What You Must Not Miss When You Have Only 24 Hours in Las Vegas

Las Vegas Offers So Much to See

Just finished my 3-day Las Vegas trip. I had to finish so much in 3 days that I was always on the run. Especially when my Grand Canyon trip took one whole day. So basically I had time to spend one full day visiting free tourist attractions and I decided to give you a brief rundown of what you must not miss if you have only one day in Las Vegas.

Bellagio Fountains: This spectacular water show is not to be missed.

The Mirage Volcano: Watch an exploding volcano in the forest without the risks of going into the actual forest.

The Venetian Grand Canal: Who says you need to go to Italy to experience Venice-style canals? The Venetian Grand Canal mimics the canals of Venice, complete with a gondola ride.

After experiencing the above three, if you have time you can go through Paris the Eiffel Tower, New York New York Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, Fremont Street Experience, Caesars Palace, the Luxor, etc. And obviously, taking part in the things I mentioned will give you the experience of watching The Strip as well.

Las Vegas has so many things to see that you will need about five days if you need to experience a bit of everything, including the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam. However, if you are time constrained, in my view what I mentioned above should be good enough to claim you have visited Las Vegas.

In this video LINK, I have captured the three important things I mentioned. And keep an eye on my YouTube Channel for more video clips in the future.

What Happened to My OnePlus One in Las Vegas?

OnePlus One and the Luxor Hotel

Just completed my 3-day Las Vegas trip. I was having a vacation full of surprises and the unexpected, especially after seeing one of the seven natural wonders of the World in the Grand Canyon. However, all my excitement was shattered by an unfortunate event just the day before returning to Toronto.

After having a quick breakfast in Wendy's located in front of my hotel, New York New York, I decided to visit the Luxor hotel before heading to the Las Vegas South Premium Outlets mall. The Luxor hotel is named after the Egyptian city Luxor and it mimics pyramids both inside and outside.

I was very excited to take video and pictures of the Luxor hotel from the sidewalk across the street in front. And then bad luck struck me. All of a sudden, I don't even know how, my OnePlus One phone slipped out of my hand and landed on its screen on concrete. The screen got shattered, but the phone was still working. However, the shattered screen lost its touch sensitivity and I was unable to access anything on my phone.

I was very found of my OnePlus One phone and it still looked new after using it for a year and a half. So breaking it made me very upset and I was unable to enjoy my vacation 100% after the incident. I did buy a new OnePlus Two phone when I got the invite, so this is what I am using as my primary phone.

I don't see any point in trying to fix my OnePlus One, as I did some research and it looks like the cost is about $200 to fix it. I was able to retrieve all my pictures and video clips from my trip via Dropbox. I will be posting all the videos on my YouTube channel one by one. Here is the link you can check, you especially don't want to miss the Grand Canyon video.

Tangier - The White City Of Morocco

Tangier – The Gateway to Morocco

The Adventurous playground called Tangier in Morocco

Tangier, the White city of Morocco was an adventurous playground for the rich and famous from the 20s to the late 50s, till it was relinquished by Spain and returned to Morocco. From artists and authors to aristocrats and spies, Tangier was visited by Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, Barbara Hutton (Woolworth heiress) and the likes.

Today the souks and the traditional cuisine, the historical and cultural richness all beckon the traveler to make Moroccan holiday the most memorable one. One of the highlights is the port with its state-of-the-art technology dealing with imports and exports along side which yachts of millionaires beautify the coastline. Tangier also holds the reputation of being the first gay resort in the world, though it is not quite as popular for that status now. Tourists not only find the beautiful beaches mesmerizing but are also absorbed into the energetic, likeable and individualistic enduring charm of Tangier.

Getting there and staying

Akin to Moroccan cities, Tangier has Ville Nouvelle and Medina which makes moving around the city pretty easy. Public transport city buses ply between train station, airport and popular sites like Caves of Hercules and Grand Socco. To visit other places taxis are available in 2 types – one that carries up to 6 people and a smaller metered one that can accommodate 3 people. However after 8pm till morning the rates are hiked by 50 percent.

Being a tourist haven there is no dearth for hotels and motels that suit every budget. Campers get to choose from 2 sites Miramonte and Tingis that are not only close to city center but also within walking distances from the beaches. These sites are reputed to be safe and convenient.

Places of attraction

Asilah – The venue of Asilah Arts Festival held here in August, this otherwise quiet fishing village is filled with world renowned artists and performers. Being close to Paradise Beach, Asilah is a popular seaside resort the rest of the year and has a relaxing ambience. One of the places worth visiting here is the picturesque Andalusian medina built in the 15th century. This small town can be explored on foot but the donkey carts are a fun way of enjoying your holidays. While at Asilah don’t forget to try seafood variety at the renowned restaurants. Regular trains ply between Asilah and Tangier.

