Sin in Vegas

Vegas advertises itself with sin, tourists buy T-shirts with the logo "I sinned in Vegas" and the reputation of the city equals this. After spending an almost puritan time in the desert I wasn't ready for the bright lights, packed casinos and hustle of the city. In the desert we cooked and went to bed soon after it got dark, and only occasionally did we drink a beer (and then only one). We were simply too tired.

I felt at home in the desert. Of course the conditions were tougher than every day life but so were the rewards. Every night the sky shone with a plethora of stars and we could pick out and name individual stars (even Vega). I loved this remoteness and the freedom from light pollution. In Indian Creek we only had what we carried in. Water was a scarce resource and this suited life in the desert. Elsewhere water was rationed, in Zion we had 8 mins showering water per day and to me this felt both frivolous and luxurious. I only used my full 8 mins once; how can one justify wasting water in the desert. Edward Abbey (author) commented that "water isn't short in the desert, there is in exactly the right amount" and his words felt true. One doesn't need much water, the usage seemed in tow with the resource... up until I set foot in Vegas.

Vegas is to me, a city, where a city shouldn't be. I understand that living in a city is different to living in the wilderness and that the citizens demand energy and water. Vegas is however a city blessed with being surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery that I have seen. But the city doesn't respond by adapting itself to its surroundings but opposing them. Water isn't a scarce resource in Vegas. It's everywhere. Every casino seems to have its own waterfall. They use water to keep flamingos and to sink pirate ships in. They burn electricity to power a million lights, each trying to be brighter than the next. In Red Rocks you can't see the stars, but you can see a beam of light projected from the Luxor. The water and power to fuel this comes largely because of the damns which have destroyed the countryside of Utah and Arizona. They not only mock the very essence of the desert by scandalous wastage of water and light but destroy the desert in the process. To me, this is the biggest sin in Vegas.