Galapagos
 

A friend of mine went a couple of years ago. She had a wonderful time and sent back amazing photos with the tortoises there. I'll hit her up for more info, but I believe the toughest thing about the visit was the boat rides to/from the islands.

Galapagos
 

I think you'll find some chatter among wildlife photographers about visiting Gallapagos on www.photo.net.

Galapagos
 

I'm guessing your interest was piqued by the article in teh Post travel section a couple of weeks ago. If not, you might search for that--it was a pretty good description.

Vegas, baby
 

This may belong on the tailgating thread, but since I don't moderate that one, I'm putting it here...

For those of you that have ever played poker in Vegas, what is your favorite location? How do the games out there work (I'm assuming non-tournament, low-stakes)?

I have heard that Bellagio has a great poker set-up and obviously Binion's is the first place you think of, but I'll be staying on the strip... Is Bellagio my best bet? (he he)

Vegas, baby
 

Bellagio has $25 games. Pretty good. Once you get into the $100 antes, the pros and semi-pros start to circle like vultures.

Vegas, baby
 

I was out there a month ago and didn't play nearly as much poker as I would have liked. However, Bellagio was a fantastic setting, and I'm glad I played there just to say I did, but the competition seemed stiff at 4-8 compared to east coast games. If it wasn't for one player absolutely bleeding chips who was a sucker for the turn check-raise, I might not have won at all. Next step up there is to 8-16.

Didn't get to Mirage, but I'm told it's a good room with good games. No difference in play between the 3-6 and 6-12; in fact the 6-12 players probably should be playing 3-6 but their ego won't let them.

Binions was great to visit for the hype value of being there, but it looked like a shark tank, not to mention run down. One fellow I played with at Bellagio said the 4-8 at Luxor was juicy. I didn' t play with him long enough to get a feel for what he might consider soft, though.

I'm also told that the Monte Carlo is a nice hotel with nice games, but have no details.

There are many good options center strip or south. I stayed at the Flamingo, which was nice and well located, if a bit old. It had some poker tables going, but no 'room' to speak of, and I didn't play. Bally's is very nice and also well located.

You should read the twoplustwo.com boards for a great resource.

Vegas, baby
 

Thanks, ex post. That is quite helpful. Unfortunately MGM doesn't have a poker room, so I need to investigate the other strip options.

Vacation Ideas
 

At the request of our adventurous mod, I'm posting this list here.

50 Things to Do Before You Die, a slide show from telegraph.co.uk.

1. swim with dolphins
2. go whale watching
3. swim with sharks
4. scuba dive at the great barrier reef
5. visit galapagos
6. go on safari
7. bungee jump
8. paraglide
9. wing walk (yeah, on a plane)
10. hot air balloon ride
11. ride in a jet fighter
12. climb to the top of the sydney harbor bridge
13. concorde
14. go into space
15. ride camels to the pyramids in egypt
16. ride horseback on a beach
17. escape to a paradise island
18. disneyworld
19. gamble in vegas
20. see the aurora borealis
21. see the sunset at urulu (uluru?)
22- 27. see tigers, elephants, mountain gorillas, polar bearsn (arctic), orangutans (borneo) in the wild
28. do the cresta run in switzerland
29. husky dog sled
30. hike a glacier
31. explore the antarctic
32. hike the inca trail
33. rainforest hike
34. walk the great wall of china
35-37. ride the orient express, rocky mountaineer, and transsiberian railway
38. helicopter ride over the grand canyon
39. fly over an erupting volcano
40. roller coaster
41. drive route 66
42. trek to base camp at everest
43. climb kilimanjaro
44. skydive
45. drive a formula 1 racecar
46. golf at augusta
47. ride a motorcycle
48. go white water rafting
49. wonder at a waterfall (cheesy caption not mine)
50. have a go at being a cowboy

Macchu Pichu, the ancient lost city of the Incas
 

And from this weekend's Washington Post, an article about #32 on the list above, hiking the Inca Trail.
(Ups and Downs on The Arduous Trail To Machu Picchu, By Eric M. Weiss, Sunday, November 23, 2003).

Here's some key info that follows the article:

GETTING THERE: Most major airlines, such as American and Continental, fly to Lima from Washington, with at least one connection; fares start at just under $700 round trip. From Lima, it's a one-hour flight to Cuzco on LanPeru, among other carriers, for $185 round trip.

WHEN TO GO: Weather in the Andes is unpredictable year-round, but the trail is closed in February, and January and March can be muddy slogs. June, July and August find the biggest crowds.

