Father of the Pride
I went to Reno to get to Las Vegas! I get these free trips all the time by going to timesharing presentations, and this trip to Vegas was because of a free trip to Reno my mom and I took last year, compliments of the same company! You'd think they'd get the drift by now, that I'm never going to buy into their timeshare plan and am only sitting in on these to get the free trips! But noooooo.. So ok, fine with me. I can put up with 90 minutes of strong-armed sales people pitching why I should buy a $8,000 timeshare condo package, if it means a free 2 night/3 day stay somewhere INCLUDING airfare for 2 people!! That is what makes it worth it all - the included airfare! And they always put you up in decent hotels.
Even then, after you settle on a date with them, they then call and ask you if you want to upgrade your package. For maybe $200 or less, you can then upgrade to an even BETTER hotel and choose what airlines and flight times. So in essence, even with an upgrade, you are only paying $200 or less for 2 PEOPLE to go to Vegas (or wherever), including a fine hotel AND airfare! Just cannot beat that for price!
This year I planned this Vegas trip around a special event . The European Siegfried & Roy World fan club was holding its first official get together in Vegas with loads of special events planned. I wanted so bad for my mom to be able to go with me, as she too has become a big fan of S&R ever since we went and saw their incredible, mind-blowing show at the Mirage in Vegas in 2003, just two weeks before Roy Horn's terrible accident. If you have seen their show, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, it's a pity, as it is something that will never happen again, unfortunately. It was a Las Vegas show that was THE Las Vegas show to see. It was everything Las Vegas is about - Glamour, Over-the-Top Costumes, Astounding and Top Notch Stage Choreography, Music that Permeates Your Soul, and of course, the Mind-Boggling Unbelievable Magic Tricks that Siegfried & Roy performed. Now, add all that up, and then INCLUDE wild white tigers, lions, and elephants who did tricks on cue, and you would be left with your mouth hanging open and saying "How DID they do that!!??".... It's one thing to do magic tricks with people, but to get wild beasts to cooperate, was just beyond comprehension. It truly was Magic.
When Roy had his accident, all of us who are familiar with the show and S&R, just knew that the tiger, Montecore, was not trying to kill Roy, but to protect him. During the show, Roy had tripped (some say he had a mini stroke then, as he did have a re-occurring problem with mini-strokes), and it threw the tiger off track, since the animals are all choreographed to every little move as a cue. Montecore first grabbed Roy's arm as if to keep him from falling. Roy then tapped Montecore on the nose with the mike, as that is how he would bring an animal back to attention. But for some reason, Montecore was confused, and decided to 'pick up and take' Roy backstage to protect him. Montecore instinctively saw that Roy needed help. As you know, cats (big and little) pick up their young by the scruff of the neck to carry them around. Montecore, not realizing Roy did not have the protection of thick fur like a cub would, picked up Roy by the scruff of the neck, carried him backstage, and then dropped him. If Montecore wanted to really maul and kill Roy, it would have been a more violent shaking and it would have been over in a minute. Roy had raised Montecore since he was born, and therefore, I believe with the strong bond they had, despite this was a wild animal, the tiger was not trying to kill Roy. But by then, the damage was done. The first thing out of Roy's mouth, I am told, after the accident, and as he lay there profusely bleeding, was "Don't hurt Montecore". To this day, Roy still visits Montecore and has no hard feelings toward his special beast.
Roy nearly died on the operating table twice, and since then he has had an excruciatingly difficult recovery, as I'm sure you have read about. There have been rumors and talk of him wanting to commit suicide and that he was on the verge of death, but this is not true. The major strokes he had after the accident have left him partially paralyzed, but with continual rehabilitation, he is now able to walk un-aided for periods of time and talk again! Siegfried has been by his side throughout his ordeal. As Siegfried once said, "Roy is still the magic; I'm only the magician".
