Random Thoughts...

It's been a while since I posted. Time has been flying by really fast. Busy work weeks, busy weekends - sometimes, I am really happy that there's so much activity and at other times, I just want to stop and freeze the moment or the hour or the day!

We enjoyed South Africa - the football matches, the people, Kruger, the countryside and all the driving. I'm so glad we went, even with all the last minute confusion. I don't see us doing such a trip again anytime in the near future, this was our chance, and I'm happy we took it. On our flight to Jo'burg, I got into a conversation with this American lady, middle-aged, who was travelling to South Africa, with her husband and two grown-up sons. They were to see a couple of matches, visit Kruger, and then travel to Namibia. She talked about how she and her husband had traveled quite a bit before they had kids, and that they had liked it so much, that when they had kids, they started making trips with them. She parted with some advice, 'Continue to work really hard, so you can travel to all these great places!'. I loved her enthusiasm and it gave me a lot of hope for the future, not just about travel but life in general..

So glad it's Friday tomorrow! Really looking forward to the weekend. I am hoping for a quiet one at home........

The story of 2600 km on the road, 7 goals, vuvuzelas and the wild..

Finally, I can put a big tick on my list of things-to-do-before-I-die, attend a World Cup ... Check!!

The missus and I visited South Africa last week for the football World Cup. The planning for this trip started in June 2009, when we applied for the match tickets, though I must really thank Challa for applying for the tickets for us. We did most of our planning, arrangement for accommodation etc. in December and from then on it was a wait, a long long wait but it was totally worth it.

Our trip started with a long hike to JFK (not amongst my favorite airports) , followed by a flight half-way round the globe to Johannesburg or Jozi as the locals call it, the financial capital of the rainbow nation, South Africa. The airport was alive with World Cup fever - banners, sculptures, FIFA help-desks and a general buzz (though I have to admit that it could have just been me getting high seeing all the FIFA stuff :-)). Given our apprehension about the city, we decided to take the complimentary ride from the airport to our hotel. It was a small guest-house called Dove's Nest close to the airport. In the night, the place seemed secluded and the sliding metal doors behind the glass doors in our room didn't do much to ease our qualms and we were happy that we were leaving early next day. The place looked a lot better during the day though.

The next morning, we took a ride from the hotel to the airport, rented a car, a GPS, picked up some snacks and, most importantly, our match tickets! We then started for Kruger National Park, some 600 km from Johannesburg. After getting lost and driving around for a hour, including driving through some townships, we were finally on N1, a freeway from Johannesburg to Kruger. From then on it was a smooth and a very scenic drive all the way to the Letaba rest camp in Kruger, though we made it only a hour before the gates closed! :-) On the way to our rest camp, we saw African elephants, wild buffaloes, impalas and some birds.

We checked in, registered for a night game-drive and headed to our hut. It was a very nice and cozy room, our favorite accommodation in this trip. We dumped our stuff, grabbed a quick bite at the restaurant and headed for the game drive. We saw a hyena, hippos, elephants, impalas, scrub and spring hare. It was pretty cool to be out in the jungle in the dark. We had seen two of the big five and the rest of the stay in Kruger was about hoping to catch a glimpse of a lion or a leopard but our quest was unsuccessful. We did get to see zebras, more buffaloes, elephants, hippos, kudus, impalas, some birds like the yellow-billed hornbill, the Kori Bustard and the yellow-billed stork but, sadly, no big cats.

After spending the night in the not so impressive (We were really spoilt by the Letaba!) Punda Maria rest camp, we were on our way back to Jozi for the match between Argentina and Mexico in the Soccer City Stadium. We met up with Challa for this game. We reached the stadium a good 2 hours before kick-off to soak in the atmosphere. As the stadium slowly started to fill up to its full capacity (around 85,000 that day), we saw the teams warm up and El Diego showing-off. By the time the match started, the stadium was jam-packed and vuvuzelas were at their loudest and a bunch of Argentina fans were playing a nice rhythm on the drums that continued throughout the match. The match itself had everything - Messi(ah) playing, great goals (Tevez's second and Hernandez's), controversy (Tevez's first) and good overall play. We thoroughly enjoyed it! It was full paisa wasool and then some!

