Thanneer Bhaavi & other doses of scenic inspiration

This was a trip made up of multiple trysts with the ocean.  After SL, it was on to Mangalore.  I have been visiting Mangalore all my life.  On average I go every year.  I hail from there, and although I never grew up there (Bangalore is still what I call home), I have always been very possessive about my Manglorean roots.  I always maintained, and still do, that we the people from coastal Karnataka have a unique culture all our very own, that I'm so proud of.  We eat different food, we speak a different Kannada, and we have very different and culturally evolved customs, attitudes, and approaches to life in general.  For those interested, I'd be happy to give detailed examples.

So anyway - like I said, I've been to Mangalore countless times, and I usually love going there.  Visiting family (usually the main reason) is always fun.  However, I also just love the look and feel of the place.  Palm trees, sloping roofs, narrow roads that lead to paddy fields, and of course the ocean.  Salt in the air.  I always take a dip, I always walk on the beach.  I try to catch a sunset.  I let the warm salty breeze engulf me. 

I've seen so many beaches in the Mangalore/Udupi area - Panambur, Ullal, Surathkal (always a favourite), Kapu, Murudeshwar (a classic beauty), Someshwar (another gorgeous one), and Malpe (where I've spent many a summer goofing off with cousins in the ocean for hours on end.  Gosh, those fun times!).

This time we discovered a new one - Thanner Bhaavi.  And let me tell you - it was divine.  Pristine beach, and beautiful scenery.  There was even a life guard (yes, its true!).  N of course went berserk in the water and it was hard to restrain him, and I was getting paranoid because the waves were coming in pretty strongly and there was a definite current pulling anything ocean-wards (recall G and I desperately trying to swim our way back to the shore when currents in Bentota started to drag us far into sea...gosh!).

Anyway, caught a beautiful sunset, before which all of us spent time sitting on the sand, chatting, enjoying the breeze.  N insisted on going back again the next day.  Which he did.

So, highly recommend this beach, and others to experience the Arabian Sea and coastal Karnataka at their very best.   

An island, the Indian Ocean, misty mountains and the temple of the tooth

Sri Lanka.  An hour's flight from Bangalore landed us in Colombo.  This was to be the much planned, much anticipated family holiday.  And seriously fun it turned out to be.

Bentota
One the southern tip of the island is the seaside village/town of Bentota.  What I will remember is the ocean, the vast sandy beaches in their pristine beauty, and the backwater lagoons.  What N will remember is the ocean.  And the swimming pool.  Between which he alternated the entire time we were there.  And refused to come back from.  The rest of us soaked up the sun and surf too.  I didn't want to come away from the ocean, where the water was just the right temperature, the waves were just the right size.  There is something so therapeutic of being in the ocean.  I knew I would not get to experience it in a while, so I wanted to make the most of the time there.  Other than that, time was spent basically in lazing around, and enjoying the pretty delicious Sri Lankan cuisine, which is very similar to Manglorean food, and hence amazingly alluring.

memories to cherish:
~ N jumping into the pool about 200 (not kidding) times before 4 of us dragged him away for the night
~ N navigating the waves with Jajja and Bomma
~ G, R, P and I lying on the beach chairs at night, the full moon above us, singing the night away, with G on the guitar.  It was truly so awesome!

Kandy
From the beach to the mountains, it was.  Couple of hours drive through green Lanka, and we were in Elephant land!  Stopped at a restaurant overlooking a river (literally on the banks) for lunch, and minutes into us landing there, came a horde - literally - of about 50 or so elephants to bathe in the river.  It was a hot day, and the elephants just swarmed down into the water.  After that, it was pure delight to watch their antics, especially the baby elephants.  They were just too cute.  Behaving like little rascals.  I pointed that out to N.  He pretended not to understand the reference.  But open-mouthed he watched the elephants.  After lunch, it was an elephant ride.  N could not believe his luck.  And neither could I -  because there was nothing in between me and the elephant - no seat, no mat, no nothing.  And it was, uh, painful.  And I had to hold on to N who was sitting in front of me.  This was no America - where we would get harnesses, safety instructions, cushions to buffer our backside from raw hide, etc, etc.  This was the land of the Elephant, the ride of the free.  It was our chance to touch base with the animal, to experience nature.  Sure, but I could have done without the chaffing.