When I first heard about this get-together in Vegas, I wondered if we would actually get to meet S&R, but the organizers could not and would not promise such. In any case, it would be awesome just to go to the events and meet other fans from around the world! All the events, but one, were free. The only event I had to pay extra for was a big Bar-B-Que event on the Saturday night and that was only $40 per person. The organizers of this event were two woman from Germany and one from California, and even though I was excited over this whole thing from the get-go, little did I know just HOW great the weekend would turn out or what these gals had in store for us!
Even then, after you settle on a date with them, they then call and ask you if you want to upgrade your package. For maybe $200 or less, you can then upgrade to an even BETTER hotel and choose what airlines and flight times. So in essence, even with an upgrade, you are only paying $200 or less for 2 PEOPLE to go to Vegas (or wherever), including a fine hotel AND airfare! Just cannot beat that for price!
This year I planned this Vegas trip around a special event . The European Siegfried & Roy World fan club was holding its first official get together in Vegas with loads of special events planned. I wanted so bad for my mom to be able to go with me, as she too has become a big fan of S&R ever since we went and saw their incredible, mind-blowing show at the Mirage in Vegas in 2003, just two weeks before Roy Horn's terrible accident. If you have seen their show, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, it's a pity, as it is something that will never happen again, unfortunately. It was a Las Vegas show that was THE Las Vegas show to see. It was everything Las Vegas is about - Glamour, Over-the-Top Costumes, Astounding and Top Notch Stage Choreography, Music that Permeates Your Soul, and of course, the Mind-Boggling Unbelievable Magic Tricks that Siegfried & Roy performed. Now, add all that up, and then INCLUDE wild white tigers, lions, and elephants who did tricks on cue, and you would be left with your mouth hanging open and saying "How DID they do that!!??".... It's one thing to do magic tricks with people, but to get wild beasts to cooperate, was just beyond comprehension. It truly was Magic.
When Roy had his accident, all of us who are familiar with the show and S&R, just knew that the tiger, Montecore, was not trying to kill Roy, but to protect him. During the show, Roy had tripped (some say he had a mini stroke then, as he did have a re-occurring problem with mini-strokes), and it threw the tiger off track, since the animals are all choreographed to every little move as a cue. Montecore first grabbed Roy's arm as if to keep him from falling. Roy then tapped Montecore on the nose with the mike, as that is how he would bring an animal back to attention. But for some reason, Montecore was confused, and decided to 'pick up and take' Roy backstage to protect him. Montecore instinctively saw that Roy needed help. As you know, cats (big and little) pick up their young by the scruff of the neck to carry them around. Montecore, not realizing Roy did not have the protection of thick fur like a cub would, picked up Roy by the scruff of the neck, carried him backstage, and then dropped him. If Montecore wanted to really maul and kill Roy, it would have been a more violent shaking and it would have been over in a minute. Roy had raised Montecore since he was born, and therefore, I believe with the strong bond they had, despite this was a wild animal, the tiger was not trying to kill Roy. But by then, the damage was done. The first thing out of Roy's mouth, I am told, after the accident, and as he lay there profusely bleeding, was "Don't hurt Montecore". To this day, Roy still visits Montecore and has no hard feelings toward his special beast.
Roy nearly died on the operating table twice, and since then he has had an excruciatingly difficult recovery, as I'm sure you have read about. There have been rumors and talk of him wanting to commit suicide and that he was on the verge of death, but this is not true. The major strokes he had after the accident have left him partially paralyzed, but with continual rehabilitation, he is now able to walk un-aided for periods of time and talk again! Siegfried has been by his side throughout his ordeal. As Siegfried once said, "Roy is still the magic; I'm only the magician".
When I first heard about this get-together in Vegas, I wondered if we would actually get to meet S&R, but the organizers could not and would not promise such. In any case, it would be awesome just to go to the events and meet other fans from around the world! All the events, but one, were free. The only event I had to pay extra for was a big Bar-B-Que event on the Saturday night and that was only $40 per person. The organizers of this event were two woman from Germany and one from California, and even though I was excited over this whole thing from the get-go, little did I know just HOW great the weekend would turn out or what these gals had in store for us!
posted by LADYGOLD at 9:21 AM