The next day we drove to Durban for the game between Netherlands (I tipped them for the title before the world cup began and boy, am I close to getting it right!) and Slovakia. I had full plans of face painting and the like but we got delayed on the way and just about made it to the game. The drive from Jozi to Durban was even more scenic than the one to Kruger. The South African countryside is just amazing to drive through! The Moses Mabhida stadium at Durban is smaller than Soccer City but it was packed when we got there (64000 people). The atmosphere was much better in Durban but that could have been because Netherlands were playing and the Dutch had an enormous following in South Africa. Our seats were also much better for this game and we had a great time. Robben scored a scorcher (ok, a bit of an exaggeration is allowed, it's the world cup!), Kuyt made a goal for Sneijder after showing some good skill and Slovakia scored from a penalty. We could, actually, see the guy being tripped, that's how close our seats were :). After the game, we were starved for some desi food, so did a take-out from the Pavilion, a huge mall close to our B & B, and made it back in time to watch the Brazil vs Chile game on TV.

After the hectic first four days, we took it easy in Durban, the day after the match. After a really good breakfast served by our hosts, we went to the UShaka Marine World. It was designed to look like a shipwreck and is by far, the best aquarium we have visited. We also saw some tarantulas, snakes, pythons, lizards and other creepy creatures in an exclusive section there. I was totally kicked though after a while the missus wanted to get out :-). After UShaka, we walked along the beach for a while, stopped by the FIFA fan fest and then left for Wilson's Wharf. At Wilson's Wharf, we tried the bunny chow! A popular dish made by the Indians in Durban, it is an unsliced loaf of bread, scooped out from the center and stuffed with veggies or meat. It tasted good, nothing exceptional though, but then it's all part of the experience! We got back in time for the Portugal vs Spain game.

On our last day in South Africa, we stopped by the Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton, the fancy side of town in Jo'burg, for lunch, saw a SONY 3D TV presentation (Shakira in 3D looks hotter than on a flat 2D TV!;-)) and then headed to the airport. The flight back felt like we were traveling in a state transport bus, sitting on the last seat and on a really bumpy road! So, after a really looong and bumpy 18 hours journey, we got back home! It was quite an experience, this trip. But a great one, both of us came back wanting to go back for more. Some day, we hope to go back to South Africa to see Cape Town and to spend more time at Kruger..

Summer time..yay!

Kicking it

I saw the movie Kicking it directed by Susan Koch and Jeff Werner recently. It is a documentary that focuses on experiences of 6 homeless people from Afghanistan, Kenya, Ireland, Russia, Spain and USA and how a football/soccer world cup for the homeless changed their lives. I would VERY STRONGLY recommend watching it (for those with Netflix subscription, it is available for instant viewing). I have to admit, I chose to watch it only because it was about football and I was looking for ways to kill time while waiting for my flight but that should take nothing away from the movie. It is one of the most touching and inspirational documentaries I have come across.

A few statements made by the characters in the movie have stuck with me-

The Ireland keeper: "Everyone has some good in them, I want people to see the good in me".

The motto of the Russian team: "Shut up and play", everyone has something to complain about in life but on the pitch we believe in "shut up and play". I will remember this one the next time I am cribbing about something.

There are numerous others but I couldn't possibly say more without spoiling the movie, in case anyone plans to watch it. Every player in this movie is in the world cup for a different reason but at some level everyone wants to just prove it to themselves and be able to believe in themselves. Truly truly amazing movie, it just helps you appreciate everything in your life a bit more!

The Blue Mug : A Review

We caught the Blue Mug play last night, our first experience with Indian theatre. The play stars Konkona Sen Sharma, Rajat Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey, Sheeba Chaddha and Munish Bharadwaj. The play was about memories and what we make of them.

The play starts with the actors (Rajat Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey, Sheeba Chaddha) recounting some of their childhood memories and other memories through life, some funny and others sad. These monologues were interspersed with dialogues between a doctor (Konkona Sen) and her patient (Ranvir Shorey) who had no memories after the age of 21. The doctor-patient exchange was very sad and funny at the same time. All the actors were brilliant and did a great job on stage.

The way the play ended was a little disappointing to me. Also, I found it a little hard to keep my attention focused on the play for the entire 75 minutes, I found myself drifting back and forth but this has happened before with other plays and musicals that we have been to and may not have had anything to do with this one in particular. A, on the other hand, did not find anything lacking in the play and enjoyed it right through. Both of us did feel that Konkona's role in the play wasn't really meaty and would have liked to see her in a role more substantial.

All that said, it was awesome to see all these actors up so close, especially Konkona Sen!

Yummy Mango Icecream!

I tried this really simple mango ice-cream recipe yesterday for a get together. It came out really well and the beauty of it was that it was such an effortless preparation!

http://showmethecurry.com/desserts/mango-ice-cream-recipe.html

Thank you Show me the Curry!!!

Daggett Lake, Lake George & the family..

Another very memorable camping trip, this time with family. Both A & I had our parents visiting us last summer. In an effort to bring everyone together, we planned this trip to Lake George. We found a nice campground in the Adirondacks, with a private lake, and very close to Lake George.

