Blue Blue and more Blue at the Baltimore Aquarium

Hola from the Bay Area! My parents have gone away on a whirlwind tour of the South-West. They will be visiting LA, Vegas, San Diego and Grand Canyon over the next few days. My uncle who has taken them categorically decided I don't deserve to see those places again after my recent Cross Country trip. Meanwhile Arun is planning on more travel in the Philadelphia area this weekend. So I figured this is my last chance to squeeze in a post on our trip to the National Aquarium at Baltimore last weekend.

We planned on spending an entire day at the Aquarium. In hindsight, after seeing what a bunch of animal and photography lovers Arun's and my families are made up of, I'm surprised we finished in a day. My dad and Arun spent what felt like hours at each viewing station chasing every shiny elusive fish with their cameras. Arun's dad went bonkers shooting videos of everything in sight with his beloved handycam. I wandered around wide eyed- an entranced child in that blue paradise. The mothers, being absolute mothers, tried in vain to keep everyone together while oohing and aahing at the colorful creatures. It was two happy families!

The guys who built the aquarium have thought of everything. From the dim photography-friendly lighting in the different galleries to the eerie music in the Jellyfish exhibit, the attention to detail was really impressive. They even projected on a wall a real time image and description of the exact fish swimming at any moment under the bridge we were standing. The shows were pretty good too. The dolphin show, albeit not as entertaining as the one in Sea World, had the mammals doing some cool tricks. The parents really enjoyed the 4D show.Of course we didn't tell them beforehand about the phantom snakes that slithered through their legs or the giant whale that spat on them from the screen. They laughed, still tickled, for a full 15 minutes after the show.

Tired parents at the end of the day

The "Jellies Invasion" Exhibit wins hands down as the highlight of the aquarium visit. It is amazing that creatures as pretty as those orange parachutes silently floating down, those tender exquisite lacelike mushrooms, such wispy fragile looking things actually pose a dangerous threat in the ocean. Arun loved the riot of colors they created against the bright blue water. Here are some pictures of the jellies to round off the post. 

Do visit the aquarium if you happen to be in the area. 

The Champion Parents - The East Coast in 15 days

Graduation, sight seeing in Philadelphia, Luray Caverns in Virginia and Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park, Washington DC, 1000 Islands, Niagara Falls, Letchworth State Park, Corning Glass Museum, New York City, Baltimore Aquarium, New Jersey... All in just 2 weeks. Whew!!! That was my parents' itinerary from 17th - 31st May. Add to it social visits in Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York. 

Be it 6 hour long drives, eating pizza, subs and Mexican food or walking entire days, my parents surprised me by being complete champs. I expected to search for Indian restaurants wherever I went and was prepared to use taxis to commute within cities. But their adaptability and enthusiasm to try new things and see new places was amazing. It was a pleasure to show them around, almost like traveling with people of my age. And as you can see, we covered quite a bit on the east coast in the last couple of weeks.

Here are some pictures from various places...

Philadelphia Duck tour & Giant LCD Screen in the Comcast building - Philadelphia

Lake of Dreams & Saracen's Tent - Luray Caverns, Virginia

                                   

Washington Monument - Washington DC

Botanic Garden - Washington DC

Corning Glass Museum - New York

Museum of Natural History, Statue of Liberty, Charging Bull - New York City

I figured the best time to show my parents around is when I'm still unemployed and don't have a job and bosses to worry about. Kudos to them for putting up with my crazy travel schedule! I'm off to California today for two months of my mom's home cooked food. And oh! Wish me luck for my impending job search *snicker*...

See post below: Niagara and 1000 Islands with Arun's family and mine

Coming up: Blog post and pictures for Baltimore Aquarium.

Trip to Niagara Falls and 1000 islands!

Last weekend, Kavitha and I did what a perfect desi would do as one of the first things when parents visit them in this country. Drive to Niagara falls. I can say for sure, that it has become more of a ritual for desis and still remains an unsolved mystery for many firangs.

But I did not want the visit to include just the falls, so sneaked 1000 islands into the itinerary. I was attempting to make the trip as different as I could. (Anybody who has visited Niagara for more than 5 times would understand what I'm talking about!). We set off on a Friday evening, the plan being to reach 1000 islands and rest for the night in a much-hyped completely furnished riverside cottage house.

