant sea turtles, and other huge fish!

After leaving this hotel we skipped around visiting the neighboring hotels, checking out the buffets at each of them. We had skipped lunch in order to combine lunch and dinner in one huge buffet, Vegas style!! So we wanted to go to the best one. We finally decided on the buffet at the Bellagio. It was more expensive than the other buffets but we wanted the one with the best seafood spread and this was definitely it!! We tried to pace ourselves by starting out with crablegs, sashimi, sushi, and little salmon cakes! My favorite was for sure the crablegs which I must have ate at least 20. Then we had salads and after the choices of meats and fish were amazing. I had ribs, prime rib, and some pasta. Antoine highlighted his meal with a rack of lamb! The reason I put all the details on what we ate is because it was such an awesome experience after having so many canned foods in the parks! And of course the desserts were to die for, including a delicious little crème brulee! Well we came out of there in a slight food coma and decided the best thing was to try to walk it off a bit. So we saw the hotel Paris and the Venetian which was by far my favorite. They literally had canals inside the hotel with people taking the traditional rides in the gondolas!