So, we booked a tentsite for A's sis and us, and a cottage with two rooms & a very comfortable loft. The rooms, for the folks, and the loft for my brother and niece.

Day 1: Reached the campground, early enough to pitch our tent and to get the campfire and grill going. It was a really nice evening, sitting there with everyone, chatting & enjoying the awesome burgers & paneer that A grilled. It was the first camping experience for the parents and my niece, and I think all of them enjoyed it!

Day 2: The campground had a hiking trail. So we got everyone moving on that one! The hike took us around 4 hours. My mil and niece surprised everyone! Mil took the lead and marched on. The little one didn't get tired till the very end of the hike and happily chirped away. We got back to the cottage for a few hours and then headed out to Lake George. In the night, everyone was all ready for another barbecue but unfortunately, it rained and we had to stay in!

Day 3: My folks and bro left early. The rest of us stuck around, went back for better views of Lake George, had lunch there, and headed back home later in the day.

In spite of some of the awkward silences, the fact that my sil couldn't make it because of work, the hour or so that we spent trying to get back to the hiking trail after getting lost somewhere towards the end of the hike, the rain on the 2nd night and the fact that it was a little cold because we were out camping some two weeks before the season officially started, it was still a great trip and I'm glad we decided to go for it with everyone together.

Vermont

A camping trip has almost become a summer tradition for us. Pitching tents, barbecues, a hike, awesome views, lots of driving, friends, family and loads of fun! Although each trip has been great and different in its own way, Vermont and Lake George (which I will write about in a different post) have, by far, been the best.

We went to Vermont a couple of years ago with friends. Long weekend, so we had 3-4 days for the trip. Drove all the way upto a certain point, I forget where exactly we had to board the Lake Champlain ferry, car and everything. The views of the lake and the surrounding areas were beautiful.

We also stopped by the Ben & Jerry's ice-cream factory before heading to the campsite.

Checked in to the campsite, pitched tents, had the campfire going and the works! The next day, we went on a really long hike up Mt. Mansfield, the highest mountain in Vermont.

I think the hike took us pretty much most of the day, if I remember it right. I don't remember if we stayed another day, if we did, we just chilled out at the campsite. The state park was really nice, with a little beach & picnic area.

Looking forward to the summer!

Your daily dose of internet cricket goodness

This is my friend's blog, something that he started as an experiment. Take a look!

St. John - US Virgin Islands

Four-day trip to America's Caribbean, US Virgin Islands. Short trip (which is becoming a feature of most of our vacations..) but what an incredibly beautiful place!

Day 1 - Reached St. Thomas and took the ferry to St. John. Rented our car at St. John, got essential groceries and checked in to our studio at Estate Concordia. A loved the Grand Vitara and the drive up the winding roads! Took the day just to chill, and get used to the place. Awesome location of the studios, up a little hill and so close to the beach. We loved the studios, they were exactly what we had wanted, not fancy and close to the mountains and the sea.We tried the Concordia Cafe for dinner. Few vegetarian options as usual, but we loved their tofu.

Day 2 - Salt Pond Bay beach and a very dry & hot hike up Ram's Head trail but we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly nevertheless. Since we had a kitchen in the studio, and we had stocked up on basic groceries, we managed breakfasts and lunches in the studio, and went out for dinners. In the evening, we drove to the Maho Bay campsite, and had dinner at their cafe. More tofu. Also watched a glass blowing demonstration there.

Day 3 - Got rained out for the first few hours of the day. Then headed out to the Annaberg Sugar Plantation ruins, Trunk bay and Maho bay beaches. Also went on a long drive from one end of the island to the other. Finally, dinner at the Shipwreck Landing restaurant. We absolutely LOVED this place, easily the best place we ate at while we there.



Day 4 - Late in the morning, we took the ferry back to St. Thomas and flew back home!

Aranyawas, Ranakpur Jain temple and Maharani Bagh

Snowed in today, again! I spent a considerable amount of time today, catching up on some travel research and reading some travelogues. I think I am going to start documenting our travels from here on. What I want to do first though is to write about some interesting trips that we have already taken, before I forget all the details.

A while ago, thanks to a couple of A's bacchpan ke saathis, we were booked into this place called Aranyawas in Ranakpur, some 90 kms away from Udaipur, Rajasthan. Cottages, cabins and rooms tucked away in the mountainside. It wasn't fancy, very rustic, yet charming. Wish we had stayed there longer than a night. Nothing can beat the awesome poha and chai that we were served in the morning, while sitting outside, taking in the beauty of the suroundings.

