January 28, 2007

  • Thanksgiving Vacation 2004

    Thanksgiving Vacation 2004

     

    Thanksgiving is a time to spend with family.  Earlier in the day there are the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions home games.  Others begin shopping for Christmas.  In the end they all feast with the family on turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and other delicacies.  One of these days I would like to try a turducken.  It sounds really tasty.

    However, that’s not the usual Thanksgiving for the Vathanasin household.  My dad and I will watch the football.  Shop on our much needed day of rest?  Forget it!  We definitely don’t do the Thanksgiving dinner deal.  Just isn’t something we celebrate like the other folks.

     

    November 25 – LONDON BRIDGE

     

    On this Thanksgiving Day, my mother and I went with President Tours once again for another vacation package they offered.  There were 50 of us on the tour bus.  We trekked that early morning and made a brief stop in Barstow.  We then continued on.  The bus stopped in Needles for lunch.  I actually ate at where the bus stopped – Denny’s.  Many years ago I swore to never eat at Denny’s again…ever.  This is the second time I had eaten there since the oath.  Both of these times basically I went along with the group, whatever the group happened to be.  Nothing bad came about.  Service was good and I don’t have anything bad to say.

     

    The bus continued on for over two hours.  Our tour guide killed time by showing “The Accidental Spy” starring Jackie Chan.  As we approached Lake Havasu, AZ, I was really encouraged by the weather.  Two years ago my mom and took this same trip at the same time of year but it was raining cats and dogs as thunder roared about.  It was also early evening so we didn’t really get to see anything.  This time the weather was in the 60’s with bright sunshine.  At Lake Havasu we came to admire London Bridge. 

     

    This London Bridge was the original one in London, England that spanned the Thames River.  It was sold to the United States in 1968 during a time when England was in great need for money.  The Queen Mary ocean liner was also sold for the same reason.  The purchase was for over two million dollars but the cost of shipping the stones that made up the bridge was over seven and a half million dollars.

     

    The little area leading up to the bridge is called the English Village.  It is made to resemble jolly olde England.  London Bridge is actively in use with cars crossing it daily at all times.  Nearby is a port with many small boats and party barges docked.  My mom and I walked around and took several photos of the bridge from different angles.  We could have taken more angles but my mother was not feeling too good that day so we went as far as she could.

     

    Afterwards we took off for Avi Resort and Casino located on the banks of the Colorado River between Needles and Laughlin.  It is closer to Laughlin.  This time the featured presentation on the bus was “Bulletproof Monk” starring Chow-Yun Fat and Seann William Scott.

     

    My weary mother and I rested for a bit.  We then had dinner at the Native Harvest buffet at the casino.  Since it was Thanksgiving, they had plenty of turkey with candied yams, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes and gravy.  So I did get turkey after all.  Turned out the waiter was Thai so my mom and I chatted with him for a bit.

     

    Next, we tried our luck.  The Wheel of Fortune slot machine ate my ten dollars faster than you can say rhombicuboctahedron.  My mom tried some other slot machines while I tried my luck at Limit Hold’em.  It was afterwards then I realized that if I wanted to play, I had to play with a lot more than just $20.  $20 is just not enough to either keep calling or especially to bluff.  I tried twice thus there went a quick $40.  I really had bad luck on my last hand.  I was all in with a Jack/8 off-suit.  On the flop were a Jack and an 8.  I thought I had it but really kept calm.  Unfortunately some guy hit a straight.  I was like “Shoot!”

     

    That was it for this evening.  My mom needed rest.  It was a good first day in that we did get to see London Bridge with great weather to boot.  Tomorrow is the day I am looking for on this trip.

     

    November 26 – THE GRAND CANYON

     

    We took off from the Avi Resort and Casino at 8:30 am but not before enjoying the breakfast buffet.  The food is not bad but the orange juice was fantastic.

     

    We passed the town of Tusayan, AZ at 1 pm but there was a long, slow line at the entrance to the South rim of the Grand Canyon.  It took 45 minutes before we could get in.  Throughout the trek from Avi to the Grand Canyon, our driver over and over again kept playing that Britney Spears CD.  I complained three years ago how when we went on a tour package to Sedona and Las Vegas the tour guide’s wife kept playing “The Sound of Music” soundtrack for two hours.  Because I’m not a fan of Ms. Spears, I now wished I could hear Julie Andrews’ voice again.

