The Thirsty Travellers Part 4: The Hangover

So destination 4 for us with bright and sunny Florida. It was our home stop half way through the trip. Home cooked food, homely atmosphere and a super time with my aunt and uncle. When you think of Florida, Disney is one of the few things that pops into your mind. Our Florida visit could not be complete without a visit of one of Disney's theme parks in Orlando; our choice for the trip - Disney's Animal Kingdom.How 4 days flew by we did not know but it was time to move along to one of the most anticipated part of our trip - Las Vegas. The weekend we visited Vegas was the official start to the Vegas party season. I was so informed by my big bro cousin and i saw evidence to that by the load of college goers on our flight whose excitement, dancing, singing etc could not be contained :)

As we drove to Planet Hollywood; our hotel stay while in Vegas, I was amazed by the concrete marvel that is Las Vegas city which is literally built on a desert. The Strip is of course the most famous part of Vegas, which has all the age old and famous hotels - Bellagio, Caesar's Palace, Paris, Venetian, New York New York and so many newer ones that have popped up. The sheer grandiosity of the place leaves you astonished, not to mention the number of people who are there to share and soak in the sights as well. Most of you would have heard the phrase 'anything goes' - well my friend; Vegas redefines that phrase. I saw quite a few things that made go - arre aisa bhi ho sakta hai... Bikini clad women shopping and sitting in restaurants grabbin' a bite, strapping on a big bottle/ canister full of margarita to your back and sipping away as you walk the Strip, people giving you flyer invitations for "Girls Girls Girls" ... Welcome to Las Vegas !!!! So among all that as you walk from one hotel to another; you also see a huge bunch of fellow tourists exploring the sites with you. Not surprisingly a whole lot are Indians - well we are over a billion people so we are everywhere. So the Kanjeevaram clad or salwar suit wearing aunties and sweater and sport shoes wearing uncles are spotted looking very pleased with themselves as they pose for snaps next to statues in Caesar's Palace or taking a boat ride (as in Venice) in the Venetian. The gambling lot you find in Vegas are of a whole different spectrum. They are unmoved and unfazed by everything around them. No wonder casinos keep it smart by having no clocks and no windows - noone knows what time of the day it is and how long they have been there. I in fact even saw a pole dancer in a cage right in between a poker table. It must have been high stakes coz the 10 odd men sitting there were not sparing a glance for the semi nude dancer in the cage.

Anyway, so we dressed up and headed out to experience the craziness that is Las Vegas. A warning - some of the upcoming events were not remembered by me but as told by my sister and cousins; need i mention why i don't remember. We did a few drinks in one place in the Bellagio before we headed to Pure - a night club in Caesar's Palace. Crowded doesn't begin to describe the club and reaching the washroom by battling the massive crowd of guys on the dance floor proved to be quite the task.The lights, music and alcohol were already beginning to entertain me but since when is little enough. Surely a few drinks and a few more and a few more later, I was very very  "entertained" so i decide my shoes are keeping me from all the fun so off went the shoes. Random conversations have happened with random guys, loads of photographs have happened - kinda shows you the before and after picture. Apparently I went missing for a good few minutes which got my very sober sister to go hunting for me in that very crowded club. She returned to our table to find me quietly sitting in the corner :D So when we girls were finally packed off to the hotel at 4 am, i walked, shoes in hand and very very happy. However our hotel security guard wasn't too happy to see me barefeet. Apparently he started by telling me, convincing me and finally yelling at me to wear my shoes :D.

Hangover welcomed me the next morning but who cares - what happens in vegas, stays in Vegas :) It was time to move on.. LA - here we come !!!

The Thirsty Travellers Part 3: In the President's backyard

After 5 days in NYC, A day and half in Boston was probably not enough to see the entire city. But Boston is a beautiful city. The is the perfect example of how history can be preserved and enjoyed. We sisters made our made through the Boston metro and found places we wanted to go see (read: Harvard University etc). We managed 3/4th of the Freedom Trail walk and in all our joy treated ourselves to the famous Mike's pastry. It was time to head out of Boston; a short flight later and we were in the capital of USA.

When a tourist thinks of Washington DC, there are a few standard images that come to mind - The White house, the Capitol building, Lincoln memorial, Smithsonian, Museum of Natural history.. We did all that and more, on our last trip with the parents. This time, with one big brother living in Washington DC, the experience was a whole different one. Kudos to my brother for all the trouble he took planning details of this trip; we did discover a lot of things we wouldn't have as mere tourists. A must visit in DC is the Newseum - a museum dedicated to the press,journalism and all things in the print media. you would find stories that have altered history that are displayed there and there is tons of reading material, visual and auditory aids to help you understand the story. You can pretend to be reading breaking news in their make shift studio while technology projects images on the green screen behind you. The Newseum salutes all contributions to the field of journalism and pays homage to all those reporters and their crew from the world over who have died/  been killed while they tried to bring the truth to light.  Don't miss this fascinating place; it takes the idea of a museum to a different level. The Georgetown river front was our next destination where we sat sipping on our drinks by the river watching the boats go by. A boat ride was booked for us too that got us a view of the Capitol building, Lincoln memorial etc.

