This blog is to maintain an account of my travel experiences, whether it is business or pleasure.. there are things I wish to remember.. when I'm old and am not sure whether I will travel as much!

Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Monsoon Waiting

Enna Nadandhudhunaaa..... Part 4: 858 Wet Ramp
adhukku munnadi enna nadandhunnaaa.... Part 3: A Monumental Experience, Part 2: Night Riders, Part 1: 1000 Days and Still Tripping

We had a prolonged tea break and made a huge feast out of the Jalapeno chips, Tenkuzhal, Rava Laddu, etc. before we got ready and set off for dinner. The original plan was to go to a Thai place, but then we decided to check out one of the most hep Desi places in downtown San Diego on 7th ave. It was one of the best car following experiences for me, as I successfully followed Sowmiya onto the parking garage on the 7th Ave Mall. Their car entered a lane, which refused to issue a parking ticket and since there were a lot of cars backed up behind me, I decided to choose the other lane and we got through to our spot faster than they did. But we had a problem, we could not locate them anywhere in the garage.

(suspense.... ad break!)

We managed to get through to Sowmiya on her cell phone and she said we needed to get our parking tickets validated to avoid exhorbitant parking prices. So, we met her at Longs Drugs and got the validation, but realized very soon that we had another problem, both aunty and Sai were MISSING!!! We looked all over the mall, but in vain!

(suspense... time for another break!)


We decided to launch a search party. I asked Sowmiya and Rathish to stay together at the parking lot, while Subha and I went looking for these two. Just as I was descending the stairs, I caught sight of auntie and called to her. The shock was that Sai was not with her!

No... not another break!

Now we had another piece in the puzzle to solve, but atleast the person who did not know directions was safe. But since Sai did not carry his cell phone, we had no way to reaching him, so Subha and I decided to get to the restaurant to see if he was there. Just as we were making our way out there, Subha caught sight of him on the opposite side of 4th ave. So I asked Subha to wait with Sai, while I got the others to the point of reunion. When I reached the parking garage, Rathish was missing and he went out looking for Sai too! I got frustrated but he got back soon and the reunion "brought tears to our eyes" ;-)

Sai had wisely put in our name in the waiting list so that we could get to the table quickly. It turned out that the wait was going to be approximately an hour long! The hour seemed to go on forever but we were having fun talking outside, our legs were paining off the water park experience, and hunger had subsided long ago!

We were getting really frustrated with the people inside, since some of them had long finished their dinner, but refused to leave! They were taking their own sweet time talking about the weather or the Phoenix Suns. Finally we got our chance and marched in. The decor of the restaurant was praiseworthy. We just hoped that the food would live up to the hype.

The appetizer came and went, not even the leaves were spared! The food followed suit and met with the same result, all cleaned up, nothing was spared, not even a chilli, perhaps a piece of paneer wearing the hood of an unhealthy food escaped our menacing hands! The food was top class and the ordering was perfect! We really enjoyed it! What was supposed to be my treat, changed to mine and Sowmiya-Sai's eventually turned out to be a dutch affair, except for Rathish, who was really the only one who paid for besides himself!

We got back home pretty late and went off to sleep. The next day was pretty relaxed and we hang out watching Sun TV, KTV, eating at regular intervals, playing cards (Ace & Rammi). Rathish and I finally had success with the FM transmitter and he even started singing: "We are the champions" and we were ready to leave, but not before Subha got aunty's and Sowmiya's Gujju receipes jeraxed at Intel Jerax!

The drive back home was smooth and really quick, with Rathish topping a 100 miles an hour only for the 2nd time in his life. There were two stops, one for food at Burbank and the other for fuel and switching drivers, around Bakersfield. It was different getting back to work this time after memorial day, I was all pumped up instead of reluctant, the reason was this blog.

Hope you have enjoyed this 5 part series as much as I have in bringing it to you. I would be grateful for any of your comments.