WHERE TO STAY: Staying near, but not in, Cuzco's main plaza allows you to be near the attractions, restaurants and tour operators but far enough away for some peace and quiet. There are many hotels in all price ranges. We enjoyed the Royal Inka 1 (299 Plaza Regocijo, telephone 011-51-84-222284 or 011-51-84-231067, www.royalinkahotel.com), a historic mansion built 300 years ago, with rates of $78 per night double.

TOUR OPERATORS: We used Andean Life (011-51-84-221-491, www.andeanlife.com), which offers a four-day tour for $260 per person, including all meals and transportation to and from Cuzco. Other reputable outfitters include SAS (011-51-84-237292, www.sastravelperu.com) and Explorandes (011-51-1-4450532, www.explorandes.com). Book as early as possible.

WHAT TO BRING: High-tech hiking wear for layering, good broken-in hiking boots, rain/wind gear, sleeping bag, headlamp-type flashlight, sun hat and glasses, and camera. Prepare to experience all four seasons in a single day.

INFORMATION: For general information on Peru: Embassy of Peru, 202-833-9860, www.peruvianembassy.us(Spanish only), or the Commission for the Promotion of Peru, www.peru.org.pe. One of the best Web sites on trekking the Inca Trail is www.andeantravelweb.com, which has good links for preparation and other information.

Whale Watching
 

For anyone interested in #2 on the list, I highly recommend taking a Zodiac tour from Victoria, BC's Inner Harbour. I think you haven't lived until you've been thisclose to an Orca. It's pretty cool when they glide past your raft and go "pshoof."

Here's a link to one tour operator ; I can't recall the name of the outfit I used but they seemed fairly fungible.

Plus, the setting off Victoria is just gorgeous. The day I went, (in late August) the fog hung low over the water, about 20 feet above the surface, giving it an eerie quality that was punctuated by the various sounds of the orca.

Gentlemen are at an advantage as they can (and may) pee off the back of the zodiac. Ladies, I recommend you avoid drinking anything beforehand, as it is a 3 hour tour

Sydney Harbour Bridge
 

Here's a link: http://www.bridgeclimb.com/default.htm

If you have a lot of time to travel about Australia, also consider scuba diving at the great barrier reef:
http://www.reefhq.org.au/images/emai..._starfish2.jpg

and watching a sunset at uluru:
http://www.greymattermedia.com/media/ulurus04.jpg

Although if I had to choose, I would rather see this than the big rock:
http://www.greymattermedia.com/media/ocnrds02.jpg
(The 12 Apostles, Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia)

Checking items off the list
 

Today's WSJ/Desktop Traveler Feature is very timely, with a bonanza of information relating to crossing items off the list above and generally seizing the day, with gusto, if you're into that sort of thing.

Dogsledding -- tour operator and school in Yellowknife, Canada (hi gwinky! hi str8!): dogpaddleadventures.com

Swimming with sharks -- 5 day tours on an 85 foot boat to dive with great whites off Baja, Ca., with a shark sighting guarantee, and if you're uncertified, you can do the cage thing:
sharkdiver.com

Race car driving -- not Formula 1, but v-8 fiberglass Cobras (hi Thrasher!); schools in LA, Vegas (combine with #19 for a 2 in one), Houston, Phoenix, Washington, and Calgary: racingadventures.com

For skydiving, dog sledding, airplane and helicopter charters, hot air ballooning, paragliding, ice climbing, horseback riding, safaris, dolphin and whale watching, white water rafting, fishing, scuba diving (and surfing, all manner of kayaking (hi bilmore!), go to adrenalinepages.com. This site is very cool. The sections are organized into air, snow, earth, and water, with further categorization for photos, schools, gear, and stories.

And for motorcycle racing, buttboarding (hi again Thrasher!), streetluging, running with the bulls, mountain biking, surfing, snowboarding, and almost anything else that may result in scars, bruises (hi shape shifter!) and broken bones, go to doctordanger.com

Vacation Ideas
 

Thanks for the informative posts, rp. Numbers 1 and 17 were most enjoyable this Thanksgiving week. Now back to the life of a working stiff...

Bermuda
 

Okay, it's not really a vacation, it's for work. But I will have a day or so in Hamilton to wander, shop, whatever. And I've never been there.

Any suggestions for the one thing you would do in Bermuda would be appreciated.

Bermuda
 

I was going to suggest buying some shorts, but I've never been. Golf and riding mopeds is all I've ever heard about Bermuda. What's the temperature like during winter? It isn't as nice as Caribbean Isles, is it?