Volume 1 Chapter 104

  Han Zhiqian drove with Fang Mosen and Liangzi through the main street to Hoover Dam, about 40 kilometers southeast of Las Vegas. The road was desolate and lined with cacti-like plants. The dam project was massive and played a huge role in the development of industry and agriculture after its completion. Therefore, it occupies an important position in the world's water conservancy projects. The construction of Hoover Dam cost a lot of money and mobilized a large number of people, and was completed and put into use in 1936. It is an arch-gravity concrete dam with a height of 220 meters, a base width of 200 meters, a top width of 14 meters, and a length of 377 meters. Such a massive dam is rare in the world, and it looks like a giant dragon lying on the ground, looking very majestic.

  It's really cold on a big winter day, but it's warm and cozy all the way to the top of the dam. Standing at the top of the dam, overlooking the sparkling lake surface, looking at the majestic and boundless yellow mountain peaks on both sides, you can feel the grandeur and diversity of nature and your own insignificance.

  Liang Zishen took a deep breath and sighed: "Nature is indeed a masterpiece of divine craftsmanship!"

  "Yes! This is something that no sculptor or painter can match." Han Zhikui echoed in agreement.

  "It's fortunate that the weather is good today," said Fang Mo Nan.

  The cliffs on both sides are red rock faults, and nature has carved the rock layers into a majestic and magnificent landscape with its magical power. A deep and bottomless valley is sandwiched in between, showcasing an unparalleled grandeur. What's even more peculiar is that although the soil here is mostly brown, when it basks in the sunlight, under the sun's rays, the color of the rocks changes depending on the strength of the light - sometimes deep blue, sometimes brown, and sometimes red. It's always mysterious and ever-changing, revealing the complexity and mystery of nature. The Grand Canyon at this moment is like a fairyland, with its seven colors shining brightly, its majestic scenery making people linger and forget to leave. The color and structure of the mountains, especially the magnificent charm, change with the weather, and the natural scenery is breathtakingly beautiful.

  The Hoover Dam, which gave birth to the emerging city of Las Vegas, can be said to be the mother of Las Vegas. This was originally a barren land, desolate and uninhabited when the Hoover Dam was built. A large number of workers gathered here. Water, electricity, and railways provided conditions for the birth of a new city. The workers in the desert had no entertainment, so someone used gambling to relieve boredom. The Nevada state government legalized gambling in 1931 to attract people. As a result, many capitalists came to invest in the construction of luxurious casinos, and a large number of tourists also came to gamble. In this way, a dazzling casino city rapidly developed in the depths of the desert, becoming one of the largest new cities in the western United States.

  Las Vegas was developed from a desert village. The Hoover Dam is the key to unlocking the mystery of Las Vegas. Only by clearly understanding the history of the Hoover Dam can we know the birth process of Las Vegas, the world's first gambling city. Nowadays, Las Vegas has become a sleepless city. It is the power of the Hoover Power Plant that illuminates the colorful neon lights of Las Vegas." Han Zhiqian explained as he walked.

  "Hmm! You've got the makings of a tour guide." Fang Mo Nan joked.

  Hoover Dam visitors first go to the top of the dam, then descend 520 feet into the dam via an elevator. Inside the dam there are some typical architectural styles from the 1930s, including various art deco designs and a more modern design; there is also a floor designed by Native American tribes in the region. At the bottom of the dam, visitors can see a power plant with 17 turbines that produce enough electricity to power a city of about 400,000 people. From there, going deeper into the dam, one can see the huge diversion tunnels. These tunnels were used during construction to divert water around the dam site. Back at the top of the dam, in the Nevada part (the dam is on the Arizona-Nevada border), the visitor center shows the entire Colorado River system and the history of the dam. It tells visitors about the history of the dam, its builders, desert thunderstorms, and the environment, geology, plants, and animals of the American Southwest.

  After finishing the tour, on the way back it was already afternoon. Fortunately, they had enough dry food and water with them, so they could eat a good meal when they got back. It's not easy to be out. The sunset on the Gobi Desert is breathtaking! Han Zhiqian drove while talking non-stop: "The Hoover Dam is the largest dam in the United States and is praised as the 'diamond in the desert'." When he mentioned the dam, he thought of its name and burst out laughing. "Does Nannan know the origin of its name?"

  "Go ahead and test me! The naming of the dam had a twist. When the dam was completed in 1936, Republican leader Hoover was on stage, so it was named after him; but Democrats were resentful and unhappy about this; after Hoover stepped down, they renamed the Hoover Dam to Boulder Dam, which is the name of a nearby city. Later, when Republicans regained power, Boulder Dam was again renamed Hoover Dam. From the dam's two renamings, we can also glimpse one aspect of the controversy between the American donkey and elephant."