We had no idea that a)it will not be a cottage house or b)it will not be on the riverside, until we reached the place at 1.30am. We were told by the vacation home company that they would leave the lights on and place the keys on the living room table, if we reach late. The only thing that was lit in the absolute dark campground was a caravan. We looked around and having no option, I stepped into the caravan, opened the door and switched on the lights. I shocked myself at the amazing sight!

The insides of the caravan looked exceedingly well furnished and the key was on the living room table, as told. I invited the other folks to join, only for them to be suprised and excited! Kavitha and I had our moments of laughter, as only we knew what we'd planned for and how it had all ended up! Everyone seemed extremely happy and it was one hell of a night!

Kavitha and I spent the next half hour outside in the cold attempting to take a night shot of the Caravan and also a long-pending picture of star-trails. I was not entirely unhappy with what it finally turned out to be.

Night photograph of the Caravan and the star trails

The next day had equally exciting moments, but on water instead of land. We rented a Pontoon boat and set off into the waters. Yours truly being an experienced boat driver (having rented a Pontoon boat once before, I can't call myself a Captain yet!), started the boat engine and within 10 metres of slow-sailing near the dock, we heard people shouting and waving at us. We looked around, only to find that I had been inadvertently dragging one of the fishing nets by the boat engine.

Who the hell would expect a fishing net there? We had to wait for help. One of the rental company folks arrived in a smaller boat, disentangled the net. We started all over again, this time with no problems. We spent the next 3 hours in the water,enjoying the sights of the numerous islands around. Everytime a big boat or a ship passed us, the waves made our boat rock big time. Everyone tried their hands in the wheel and overall, it was quite an experience in itself!.

We then visited one of the state parks in the area and spent the evening watching the splendid sunset. After a sumptuous dinner at an Italian restaurant and a super-filling ice cream, we headed back to the caravan, where we played a few interesting games of poker and hit the bed, knowing we have a big day at Niagara the next day.

Niagara falls, for some reason has become desis' paradise. 9 out of 10 people I saw were desis. I could have counted the stars in the sky a little more easily. The place was absolutely crowded for Memorial Day weekend. For the much-acclaimed 'Maid of the Mist' ferry, we had to wait a whopping 1 hour in the queue at a scorching 90 degrees. Completely drained, we entertained ourselves by playing interesting self-invented games such as 'Spot the tambrahm in the line' and "Count the H4's in the line", etc. The parents, of course, were impressed by the grandeur of the falls and the excitement of the boat ride!

We spent the rest of the day roaming around the falls area and dining at one of the 'worse than spit-worthy' Indian restuarants. Late evening was good, as the weather became nicer and there was fireworks to celebrate Memorial Day!

Memorial day Fireworks, Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls- overlook

The parents and us

Overall, it was three days well spent and left us with the satisfaction of surprising our parents with the coziness of a caravan, adrnelin rush in the rough waters and the wonderful sight of the gushing waters of Niagara Falls!

Ciao, till the next trip travel update!

Pinnacle...

I had one of the best feelings of my life as I stepped into the stands of Franklin Field stadium this afternoon. With trumpets and drumrolls playing, Kavitha marched into the field. Along with her were about 800 of the smartest men and women. It is not a feat everybody in this world gets to achieve.

After having fought through some rigorous admission process to get into the school, after having swam through 2 tough years of unforgettable academia and after having gained a multitude of experiences that one might not get anywhere else in the world, Kavitha must have been exhilarated on receiving the Wharton MBA degree today.

The half a day ceremony was indeed a grand finale. The 4 hour long ceremony did not seem long enough to the graduates nor the relatives/friends. The chilly winds did not seem to bother the enthusiastic guests, who were waiting for their happy moments with cameras in hands and anxiety in their eyes.  Of course the pride of having their loved one walk through the podium to collect the degree from one of the top prestigious institutions must be inexplicable.

It was quite an experience for me too. Considering me and our friendship, I hardly take any moment to express much to Kavitha. But I gotta tell in this post that I honestly felt very proud of her today.

