Pooh's Den: travel

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Phew! Finally done

Finally I got around updating our travel blog ... Take a look

Part 1 of our trip to Dubai

Wine Country Texas

Desert Safari in Dubai Vs. Hawaiian Luau

Last Saturday, we headed out to Messina Hof, a winery some 100 miles away from Houston. They were celebrating their harvest festival so we joined in the fun. Picked luscious Spanish grapes, stomped them and learned a bit about wine making and oh yeah I did forget to mention the wonderful harvest lunch served. In all, a real fun trip! Here are some pictures

Back in Houston!

We are back in Houston after a long tiring journey. This trip has left us recharged yet exhausted, happy yet sad.... yeah complicated...

As we get back into routine, we plan to unpack not just the 200 odd pounds we carried back but the baggage each of us personally accumulated during the trip. It will be a journey within ourselves and the lessons we learn and discover hopefully will make a difference to ourselves and others.

India trip was wonderful inspite of spending quite a lot of time, coughing and sneezing! Will have more about our trip soon....

Strange Sightings

Often I end up observing strange things which make me laugh, cry, and/or groan. This trip with no worries about keeping an eye on the road and time, I had an opportunity to click some pictures of some strange observations.

Share my laugh!

An absolute bad photoshop job on one of the boxes seen around!

Here we go, logging in from Dubai.. A quick stopover before we reach India.. The past two days we have spent quite some time on our feet, walking along dust laden steets and sweating it out in the hot summer.

There have been quite some moments of englightment and fun in Dubai! Our Dubai Chronicles will be updated soon on our travel blog!

And off we head home tomorrow... good food and the best company! Life is good.. really good!

Off Home!

The bags are packed to the brim, the hundred one formalities to be sorted out are being done and we are getting ready to head home!

This space will be little sluggish but we'll back with lots of stories and photos!

Notes from the Windy City!

We are in Chicago this weekend! Just wanted to drop in a few lines,

- to all mothers around the world and the mothers-to-be Happy Mother's day.. a day to celebrate you guys is not enough! A lifetime is more like it!

- to V & V - as you step into matrimony... good luck... we hope you both remain happy and smiling forever!

- to the Tamil Mirchi Team in H-town! Good Luck! We are sorry we are missing the launch but will be joining you guys next week for aaratai, kondadtam and kootu! (will write more about this soon)

- to great friends we are hanging out with in the Windy City! Thanks for the years of friendship! You bring so much laughter and happiness to our lives

As you guessed this weekend is fun-filled and busy! We'll be back in Houston on Monday with more tales!

Worth every minute

The weekend found us in Seattle. A good 4.5 hours flight from home. Add in the one hour drive to the airport, two hours before flight check-ins... it does make one exhausted completely. But the minute we stepped out of the airport and hit the streets of Seattle in the Nissan Rogue rental, we feel in love with Seattle all over again.

This was our second visit to Seattle (read about our previous visit here) and this is one city we would never grow tried of. In spite of the cold weather Seattle always charms us and wins us

over. Yes it is one city we won't mind living in despite its freezing temperatures and incessant rains. Coming from people who complain Texas Gulf Coast winters are horrible this is indeed an achievement.

Throw into a visit, old friends with whom you can sit and talk for hours without pausing or thinking about the politically correct answers, an adorable 6-week old baby, yummy food. Yes it makes the trip even more pleasurable.

Add in an unexpected twist - an old and very dear friend/brother from college days on a visit to Seattle the very weekend we end up there! Absolute happiness. 4 years since we met, the same easy flow of conversation, spicy and hot Thai food, lovely hosts and above all a walk back in time...Worth it completely!

A 40-mile drive on a wet, gloom afternoon towards Skagit Valley and getting blown away by the tulips. (Will write more about it on our travel blog soon) Perfect in all aspects!

The weekend was everything we anticipated it to be and more. Thanks for making it what it was and yes we are set for another whirlwind trip the coming weekend. Planning to visit more friends and create more memories!

Southern Hospitality

I have read quite a bit about the friendly people in the South and the rude New Yorkers. Almost any fiction set in the South raves on about the helpful "Southerners". Living in Houston for what seems an eternity now, we really did not feel any special hospitality radiating towards us or neither did we radiate anything special to out-of-towners!

Our visits to other Southern cities - Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and many more really left us thinking that Southern Hospitality is long gone and dead just like chivalry. Our trip to NYC last year was a rude awakening (pun-intended). We did realize Houstonians and Texans and Southerners along with all the drawls and y'lls pack in quite a lot of friendly nature reserved for everyone they meet.

