Tuesday, July 01, 2008

The Falls Road - Siktilt-style (pre-ceasefire)

There are some war zones which are simply ignored by the media. There is no oil to fight over, no despot to topple. The damage and devastation affects only a few inhabitants. The Falls Road in Las Vegas is one such place - remote (can only be reached by taxi) and hidden from the glare of the world's cameras.

I was the first reporter in to Falls Road. I was - briefly - embedded. This is my report...

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At first glance, the villa at the end of Deer Creek Falls Road (pronounced Deer Crack by our Ethiopian taxi driver) is just like any other cul-de-sac villa in the sprawl of low-rises surrounding the Vegas strip.

The UK peacekeeping luxury jeep parked in the driveway gives no hint of the devastation inside. It is quiet. It is newly-painted.

Only as you go inside, do you realise that Siktilt has struck again - turning a once-lovely family home/baller-stripper pad into a scene of wreckage and ruin. Clothes litter the floor. Technical equipment is scattered like shrapnel. A half empty suitcase lies by the staircase - its contents strewn. Every surface is covered with decaying food, cans of Red Bull, scraps of clothing.

In the centre of the room is the nerve centre - a mass of laptops,cables, hard drives, CPUs, crisp packets, empty beer bottles, biscuits and Skittles are piled onto the table.

It's a shocking and disturbing scene.

Please note the following videos contain X-rated footage and are not suitable for viewing by young children or people who are eating.

Take 1 (features Lina in a bikini)



Take 2 (features the "sex pole" and "walk-in shower")