Well now I know why they say that Las Vegas never sleeps! This city is on the go 24/7. Even the new casinos are being built 24 hours a day! And I thought Zermatt was full of building sites, this place is simply expanding at an unbelievable rate. Apparently some 5’000 people arrive in Las Vegas every month not only to make it their new home but also to satisfy this city’s thirst for new employees!

What trip to Las Vegas couldn’t include a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon? We got an early start as the day was going to be hot – 107 degrees in the shade (about 46 degrees centigrade). We were all picked up in a chauffeured limousine which was a highlight for the kids! After climbing into the copter, we spent the next hour and half flying over the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, before arriving at the West rim of the canyon. There we made a quick picnic stop and took in the scenery of this magnificent wonder of nature. Little did we know that our middle one, Bryany, was not to be taken to helicopter flying and spent most of the three hour flight huddled close to my right side.

After the canyon trip it was back to the city of Las Vegas where we wondered the streets and shops before taking in a variety act show at the Alladin Hotel (soon to be the new Hotel & Casino Planet Hollyood)

By the time we all retreated to bed, my watch showed that my colleagues in Switzerland had already been up and working for some time! Local time was 1.00 a.m., Swiss time was 10.00 in the morning and our next destination in Hawaii was 11.00 p.m. (23.00 hrs) So….. everything was still going according to plan and the only complaint thus far - we were all having too much fun (most of the time).