858 Wet Ramp!

Idhu varaikkum, enna nadandhudhunnaaaa....... Part 3: A Monumental Experience
Part 2: Night Riders, Part 1: 1000 Days and Still Tripping

This day began slowly as we continued Mumbai Express from previous night, with some overlap, since I dozed off while watching some of it and others might have dozed off at other times (a la Thavasi). My impression of the movie and perhaps that of some of the others, changed drastically in the morning from overnight! It was a 360 degree turn! I really enjoyed the comedy and think that Kamal is really the best in terms of comic timing! His previous hits like Panchatantiram, MMKR, Avvai Shanmugi are all a testament to this! Certainly not his best movie, but was a very good entertainer. More in my review, coming soon.

It was a long deliberation on what to do for the rest of the day. Sowmiya's mom and Subha got frustrated at the delay in making the decision, the onus of which, fell on me, since I rejected the apple plantations in Julian. In the end, after going through Tripadvisor and several other Google searches, and voting, we shortlisted it to three places: Wild Animal Park, Soak City or Home Sweet Home. Although there were a couple of votes for the home option and one strongly against the Soak City (yours truly), we decided to go to Soak City, since Wild Animal Park was due to close in one hour!

We headed down I-805 to Chula Vista, being slightly slowed down by traffic around I-8, but we got there at around 3:30pm and availed of the discounted entry tickets. It was a sight since this must have been the first time where two women entered the park in Salwars, with an intent to go on all rides! Two was reduced to one, as Subha decided to change!

I was slowly feeling the nerves ( I am scared of water, which I usually pretend as if I am allergic or irritated by water being poured over my head when I am all clothed). Even in previous trips, I have voiced my opposition to Water activities! But this time, I was caught; my wife on one side daring me and my friends on the other, totally amused. I decided to face it like a Ram, which I precisely did! I can ride the scariest coasters, but being drenched in a pool which is 3ft deep, can freak me out. I think the thrill factor took away some of my fear.

Subha was perhaps the one who enjoyed the experience the most. But all of us, including me, had a great time going through all the rides. It was especially enjoyable to ride together. We did have some starting trouble one some rides due to improper posture, but we figured it out and had a wonderful time! The funnel ride was especially thrilling and so also the Coronado Express. With the luxury of the water tube, despite falling off into the water at Sunset River, I daringly explored the depths of the wave pool.

To this day, I cannot believe that it was really me, who went into this park and the water rides, but I am happy I did! This does not mean that I am going to hunt down all the water parks or activities in the near future ;-) I have to commend aunty for her spirit, I think this is far more commendable than anything else I may have mentioned. She tried out almost all the rides including some of the scary ones and enjoyed with all of us. We felt a touch disappointed that Sowmiya could not ride with the rest of us, but I am sure she has a lot of fun in store with baby!

After this, we headed back home for a quick refresh tea break before heading out to dinner and Coronado.

Thodarum..... Part 5: Monsoon Waiting

A Monumental Experience

The story so far.... Continued from Part 2: Night Riders Part 1: 1000 Days and Still Tripping
The Travel Scrabble caught our attention from the moment we entered the living room. So, as the others were getting ready, Sowmiya, Rathish and I got down to business and picked up our pieces and the game began. Even as we were all setting our pieces on the holder, I began cribbing about the rules! They never sent it to me by email in advance! The 'official' rules of Scrabble never appealed to me from a vocabulary sense, it was more of a selfish game and all to do with strategy. The rules we used to play with, during Columbus Reunion, was the one I am used to, so there was some fine tuning to be done, going into this game.