But a couple of weekends back, one of those lovely Texas Spring weekends, we made a trip to a long forgotten ghost town - Independence. (You can read more about the trip in our travelogue here). Located not too far from the big-bad-city of Houston where we reside, Independence boasts of a population of 140, one general store that sells everything, one un-named gas station at the general store, few ruins, couple of old churches, a few old homes, an antique rose garden and no-other-eateries for the next 11 miles! It was in this ghost town we realized what Southern hospitality really meant.

None invited us for dinner or gave us a big gift but it was small deeds which we mom taught us. Small deeds which we never have time to do in this busy world. Small deeds that put a smile on the receivers face. Two strangers made our day trip to Independence memorable. I bet they don't even remember our faces or the small deeds they did but it matters a lot to us. And the fact that I am documenting this in our blog just implies it is one lesson we never want to forget.

Imagine this, you are on a one lane road - a country road on a Saturday morning. The road is almost deserted other than few well-worn pick-up trucks (Texas stable) whizzing past. Probably ranch hands carrying on their chores. On both sides are typical Texas farms, grass, hay bales, a few longhorns grazing, oil rigs, pipe lines, sprinklers, wildflowers. In this wild west landscape, a lone sedan making its way on this road suddenly without warning turns on its indicator lights and pulls into a small dirt track with a "no trespassing" sign big and bold. The occupants of the sedan are surprised to see the while Ford pick-up truck behind them slowing down a few feet in front of them and the driver puts out his head looking at them. The occupants, V and R are stunned, V's over active imagination is conjuring up everything from highway robbery to a mere coincidence. But soon they realize that the Texan had just done what any other friendly Texan would have done, inquire if the suddenly-pulled-off-the-road-sedan needed any help on a lonely road leading to a ghost town.

Like every road trip, they plan, they religiously checked their gas tanks, their insurances and their AAA membership cards, drinking water, snacks, cell phone batteries life and the such before setting out. In case of an emergency the first thing we would probably do was call AAA never would we have imagined a Texan stopping to help. Well this is what living in a big city does to one I guess!

And to our friendly Texan riding the white pick-up along the road to ghost town thanks! For putting a smile on our faces, for bringing back lessons that we need to remember...

The second incident took place along the same road to ghost town. A little closer to our destination,just near the town (or should I call it a village) of Clay we spotted a lovely patch of Bluebonnets in front of a house. Pulling off the road we started grabbing our cameras we did what tourists are good at - clicking pictures from all conceivable angles and complaining about the election signs placed in the middle of the bluebonnets. Suddenly, a car pulls into the driveway of the house and the car driver - a lovely young lady steps out and asks us if we want a picture together. And as all tourists we say sure and pose. Then the lady stops and says the signs are spoiling the view and goes on to pull out all the signs from the patch of bluebonnets before clicking our pictures. Another random act of thoughtfulness. Just a few weeks back, we have walked around Houston's famed streets clicking photos of azaleas in full bloom and got quite a few nasty stares from homeowners...and this young lady's thoughtfulness made our day!

And to the young lady who clicked our pictures, thank you! May your life be filled with joy as much as the bluebonnets doting your home gave us!

Is this Southern Hospitality? Or is this the way life needs to be lived? Questions we asked ourselves! Randomn acts of kindness puts a smile on a stranger's face and that smile will surely come back to you when you need it!

April flowers!

“April comes like an idiot, babbling and stewing flowers.”

~ Edna St. Vincent Millay

And off we went on a wonderful April weekend to check out the beautiful wildflowers and small town charm.. Smelling the beautiful roses at the Antique Rose Emporium in Indepence, Texas, I just realized roses I buy at the store don't have the heady strong scent. Dreaming about it and at work on this Monday morning!

More about our weekend coming soon at Scary-on

Backpacking through Deutschland

Finally, after almost 2 years, we have got around writing a travelogue of our 4 day whirlwind trip through Germany in the summer of 2006 in our travel blog.

As they say, better late than never!

Writing the first part and going through old photos was as interesting as the trip itself. Memories as they say, make life worthwhile!

R's pictures of the Koln Cathedral are here!

Aloha!

And we are off for a vacation to Aloha land tomorrow. We are looking forward to visiting the islands, enjoying its unique culture and amazing beaches. We'll be back soon with all the details. Take a peek into our travel blog for more details and updates!