From there, it was onwards to the Tooth Temple ("Tooth" because it holds an actual tooth of the Buddha as a holy relic) .  Beautiful, serene, ancient, spiritual.  Buddhism is captivating on many levels.  I wanted to soak up the history of the place some more.  However, N was at his hyper best, and my attention was more focused on avoiding disaster at every step (like N rummaging through sacred temple artifacts when no one was looking, etc).  Oh, and one of the rules of visiting the temple was that one's knees are covered, as a mark of respect.  Couple of us were in shorts - unacceptable.  So, our driver Areef lends us a lungi (for P), and R helpfully lends me a sarong.  So we don those on top of our shorts.  Made for a hilarious sight.  T-shirts, sarong/lungi, sneakers.  Caption: Lunginathan and Sarongeshwari (courtesy R!).  Look for the picture on FB (right!)

After this, destination our resort at the top of the hills.  Beautiful view of the city, lights on the hills.  Next day, woke up early to be bathed in clouds.  Slowly the mist lifted to reveal the gorgeous views of the place.  Could have easily spent another day there doing nothing.

SL is a very, very nice vacation destination.  What jumped out in the 3 days were how well behaved the people in general were, how clean the streets were, and how everyone followed traffic rule, even inside a crowded city.  I'm not kidding about this.  Makes you wonder what the matter with Indians is.  Really.

All in all, a memory (the fiasco with Sri Lankan Air notwithstanding!) that 6 of us, and hopefully even the 7th (in some shape or form) will have forever.  Happy sixtieth birthday Mey!

London in pictures

Here are a few of the many many pictures we took to attempt to capture the beautiful city as we explored it.  As I type this, one scene materializes itself vividly in my memory.  I will never forget this scene for as long as I live - walking around in the city of Bath - unbelievably beautiful buildings soaring above us on all sides - walking on cobbled streets, and suddenly we are in a town square of sorts - there are benches surrounding the square on which people are sitting, relaxing, drinking coffee, soaking in the afternoon sun.  People are strolling around, children are playing, dogs are sitting obediently by their owners' side.  And in the middle of the square stands a musician - playing his guitar and singing in a loud, clear voice.  And the music fills the town square.  The song is melodious.  The music is blissful.  The singer's guitar case is open in front of him to gather what the audience and passers-by will put in there.  But it is so obvious that he is singing not for the money.  I take in the entire scene.  It is civilization behaving at its very best.    The ancient city.  The beautiful weather.  The relaxed people.  The playing children.  The awesome music.  My heart soars.  I am happy.

London Eye

Big Ben from Trafalgar Square

Windsor Castle

View of the Financial District from Greenwich

Windsor

The musician in Bath

The ancient Roman bath house

I am transported to another time, another place..

View of the city of Bath

Stonehenge

London Bridge

. 

Countless bus rides

Adorable booths all over the city

Where we began the river cruise

The Egg

London by Night

Camden Locks

At Trafalgar

Walking up the hill to enter Windsor Castle

Could imagine some "royal" folks strolling in this garden a thousand years ago

Lone guard

Couldnt get enough of the superb architecture

London

Broke journey in the UK on the way to Bangalore.  It was four days spent in a city that will forever hold a special place in my heart.  Before anything further, I want to thank M, for being such a gracious host, and for showing us around a city so full of charm, life and energy, that I know I want to go back, and soon.

It is a known fact that Europe is completely different from the US, but I guess London epitomizes this difference on so many levels.  The history of the city, and the way it blends with the modern strikes you even as you first set foot in the place.  This was my second visit here actually.  I have memories from twenty years ago, and as I stepped out of Heathrow this time, I found that much had changed, but much was the same as what I sort of remembered from so many years ago.

