The Strip is the heart and show window of Las Vegas, where mega resorts go all out showcasing  striking displays of festive decorations.  One such festival that draws in the most number of guests  is the celebration of the 2018 Chinese Lunar New Year, which happens to be the year of the Earth Dog.  “This is also known as the Spring Festival in China, which is the longest and the most important festivity in  in the Chinese Lunar Calendar”.(Vegas24SEven.com)

My daughter and I were headed off on our way to Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. There was a slight drizzle then and heavy traffic had slowed down our trip. Pia hates driving on four or five way lanes and that scared me a bit.  Who would want a car accident at the opening of the year?  Obviously, that’s  not in my list of priorities for the new year.  “Maybe, we should have opted for a more quiet area and less visited by tourists”,  I told her.  “Mom, we are almost there and this minor delay will not  in any way deter us to  view the most visited display at the Las Vegas Strip, at Bellagio”,  she insisted.  We reached the Conservatory at exactly five minutes before two in the afternoon.  Pia was right, the Chinese New Year display at Bellagio was a sight to behold.

As we entered the Conservatory through the East Garden, we walked with people in droves under a circular dome draped in thousands of red roses, yellow fonsythia  and white orchids. At the edge of the garden, there are ancestral vessels, where visitors can burn incense, which are believed by many Chinese to help protect people from bad fortune. The whole dome is lined with four flowing fountains and the fifth fountain at the center of the  main display area  (which also serves as a walkway)  is filled with giant I-Ching coins.  The centerpiece of the whole display features eighteen “larger-than-life” dogs to fit the “doggy theme” of the year.  What really grabbed my attention is an “18-foot” huge, Siberian husky dog which stands guard on top of a mountain overflowing with Chinese coins.  Chinese lanterns with intricate designs provide exquisite illumination and guide the visitors as they take pictures near the dog replica displays.  Gazing at the awesome, giant Cherry Blossom Trees,  I could only whisper at the amount of money spent for such an amazing yet extravagant spectacle.  According to the exhibitors, about 22,000  flowers were used and will continue to be displayed during the duration of the exhibit until March 3, 2018.  I  could only conjecture that the income to be generated from this stunning yet lavish display  will far outweigh  such waste of  nature.