New Hampshire Fall Season

The Falls

Many trips I have made before and many I hope to make. But this will always be the first trip I made alone. That is if you don’t count that I actually arrived in the US on my own! A while back I remember having a chat with my cousin discussing the trials of a single life, one of which was that inevitably at some point in time, you are going to have to have to make a trip alone, watch a movie alone or at the very least eat alone in a restaurant. So with a heavy heart and I will admit that my heart was a little heavy (especially when I have to actually wake up at 5:00 in the morning to catch my bus at 6:00) and a little trepidation I started my journey towards Niagara.

The lessons I learned as a result of getting up a 5:00 in the morning:

At the Edge of the Falls

The American Falls

Looking down at the Rocks

Getting up Close and Personal

The Canadian Horseshoe Falls from a Distance

The Rainbow

Sin City !

For me, traveling has never been about a checklist of activities that I must complete in a predefined order. Don’t get me wrong, I do obsess with planning, but well (at least I like to think) that I obsess just the right amount:) But my Vegas trip in so many ways was like a virgin journey for me. Virgin because:

(a) I have never been to Vegas before.

(b) I did NOT PLAN a single thing!

It was just me, my friends and the City and I figured that we’d somehow make some beautiful memories together. And make memories we did! .(tejal : stop gigging - that's memories! )To begin with, what a landing!!! Landing in Vegas at 11:50 pm on Friday Night was nothing short of a heart stopper. Beautiful Las Vegas Boulevard stretched out in front of us with all its lights and glimmer and suddenly the 6 hours of flight time seemed really worth it. There are few sights as beautiful as an aerial view of Vegas by night. I must admit, albeit grudgingly (cause every one knows I love New York City) that Vegas beat NY hands down and there was no denying that!

So there I was in this lovely, glitzy city in the middle of the dessert in the middle of the night … the excitement was beginning to build. Las Vegas Airport lived up to the City’s name, and is definitely one of the prettier airports I’ve seen. Tastefully built with billboards galore, showcasing everything that the city yonder had to offer us. Why, they even had slot machines right there in the airport! As if to say, “you know what you are here for, so let’s not waste any time and get right to the gambling!”

But I was there for much more than the gambling…

Got a little artistic ! This is the view from the ladder that rested along the castle walls, that overlooked the plateau around the Grand Canyon

A cloudy Sky

On our way back from the Grand Canyon ... the scenery was awesome...

The Colorado looks like a little stream from where we stood

Bellagio Interiors

Full of grandiose and Pomp !

A Pirate Boat at Treasure Island

New York .. New York

What can I say, it is the most overwhelming experience I have ev

er had! It is difficult to describe the way the city hits you. New York City is probably one of few American cities that receive so much media coverage and yet nothing in the world can prepare you for it. What with 200 feet tall video advertisements and tastefully done 50 by 50 feet murals and The ABC News Ticker and Ernst And Young building looking down on you and the Paramount Broadway Theater lit up in all its glory and the New York Police Officer traveling on horseback as he surveys his domain and the bright yellow New York taxis with apna desi cabbies racing past and honking at you and the people – My God – its no joke – so many people – Blacks , Whites, Hispanics, the rich, the sophisticated , the poor , the bums, the weirdos, the street side saxophonist playing his lonely tunes as he begs for money , the colors , the noise , the glare, the intensity – it makes you feel like the most insignificant thing in the world. It’s as if the City can bend down and swallow you whole. There was one point when I was standing at Times Square, I could have cried.

Celebrating the Days of Old

Old Broadway street in Manhattan....where the past is remembered..

Time to Stare

Stealing a quiet moment at Central Park

Playing Baseball at Central Park

just one of many ways to keep yourself busy at the park..

At the Statue of Liberty

What a sight for sore eyes!

Looking at Sky

Just walking down the street ..I glance upward to catch a bit of sky

Goa : where the good times never end!

