Hora Feliz - Happy Hour

February 2017 - Las Vegas, LA, Mazatlan Mexico

Walking the Strip
More Vegas opulance

WARNING this post is food heavy, make sure you are not hungry!

Saturday we set out for a big Irish breakfast at Ri Ra in Mandalay Bay.

As we head there, this is an MGM resort so they now charge for parking.

.

Sausages, white and black pudding, fried mushrooms, fried tomato, Irish rashers and two eggs.

Walked over to Luxor.

Then took the tram to Excalibur and walked over to New York New York.

We wanted to see The Park, an immersive, outdoor destination for dining and entertainment.

This was under construction when we were last here.

An eclectic blend of restaurants, bars and entertainment makes this the pulse that combines New York-New York, Monte Carlo and T-Mobile Arena into one community. All of the venues are outfitted with outdoor patio seating to make everyone feel like they are part of the action.

When we are back in March we will come at night to see the lights.

We then came back and got packed up. We have to be organized and know what we are taking to Mexico in our two suitcases and one carry-on. Everything else will be left in the car and when we get to the hotel in LA John will drop me with the luggage and then take the car to the long term parking so no going back...

We walked over to Ellis Island for dinner. So other than Jon spending $5 at South Point "gambling" which covered his drinks we hadn't spent a penny.
At Ellis I put in $5 enjoyed an hour of Blackjack and two glasses of wine for me and JOn spent $3 and had two tequilas - not a bad deal.

Then dinner. Steak for $7.99 each and a bottle of Mondavi wine for $18 seriously stay off the Strip!

Sunday we headed out after breakfast for LA at 8:30.

As we leave the Strip is quiet.

Crossing into California.

Lunch is in Barstow at In N Out Burger.

They offer a burger wrapped in lettuce and their fries are gluten free as they do not use the fryers for anything else.

Lots of snow at Bear Valley.

Finally some green near LA. Traffic was brutal even on a Sunday afternoon.

Arrived and I took the luggage and checked into the Hilton LAX where we usually stay.

Upgraded room with executive access for continental breakfast, cocktails and desserts.

John then took the car to a long-term parking place and walked back.

Out our window towards downtown LA.

We decided on room service for dinner after having drinks on the 16th floor.

Monday we had the continental breakfast and took the shuttle to LAX for our 11:30 flight. We lose an hour as we are back in Mountain Time.

We had booked King David to pick us up. We had booked four weeks at Royal Villas in the Golden Zone. When we checked in we found out this is a mandatory all inclusive resort that you pay a hefty weekly fee for. We really didn't want to do this for four weeks so we spoke to RCI which found us another resort for the last two weeks. We bit the bullet and will do it for the first 2 weeks and intend to get our money's worth!!

We sat and had tequila while watching this amazing sunset which didn't first appear that it was going to be awesome. It was like someone turned on the lights!

We dined in the restaurant and had wine with filet mignon. Eating all inclusive is a gluten free challenge. The steak came with a gravy so the server arranged for another to be cooked without the gravy.

Tuesday we sauntered down to breakfast, again gluten challenged when the home fries came. We explained to the server and he took it upon himself to fry up a potato without any flour!

Some online time and then a 10,000 step walk on the beach.

Our resort from the beach.

For dinner we started with a citrus salad with a yogurt and tequila dressing.

Lobster for me. Being more used to cold water lobster I have to say I prefer it to warm water lobster which is why cold water is more expensive as it tastes better. But it was good. Have it again, not likely.

John had six jumbo shrimp stuffed with cheese and bacon wrapped.

Wednesday I was going to get my hair cut downstairs but it was closed so we decided to walk to the Malecon. Decorations are up for Carnaval.

We walked a little further and decided to head to the Gran Plaza for a haircut. Got there and the place I used to go to was gone but found another that did haircuts for $3.

Then we walked back to the resort, bringing our steps to 11,400 by 12:30. We decided on the restaurant for lunch and I had shrimp and octopus salad the server checked to make sure I knew the shrimp were not cooked and I said I love ceviche, so no worries. What I didn't enjoy was the octopus, and it was soooo spicy!

Tortilla soup and salad for John.

Lazy afternoon reading and watching movies.