Within the first few moves, the brains of her baby, a.k.a my nephew (or niece), became evident, as she raced away to a HUUUGE lead, much larger than the scores of Rathish and me put together. She played the game with the same Mastery as Vishy Anand in Chess, but her opponents here were no less than Karpov or Kasparov ;-) She took control with her dominance over the closed board and with some help from the pieces. But, from then on, it was always going to be a fight for the second spot. It was a fight to the finish between the two of us and the game kept swinging between "advantage Ram" and "advantage Rat" and finally in the last move, Rathish took the 162-160 lead, just like Aamir Khan in Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar. I am not even going into Sowmiya's score. But you guys realize... its all because of the rules! ;-)

We had a heavy lunch which was preceeded by a heavy breakfast, so we were understandably a trifle reluctant before we set off. The destination was The Cabrillo National Monument at Point Loma. It was a pretty late start, and we were within 2 hours of closing before we got to the gate. So, we were beginning to think whether the time was going to be enough. Our thoughts were cut short by what we saw through the windows. The breath-taking sight of the ocean on one side directly down below and the hill on the other side, was simply something I am used to seeing only in BMW or Lexus ads. I used to wonder whether such places ever exist, but now, I am convinced! We were all at loss of vocabulary to describe what we saw. I would have failed in the Scrabble game miserably, if I were to play at that moment (as if I did not screw up, even under normal circumstances!). Subha ended the silence with a summary: "This is the most beautiful place I've ever seen!". I think it was a fairly accurate summary for me too. We were really hesitant to accelerate and were barely going at 5 miles an hour and even that seemed too fast! Awesome!

We drove all the way down to sea level and Subha was uncontrollable at the sight of waves hitting against the rocks! She ran all the way down to the farthest rock to get her legs washed by the waves of the Pacific! Sai, aunty, Sowmiya and baby had no hesitation in doing the same! Rathish and I had a wonderful time with the camera and the camcorder. I was so thankful to Mother Nature to have given me this instant in time, where I could relish the air, the water, the sky, the rocks, the technology and this life at the same instant!!

After having spent quite some time and realizing that we can never have enough of this experience, reality set in and we had to leave very reluctantly. We were looking back all the time. Atleast we have Rathish's camcorder footage that captures the essence of this beauty to relive it. The sound of the waves hitting against the rocks and the carvings alongside the coast line rocks made this really memorable. We drove all the way up to the Old Point Loma lighthouse. There was a neat little exhibit, that described the workings of the lighthouse, some history about this specific lighthouse, etc. It was good education and some fascination.

Then, there was an exhibit inside the lighthouse. We were excited and were led to believe that we could grab an "operator's eye view of the Pacific, but looking at Rathish and Sai's expressions, as they descended the narrow stairs leading out of the lighthouse, I was convinced that it was not quite the same as what we had fathomed. Aunty summarized it in a few words: "cha... onnumey illai". It was probably the operator's humble quarters within the lighthouse.

We went closer to the Cabrillo monument, but instantly our eyes went towards the inland San Diego, as it was seen over the Coronado Island. It was a wonderful sight of Downtown San Diego, the airport and the rest of the land over the Pacific backwaters. A few sailboats racing across the waters provided topic of discussion as we sat down admiring the beauty from the high hills on this national monument. I can best describe this experience as "monumental".

We then headed to the Seaport village, which is a small ensemble of antique/gift shops, restaurants and activity by the ocean. It was a pretty good place to hang out and we filled our growling tummies with Fries, Rings and coffee. It was nice to get something warm by the ocean besides getting our parking tickets validated for Free parking ;-) Fatigue was slowly creeping into the Bay Area delegation as we headed back home. We took a small nap as aunty ushered Sowmiya and Sai to her hilltop friend's place for a "tea party" ;-) As we woke up, we realized that they had missed us out there, so I assured aunty, that I'd go there with her the following day, if necessary.

We began watching Mumbai Express, the latest Kamal Hassan flick, after dinner, but since we had to watch it on the laptop, thanks to an infidel DVD player, it was not inspiring enough for a tired audience. So, after having a brief chat, we all consigned to our dreams. End of a long but super day, it will be "etched in my heart forever"!