This is a city to explore.  A city to discover.  And how.  You can walk around the place seemingly forever, just taking everything in.  From palaces, to museums, to parks, to theatres.  From restaurants, to pubs, to markets, to....we walked around so much in the four days we were there, and we barely scratched the surface.  The entire city is so well connected with the Underground and buses.  All you need is a map and good walking shoes and you are set.

I loved the history oozing out of every corner of the city.  Camden Locks was a sheer delight (would not have been possible without M!).  The Thames river cruise starting at Cutty Sark was awesome.  The views of the city from the hilltop at Greenwich were fantastic.  Windsor Castle of course was breathtakingly beautiful.  Stonehenge was.....well....nice. :)

Bath
I know I will not do justice to this unbelievably beautiful place in a blog post.  One has to visit it to see how amazing it is.  As our bus drove towards it through already beautiful English countryside, we didn't have a clue of what was coming, when suddenly the bus climbed a hill and then all of a sudden we had a "OMG" view of the hills and valleys in front of us, and there was the city of Bath.  The star attraction of the place is of course the ancient Roman bathhouse with the only natural hot water springs in the area (circa 400 A.D) which I thoroughly enjoyed seeing.  I am a big time Roman history buff.  I find their ancient culture utterly fascinating.  But aside from this, the city of Bath is simply breath-taking.  Set amid rolling hills and gorgeous scenery, it really does look like a scene out of some fairy tale.

Back to London...
Wish I could have spent more time.  Londoners are a seriously friendly lot.  And so fashionable (seriously!), even the men (such a visual treat after the overly casual American attire one is used to seeing).  And in shape (I didn't spot a single obese person).  And they have the most delightful accent (often I had to stop myself from laughing because I found what they were saying and how they were saying it to be just too cute)....

Had a great time.  Hope to go back again soon...

Homeward bound!

Yeah baby!!  With a super exciting stop on the way!!!  Completely excited, and cannot wait.

harper's ferry...yes, again!

The last time, I promised we would go back, and so we did.  Was a gorgeous sixty degree sunshiny weekend, and off we went on the drive again.  Beautiful as it was the last time, the fall colors had not yet peaked.  This time, we timed it right, and it was autumn heaven.  As we drove, we didn't know where to look, which vista to take in, which mountain to gaze at.  Picture postcard landscapes all the way, right up to harper's ferry.  Once there, N was super excited to get on the bus, walk by the river, climb up the bridge, look at the trains, sit by the river eating Greek yogurt and watch the rock climbers endure the sheer facade of the mountain side, etc. etc.  This time we even climbed the hill right up to the very top from where you could see the two rivers meet, the village by the banks, and the surrounding mountains in all their glory.  The climb to the top itself was fairly steep and two minutes into it, N stops, looks at me with his puppy dog eyes, throws his arms up and says "I tired".  What!!?  I wonder whether we had to turn back at that point.  P comes to the rescue and hauls N onto his shoulders, and we start hiking up.  I'm impressed.  Made it all the way to the top, N absolutely enjoying his view from his vantage position.  So many times, he makes me wish I could be a kid again!!

Another well spent Sunday.  Added bonus that N was totally tired out, and had a good night's sleep. :-)

harper's ferry

Drove out to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia yesterday.  A fabulously scenic drive into the country side and soon enough you are in the midst of the the Shenandoah mountains, and the Fall colours are simply brilliant.  Not the peak yet, I think there's at least a week or two for that, but beautiful nevertheless.  Was a fantastic day, and walking by the Shenandoah river, climbing the rocks, standing in the sunlight and looking at the colors abound on the hills was just so relaxing.  Remember hiking (on the very first trip here) up the rocks and mountains from where you can see the confluence of the Shenandoah and the Potomac.  Beautiful.  The boys had a blast, as there was plenty to do and see.  Chocolate ice cream by the little roadside cafe in the historic town was a delight in itself, as we sat on benches by the train tracks and watched at least 4 long, long trains go by.

Think we'll have to go again in 2 weeks to see the peak showing of the colours.  Reminds me of the time when we went to see that on a cold November day three years ago, when N was just 7 weeks old.  Ma was there, and I recall all of us freezing as we walked on the bridge over the river.  7 weeks! He was oh, so tiny...:)

Yesterday N didn't want to come back, predictably.  And actually, neither did I.