Chefchaouen – is an exquisite medieval town with distinctive Spanish quality situated in the mountain region of Tangier. The town’s medina looks most charming with whitewashed and blue-rinsed gabled houses and buildings. Craftsmen sewing caftans or embroidering jellabahs is a common sight here. A must visit place is the Great Mosque built in the 17th century in front of which today stand mulberry trees and restaurants cooking up mouth watering delicacies. While here don’t forget to shop for leather goods, carpets, copper ware and pottery in the souks surrounding the square.

For most part the biggest attraction of Tangier are the beaches where tourists enjoy camel rides, acrobatics, or wind surf or play football on the pristine and clean beaches. The beaches are well equipped with shower places and deck chairs. Food and drinks are also available in plenty however most of the beach bars are open only in summer and only some host cabaret shows in the night

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Travelnowsimply.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to Ahmed Dawn Dot Com site. This article originally published on the above website on Feb 17, 2011.

Australia Travel Blog: Part 7 - Qantas International Business Lounge

At Melbourne Airport: Going to New Zealand

Melbourne Travel Blog: Part 1

Melbourne Travel Blog: Part 2

Melbourne Travel Blog: Part 3

Melbourne Travel Blog: Part 4

Melbourne Travel Blog: Part 5

Melbourne Travel Blog: Part 6

At Melbourne (MEL) airport I went to the Quantas Business Class counter to get my boarding pass. I was expecting a lot more hospitality like what I got at EVA AIR counter, but it was nowhere near that. Actually, it felt like an economy class counter. Once I was done at the counter, I was heading to the security gate.

Unexpectedly, I was chosen, along with a couple of female flight attendants, for a special random security check. All airports do this kind of random checking, but this was my first time I had this experience pulling me out from the regular queue.

All of us were taken to a small room, asked to open our luggage and lay it flat. I did what I was told. A security person went through my bag and ran a detector. It was very quick. After finishing there, I had the idea that I didn’t have to go through the regular security check, but I was wrong. I had to go through the usual security check again, but this part was quick as well.

Where Is the Lounge?

Quantas Business Class travelers to foreign destinations get to experience the Qantas International Business Lounge. It took me a while to get to the lounge because I was looking for the lounge on the ground level.

But the lounge is actually located on the basement level 1. Quantas Business Class lounge is used by Quantas, Oneworld partner airlines, and even non-alliance partners such as China Eastern.

In the next post, I will talk little more about the Quantas Business Class lounge. I am flying to Auckland, New Zealand, but I will be back to Australia again, in Sydney from Auckland.

Rabat (Morocco) : The Garden City

Rabat: A Unique City Morocco

If you are ever traveling to Africa, the one city you need to check out is without a doubt, Rabat. Rabat is a unique and stunning city that will delight any traveler who makes their way to it.

Rabat, which means “Fortified Place” has been inhabited for thousands of years, including by the Roman Empire. Currently, the city has a population of 650,000 people and it is the capital of Morocco, rather than Casablanca as many assume. It is also the second-largest city in the country and the capital of the Rabat Sale Zemmour Zaer region.

The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean, at the mouth of the Bou Regreg River, giving it beautiful views and landscapes around it. There are several smaller bedroom communities around Rabat including Sale and Temara, which give the region a population of 1.8 million. The city used to be a very important port city, but these days it is more geared towards textile, food processing and construction. Sadly, some multinational corporations do operate sweatshops in the area.

Tourism has also become very popular in the city thanks to the many foreign embassies and the effort to get tourists to the city. Casablanca is more famous, but Rabat is working hard to get noticed.

Rabat is popular among Europeans because of its warm Mediterranean climate. It has a mile temperate climate with cool weather in the winter and warm days in the summer. Throughout the year, the nights are cold due to its proximity to the desert. When the day comes along, the temperature usually rises by about 15 degrees Celsius. The high in the winter, at its coldest days, usually reaches only 17.5 degrees Celsius.

So, what is there to do in Rabat? Well, quite a bit actually. Here are the most popular sites in the city:

• Chellah: This is the old city that was founded by the Carthaginians and conquered by the Romans, then passed to the Arabs over time. It has been abandoned and settled a great deal over time and parts of this old town are still visible.

• The Old Medina: One of the largest open air markets in the world, the old medina is a must see for anyone who is interested in seeing what Morocco is all about, and it is these stunning markets

• Kasbah of the Oudaias: This is a deserted Kasbah that was used during the reign of the Almohads back in the early part of the second millennium AD. The Kasbah was deserted following the death of Yaqqub al-Mansur in 1199 AD.

• Hassan Tower: This is an incomplete mosque that was going to be the world’s largest when construction was started in 1199. It only reached 140 feet, half the 260 feet that it was intended to be. This is a very important part of the historic and tourist aspects of the city.

So, take a trip out to Rabat and see this amazing city for yourself, you will not be disappointed.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Travelnowsimply.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to Ahmed Dawn Dot Com. This article originally published on the above website on Nov 13, 2010.