  "Donkey and elephant, I know this, the political campaign of the two parties in the United States. Democrats think that donkeys are actually smart and brave animals; while in the minds of Republicans, elephants represent dignity, strength and intelligence. Donkeys and elephants gradually became the symbols of the two major parties in the US, with each party using a donkey or elephant as their emblem. Every election season, posters and newspapers are filled with the "glorious images" of donkeys and elephants, and inflatable plastic donkeys and elephants often appear at campaign rallies." Liangzi said with a smile, "Hehe... I saw it in a magazine on the plane."

  Played for a whole day, when I came back, the sky was darkening, and the colorful neon lights were shining as bright as daylight.

  Las Vegas is actually very "considerate" and has set up many options for tourists who don't like to gamble, such as various flavored restaurants and buffets, shopping malls, performances, and a ubiquitous sex industry. Yes, prostitution and solicitation are legal here, you can find sex service providers of different skin colors, genders, and tastes... Walking down the main street, there are small advertisements in hand.

  In the evening, show time. Various shows are for tourists who like excitement but don't love to gamble. Don't underestimate these shows, in culturally barren Vegas, these shows and boxing matches have become another major source of income besides gambling.

  There are many types of shows: song and dance, comedy, acrobatics, hypnosis, magic. The song and dance performances in Las Vegas are extremely seductive, and compared to New York's Broadway, they have nothing to be ashamed of. Brilliant song and dance performances. In terms of entertainment performances, Las Vegas is the holy land for famous artists from all over America, even the world. Years ago, people like Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley became famous after performing in Las Vegas. No matter when you go to Las Vegas, you can almost always see performances by famous artists.

  The large hotels (also known as casinos) in Las Vegas all have their own theaters, each with its own resident show or specialty act. Among the so-called "top shows" in the city's casinos that are popular among tourists, there are sexy, ambiguous, humorous, popular, nostalgic... and a variety of other types of performances. There are elegant ones, family-friendly ones, and grand and luxurious ones.

  The free performances here are mainly acrobatic magic and some interactive activities, which are more suitable for younger children.

  They watched the outdoor show, which used flowing water and flames to create a very realistic volcanic eruption scene. Standing by the water's edge, you'll see yellow lava flowing down the rocks on the small hill, burning fiercely on the water's surface, and smell the strong sulfur odor of the volcano's eruption, feeling the scorching heat wave rushing towards you. With sound effects added, although not large in scale, it feels like being there in person.

  The rest of the show was still too easy for Mo Nan. For a city that never sleeps, the night had just begun... but for her, it was time to sleep. Allen and the others saw that Liang Zi's worries were resolved, so they continued fighting.

  For the next two days, they were in high spirits, sleeping during the day and sneaking into the casino at night, not caring about winning or losing, having a great time.

  Liang Zi and Han Zhiqian didn't arrange for them to fight each other, so as not to leave Fang Mosou alone, he chose to have her accompany him in wandering around various hotels.

  They spent another afternoon wandering around, and after returning to the villa, they informed the chef that they would be cooking their own dinner tonight. Having had Western food for several days in a row was torture for them, so they made a simple Chinese meal.

  Liang Zihand held the wontons, took a sip, "Still, we have to say that Chinese food is delicious." On the dinner table, there were steaming hot and fragrant big meat buns in the plates, absolutely filling.

  Han Zhiqian said: "Chinese cuisine is still delicious." He took a sip of the fresh soup.

  "Wow! You're eating wontons, I'm so envious, is there any left?" Fatso came in and saw the primordial soup in Liangzi's bowl, his saliva was about to drip down.

  "We've got some, if you want to eat, help yourself. The high soup is in the fridge, and there are scallions, dried shrimp, and cilantro on the chopping board, go ahead and get it." said Liangzi.

  "Matthew, eat too!" Fatso shouted loudly from the kitchen towards the dining room.

  "Also give me a bowl." said Cheng Shigui. "Alright!" came the muffled voice of Panger from the kitchen.

  "You're back so early today," Fang Mo Nan asked, looking at the clock on the wall which was only 7 o'clock.

  "I don't want to play anymore, so I came back." Cheng Shigui picked up the tea set on the dinner table, poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, "It's really fragrant, Nan Nan made it." He drank it all in one breath.

  "What a donkey's drink!" Fang Mosan joked.

  "No way! Who made it so delicious!" Cheng Shigui said, pouring himself another cup and leaning back, "Hey! Liangzi has been visiting hotels for the past two days, quite a harvest, huh?"

  "That's natural, Liangzi must have had a plan in mind." Han Zhijian said.

  Liang Zixi finished the wontons in his bowl with two loud slurps, pulled out a paper napkin to wipe his mouth, and then tossed it behind him, hitting the wastebasket squarely.