DC again

Drove into DC today.  It was a fantastic day with just the right amount of sunshine.  Could not believe how green the place is along the beautiful drive into the city.  George Washington Parkway is a treat to drive on.  And when you start approaching Georgetown with the Potomac to your left below you, the views are amazing.  Cross the Roosevelt Bridge and there you are in the heart of DC, with the Mall area looming in front of you.  Love this city.

Walking around in the sunshine, amused by all the tourists doing the touristy thing.  More amused by the folks taking the tour on Segways.  Gotta do that someday.

Watching N take in the sights and exhibits at the Natural History Museum was a delight.  Not yet three, but already a sponge for absorbing, learning.  :-)

New York New York

Went up to the Big Apple recently, and as usual, the city proved to be an exciting weekend getaway. The energy of the place is so unique and motivates you to get up, get out and make the most of it. At the end of the day, I know I want to return to my suburban life, plenty of walking/jogging/breathing space, place to park my car, quiet and solitude, but ever so often...NYC is a fantastic place to go to and have some fun. Of course, what makes it more worthwhile is catching up with our good friends, A & R...always feels great to meet up with old friends and chill out.

This time, all four of us caught a couple of interesting events. One was an evening of Sitar by Ustaad Raais Khan. Well, actually it was A and I who spearheaded the idea (what with being Hindustani vocalists and all that), and R and P, being the good sports that they are, tagged along. What we thought would be an evening of a reknowned Ustaad performing ended up being an evening of the Ustaad performing to some extent and then making his son perform the rest of the time. Now this son was a real joker who clearly was not in the same league as his dad, and started displaying major attention seeking gimmicks (he obviously thought that he was loaded with talent) and pretty soon we started getting pissed that the Ustaad was not playing and that the son was. What made it outright unbearable was the jugalbhandi's or duet performances in which the son clearly was playing near nonsense and was completely shadowing any talent that the father was inclined to portray. If you think I am exaggerating, get this - after a while the Ustaad himself realized how much the son was hurting the show, and would tell him to stop playing while he attempted to salvage the situation with some brilliance of his own. Even then, the son would not give up and would make every attempt to join in the middle at which point the Ustaad would angrily slap his hand trying to make him stop. By this point our disappointment and anger at the son turned into being totally entertained and we could barely keep from laughing conspicously. In any case, we got what we wanted and more - an evening of Hindustani music and a comedy show all rolled in one!!

The other event we caught was on Broadway. Now, this is my second Broadway show and I am more impressed each time. Its just fantastic. I used to be a fan of the theatre in Bangalore and have caught many plays even in Los Angeles and Washington DC. But they are just not in the league of Broadway. The show we had tickets for was 'Tarzan'. Well, the story itself would be what we knew it would be...but we were totally unprepared for the special effects, the costumes, the lighting effects, the acrobatics, and the choreography. The whole show highlights the senses, and involves the audience (with actors coming in and out from all over the auditorium). Imagine this - in one scene, the wall at the back of the stage was used like it was the floor, and the actors were performing while being strung on cables obviously and to us the audience it was like we were viewing them from the top....what an amazing effect. It is a holistic sensory delight - the sights and sounds are brilliant...the use of props and special effects can bring in vivid scenes from anywhere onto a stage a few feet in square footage.

Two years ago when I caught 'Hairspray' - also with A and R, I was amazed. 'Tarzan' was different, but equally brilliant. I would highly recommend Broadway to anyone.

Five days on an island

The plane looked like it was going to land right in the turquoise water but at the last minute there came in sight a tiny landing strip out of nowhere. We had landed on St. Thomas, and we had left behind intense work weeks, stress and the regular regular and were looking forward to five days on an island.

St. Thomas is one of three US Virgin Islands (St. John and St. Croix are the other two), and it is 13 miles long and 7 miles wide. It is very hilly and the roads are very windy and narrow (2 lanes only), and it is surrounded by the Caribbean Sea on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. Nearby are the British Virgin Islands. At any spot on the island either at an elevation or within reasonable distance from the shore, the views are absolutely breath-taking, and as we drove our rental car from the airport to the condo we were renting for the 5 days, we came across views that were stunningly beautiful.