Yes, Kavitha is officially an MBA now! Congrats to her for a well deserved effort and good luck for a great future! 

P.S: No matter whether she is a student or an MBA grad or a boring workaholic (who knows?!), our travel stories will continue for sure!

Finger Lakes - Mission Waterfalls!

Spring season, New camera, Free weekend, Conducive weather, Right company: the best possible thing one could do on earth is to drive to upstate New york and take pictures of waterfalls. We did exactly that.

After brooding over the loss of my previous camera for exactly 27 hours, I ordered my new camera. I got it shipped mid of last week and immediately jotted down plans to visit Finger lakes region of New York state. Kavitha did all the planning and this time, one of my very good friends and a photo enthusiast, Amar joined us from Boston. This weekend trip was one hell of a mix of adventure, excitement, angst and also a few 'near-death' experiences.

Our first destination being Filmore Glen State Park, we started with heightened enthusiasm. Surprisingly and more shockingly, some of their trails were still closed for Winter (surprising because their websites said nothing about it and shocking because it's gonna be summer very soon). We took pictures of the only waterfalls that was accessible (by crossing the 'DO NOT CROSS' fencewires). The waterfalls was good, but the downside was some women who were sun-bathing on the rocks. We had to make sure they were not in the frame (not that they seemed to care, but we somehow did not want to include bikini-clad women in nature photography. Maybe some other time!).

Our next destination was Carpenter falls, which involved an 'Open to all, mildly difficult and extremely hazardous' hiking trail to reach the falls (so said the welcome sign board). After parking our car on the roadside parking area, we set off on the hike which in the beginning seemed very easy. In a few minutes, we saw the falls but the place was not favourable to set our tripods nor the view was too good. So, after a short contemplation, we decided to climb down what looked like a steep slide, with rolling stones and slippery rocks.

Kavitha had sneakers which had the smoothest of the soles (I found it hard to believe it must had sole buttons once upon a time. There were absolutely no signs!). Nevertheless, she decided to stay atop letting myself and Amar climb down.

With bags and tripod, I should say it was not easiest of the hikes. We strategically invented routes, took assistance from tree roots, twigs, rocks, even firm mud and finally reached the stream. The view was good. But not too good. We knew we had to cross the stream to get a better view. So we did. The water was almost at freezing temperature and we somehow managed to use the dead logs and rocks to cross the stream. The view was much better.

Carpenter Falls

There we were, in one of the most untamed lands, setting our tripods, clicking away pictures to glory. Myself and Amar liked it very much. Rain Gods, not so much. In a few minutes, it started drizzling.

We instantly knew we were not in the right place to fight rain and started packing. By the time we crossed the stream, it started raining big time. We still had the steep slope to climb. With not much of flowing water in the slopes, I managed to reach the top using the support of tree branches, roots and rocks. With the enthusiasm of reaching the top, I started running towards the parking area, when I realised Amar was not with me. I looked back, only to find him struggling to climb up the slippery mud trail with two hands and two legs.

Amar was using his tripod as a holding stick, smartly locking it on a tree root preventing him to slide down further. I held a tree stem tight with one hand and lend my other hands slowly. It was one movie-climax moment when our hands touched (would have been better with slow-motion and background music!) and I helped him to lift himself slowly, yet steadily.

The rain was pouring by then. We walked to the car drenching wet, to find Kavitha listening to music in the cozy confines of the Prius. In sign-language, she told me that I looked like a wet goat. Awesome. The rain stopped in about 20 mins. We strolled around, dried ourselves and continued the drive.

Next day was not as adventurous, but more beautiful nevertheless. We drove to Letchworth state park, which in my opinion had some of the largest waterfalls I have everseen (only next to Niagara). We did a mild hike along the river stream, took satisfying pictures and spent about 3 hours there.

Letchworth State Park - Inspiration Point

Letchworth Lower Falls

Letchworth Small falls

Our next stop was Taughannock falls and we reached on time before dusk. Amar felt (and insisted that we agree) that it's the most beautiful waterfall in the whole world. After taking pictures of the falls from one of the vista points, we hiked a mile down to see the falls upclose. I had to agree with Amar at that point - it was a fantastic waterfall.

