Vegas

Friday Aug 18th 7.30pm woodland Hills, CA

They were getting ready (Buick and Pontiac Grand Pre..) for a long run. I started the Buick, this time not the usual starting procedure, where first u get into the car and key start the ignition, but from outside the car, just a button press away. Start aayappo njan onnu pedichu gear maatty aval thanne angu pokumennu thonni, so I suddenly got in. Entamme, its full of electronic controls, but where is the headlight controls, where is the indicator, took some time to learn all those. And we began the trip in style, me as the driver for Buick.

Yes, to Vegas, Las Vegas. Aaaram Thamupraam filmil Mohanalaal parayunna pole - “ Gwoalior, Khoraanakalude Gwolior”. - Vegas..casinokalude Vegas..theernnilla it is more than what u can imagine. It’s an entirely different concept. Where it has got its own rules, it’s on style for everything, and everybody else unknowingly adapts to that. And after all when we are all back home, it all felt a like dream. Yea it is a dreamland.

After traveling for around 5 hrs we could see the bright light in the middle of Nevada Desert, Marubhoomiyil oru swapna bhoomi pole, doore Vegas. It is attracting everything to that light, and we were no exception. Managed to get a room by 3.30 am. And you might have thought that we are going to sleep, no way.

Vegas unarunnathu raathrikalil aanu, Sooryan varunnathode aval urangukayaayi, pakal muzhuvan , onnum ariyaathe, pinneyum raathrikalil poornna sundariyaayi, athinte ella maasmarikathayodum koody unaraan.

We too joined her, went directly to Bellagio, one of the biggest Casinos there, Unaraan pokunna prabhathathinte urakka chadavukal illathe, ellam unarnnirikkunnu. Nokketha dooratholam ennu thanne parayaam, Casino hall. Its not too busy. People have started to leave, for a good “day” sleep and come back in the night. Somebody among us also got some money .I think Channu got some $20 altogether.

Purathu prabhatham thudangunnathe ullu, Njan orthu “ithu pole njan munpu prabhatham thudangunnathu kandathepozhaanu?”..hmm us soft le night shift kazhinju, athikaalathe thanuppil njan cd 100 odichu poyapppozhaarikkum.

Pakal muzhuvan urangy njangal vaikunneram kulichu kuttappanmarayi purathirangy, aadyam kazhikkano atho “kazhikkano”. Ohh, I dint tell you about the different hotels and the concept behind them. The famous hotels represent the famous cities around the world, Newyork Newyork, Paris, Ceaser Palace, Venice, Alladdin angane pokunnu hotels.

First we went to New York New York, and the casinos inside that represent those narrow streets in New York City, people who have been to NY will feel that, ennathre, nammal poyittillelum adutha NY trip nu pokumbo nokkanam. You have statue of liberty, time square etc..Avidunnu oro naraanga vellam kudichu njngal yaathrayaayi, to Grand MGM hotel, singathine kaanan.

Each Casino hall is so different and creatively designed, nammal engane nokky ninnu pokum. Singathine kandu we went to Paris. Think of walking from New York to Paris J.

There you have the ‘mini’ Eiffel tower, hotelnte naduthalathil ninnu thudangy aakaasathinte uyarangalilekku . I heard summer of sixty-nine record inside the hotel lobby, but it was not a record, a live band. And they sang so well. Enthinadhikam parayunnu , pinne avde irunnu oru 1 hour. The most beautiful thing about this hotel is its roof designing. It is like an evening sky, with perfect light arrangements, and you feel like twilight time. Twilight in Paris with live band and Bloody Mary, what else do you need?

Inside Venice also they have this same setting, and I liked it more than Paris. Inside the hotel they have canals, athil vanchy paattum paady thony thuzhayunna vallakkaar, athiil avalum avanum mughaa mugham kannil nokky irunnu.

Pinne, P dance cheythedaa..ithavana chuttum kalichavarude peru ariyilla, sorry.

Oduvil ellam kazhinju njangal thirichu, orkkumbo ellaam oru swapnam pole. On the way back we could see Joshua trees in the desert land.

Now it is 11.36 am, I am in office sitting in front of my desktop, opened a WSAD, back to reality. Boring life begins, waiting for our trip to NY and Niagara. And ultimately waiting to come back, back to you all…