The island, although a part of the US, has a completely unique flavour of its own. The people are a mix of whites (from the US, Europe, etc) and people of African origin (whose ancestors had originally been brought to the island as slaves by the early Danish settlers on the island, to work in the sugarcane plantations.) And then there are tourists such as ourselves. The islanders have a cute caribbean accent and using the word 'laid-back' to define them would be an understatement. They move slowly, they talk slowly, they answer questions slowly, and would rather have a siesta any time of the day than do anything else really. Well, in any case, we were all set to enjoy our time, unwind and soak up some Caribbean fun.

The beaches of St. Thomas

There are many, many beaches on St. Thomas and most of them are pretty spectacular. The condo we were staying in had a fantastic view from the balcony, and we were privy to blue blue seas, a beautiful beach (Sapphire Bay Beach), a marina which docked boats, and islands in the distance, tiny ones dotting the blue Caribbean surface as well as St. John.

One morning we drove to Magen's Bay Beach, which, according to National Geographic, ranks as one of the ten most beautiful beaches in the world. And it was. Absolutely amazing. Picture this - white sand, aquamarine waters, no rocks, no waves (this is at least partly due to the beach being surrounded by land pieces jutting out into the ocean on two sides, forming a bay, or large cove, and because of this, the beach is like a giant swimming pool, with very calm, serene water. Ideal for splashing and swimming around. And we could not get enough of the views.

Keep to the Left!!

We laughed when the car rental official, our condo owner and other literature warned us to drive on the LEFT side of the road. Of course, we would drive on the left side...come on, what are we..imbeciles who dont understand what that means? Well, we rented our car and took off, driving across the island towards our condo. All the roads on the island are just two lanes, and very windy, going up and down hills. Takes a bit of concentration, especially the first time. So, we were navigating between maps and hilly, windy roads...and made a wrong turn. Realizing this, we stopped the car, and decided to mae a U-turn. Having made the U-turn, we found ourselves on the right side of the road, and it didnt feel wrong. In the next instant, a car was hurtling towards us in our lane, and at the last possible instant, reflexes of both drivers averted what would have been a scary and a totally unwanted start to our vacation. Phwew!

Hiking on St. John

On another day, we took a ferry from the town of Red Hook to the island of St. John, which is less inhabited and more untouched than St. Thomas. Here, our plan was to hike down the Reef Run trail, which is a famous trail through the tropical forest of St. John, which housed many of the sugarcane plantations a few hundred years ago, trek all the way down to an abandoned sugar mill, and finally end up on the beach, and then hike back up. To get to the point where the trail starts, is about 4 miles from where our ferry docked. We found an eager taxi driver who offered to take us up there. As he is driving up the winding roads, suddenly he stops right in the middle of the road, gets out, crosses the street to a dumpster, removes a cardboard box, brings it back to the taxi and places it under a seat and gets back into the driver seat and drives on. And we were wondering what the hell just happened. We concluded that we just dont understand these islanders and their eccentricities. :)

We hiked down Reef run trail, and saw abandoned slave quarters, myriad tropical trees and plants along the way, and petroglyphs (carvings in stone made by the Tainos, the very first inhabitants of the Virgin Islands who came up from South America on barges made from tree trunks, some 700 miles in the Caribbean ocean with no navigation aids - sometime around 700 B.C.) Amazing.

Charlotte Amalie

On another day, we drove into Charlotte Amalie and the historic downtown district of St. Thomas. The town itself has been pretty well preserved to give tourists a sense of history, old buildings kept the way they are, etc...and this, with the fabulous views (which are somewhat strangely accentuated by the humungus cruise ships that dock near the harbour), makes for a very good morning of touristy stuff....even though the day is incredibly hot, and within an hour of walking around with the tour guide, we are dripping with perspiration. Some shopping (St. Thomas is duty and tax free!), and lunch in a very darling little local cafe and we drive back to our quiet little end of the island.


