That was Nevada desert and the plane was about to commence a descent into Las Vegas also known as "Sin City". As the Airbus A319-321 approached this famous recreation and entertainment city, the view changed from one of desolation to life, magnificence and vigour. Excitement and anxiety was clearly visible in every passenger's face as everyone looked forward to have a taste of what Vegas had to offer. Las Vegas, a city located in Nevada state in the United States of America dates its origin back to the 1800s when westward bound caravans were lured to the area by its verdant meadows and warm springs. The city grew from a rail hub and supply center into a vibrant and and dynamic recreation destination.

It's common knowledge though that it is gambling that put the city on the map. Recreation seekers, whether gamblers or seekers of other pleasures are the cargo that was delivered at McCarran International Airport that hot Friday afternoon at precisely quarter to five. As a message was relayed by the pilot that the temperature outside was one hundred and seven degrees Fahrenheit, I couldn't immediately figure out how hot that was. After subtracting thirty from one hundred and seven and dividing by two I got the degrees centigrade equivalent and suddenly realized, I was in for a hot and soaring evening.

What massage is to Bangkok and Samba to Rio De Janeiro, is gambling to Las Vegas. Walking though the airport hallway, one immediately notices the large number of slot machines  along the way. With flashing lights and christened with such interesting names like wheel of fortune, Cleopatra and jackpot jewels, the temptation and pressure to try a turn with Lady Luck was immense.

McCarran International Airport is very well planned and designed. Immediately, I was convinced that I was at a destination that took its tourism seriously.  As I stepped out of the air-conditioned airport, I was suddenly hit by a blast of such hot air that I felt like I had entered an oven.  Walking to the pick-up zone, I spotted taxis parked in cleared marked bays queuing for passengers. As passengers joined the queue, a taxi controlling officer would signal you, directing you to a particular bay. Depending on whether you were one passenger or part of a larger group, you would be directed to the appropriate bay. For example, a group of five passengers traveling together would need a bigger car.

I was directed to bay one, where I was met by a friendly Ethiopian taxi driver. We struck a chord immediately and got chatting about Kenyans and Ethiopians and life in the Diaspora. As he let me know how the taxi industry in Las Vegas was filled with many Ethiopians, I wondered whether our brothers from the horn of Africa had an extraordinary talent for taxi driving or was it sheer entrepreneurship collaring a sector of the economy.   

Stepping into my hotel, I was amazed by the number of gambling machines lined up in the foyer and the lounge . I tried to count them but couldn't finish. An ATM that could dispense upto one thousand dollars at a go was clearly visible next to the lounge and the idea was to have you withdraw and gamble, gamble and withdraw some more.

As I waited to check in, I tried to make out an impression of Vegas and picked up two themes: gambling and consumerism. Besides the gambling machines, the other omnipresence was the advertising extremism.  If you thought that Nairobi was overcrowded with billboards, then you need to see Vegas. There's a common rule here that you ain't in the right place, if you are not spending on something, from shows to buffets and other events,  and don't the entrepreneurs ensure that message is passed about!

I checked in, and wasted little time before getting out and checking out the "sin city". I still hadn't understood what gave this famous city its name but walking a few metres along the famous Las Vegas Boulevard also, The Strip, my question was quickly and resolutely answered. Sex is big business here and although prostitution is illegal, the traders don't hide their merchandise, sales are out in the open and the advertising is aggressive. Lining up part of the Strip were their agents bracing with wares  advertising adult services.  I imagined Sodom and Gomorrah before the roasting, must have looked something liek this in its chroniclers eye.

Suffice it to say though that even with all its sin, Vegas has a lot to offer as a tourism destination and Kenya can borrow a lot from its example. The city's recreational facilities are built around themes, from the exoticism of Paris to the history of Pharaohs and the fantasy of Treasure Island to the ostentation of Ceasar's Palace. As I strolled back to my hotel after a late night walk, it was clear that the day seemed to be only just beginning for the Vegasians and their guests. More people were streaming to the streets. In Nairobi life begins at 5am, in Vegas midnight seems to be the cockerel hour. 

Over the next few days, I decided to venture further into the great city and get a deeper glimpse of what it had to offer. I quickly realised that one week would not be enough to exhaust everything that was on offer here. Whilst the inner city offers mostly buffets, gambling joints and recreation centers, in the outskirts there was much more to visit, from the famous Hoover Dam to the astronomical Great Canyon. As I tasted some Mexican delicacies in a Mexican pub christened Diablo one late evening, the waiter reminded me that Vegas is a twenty four hour city and that for most life actually begun at midnight.

True to his word, the music got louder and the patronage steadily increased as the midnight hour approached, with your writer sat alone in a table corner sipping his drinks. By a quarter to time, the excitement was reaching a crescendo and a mood of ecstasy and heady bliss was catching on, this the carefree attitude you only get at holiday resorts.  Patrons got increasingly excited and noisy, while others pleaded for the music to be turned up.  Interestingly, and as an indicator of the age profile of the guests, the speakers throbbed and hummed with the danciest eighties beats. These worked like magic and soon everyone was getting down in a boogie craze.

Leaving Diablo, I headed to a New York themed recreation center that had a memorial  for the emergency personnel who died in the 911 terrorist attacks. Going through the names of the firemen who lost their lives, I was struck by the name Uhuru Gonga, a reminder that wherever you go, you are bound to meet something that reminds you of Kenya.

Back to my room at almost two in the morning, it was time to catch up with the local news. Flipping through the news, I concluded that the US suffers from a skewed justice system, escalating crime, a broken medical system and racial tensions between the White, Hispanic and Black parts of its population stand out much more clearly from the inside than the outside. I clearly understood Barack Obama's popularity. To most Americans, Obama is the solution to bridging the gap between the different races and he stands to unite the country than it's ever been before.  

In my time here, I also observed several issues that the Kenyan tourism industry has failed to address and which if addressed would take the industry to a new level. One, visitors visiting a tourist destination need to be well informed of the destination and what it has to offer.

To achieve that function, you need information kiosks that are clearly visible and manned. Secondly, having a radio station and a TV station that specifically seek to disseminate news on events taking place and promotions and offers available is imperative. Much less expensive, an active and regularly updated website is a plus. For that case, the site name should be linked to the destination itself. Hence I would expect the tourism body to have something like nairobi.com, mombasa.com and kisumu.com.

Lastly, to sustain order and discipline in any place, the existing bylaws, be they driving or littering, need to be enforced by extremely punitive measures that will make an offender think twice before breaking them. For that case, in Vegas, you have to cross the roads at only marked places and fines apply if you go crossing at the wrong places. Littering, jaywalking and drunken driving attract extremely hefty fines .