I have to confess that I am not a big fan of Las Vegas. Shock ! Horror! I know, I know- but the place does my head in a bit, what with the lack of natural light inside, no clocks and the constant “ding, ding, ding!” from the slots machines. And there´s the fact the you can´t seem to get a break from the casino games. I like a flutter, but I find it all a bit rammed down your throat. I mean- there are even slot machines at the departure gate in the international airport as you head out of the city.
But the Hoover Dam is great! We rented out a speedboat on Lake Mead and had luch under the dam…but that´s another story.
I was hugely impressed by one thing in Vegas (even a cynic like me, and yes I did have a great time in the town overall)- any way that one thing was the fountains outside the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Have you seen them? They´re incredible.
The one thing that is a shame about Las Vegas is that alot of the stuff there is just copies of other stuff- and you are never going to equal the grandeur of the Eiffel Tower in the desert- sorry it´s just not going ot happen. But the fountains at the Bellagio stand out on the own as a real wonder of the world. This is more of what Vegas should be doing.
The show is set to music (it was the theme tune to The Pink Panther when I was there). So you ´ve got water, music and light thrown together in a clever display framed by the desert sky.
Like a European fountain show but bigger, better and bolder than anything you will see on the old continent. The show was designed by a company called Wet Design and with more than a thousand nozzles, 4000 lights and a sound system that blast you back to Los Angeles- we were tranfixed for a good hour.
You´ve got your oarsmen nozles in there (to make the water dance), your shooter nozzles (for the firework effect), and your jets (high speed turbo pipes that send the water 250 feet up in the air).
What´s more, which is a real rarity in this gambling town- the shows are free!
Head for the Bellagio Hotel on the Strip. There´s a 32,000 square foot lake to the front of the hotel and casino which was designed using the influence of Lago di Como, in Italy north of Milan.
If you go to Vegas they are a must see!