Birds in the Sky

On the last day, we drove to Coki Beach, and signed up for parasailing. Within an hour, we were being given instructions and life-jackets. Pretty soon, the boat we were on was in the middle of the ocean, and we found ourselves standing at the edge, all ready to be released into the air. Above us was the huge colourful balloon, that would assist in buoying us up into the air. One, two and THREE - zzzzziiiiiiiiiiiiiiippppppp....the boatman released the cord, and the balloon took off into the sky, and because we were strapped in it, we took off as well......a moment's sheer exhilaration soon gave way to wonderment, as we were being lifted higher and higher up, thanks to more cord being released by the boatman way below and the soaring balloon above us....soon we were 300 metres up in the sky, and the boat was a tiny speck in the ocean below us....what a FANTASTIC view!!!!!!!!! The blue caribbean all around us, but also the myriad islands dotting it....we could see miles and miles around us....suddenly I looked directly below me and I saw that we were above a coral reef near the surface of the ocean....and guess what?!! We actually saw a turtle swimming around in it....it looked so awesome! After a few minutes, we started descending and realized that our trip in the sky was coming to an end...but it was so well worth it!!

When we left St. Thomas at the end of the fifth day...it felt like we knew the island so well....and the memory of its gorgeous beauty will be with me forever...

Windy City, Second City

Chicago - A surprise.

I was expecting a cold, dowdy, sixties style city with bad neighbourhoods, and pathetic winter weather. Hmm. I guess I need to eat my words, not buy into stereotype that is often misplaced, and to actually "be there and do that", to make my opinion about something.

Downtown Chiacago is a beautiful place. The architecture is often a blend of ancient and modern, but this very mix is somewhat pleasing to the eye. It does have a Manhatten feel, but in a really nice way. The evening sunlight lent shimmery, glowing dancing lights on the canal that runs through and walking through the hustle and bustle with a hot latte felt really nice. Lots to see and do, shop, etc.

Lake Michigan is beautiful. Its huge, a brilliant blue-green in the sunlight, and the skyline of the famous city looks rather breath-taking as a backdrop. Warning, it is windy though, and temperatures near the lake are around 10 degrees Farenheit lower than in the heart of the city. And the winds. Oh my God, the winds, they can actually threaten to blow you away, and freeze the very marrow in your bones. And this was in October.

Suburban Chicago is nice as well. Not as pretty as the East Coast, but nice nevertheless.

Second City. Something we checked out, came recommended. I guess its a Comedy Club with history. Lots of famous people started their careers here, I believe. In any case, we went for a show called:
I would break down the entertainment value as follows:
Funny: 60%
Slapstick: 30%
Fell really flat: 10%

But those sun-of-a-gun comedians are a talented bunch. The "improvization" piece actually show-cased their abilities to come up with funny stuff on the spot. And some of it was actually very funny.

All in all, pretty decent value for the money. And the Margaritas helped as well.

My weekend in Chiacgo, a neat get-a-way from work, and the regular regular. I will go again if I get a chance.

Buenos dias Mexico!

The weekend was here, and we couldn't wait to be off...6 months, lotsa work-related work later, we were ready for a vacation. Thanks to AA miles, soon we were flying business class to Cancun Mexico. With much anticipation, we got off at the airport, and smelled Madras India- not at all in a bad way, but just that muggy, humid, extra-warm air...so different from the insipid, sterile US air, so reminiscent of India, and so excitingly foreign.

Mexico is a place that reminded me totally of India. Apart from Cancun (I'll come to this later), the rest of the place is typical "Des". The countryside, the weather, the water (not to be trusted), everything resembles India - with one exception - the roads. This will tie into my later point about Cancun- but to sum it up, the roads are great. Totally facilitates going from point A to point B in decent shape and form, which is one of the few things that a tourist can really ask for.