On the following day, we went to the famous Ranakpur Jain temple, a beautiful marble temple, dedicated to the first Tirthankar, Adinatha.

After spending a few hours at the temple, we headed to Maharani Bagh, a place recommended by A's brother, for lunch. The food and the place as such, were just great. Freshly made makki ki rotis were out of the world (see below, left). I hope we can go back there again, and maybe stay there for longer.

Some Mardi Gras Cheer..

I got back to work today.

Our activities committee had organized this small party to mark Mardi Gras day. Purple, green and gold colors and a big slice of King cake.

To SS, with Love

It's been five days since we heard that you are no longer with us. I was outside shopping, when I got the call from R. After that, everything went blurry. Nothing was making sense and the tears wouldn't stop flowing. Now, I think I have accepted it as something that cannot be changed or undone and have stopped replaying what might have happened in my mind. I still have trouble sleeping at nights and I insist that A sleeps after I have fallen asleep, but I will be ok in a while. Everybody is scrambling around to make sure that you reach your parents as soon as possible. It's been hard, you know, trying to focus on what needs to be done and controlling emotions at the same time. I think everyone is going back and forth.

Yesterday, I finally plucked up the courage to speak to your parents. I think my words sounded really shallow. Nothing that anyone says can make it any easier for them. Your father and sister were uncontrollable. I could not say anything to pacify them. Your mother said that she didn't want to cry atleast for your sake, because you had never liked people to cry and get emotional. But I think she broke down at the end of our conversation. I shudder at the thought of what's going to happen when they see you. I will pray..

The last few days, I have been thinking about you all the time. About the time we spent together during our childhood, when we were growing up, when I lived with your family for a year or so, college years and, finally, when all of us came here together to this country. I think my earliest memory of you is playing 'Ram-Lakshman-Sita' with you and V at Kodam. And 'Bon-Bon' candies! A starting laughing when I told him about this. I, actually, googled and showed him that there were, indeed, candies called 'Bon-Bon' when we were kids. A says it must have been a Madrasi candy...bah! Anyway, this was in Nungam. All the kids wanted this candy, we used to love them. I guess, V always got to pick what he wanted since he was the youngest. So, that left you, R and me. I don't know what the older kids were upto. Both of us picked the candy of choice, and saved the wrappers. When R came along, we gave her some other candies wrapped up in Bon-Bon wrappers!!! She was so mad at us when she found out! And I have some vague memories of all of us playing at the Gill Nagar house as well.

No family gathering is going to be the same again, without you. I will always remember the fun we used to have during festivals, especially Diwali. Getting together in one house, getting up early for the oil-bath and crackers afterward. WWF (you and V were so much into it), Super Mario, Formula One talk, all the leg-pulling, these are just few of the things that I will always associate with you. All the weekends, during college years, that I spent with you and the others.

And when we came here - we shared something special, didn't we? Atleast the first couple of years, when all of us would take the time to call each other up and have those long conference calls. And the trips - Niagara, Atlanta - they were so special. Can never forget them, especially Niagara. You drove all the way and back, and laughed at R & me, when we took the wheel for a few miles. You said we drove too slow. I am a lot better now, you know. No trip with everyone is going to be the same again.

I am also feeling a lot of guilt. That I didn't make more time for you. Or anybody else. I have been so wrapped up in my own little life, always postponing making calls, taking people for granted, thinking that they will always be there. And to think we met you just over a month back. Meeting you after so long had made me feel so good, and I wanted all of us to get together soon. Like old times. But you are gone....just like that.

I miss you too much. RIP, SS.

MSMT 2.0

I guess this sums up what many of us felt about this version of Mile Sur Mera Tumhara..

Mile Sur Mera Tomorrow? Fail

Wonderful Weekends

We had a great time last weekend - an old friend, a day trip out of town, some awesome food and drink and a lovely surprise!

I have to write about this place called El Serrano that serves great Latin American food. We found it last year on one of our weekend getaways and we loved it so much that we had decided that we would go back, even if it meant driving more than a hundred miles for a meal. SO, we went back, exactly a year after and it didn't disappoint. But after trying it both for dinner and lunch, I would say dinner there is something else altogether. The adjoining tapas restaurant Culturas seems interesting too.

We also stopped by this little town called New Hope, not exactly a very happening place, atleast not this time of the year but it was quaint and it was really nice walking by the little antique shops. We were told that it is more lively during the summer and has a decent nightlife. This town reminded me of Woodstock, another place we stopped by for a few hours last year. We had to take a picture of this guy there..

A New Hope

Already an entire month into the new year!

Ice Skating is funnn!

And so much easier than skiing! Definitely going back to the rink soon.