Eggitibition

We were in Dallas a couple of weekends back and decided to head to the Texas State fair held every year at Dallas. We were there on the day when the UT played against OU and we were in a sea of orange and red. And here is my take on the state fair.

Some of my fondest memories of growing up are the visits to the exhibitions (rather eggibition in the local slang!) aka porutkatchis that made regular appearances in summer and the festival season at the neighborhood school grounds. It was such an exciting event and off we went! The merry family ohing and ahhing over everything.

The smell of the dust mingled with assorted fried foods, the dripping ice creams, the sweaty bodies added another dimension to the whole evening. And did I forget to mention the blaring loudspeakers? Lit up like a birthday cake, the exhibition was a sight set to attract people of all ages. The milagai bhajis, Delhi appalams, karmpu charu (sugarcane juice) and the pink panju mittais (cotton candy) were a treat to enjoy. Fast food, the Indian style served with on disposable plates made our mouth water and yeah we went to the exhibitions for the cheap trinkets, the thrilling rides and the amazing food!

The State fair of Texas was definitely bigger than any exhibition I had ever been to, after all it is Texas, everything is but big in Texas. The Texas State fair, showcases and sells not just the typical household items but also ranch animals like cows, pigs, goats. So in the market for a painted pony? Just head out to the state fair.

Quite a change from the typical fair foods I was used to in India, the Texas state fair does offer some yummy food. Corn on the cob with butter and cayenne chili powder for the kick, corny dogs, fried cheesecake, fried bananas with chocolate and nuts and cream, fried coke, fried cookie dough, fried latte and the list goes on! Yes! I know many of these names sound really weird and yucky but believe me they taste amazing. Just reinforcing my belief, anything fried and sold in the fair tastes good.

Oh yeah, it is no where close to the eggibitions from the growing up days in India but something is definitely better than nothing. Stop by, stay Howdy to Big Tex (the official mascot of the fair), show unwanted stuff, dream about expensive luxuries, listen to loud blaring music, ride the skyway and try your luck at some of the game stalls, attend a few shows and top off with some amazing fair food!

But be warned it will leave the desi in you carving for real eggibition food, milagai bhajis and delhi appalams here I come!

The mascot, Big Tex

Back in H-town

After a dose of history, fall foliage and small town USA wanderings we are back in Houston. Our trip details are here!

Anacortes Mornings

Mornings are my favorite time of the day. As the sun comes up and the night gently fades away, all life is awoken by the warm rays of sunshine and sounds of the dawn fill the air. Two of my best mornings this year were during my trip to the Pacific Northwest. Specifically I'm talking about my two mornings waking to the sights and sounds of Anacortes.

Anacortes is a beach town situated about 80 miles to the Northwest of Seattle close to the Vancouver Archipelago. There we stayed at the Heron Hill Inn and Suites, a Bed and Breakfast. We reached there after nightfall and couldn't really see anything much. The narrow roads and winding roads did look scary! The gentle lapping of the waves along the coast as we checked in was a welcoming sound.

The next morning up early by habit,we decided to step out to take in the view. And what a view it was! Walking around the wrap around porch to the back of the B&B, one could see many islands that dot the bay and water was so still and motionless. You could see shades of pink as the sky was just lighting up. There was nobody to disturb the stillness in the air and I just took in the scene of the still bay and the distant lights of the town still sleeping. We watched with awe as the colors slowly changed with more sunlight coming in as the minutes ticked by and the sounds of birds started to fill the air. The morning was a wonderful way to kick start the day

Early morning colors on the bay

The city still sleeps

Islands in the bay

A whole different view of the bay awaited us the next morning! The famed Seattle drizzle during the night just changed everything. The bay was covered with a blanket of fog, and one couldn't see those islands visible the previous day! A lot more birds could be heard and seen this morning. Herons, gulls and loons were up and out looking for food. We sat there amazed how one day could change the view of the same place so much.

Heron in the fog

A loon flapping her wings

A pair of gulls, looking for an early bite

World Tourism Day

Today is World Tourism day and V and R have painstakingly complied a list of 400 places worth traveling to. You can check it out here

Traveling around the world!

The world has shrunk and check out the cool destinations our new ipod travels before reaching us. Designed in California, shipped from Shanghai and reaches Houston via Anchorage...

Travel God?

