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Shrooming in Vegas

A Trip on the Strip

By Luke S. ThompsonPublished 6 years ago 11 min read
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It was 8 o'clock in the morning on a Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada. I was visiting with some friends and family to support my sister in a National Cheer Competition, and was recovering from a long night of drinks of booze and weed to celebrate my sister winning.

I was only 19, but I looked 21 so my friend, Tommy, would buy drinks and give them to me. I had the confidence of a newly discovered alcoholic, I was never questioned as I walked around the town. Not to mention, we also were under the impression that marijuana was legal, so we were lighting up anywhere we felt comfortable. We later learned that was not the case.

Around 9 or 10, my Tommy said, "Why don't you load the next one. We've been smoking all my weed and haven't even broke yours out." So I moseyed on over to my backpack and got into my trusty pouch to find an unexpected surprise.

"Oh Shit!" I yelled, "I grabbed the wrong bag..."

It turns out I had a grabbed a quarter oz of mushrooms instead of my weed. I hadn't eaten shrooms in about a month, but my Tommy hadn't eaten them in years. So I was shocked when I heard him say, "Guess were trippin' in Vegas. But lets eat them a little later when your sister is occupied with her friends." So we smoked some more of Tom's bud and hung out around the hotel.

We stayed at the South Point and it was a f***in' monster. It had a huge casino, an arcade, 2 bowling alleys, a movie theater, multiple restaurants and cafes, bars, swimming pools, hot tubs, and the most vibrant lights ever. After a few hours of goofing off and drinking in the hotel, we decided to link up with family friends and hit the strip. So we did.

The first stop was a parking lot, and then the rest was a journey on foot. We ventured across a bridge to go to the Taco Bell Cantina where we got Rum & Coke Slushies in big ass cups. My sister and her friends got regular Baja Blasts, and then this was where we separated. The girls went their own way, and all that was left was myself, Tommy, and our newest member, Jimmy. Jimmy was a good friend, but we weren't planning on hanging out. The girls decided to ditch us so he became a passenger to the ride that was about to start.

"I guess this means you're in," Tommy says to Jimmy who then replies with a quick, "What do you mean?"

"Lucas and I were gonna eat shrooms when you guys left, but now you're stuck with us. Let's go into this casino and eat them in the bathroom."

We walked in and it was perfect. There was only one person inside and he was washing his hands getting ready to leave. We awkwardly waited for him to do so. Once he left, we divvied up the goodies. I had about an 8th to myself, and they split the other 8th. Then we heard people walk so I rushed into a stall, closed the door, and devoured the shrooms as fast as I could. It was so hard not to puke, but I pushed through then I chased it down with the rest of my Rum and Coke.

It would only take about 30 minutes for the effects to kick in, so we left the casino looking for a refill. This is where the adventure really starts. We walked for awhile and reached another intersection with a bridge. There was a moving staircase to get the bridge, but to this day I am unsure if it was an escalator, or if it was the drugs. We were laughing our asses off and I knew was beginning to feel it.

Once we reached the actual bridge, there was a homeless man standing with a sign in his hands. All three of us read the sign 5 seconds after each other so the laughter hit like dominoes. Not only was I tripping on the fact that the sign was changing sizes as if it was throbbing, but the sign read: "My wife got a sex change and left me for my girlfriend!" and we f***ing died laughing. Then he offered us a picture for some money but all the cash in my pocket was for booze and booze only.

From the bridge we ended up back at the Cantina. This was not the planned destination, but there we were demanding a refill. "No!" The clerk says repeatedly. "We cannot take old cups over the counter! We only sell new drinks, we don't do refills. You can get those on the corner shops." I was too busy focusing on the music that was blaring throughout the building. Now we had to find one of these corner shops, and we discovered that they are literally on every block. A mini bar with its own stereo and 5-10 fruity drinks to get you f***ed up. I felt like it was destiny when I read the flavor name "Snozzberries." I kept repeating the famous quote from Super Troopers as I slurped down the strawberry goodness. "These Snozzberries taste like Snozzberries." Then I'd laugh to myself unsure if I said it out loud or if I just thought it.

By now lights were getting brighter, reality was getting warped, and everything was making me laugh. We kept going into one casino and coming out different ones. I was lost but I didn't care cause I had no true destination. We eventually ended up on a monorail that went back and fourth and we rode it for way too long. I kept looking out the window and then zoning out on the sky. Then after awhile my eyes would adjust and I would see my reflection in the glass and I didn't look quite right. But I loved the size of my smile.

Eventually we got off the monorail and we were inside of a sphinx. I don't even remember buying a ticket to Egypt letting alone going inside a sphinx. This thing was gigantic in my perception. I was astounded at its magnitude but then I was reminded that it was a hotel and we kept on our journey. As we trekked along, I saw a billboard for "Dick's Last Resort" which is a restaurant where they make fun of the customers. I thought it would be hilarious and it has been on my bucket list for years. Unfortunately, I couldn't convey my thoughts that well and the only words my mouth was able to form were, "I wanna eat dicks!" and boy did I get made fun of. Both Jimmy and Tommy laughed at me for hours due to this. They would forget and then bring it up every time they were reminded.

