old news	july 2003 news going around the world 18 july 2003 v exciting day: spent two hours in travelbag, booking the tickets for the year abroad. no going back now. d-day is sunday 14 september when we fly to hong kong. back home 5 july 2003 tired and jet-lagged arrive back to nottingham. independence day 4 jul 2003 final topping up the tan time, before checking in. security is an absolute nightmare, but i guess it's good to be safe. leaving las vegas 3 july 2003 leave vegas for a slow meander back to la. manage to get some serious shopping done at primm before heading back across the state border into ca. final night spent drinking coors light and reminiscing at lax. have managed to go to vegas and not gamble, not even the slot machines. more las vegas 2 july 2003 final day in vegas: manage some more sunbathing, the new york new york rollercoaster (oh! my! god!) and frozen strawberry daiquiris by the pool. you could almost get used to this lifestyle. then in the evening, nicki and alison go to see the cirque du soleil show at the bellagio 'o'. simon spends his time watching some huge value world poker games, then it's a final cruise up and down the strip in rob's convertible before champagne at paris. hopefully we can come back to vegas again sometime. upgrading 1 july 2003 move to the mirage for a more 'vegas baby experience': caged tigers and volcano in the lobby? rob & pippa treat themselves to the bellagio. then off on our road trip to the grand canyon. stop off and admire the hoover dam on the way through (115 degs in the shade!!). amazing how it was built in the heat. unfortunately the journey becomes more eventful: rob & pippa manage to lock their keys in their car at a service station in the middle of nowhere (half hour lost), and then we hit bad traffi, which means a race against the sun to get to the canyon before dark. just about manage it with half an hour to spare. v impressive and a total shame we didn't get to spend longer here. somehow the hoover dam looks even more impressive at night. a very long day.