As for Cancun, its like mini-US. Totally caters to the Western tourist going there to enjoy and spend lots and lots of American dollars. But no-one complains- after all, the white sands, blue waters, sight-seeing/adventure options, and happenning night-life are all well worth it to tourists hungry for the ultimate carribean experience. So, as I was saying, Cancun looks and feels pretty much like the US. The hotels, beaches, and clubs cater to tourists. The only thing that makes it "Mexican" are - well, the Mexicans. All over the place (as one would expect, since it is their country), and in Cancun, most of them speak English, and all of them take your American Dollars in addition to Pesos (and usually make a good arbitrage profit with the exchange rate- we fell for it too, in spite of being warned at the airport by a well-meaning official). Ah yes, that reminds me - the airport in Cancun would give any other fancy international airport a good run for its money. These people have basically got it right. They realized what a gold mine they have as a tourist destination, and have built the infrastructure and system to support it. And as a result, they're making billions of dollars. It makes me want the same for India - we have so many breath-takingly beautiful places in India that can be show-cased to the world and can be potential big-time tourist destinations, if only the infrastructure and facilities are provided right...but this is changing too, somewhat...and more and more of these are cropping up...all for the better.

And what did we do in Cancun? We visited the thousand year old Chi-chen Itza pyramid, the ruins at Tulum (which, high on a cliff right by the blue waters of the Carribean, makes for a spectacularly beautiful sight). We also visited Xel-ha, a natural fresh-water lagoon rich in aquatic and marine life. Here we swam, tubed, and ah- snorkeled. What beautiful fish we saw, colourful parrot fish, big huge mantaray's and scores of other little creatures that dazzled with their colours, sizes and movements...We also tanned ourselves severely on the beaches, splashed incessantly in the blue ocean, and visited a couple of bars, did some couvenier shopping.

And how did we fare with our Spanish? Like I said, it was fine in Cancun, but in some of the other places - we did have some trouble. The sequence went something like this - first we would say something in English, then the guy would say something in Spanish. Incomprehension from both parties. Then he would whip out a calculator and show us the amount we had to pay for the souvenier. Ah, but we wanted to bargain (which is the done thing in Mexico). So we're at it again, not reaching a concensus, because basically we dont get what the other is saying. Then we try gesturing. Doesnt do it. Then we try facial expressions. No luck. Then we try body actions, and mimicking. Nopes, dont work. Finally, we say "No English?". He shakes his head regretfully. Then he says, "No espanol?" We shake our head regretfully. Then we both give up and go our separate ways.

After a sun-drenched, beach-satiated, thorougly relaxing holiday, we returned home, albeit a little sooner than we might have wanted. Cancun, Mexico - a must-do sometime, somewhere.

Summer in SoCal

The weekend was here, and all we wanted to do was get away and de-stress and do something fun. So off we headed to La Jolla, San Diego. We were told of famous sea caves there where kayaking was supposedly a pretty amazing experience. So, water-sport buffs that we are, decided to take the plunge.

The first evening we spent driving around San Diego, from the beautiful Coronado Island to the "historic" Gas Lamp District. It never ceases to amuse me the way Americans call something about 75 years old "historic". Being Indian, and having seen places and things in India that are thousands and thousands of years old, so incredibly beautiful in their seeming timelessness, I am amazed at how short history is to Americans...in any case, the "historic" Gas Lamp district has buildings that are not the regular modern-day concrete monsters, but well...."historic" in the sense of having architecture about 100 years old...and of course, a few lamps on street corners that run on gas (hence the name). So much for that.

The next day we headed on to La Jolla, which is truly a beautiful place. Of course, we went there on a beautiful day, warm and sunny, clear skies which made the ocean look bluer and more inviting. Soon, we were on a kayak together, paddling through what seemed to be an amazingly calm ocean....just like a giant, endless swimming pool. We paddled, and paddled and paddled...and saw the sea caves...waves lashing onto cave openings that looked so dark, and mysterious and inviting...but we had strict instructions not to venture close to the cave openings, so we had to be satisfied with looking from a small distance...still a magnificent sight...layers of the cave surfaces proof of hundreds of years of erosion, and beautiful cave formations...and of course we saw sea lions...almost blended into the background of the cliffs....lying around soaking up the sun, not a care in the world...their only worry seemed to be that they had to share the rocks with the pelicans...thousands of them.