Taughannock Falls, as seen from Vista point

An hour and a few pictures later, we left the place, stopped for coffee at a gas station and drove away on our respective ways.

I just could not forget the jubilance of being in that 'high-five moment' with Amar after we ompleted the hike at Carpenter falls!

Wide Angle picture taken by Amar

There is indeed nothing better in this world than traveling!

P.S: More photos at www.flickr.com/photos/arunsundar

Philadelphia- a lasting bond forged

Philadelphia has been home for the past 2 years. It has cradled my dreams and despair. It has seen my joy and my tears. It bears the roots of my lifelong friendships. Now as I spend my last couple of weeks here, it warrants some reminiscence for sure.

I can walk center city with my eyes closed. I know the obscure little streets, the tiny cafes, every half decent restaurant, even the names of buildings I've never stepped into. I know the faces of all the drivers of the Route 21 bus. They wink and tease me that I've been playing hooky from school if I don't show up for a few days. I feel a fuzzy familiarity even with the R6 train I ride every time I visit Arun.

It seems like it was just yesterday that I did the Rocky run up the stairs of Philadelphia Museum of Art. Only yesterday did I explore the quaint little shops of South Street. And gazed dreamily at the beautifully lit boats at Penn's Landing. And got lost looking for Sabrina's- a great restaurant in Philly's Italian Market. And legged it for hours, fascinated by the museums and other historical landmarks. Only yesterday...

For sure I will miss Philadelphia, the rather old and yawning city where I started my life in the US. But being a Wharton student is like living in a whole different world snuck away in its archaic veins. Where else can I do the famous Walnut Walk of Wharton- a nightlong pub crawl with 800 incredibly smart people wearing lingerie below the waist and business attire above the waist, without being taken for a lunatic? Will there ever be another Little Pete's and its delicious omelets at 3am after yet another wild Wharton party, with half my class waiting in line to get in? Can I even dream of 40 of my friends cramped together to celebrate my birthday at Rum Bar again? Oh how I will miss Walnut Bridge Cafe, my trusted caffeine haven before my dreadful 9am classes?! And the adorable couple that runs the cafe? Goodbye Schuylkill waterfront, goodbye Rittenhouse Square, goodbye MBA cafe, goodbye Huntsman Hall-my home away from home...

Trips, Tragedy, Trauma

I have a vague memory of the other author of this blog promising to write this post. That was two weeks ago. Now we can't let this blog die, can we? Nor can we make much of Arun's promises. Until last week Arun at least contributed photographs to every post. Now after his car was shockingly broken into and his camera cruelly snatched away, Arun has no photos to share and is suffering from severe withdrawal. And he will be so until he burns a gaping hole through his pocket with a bigger, more decadent, hyper advanced camera. Until then he will be spending most of his waking hours researching his new "wife to be".

We've been keeping up our weekend exploits amidst two more hectic weeks. We watched four movies 17 Again, State of Play, The Soloist and Earth. Earth is a must watch! I wish they played it in iMax instead of Monsters vs. Aliens. 

And of course we made the most of the fortuitous streak of good weather. The Sunday before last we went to Cape May in New Jersey and took the Ferry to Cape Henlopen in Delaware. The ferry which is more public transport than tourist fare was full of tourists and locals enjoying an afternoon at sea on the gorgeous bright day. The sun went in and out of the clouds. The two hours were delightfully slow as the boat cut through the gently rolling waters. We then drove back home from Delaware, rounding off a deservedly fun weekend.

Last weekend we went to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square about 30 miles from Philadelphia. The place had over a 1000 acres of gardens. We walked the Flower Garden Walk bordering gardens and lakes and fountains. There were tulips in full bloom. Red, White, Yellow, Pink, a rainbow of tulips. Arun lay prostrate, twisted himself lay into weird shapes on the ground and stood on tip toe. All to get a few pictures. And great pictures they were. Unfortunately, Arun and I will be the only persons to see them. For after we got our fill of flowers at the garden, we went to the movies at King of Prussia mall. After the show we came to a car with a broken window and glass strewn all around. Both our backpacks were gone. With them went Arun's camera. Little hope remains of its retreival.