It was starting to get late and Jimmy needed to link back up with his group, so we had to find the Luxor. This is the Great Pyramid of Vegas but ironically, it has nothing to do with the Sphinx we saw earlier. We walked inside and I was overwhelmed with the color purple. It was everywhere and it was taking over the rest of the colors. It was as if my eyes were a paper towel and violet ink was dropped on to it. It begins dark at the origin which is where the walls were really purple, and then it bled and leaked into everything I could see. My friends had to help me to the elevator, but it felt more like I was led to a death trap.

The elevators at the Luxor were one of the sketchiest things I have done in my life. Due to the fact they move at an angle in the pyramid, they shake a lot and I was so uncomfortable. I rushed out as soon as the doors but I was on the wrong floor. The door closed behind me, then my friends came and got me to continue on upward. We got to the 6th floor and walked to Jimmy's room. The barrier was only as tall as my hip and I kept thinking, "Any drunk bastard could fall and die here. And with my luck it's probably going to be me." So I got on the ground and crawled. This way I was never even over the barrier and I could no longer look down at the casino below.

Jim made it to his suite safely, and I have no idea what happened for the rest of his trip. However, Tommy and I still had weed to smoke, drinks buy, and a lot of walking to do. So we made it downstairs, ducked outside and smoked a few bowls in an alley. The reflections of lights were bending and melting all around the city as I looked around. Everything was so bright and colorful, but nothing was the color it's supposed to be.

We walked further and eventually stumbled upon the Bellagio Hotel right as a light show was starting. Music started playing and then water starting shooting up in sync with the beat. Different lights were in the water to make a liquid rainbow and it was like I could see every drop. Infinite fractals thrown in a wave of color and then splashed away. It only lasted for one song so it couldn't have been more than 3 or 4 minutes. It felt like a life time of wonder.

The shrooms were starting to get a little crazy so we decided we needed a safer environment. Eventually, we made it back to South Point. I don't believe we walked to it because it was so far away, however I don't remember getting a ride there. All I know was we were back in a land of unfamiliar familiarity. The first thing I remember seeing is the Wheel of Fortune game because the lights were spinning in a circle. Once I moved and they were know longer in my sight, I was still seeing lights move in a circle. More and more lights kept joining the patterns and I saw so much yellow and orange that I began to feel heat radiating off the lights. Once again, Tommy had to help me to the elevator. We made it to our floor and when I walked in the whole way, it looked like I was in a room full of mirrors. Due to the hallway already being long, it all seemed like a reflection in a reflection. Then I would walk into it and the end wall would get further and further away with every step. It was so much fun but I began wondering if I would ever make it to my room. I wasn't even completely sure if I had been moving at all. Then out of nowhere, the door to my left opens. "We're here," Tommy says, and I sighed with relief.

My family was inside so we told them about our adventure. As much of it as we could without implicating ourselves of any illegal activities. I was hoping they would think were drunk or stoned, but it got harder and harder to make it seem like we weren't tripping balls. So we decided to go to the hot tubs. I remember looking at the clock and it was sometime between 6 and 7pm. I remember saying, "We'll be back when they close the hot tub." But none of them thought I was being serious. Sure enough, we were in there until 10pm when they kicked everyone out.

I sat in the water with Jimmy and we cracked open a few beers to drink while we were in there. We met a new group of 4 or 5 people that were partying as well and they were having a good time. When a security guard hassled me for drinking, these new found friends of mine had my back. They all knew I wasn't 21 but made the guard think I was. Naturally, I left my ID in my pants and I was wearing Super Mario swim shorts. Needless to say we were able to continue misbehaving.

An older lady eventually got into the water and she had the biggest nose I have ever seen in person. I don't know if it grew in front me, but it seemed way too big to be on her face. Not only that, she kept holding her iPhone really close to her face and I kept imaging her using her nose instead of her fingers to type and I laughed so hard. Then we found a spot in the tub where if we plugged a jet, it shot more water out of a jet close to her and we did it until she got annoyed. Once she left, we had a very fun conversation while I watched as the words "South Point" flickered in lights above us. I feel like we covered a lot of topics but it's hard to say if it was deep and important, or drunk and random. Once out of the hot tub we retread to our room and made it to a bed. I played there staring at the ceiling until I passed out.

Due to the movie, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, I have always been very weary of using psychedelics on the strip. But I must say, this was one of the most fun, impromptu, mushroom trips I have ever had and I would do it again in a heart beat.

mushrooms
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About the Creator

Luke S. Thompson

21 year old Stoner with a creative mind and a taste for the psychedelic. I'm a professional graphic designer, a song writer and recording artist, as well as a creative writer.

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