Day III – Hoofing it at Hoover (Part II)

Winning Hands!

Touring the Hoover Dam is just plain thirsty work.  

After our visit, the nearby Hacienda Hotel & Casino where cold beer (2 bucks) and a poker slot machine (25 cents) seemed like the best next option.

An hour of entertainment came thanks to meeting an old no-nonsense cowboy who decided to adopt us.  By the time we left the bar, $4.50 were weighing down our pockets 

So impressed was our new friend that he high-fived us and even tipped his hat as we rode off into the sunset.
  

Almost missed the "Cirque"!  Damned chocolate! 

That evening, a long anticipated buffet at the Wicked Spoon awaited us. 

The “pièce de résistance” was a desert table that left us lingering...so much so that we suddenly found ourselves pressed for time.  "O"! "O"!  

Yes, we had tickets for Cirque de Soleil's “O” and only a mad rush would get us there on time.  The chocolate must have propelled us but getting to the Bellagio wasn't the issue.  It was mostly those veritable football fields of gambling tables and one-armed-bandits that stood between us and the theater.  Rule #1...again.

“O”, what a show!

A little overheated, we made it to the theater just as the final bell was sounding. Inside there was nothing of the usual tent atmosphere one expects from Cirque.  The beautifully designed, 1,800-seat theater, built to replicate a 14th century European opera house was astounding. 

Our seats,high up in the left loges, gave us an excellent view both of the beautiful elliptical domed ceiling and of the stage, a magnificent masterpiece of technology with its 1.5-million gallon pool...which in seconds, can transform itself into a dry stage and then, in the blink of an eye, revert back again.

As for the show, “O” was astonishingly rich in colour, imagination, and daring acrobatics. 

Despite the expense ($150 a ticket), it was a privelege to witness this unique marriage of technological and athletic artistry. In short, it was an epic performance! 

Did you know....? or “O”, I wanna know!

1. “O” - The name of the show is a phonetic version of eau, the French word for water
2. $ One billion: Gross income in 2011 since the show opening in 1998
3. $10,000: The average cost of a costume which because of the erosive character of the water, must be retired just after just 20 shows.
4. 49 feet: Height of one of the hanging stages from which one of the most impressive dives is made into the 17-foot deep pool
5. SCUBA certified : Be they performers or technicians, all must be certified to work

Cirque did take a risky plunge into an underwater world but did it ever come up with a winner!  We'll not forget our incredible evening together for a long, long time.

What an amazing day!!  Zion, here we come!