I’ve been to Goa more than 5 times now and each time I love the place even more. Goa brings out the laziest best in me. A typical day in Goa starts of in the late morning when you wake up to the smell of frying salami and cocktail sausages. My last visit found me and a group of friends at “Ozzy’s place” – one of them typical bed and breakfast kind of places: where the owners cook you breakfast and stop by for small talk. Sitting on the veranda: breakfast generally lasts for nothing less than an hour.

After that it’s into our shorts and head for the sun and surf. While the Goa sea-face offers a lot of water sports opportunities, there are other interesting sports as well – like making out figures in the clouds or counting the waves at they hit the shore. The latter sport is more to my liking cause it can be achieved while not deviating from the horizontal position.

So much was the inclination to lie around and do nothing that we found ourselves in a Keralite Massage Place ( yes in Goa!), where for a mere 450 rupees you can enjoy a terrific body rub. And this was no ordinary place either- the ambience was great and so were the Tibetan chants that were playing in the background. That alone would have put me to sleep! After the massage was done and they had rubbed you with the sweetest smelling oils, you were allowed to take a bath and were offered lime tea. It was the works, I assure you!

Having pampered our bodies, it was time to pamper our stomachs. And when you are in Goa, oh what a pampering you get!

At the sea..

Coconut palms , sand, water, boats and sky.....a complete picture

Holy Cow !

We are not the only ones enjoying the beach

A Midsummer Day's Reality !

It is not uncommon for churches to form traffic Islands.........all life including traffic navigates around the edges of faith ..

Munnar..A Touch of Heaven

I can still remember approaching Munnar...It had been a long nights journey from Bangalore . This had been one of those completely unplanned departures. I was in Bangalore visiting a friend and our original plan was to go to Ooty: A very famous hill station in the south. However as luck would have it, most of the buses were overbooked - what with it being prime holiday season and all that! That's when Nefi first suggested Munnar to me. I had never heard of Munnar before and I must admit I was more than a little skeptical , but I couldn't resist Nefi's quaint little Bangalorean quip "Don't worry Ma, I'm sure it will be great" ( all bangaloreans punctuate their sentences with 'MA', it's a term of endearment ). So before we knew it we were on a bus headed south to Munnar. At one point in the journey we realised we weren't even sure whether Munnar was in Kerala or Tamil Nadu! All we knew is that we were a 100 miles from Bangalore and there was no turning back.

So like I was saying, we were approaching munnar. It was around 11 in the morning. The landscape around us had turned to a blanket of green. The calming sounds of gurgling brooks and gushing waterfalls engulfed us. The air grew fresher and with every breath, so did our spirits. Munnar is a nature-lovers paradise. What I liked most about it is its rustic fee

l, unlike most other hill stations that have been commercialised/ 'civilized'. We found ourselves in a cosy little room and threw our bags down and went to explore the town.

First Stop - Find a guide or at least have him find us ( more like he followed us till we gave in :) ). I mean you can't blame the lot - they have to make a living!

Second Stop - Food. We spotted a decent looking restaurant in the city centre. Right at once our guide warned us against the restaturant - very costly he says . But what the hell - we were tourists and were determined to act the part. So despite our guide's warning we entered that restaurant, kept our fingers crossed and opened the menu card with a little apprehension . Beef Fry and Rice - 30 rupees ! I had forgotten that far away from Bombay in a little corner of india 30 rupees is a lot of money to some people. I made a mental note to value every penny I have and without wasting too much time tucked right into the beef fry! Of course, at this point any uncertainty we felt regarding which state in India we were in was laid to rest - Kerala is the only place in India that serves beef in a restaurant.

Of Beautiful sights and sounds

My Favourite Pic

Anywhere Alone

This could be Rotterdam or anywhere ..

Liverpool or Rome..

Cause Rotterdam is anywhere..

Anywhere alone..

On our Way

On the road to Paradise....

A glimpse of a brook

Stopping by woods on a cloudy evening ..