Both V and R have a normal Hindu religious upbringing. From regular temple visits, to daily lamp lighting and poojas at home and some sloka chatting… you know the normal thing. They visit the temple regularly and pray to God, the way that was taught to them. Bowed head, hands together, eyes closed as the ringing bells mixed with the chanting of Sanskrit slokas fill the air, the smell of the burning oil/camphor mixed with the agarbati smell creating a haze… Eyes flutter open as the aarati is done before God and a frantic pleading to God in the form of a silent list of things to be done….

Late last night, just before going to sleep, V was just thinking about the hanging-in-the-air vacation planned, the one she desperately wants to go – a cruise to Alaska. Yes! the rational mind of her says, if not now, later probably early next summer but the other half tempts her with the amazing photos she has seen – her mind turning into a high-def TV showing snow capped mountains, pristine waters.. ahhh!! Bliss! Who doesn’t want such a vacation?And her immediate involuntary reaction was to pray.. pray to God to make her vacation a reality. But then the rational side of her took over. And here are some questions her rational mind asked… any answers?

Is it really worth asking God for a vacation?
Isn’t it petty? Trivial? There are so much more happening in the world one could pray for… no not the beauty contest world peace or the latest Bollywood actors interest in global warming issues. There are so many people whom we know personally who just need a boost. A vacation seems so stupid compared to their lives
And back to the same thing, we keep asking God for so much, the list grows by the day but what do we do in return. I really am not sure if giving thanks to God is a part of Hinduism. I could be totally wrong but I feel we just ask and ask but never say thanks (Pongal being the exception I guess). All our slokas seem to be praising the God and then asking for one’s own well-being. Correct me if I am wrong…

After all these questions, V just decided to keep her fingers crossed and mutter a small thanks for all the numerous things we have in life and leave the rest to Him! and the vacation... if we are going we'll surely let u know.. yup a few more crossed fingers won't hurt...

Vacation -5

After doing the typical touristy stuff at Niagara, we had a day to do something else and we were thinking about a trip into Toranto but later decided against it and headed out to the African Lion Safari.

It is a type of zoo where you drive through the gardens and watch the animals from the confines of your car. It is a bit more exciting than the usual behind-the bars animals as you get to see them move. We were in time to see the elephants enjoy a bath and R had a field day! And his photos are here and here.

And on our way back to Niagara Falls, we stopped at Niagara-on-the-lake. A quaint town with a laid-back feel. Bed and Breakfasts, vineyards and wineries are all over the place has all the makings of a romantic getaway. If you are looking forward for a quiet place to vacation and yet be close to the touristy thing, I would surely recommend you stay at Niagara-on-the-lake and head out to Niagara Falls for some action in the evenings.

This is the last in the series of our Summer 2007 getaway!

Vacation - 4

The last destination of our vacation was Niagara Falls, Canada. Yes we did go to the Canadian side and it is definitely a better view that the American side. From NJ it was a good 7+ hours drive and crossing the border was a breeze. Once you learn to look past the tacky touristy attractions, the Falls is indeed amazing! It is astonishing how a small river and millions of years can create such a wonderful sight. The roaring falls and the mist rising from the falls is something to awe at.

We did the usual touristy thing at Niagara. If you are at Niagara for a day, I would recommend you buying their Adventure pass for around $40 USD. This pass gives you access to all the must-see places and also the mover bus. Our first stop was the Journey behind the Falls and once you are hundreds of feet below the falls it is a scary and yet amazing site. You cannot hear yourself over the thundering of the falls and the fine spray of water drenching you despite the yellow ponchos handed out. It is also an engineering marvel. Imagine blasting through rocks to build the tunnel!

Our next stop was the Greenhouse. A deserted and not so famous tourist area...but amazing display of hydrangeas greeted us. We spent sometime enjoying the gardens before heading to the famous Maid of the mist boat ride. And what do I say about the Maid of the Mist, it is worth visiting it. I also makes me wonder how these resourceful people turn a falls into the much talked about and touristy attraction. India sure has tons to learn about marketing and developing its amazing resources.

The Whirlpool Aero Car, the Butterfly Conservatory, The floral clock and the White Water Walk were other things we did at the Niagara Falls. Ofcourse we were there for the night illumination and fireworks at the Falls on Friday evening and later hit the casino. The age for entry into casino's in Canada is 19 so baby bro KA got lucky and enjoyed the gambling scene.

R has some great pictures here and here

Photo Courtesy: KA and V's dad

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