We paddled some more, and in the distance saw a couple of dolphins....only fleeting glimpses, but enough cause for excitement. Then, we came to the tiger sharks....so many of them! And so close to the sea shore....they were right there, swimming beneath our kayaks...slick creatures with tiger stripes on their bodies...supposedly harmless. I experienced a moment of panicky doubt...what if they were actually not THAT harm-less and what if the crashing waves overturned my kayak, and what if I suddenly found myself swimming amongst the sharkies...before my wild imagination ruined my confidence, I paddled furiously away from the spot into deeper and more safer (in my mind) waters...in any case...some other sightings included a huge brilliantly pink and red jelly fish (beautiful creature), and sea lions propped up on buoys in the middle of the ocean, taking a break from swimming around. And of course, we were sharing the ocean with human swimmers who seemed to be swimming miles and miles in deep sea. Admirable stamina.

All in all, a great trip, a dose of blue water, warm sands and a sun-drenched kayaking stint testament to the famous Southern California experience! Comes highly recommended by this fan of the ocean.

Row, Row, Row the Raft

As we drove up the mountains, we saw the Kern River, now a gushing, rushing, raging river crashing down over the rocks, now a calmer, gentler bubbling brook, sparkling in the early morning sun...looking so fresh, so crisp, so beautiful...
Along the way we saw people camping alongside the river, trying to get away from it all, trying to connect with this gorgeous manifestation of Nature itself....much as ourselves, as we made the three hour journey to partake in the adventure of-white water rafting.
Finally, we arrived at Lake Isabella, a beautiful, vast expanse of blue, blue water, looking all the more gorgeous in the early morning sun. We continued to drive towards the point where we were to begin the trip down the river Kern.
When we signed in, got our gear (life jacket, paddle and pep talk by the guide), we were more than ready to start! Now - a little background on our co-rafters: One big gang, consisting of two families were to raft with us. We had to be divided into two rafts and within 3 seconds, the sub-groups were decided...our raft had the both of us, and all the men, and the boys...and the other raft...well, the other raft had the-girls...there was NO WAY the BOYS wanted to go rafting with the GIRLS....!!!
So, off we were to a roaring start.....we made the trip downstream, over the rapids, the view along the way absolutely breath-taking, the day absolutely perfect...we followed the guide's calls...we paddled forward, we paddled backward, we plowed through the rapids, bouncing, splashing, and dancing on the white, white water.....what fun!!!!!!
And then......then we did the "Powerhouse"....a stretch of steep river descent.....claimed to be the steepest river descent in the country....30 feet of sheer rapids...could we do it? Were we upto it? Well....we were about to find out...
Off we started...hearts pounding, paddles paddling...and then, we came to the rapids...
Of course, I fell into the river in the rapids...I had to....(Was I the Rat that deserted the sinking ship? Sinking Raft?) and my knight in shining armor almost fell trying to rescue me....and in the process, the raft lost balance and our GUIDE fell in the river (not a good sign).....then another chap fell, and the guide's paddle hit him on the nose....in the mean time I am desperately trying to get back into the raft.....someone else on the raft lost a sandal, someone else lost a paddle...my "knight" desperately trying to stay ON the raft...lots of screaming..."I LOST MY SANDAL"......"I LOST MY PADDLE!!!!"......"HELP!!!"......and in the general pandemonium that ensued...the guide-less raft (remember the guide is in the river) drifted towards the edge of the river where the trees with their overhanging branches are....and suddenly (by this time all of the jantha has managed to scramble back on the raft) we are faced by scores and scores of tree branches....so again, more screaming "DUCK!!"...."DUCK!"...."DUCK!"..........finally, we manage to steer the raft away from the branches....and manage the rest of the rapids.....float downstream and collect the sandal and the paddle........WHAT FUN!!!
And then we learnt that the GIRLS' raft had experienced no difficulty whatso-ever, they had managed a professional trip down the rapids...but somehow... I think that we had had more fun...
Three cheers to the Kern River and my first white-water-rafting experience!!