Our server (Tuesday is his day off) stopped by to say that he would make us his special Caesar Salad at dinner and he also had rib eye steaks, not on the menu for us.

We arrived in the restaurant and he had a Reserved sign on our table and had the salad all set up.

We learned that he had trained in a French restaurant in Mexico City and was definitely old school with this delicious recipe.

And croutons just for me, he kept them separate from John's salad.

Thursday to Sunday breakfast is buffet style with music. There is a chef to cook your eggs or omelet to order.

we waited and waited for a bus downtown and gave up and got a pulmonia instead. Pulmonias are basically golf carts. We got out at the market, town was crowded with the cruise ships in for the day.

The plaza by the church has decorations for Carnaval.

In this photo you can see the posters for the king and queen candidates.

We walked to Tippy Toes where we both got pedicures for $30, probably a little higher than we would pay in a local place but we like it here and the owner is English.

Some photos from our stroll.

Flores - where the houses are all painted in bright colours.

Some construction work, the average minimum wage is 80 pesos, so consider that my $3 haircut was 50 pesos.

We took another pulmonia back to the resort and I shot these Carnaval statues as we drove by. We will go back and get better photos.

We had lunch club for me and ribs for John and lay by the pool until around 4 and then watched a couple of movies.

Open Water and an always favourite The Bank Job, love the 1970s clothing and scenes of London.

Our server Jose began his evening shift by walking around the pool and telling people what he had on the menu.
As usual when we got there he had out table reserved, wine on table with our bottled waters.
He had made John a creamy tomato soup but did not use any flour as a thickening agent. It was delicious.
He had also created for John a mixed shrimp meal, 2 shrimp with cheese and bacon, 2 garlic sauteed and 2 coconut but made without the flour, just egg and coconut.
I had fettuccine Alfredo.

His special treat tonight was flaming Monte Cristo coffees.

Friday we woke to this.

 It cleared and then rolled back in.

We had our buffet breakfast and then read and blogged. We had planned to walk into town to get photos but that can wait.

By mid-afternoon we did walk the beach.It turned into a sunny warm afternoon.

Two bands playing side by side, what a cacophony these bands make!

BOOKS
     5  Finished to date


Finished Young Skins by Colin Barrett I'm not usually a fan of short stories and i didn't really care for this at all.

Enter the small, rural town of Glanbeigh, a place whose fate took a downturn with the Celtic Tiger, a desolate spot where buffoonery and tension simmer and erupt, and booze-sodden boredom fills the corners of every pub and nightclub. Here, and in the towns beyond, the young live hard and wear the scars. Amongst them, there’s jilted Jimmy, whose best friend Tug is the terror of the town and Jimmy’s sole company in his search for the missing Clancy kid; Bat, a lovesick soul with a face like “a bowl of mashed up spuds” even before Nubbin Tansey’s boot kicked it in; and Arm, a young and desperate criminal whose destiny is shaped when he and his partner, Dympna, fail to carry out a job. In each story, a local voice delineates the grittiness of Irish society; unforgettable characters whose psychological complexities and unspoken yearnings are rendered through silence, humor, and violence.

Tried reading Ancient Light by John Banville  but just couldn't get into it.

Started Bay Street.

MONEY. SEX. MADNESS. MURDER... BAY STREET.
Piper Fantouche, beautiful junior partner in a large establishment law firm, is caught up in corporate and personal intrigue that leads to disaster and death.
"Dibbet and Dibbet is an awful place,” he said. "Get out. Don’t go back there for even one hour. You remember we were talking about Paris? We can get a flight today. We can be there in hours. Make the break. Change your life."
"That’s running away,” said Piper. “It wouldn’t solve anything. I’ve still got a job. I’m working on a big file. I can’t just get on a plane and leave. That’s not professional. I’m a lawyer. That means something.”

DINNER
Saturday - steak at Ellis Island Las Vegas
Sunday -  LA salad with shrimp and chicken fried rice
Monday - Mazatlan filet mignon baked potatoes and vegetables
Tuesday - lobster for me and shrimps for John
Wednesday - Caesar salad and rib eye steaks
Thursday - Fettuccine Alfredo for me and shrimps for John
Friday - Coconut shrimps for me and Mexican plate for John

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