First Time in America Part Two

The second leg of our journey involved plans for a winter holiday. All my life, I have had summer holidays but never experienced winter. The east coast had too much snow, so we decided on Lake Tahoe. Winter apparel including shoes and gloves would cost 45,000 pesos if purchased here in Cebu.

Snow and skiing are major attractions around Lake Tahoe and work there is weather-related. Little snow, few tourists and our hotel, Quality Inn and Suites, had a high vacancy rate. The manager was the receptionist, breakfast cook and floor sweeper all rolled into one. You take a gondola ride (for 45 dollars) to go up to the ski resort and you can have all the snow you want, fine and powdery. But you move around like a robot because what you wear weighs several kilos. At the slopes, breathing is difficult due to the high altitude.

Throughout the states, the skin dries up because of low humidity; lip ointment and moisturizing lotions are necessary. Trips to the toilet are frequent and the possibility of dehydration is real. The wind chill factor becomes real, too, the 32°F (0°C) temperature plunges down to (- 3°C) when the wind speed is blowing at 5 miles per hour.

We tried Cal-Mex cuisine at the Carrows Restaurant like the Chorizo Mac 'N Cheese, Prime Rib Stroganoff & BBQ Ribs, and at the Gunbarrel Tavern for the Bison Burger Pink Cheddar and Kobe Sliders. We went to a Chinese restaurant, the Mandarin Garden, and left disappointed. The accompanying veggies with the sauce drowned the meats and the Szechuan Duck had a gamey smell.

Las Vegas, the Entertainment Capital of the World, was our next stop and the couple Eduard and Gilda Villareal was really most hospitable and made our stay there, excuse me, the most memorable moments in our lives. They knew the right places to eat, from the Thai House Restaurant to Teriyaki Madness and many more. We even went on an unexpected tour of the Hoover Dam!

Upon arrival at the airport, slot machines are there to greet the unwary traveler. The same machines, all over Las Vegas, try to grab your money. If you escape its embrace, shopping outlets are your next adversary.

We took the customary tour of the Last Vegas Strip and this was one "city that never sleeps." We had two dinners there; the first one at the Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill, MGM Grand (Rib Eye $46, Salmon $32, an average $65 per person). We lined up for those fabulous buffets, but the waiting time was one hour; so we ate at the Beijing Noodle Kitchen of Caesars Palace, instead. I ordered three dishes, appetizer and Crab Meat Egg Soup. A single dish served three to four people, so I was surprised when the waitress asked if we wanted soup for the four of us. I said yes, thinking it would be just one order to be shared by four. Big mistake! Four bowls were served ($119.86 for each) and your favorite food columnist almost fainted seeing the bill - the dinner cost an equivalent of 15,000 pesos for just four people!

Steaks were cooked at the residence of the Villareal family and Eduard personally handled those fabulous steaks Filipinos dream of eating in the United States. Over cognac, Eduard told us that he had been in America for 12 years and life for Filipinos there was becoming increasingly difficult. In fact, 3 months earlier, he saw a Pinoy begging in Las Vegas. Three days later, on the way to Rick's Restorations, we saw a Filipina also begging in the streets!