Continued: Part 4: 858 Wet Ramp

Night Riders

Continued from 1000 Days and still tripping

The Ajanta wall clock in my apartment struck 7:00, then 8:00 and then 8:15?? No, this time it was my cell phone! It was Rathish, who reminded me that it was time to go pick up the rental car! Then I rushed through my Friday evening chores before hitting Central Expressway en route to Rathish's. We got to the airport fairly quickly and were absolutely delighted with an empty Dollar Rental counter. We gave the huge line of people on the Enterprise queue a meaningfully wicked smile.

The happiness as it turned out, was fairly shortlived! We asked for a car that had a cassette adapter and the lady at the counter was so advanced that she asked us to get out of cassettes and switch to "i-pad", perhaps Apple's next generation upgrade for its white singer! Bummer! That set back our music plans for the trip since we were out of CDs into Mp3s, which the Dollar rental folks must have forgotten about! If that was not enough, as soon as we hit the rental car exit lanes, we were greeted by several cars, all trying to get out through the exit doors. The feeling must have been the same as what the 3rd class passengers in the Titanic must have felt, when their door was opened.

It took us more than an hour to wade through the gridlock before we could hit 101. Rathish told me over the fone, that there was an FM transmitter which could transmit the MP3 player output onto an FM station for a limited range and that could perhaps get us back on track. I was pretty enthused by the technology that I took a detour onto Fry's at Lawrence and walked in through the exit doors under the pretext of "looking for my wife" (the shop was closed!). I was lucky to stumble across the aisle which housed this neat little product! I bought it in a hurry and walked out through the same exit door, without having to give much of an explanation (the security guy was probably looking for his wife this time round!)

The clock struck 1:00, waking me up from my mild nap and we got ready. Rathish and Vidya were on time and we set off in the depth of the night with a half moon to keep us company through our drive. It was a pretty quiet drive, with not much of music to keep us company, since we couldn't quite figure out an empty FM station! So much for that Fry's adventure! But we resolved not to give in very easily! Rathish and I split the drive in half and switched during the only fuel stop near Bakersfield. We dropped Vidya off at SDSU before heading to the Eastview pt residence of the Tirumalai's. Just as we were pulling into their driveway, Sowmiya called to enquire where we were, and Rathish decided to give her a surprise and announced that we had just crossed LA. Sowmiya was a touch disappointed and was preparing for another small nap, before she heard the doorbell!

We were greeted warmly by Anu aunty, Sowmiya and Sai. Since we had spaced the drive well, none of us were really sleepy upon arrival. So, we hang out, chalked out what we wanted to do, watched SunTV, had breakfast and got ready to roll out!

Continued in Part 3: A Monumental Experience

Friday, May 27, 2005

1000 Days and still tripping!

The Memorial Day weekend is one of the most eagerly awaited for holidays. It is the first major holiday during the year when you can travel freely without having much to worry about the weather.

3 years ago, a visionary, a.k.a Ramkumar set up the stage to host Columbus Reunion. It turned out to be a grand success! Other trips among our friends circle followed in a mad rush in 2001 with varying destinations and compositions. It even inspired the director of April Maadhathil to adopt the concept without paying Ramkumar the royalty for the same!

3 weddings, an engagement, a pregnancy, 2 home purchases later, you expect things will be kind of different. But the fact is that we are still able to celebrate our togetherness on every major occasion such as those mentioned above.

3 years after the first trip and the enthusiasm is not down. We are off to San Diego for the Nth time to visit Sowmiya before she leaves California. Each time we've been out there, it has been a lot of fun and I expect this to be no different. This is the 6th time perhaps, after SANtana, VivekEnd, SANdhippu (to meet her mom, when she came down here first), her reception, The Big Independence Drive and now! This city will perhaps be the most visited, now that Sunnyvale has become my home!

I hope you will enjoy the coverage for this trip, brought to you as a 5-part series for ease of reading. I look forward to your comments and suggestions.

continued... Part 2: Night Riders