Weddings bells ringing in Houston...

Day 6

The day of the wedding. The whole reason for this trip. And it was such a perfect day. The weather was fine, even slightly cooler as if to accommodate to those forced to wear suits. Speaking of which, I looked good in my new suit. Definitely a good investment.

As with the Chinese weddings, the morning began with the traditional tea ceremonies. For those unaware, this involves the bride and groom paying their respects to their elders by offering them tea in exchange for their well wishes (and often money and gifts). Call me old-fashioned but I like these little traditions. It’s a nice homage to my Chinese heritage, and honestly, a nice way to pay respects to our elders. I look forward to the day when I get to do this at my wedding, and then further down the track, when I am the one being offered the tea.

Viva Las Vegas and howdy Houston...

Day 3

After conking out the previous night, I found myself woken by my alarm at 9am. I tried to get up, but I knew it wasn't gonna happen. I ended up getting out of bed, going to the door, putting up the "Do Not Distub" sign and climbing back into my bed. Next thing I knew, it was 12:30pm. I had already lost the morning, but in the city that never sleeps, this was hardly an issue.

This day was quite relaxed as I explored the various hotels, casinos and shopping complexes along the strip. Lunch was a buffet at Wynn which did not even compare to the Bellagio one, but it was still good. I eventually found myself at the new retail outlet mall near the end of the strip called Fashion Show, where I ended up buying myself a navy blue Tommy Hilfiger suit for only $280USD. Everything was on sale (65% off) because of the July 4th sales, and I scored a further $25 discount from the salesman because I'm awesome! New suit in hand, I trekked it back to the hotel, trying as hard as possible to avoid venturing outdoors to the blistering heat. Word of advice: many hotels have trams/monorails that connect to each other, as well as side entrances which are relatively close to side entrances of neighbouring hotels. Use these and you should be able to minimise your time in the heat.