We scrapped our Sunday plans and spent most of the day watching movies on TV while guarding Arun's car. We even gave up watching Earth on the weekend it was released. Unprecedented! 

So that's the story so far. More next week...

So what has the duo been up to?

A lazy Sunday greeting to our blogger buddies! We've been rather tardy writing about our recent wanderings, random as they may be. After our sinfully lazy and indulgent weekend a fortnight ago (Alan Smithee: No hyperlink! We are all about pleasing our esteemed readerfolk...), an uninvited storm ravaged our lives. Arun had to work. A lot and hard that too. Unbelievable, I know! One would think he's beyond such lowly exertions. He found a way out though. He promptly fell ill and played the sympathy card. This should shed a more enlightening perspective on his recent blog post about his hospital visit(Alan Smithee: Forgive me, I had to). And of course, he passed the virus to me too. At least I turned out to be a better fighter and escaped being pricked in the ear.

And I realized, not without a startle, that I had to turn in cases and projects and the like if I had any hopes of graduating next month. And it is rather crucial that I graduate. Rosy as it might seem, Wharton is anything but affordable a place to wait and watch as the world goes upside down. Chuckle! Which reminds me, I will be in sunny California all of June. As a good dutiful daughter, I intend to be with my parents who will be visiting me for graduation. The truth is the rich uncles refused to pay my rent. So I will leave the East Coast with a heavy heart and an undying promise to return.

Now that the illnesses and work and studies have blown over, life is back to its normal fun avtar. So I hunkered down and got to blogging.

Last weekend we went to Washington DC on Saturday to be amongst the sea of people who went there for the Cherry Blossom Festival. Soft, white, feathery blossoms. Most lilted merrily on the branches, others flew around wispily in the whimsical breeze. Thousands of blossoms. Thousands of people. Here are a few pictures of the sights...

Cherry Blossoms and Washington Monument in the backkground

Arlington Cemetry

Amphitheater in Arlington Cemetry

The weather on Sunday was gorgeous. We are not ones to pass up on such chance pleasures. So we woke up at noon, dressed and drove to Point Pleasant Beach in New Jersey. We walked on the beach watching a bunch of children having a ball in the wet sand. Fooled by the warmish sand, I went into the water and came running back to be readily mocked by our hero. We threw darts at balloons and won fragile looking monkey soft toys. They are stuck to the back of Arun's car these days and have really taken to the spot. Our day at the beach came to a fitting end as we wheezed and whewed, struggling to finish massive 3-scoop ice creams.

Over the last week we also managed to watch Adventureland and Observe & Report, go to the Bridgewater temple to ensure I'm still in good (albeit, still unemployed) standing with God *snicker*. This weekend has been a little quiet, due to the rain that kept us indoors yesterday and a looming exam that has tied me down today. We did manage to take a stroll down the Schulkyll River waterfront yesterday when the skies cleared up a bit.

So that's a quick replay of the last two weeks. It's back to the books now.

Aaaah!

Vetha Kozhambu, Cauliflower poriyal, Tomato Rice with cucumber raita, Strong Kaapi, 12 straight hours of sleep a day...

Mild showers, Spring flowers, leisurely driving with our windows down...

Bowling, hours of iPhone games, 3 movies, 3 popcorns, laughing till our stomaches ached...

There is only one word to describe last weekend... Decadence!

PS: Arun and I really impressed each other with our culinary skills. And of course our respective abilities to laze around.

PPS: Don't be fooled by the inactivity on this blog. We actually drove to Boston the weekend before last to visit friends. Arun bailed on writing and blamed it on the flu!

Cross Country - Good things must end too...

Day 10 - 15 March

Before we knew it, our sinful trip was drawing to an end. It was the last day already. We wanted to rewind time, or freeze it, at least slow it down. We were up bright and early to take my uncle's 2 year old daughter to the Monterey Bay aquarium. It was like watching two excited kids. My cousin could not stop exclaiming "Fish! Duck! Froggie!" in her adorable baby talk. Arun went crazy, trying to move faster than the fish to catch them on camera. My uncle and aunt must have been glad seeing how much saner their toddler was in comparison. I got to touch starfish and watch penguins with my nose pressed to the glass. So I guess ALL the kids had a happy time after all!

