I was also fascinated by the free public shows each hotel puts on at specific times of the day. As you walk down the street you can stop and watch two ships battle it out at Treasure Island Hotel and actually see one of the ships sink into the water once it has been hit. Or alternatively stroll past the Bellagio Hotel and watch a brilliant water and light show to music by Pavarotti and other favorites. In front of Mirage Hotel is a volcano which erupts every fifteen minutes after dark!

A sight you should not miss is the city centre where you can see the oldfashioned gambling casinos first established here. This is where the ordinary daily life of Las Vegas goes on, and tourists are few and far between. Also in this area is the Fremont Street Experience, built at a cost of millions of dollars in 1990. This huge shopping mall stretching for five blocks links the casinos along the way. The spectacular dome over the mall is illuminated by more than two million lightbulbs, and the light and sound shows held through the night here carry us mortals into other worlds.

The nightlife is what people really come to Las Vegas for. Every place offers excellent shows with talented impersonators, comedians, jugglers, magicians, showgirls, western dancing, and famous musicians and singers. Or enjoy an elegant dinner overlooking the city. The food in Vegas is just as appetizing as the sights. Famous restaurants include Spago, renowned for its Peking duck, Carnival World Buffet at Rio Suite Hotel, or Stratosphere Tower, known as much for its breathtaking view as for its cocktails and delicious appetisers.

And if you want to shop you have come to the right city! Do you want Armani or Prada? Or do you like bargains? You can get three t-shirts for $9.99 at just about any souvenir shop.
If you want to get away from the world of entertainment, there are numerous museums and parks in the city. In Fort State Historic Park in Old Las Vegas, you can learn about the Mormon community who came here from Utah in 1855.

Or go out of the city to ski on the peaks of Lee Canyon, take a trip to Bonnie Springs Ranch, trek through Red Rock Canyon with its colourful sandstone formations 25 kilometres west of Las Vegas, or camp at Desert National Wildlife Range. Day trips can also be made to the Hoover Dam, which miraculously created Lake Mead in the centre of the cactus spangled empty desert, and without which Las Vegas could never have developed as it has, the Grand Canyon National Park, or Valley of Fire State Park.

If, having come to Las Vegas, you are determined to gamble, then I have another suggestion, which is possibly the greatest risk you have ever made in your life: marriage. As you know, Las Vegas is the wedding capital of the world. Since some of the Nevada marriage laws do not apply here, it is possible to walk in and get married on the spot. So good luck!

* Brandie Barbour is a freelance writer.