     

    We were all happy to finally get to the entrance booth.  Not only did we finally enter The Grand Canyon but especially that the driver finally shut off Britney Spears.  The weather was in the low 40’s with bright sunshine.  The area is still partially covered with snow making everything quite picturesque.  Two years ago I couldn’t see a thing due to mist and rain.  This time we could view the Grand Canyon in all its glory.  My mom and I took many photos.  Footing was a bit slippery at some places due to the residual ice.  The Grand Canyon is definitely one of the great natural wonders out there.  I had come here before but (not counting two years ago) it was so long ago that I remembered nothing.  I definitely appreciate things more now than I did then.  It would be great to come back some time in the future.

     

    We had a late lunch at McDonald’s in Tusayan.  We then made our way to Las Vegas.  It was a 5-hour journey.  With about two hours to go, the feature presentation this time was “The Towering Inferno” with Paul Newman and Steve McQueen amidst a cast featuring many big stars.  I have not seen this flick in a long time and thought it was pretty good.  Finally we saw Las Vegas in the distance.  It shone brightly like a sparkling jewel in the midst of the nocturnal desert.

     

    We stayed at Binion’s Horseshoe Hotel and Casino.  It is already a bit past 9 pm at this point.  Initially we had planned to hook up with my mom’s friend Leticia.  However Leticia does not drive at night due to eye surgery and my mom was not feeling well at all.  They got to speak on the phone and will try again next time.

     

    We had dinner at the Binion’s Coffee Shop.  Later we walked over to the nearby 4 Queens casino.  There we went to what’s called the Nickel Palace and played on the penny slots.  On the Phantom of the Opera machine, I turned $1 into $7.52.  My mom’s $5 became $10 on the Sign of the Zodiac slot.  It was fun and we got to play for a long, long time.  My mom wanted to play more but I told her that it was already 1 am.  She completely lost track of time.  We then walked back to our hotel room.  Normally I would like to take a cab to the strip and check out the sights and sounds.  However my mother was really not up to it physically so all that will be saved for next time.

     

    November 27 – LEAVING LAS VEGAS

     

    Every year the Horseshoe has hosted the World Series of Poker.  This is the biggest poker tournament of the year.  The winner of the championship event is considered the world champion.  This year’s winner took home $5,000,000.  The winner also gets a bracelet signifying the victory and their picture hung on a wall called the Gallery of Winners.  I got to peruse this hallowed wall of pokerdom.  I also had my picture taken with the wall.  The guest who snapped the photo said now I have to win it to make it official.  I replied that first I have to come up with $10,000 for the tournament’s entry fee.  He agreed that that’s the hard part.

     

    After breakfast at McDonald’s, we took off for Barstow.  On board, we finished “The Towering Inferno”.  There was also a chance for some time killing.  The guide welcomed anyone who wants a crack at the microphone.  They could sing or tell a story.  My mom had egged me on since day one to do so but I was reluctant.  After this adorable little girl sung a song, I then got up.  I sang Ricky Nelson’s “Travelin’ Man” and the Beatles’ “Yesterday”.  I would throw in wisecracks here and there, too.  The guide later on asked me to describe to the folks my experience on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”  That took awhile since I went into pretty good detail.

     

    At Barstow, we stopped at the 95 Outlet.  It was a very blustery day.  My mom had lunch at El Pollo Loco.  We then did some shopping.  Actually my mom did most of that.  I spent most of that time…elsewhere.

     

    From then on it was the trek home.  This time the movie was another Steve McQueen classic, “The Great Escape”.  Due to the fabulous sunshine we had in Barstow, Lake Havasu, the Grand Canyon, and Las Vegas, it surprised me to see how on our return to Los Angeles we had run into a rainstorm.  In retrospect, my mother and I were very fortunate to have the wonderful sunshine before the storm front moved in.

     

    Like always, I had a terrific time.  The Grand Canyon is truly one of the most magnificent views one could ever gaze upon.  Lake Havasu is nice to hang around and partake in water sports.  London Bridge does carry historical value and it’s not a bad looking bridge in its own right.  From now on I’m sticking to penny slots at these casinos.  I’m just not a big-time gambler and don’t look forward to being one.  One thing for sure – I’ll take Steve McQueen’s movies over Britney Spears’ music anytime.