After a few hours at the aquarium, we did the 17 mile drive along the Pacific coast. We didn't stop much because we were already cutting it really close to catch our flight back to Philly. But the sea was inviting and the people sauntering around on the beach made us really jealous.

Arun drove like a true Californian at 95-100 mph to get us home quickly. Thankfully we were all packed and ready. So we just swung by home, picked up one more car and rushed to the airport.

Soon we were on a tiny aircraft on our way to LA where we had a 3 hour layover. Of course we didn't book our tickets early enough to get a direct flight. But we didn't mind the layover one bit. We reminisced and relived and talked and talked some more about the past 10 days. Time flew by and we were whisked into the red-eye bound to Philadelphia. We vaguely remembered the flight taking off and whining something about how terrible it was that we had to go to school and work in the morning. The next thing we knew was the wheels touching the ground in Philadelphia Airport. Boy! Were we tired? We both went our ways, in utter disbelief that the road trip we endlessly anticipated, the road trip we tirelessly obsessed about was actually over.

So applause please. For... We did it!!!

PS: And we did it without getting pulled over even once by a cop *smug*

Cross Country - Lake Tahoe, Ice Ice Baby!

Day 09 - 14 March

Lake Tahoe was the only part of our trip that was uncertain until the very last moment because we were always a little behind schedule. When we were faced with the choice of getting to the Bay Area on Friday night or visiting Tahoe and reaching sometime on Saturday evening we naturally chose the latter. Again, good judgment there! *snicker*

The drive to Tahoe was distracting, to say the least. It's not always that you get to see deep blue water and sandy beaches on one side and snowy slopes on the other. We drove up from Carson City to Kings City in Tahoe.

On the way up we stopped to chat with some locals who had a great big Golden Retriever. He was a really well groomed dog. I spent the longest time petting him and playing football (or noseball) with him. He was such a darling. Even Arun was tempted into touching his coat and playing with him. I might have almost convinced him about the pleasures of having a dog at home.

The dog's owners directed us to a snowmobile rental store that offered a 2 hour self guided tour. We jumped at the proposition, albeit slightly expensive. We are all about bolstering the economy, as always. The snowmobile ride was nothing like we expected. Years of driving motorcycles in India did not help one bit. First of all, this machine need not be balanced. It runs on wide chainlike structures. Secondly, it is a little too heavy to topple over. It was too heavy for me though. I kept driving it up the slopes on the side of the trail and just could not steer it. Arun, with all his power, managed to tame it and off we went bouncing up and down the slopes. We followed a trail of bright pink ribbons tied to branches and tree trunks along the way. The patches of blue lake between the trees became tiny specks as went deeper into the hills. We made many stops to click some fun pictures.

We had the hills to ourselves except for a couple with a child who we met on the way. So we made complete fools of ourselves. We played cricket with snowballs using the helmet as a bat. We hit sixers and threw wide balls. It brought back fond memories of street cricket, it was like a quick flashback of our childhood. We had a snow fight and a contest to see who can hurl snowballs the farthest. We played till we got snow all over ourselves and were totally out of breath, before we completed the rest of the trail. It was fun speeding at 50mph on a snowmobile with a mind of its own.

The snowmobile did not sate us. We tried to rent a motorboat and go into the lake. Unfortunately, although the river was not frozen, it was too cold for boating and all the rentals were closed. So we drove down to the bottom of the hills to get a closer view of the lake and the beaches. The view of the lake was a little too obstructed, so the drive down was nice but not too fruitful for Arun.

We then drove towards San Jose where my uncle lives, our final stop. We were to meet him for dinner and spend the night at his place. We had thus far only heard of the informal 80 mph speed limit of the Californian freeways. I'm glad I caught a bit of the action. I was pelting at 85-90 mph to keep up with the flow of traffic. East Coast cops urgently need an upgrade! Arun sat by my side with his heart in his mouth as I shifted in and out of lanes. I thoroughly enjoyed the adrenalin rush. And of course I miraculously got us to my uncle's place in one piece.