One of the best experiences i had was watching a baseball game at the Nationals Baseball stadium where the home team Washington Nationals took on the Baltimore Orioles. If you have seen a baseball stadium, you would know the seats go way up high. We got the ones on the absolute last row which while being scary to climb up and down, gave us the most magnificent view of the game and the whole stadium. We understood the game bit by bit and loved the energy of the crowd. Keep in mind some very key differences in the way stadiums; there are clearly marked entrances and exits, enough space to manage a crowd with pushing and shoving, space for wheelchairs to be parked to view the game etc. A lot of curses came flying my way when i forgot to carry my passport (main ID proof) so we couldn't go to the beer games and concert outside :( Stupid Stupid me !!!

Our last morning in Washington DC we say bye bye to our big bro who would head to work and we would see after 5 days in Vegas. With a whole morning to kill, we headed off to check the much recommended Holocaust museum. Mother nature decided to surprise us with a little rain that morning. We had to hunt a bit before two police women pointed us to the museum - right across the road it was from where we were.. We decide to grab a bite before heading in and stopped at a hot dog stand right outside run by a Middle Eastern man. As i was fishing for cash to pay, the man asked Pooh if she would like mustard and swirled the bottle at her. The result - a spray of mustard on her face LOL. Now i wasn't looking so it took me a few seconds to realize what happened. It was only when the man started apologizing profusely (he probably thought we would yell and scream and sue him) that i saw what happened. It was beyond funny coz my sister kept saying no no its ok i am fine and wiped her face clean. I know on the inside she was fuming and cribbing going .. duddee what the hell :S:S:S ... As for me, i am shameless, i laughed all through :D

Once we were done with the museum we headed back and grabbed lunch - Sushi... we ate sooo much of it on this trip and we still crave for more. Packed and armed with our bags, it was time to head to the airport for destination no 4 - Florida !!!!

The Thirsty Travelers Part 2 : A bite of the Big Apple

After a halt at Zurich and a total of 17 hours, the sisters landed into JFK. Emotions were overflowing. The relief of finally getting out of the flight, the excitement to be in our favorite city in the world, a wee bit of anxiety to clear immigration smoothly and most of all, super happiness to see our friends Sue and Pete who were providers of our lodging and boarding in NYC.

Immigration took an hour and half to clear; well couldn't complain we were at one of the world's largest airports in passenger volumes. Once out, and in one of NY's famous yellow cabs, we started savoring all the sights that passed by us. NYC never looked better. The city invites you in to hear, observe and be part of its enchanting spirit. My friends' place was perfectly located in the heart of the city and everything was a walk away. Yes, one walks a lot in NYC. Its the best way to see all that the city has to offer with its street markets, the massive stores, super eateries etc. 

Sue was a doll who had a list of where we HAVE to eat and what we MUST see. The amount of food consumed in 5 days there was next to incredible. From Shake Shack burgers, to Magnolia Bakery, to Turkish food at Baba Ghanoush, classic American food at Big Nicks, Chipotle ( the one i miss the most), Gray's Papaya, Phebe's, Sbarro's and i forget the rest :D We had decided we did not want to do any major touristy things so Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller center were not on our list. Instead we went off to Coney island. So after a super lunch at Nathan's ( yes food again); it was time to explore the amusement park. Now when compared to the Disney theme parks, Coney Island may seem severely outdated. However there is a charm in visiting America's oldest amusement parks. The boardwalk, the beach and then the rides it was an awesome afternoon. One can get lost in the melange of people all there to spend a beautiful summery afternoon. 

NYC also meant shopping and one day was dedicated to that. We landed in the holy land of all shoe lovers - DSW. I think I could live there and be very content. We never realize how time flies (and money of course) in a shoe shop. So about an hour or so and 3 pairs of shoes later we emerged to do some more shopping. Nordstrom, Victoria's secret, Old Navy and many stores later we started formulating ideas of how we were going to fit it all in our suitcase. 

The 3 girls decided to do a girls' night out and what a night it was. A couple of shots and many drinks down and stories were pouring away. We can pretty much figure how our night went with all the pics we took too; starting with us sober to what am i doing here :D. We encountered some of our fellow drunken brothers and sisters; all of us at one pizza place to satisfy our hunger pangs. We were entertained by one's singing, and were invited to join another in an after party sorts. The night is always young in NYC they said, but we went home !!! Another fun place we visited was a speakeasy club called Milk and Honey. It is supposed one of those secret, non advertised, non fancy looking places where one enjoys exotic drinks. We loved the concept of the secrecy but it did take us a while to find. Somehow for all the ype we heard, it didn't quite live up to the expectation; an experience none the less. 

NYC was most about all the conversation we had; the chatting never ended. We reminisced college days, friends circle, how we have all changed over time, ex-bfs, what kind of losers we used to be, and those innumerable hilarious stories.The wine kept flowing and so did the stories. We have a million photographs capturing each place we visited - central park, hi line park, times square, chelsea market, Grand Central and so many more - each one with its own story to tell. 

5 superbly spent days later, it was time to move on to Boston !!! See you there ... 

The sisterhood of the thirsty travellers.. Part 1 of many to follow

Vacations in my house are painfully detailed and highly pre planned. We are not usually one of those "lets just  pack our bags and hop out of home and THEN decide where to go" types. Therefore the planning for recent vacation to USA started one year back; yes back back in May 2011. So my sister and I went through the entire ordeal of excitement, super excitement, informing all known people in the US of our future visit, planning how many days, where, when,WHY, whom to meet, what to wear ( face it, we are girls), anxiety (for our visa), super joy (on getting 10 year visa) etc etc.

This being the first vacation we sisters were doing together; we found out every painstaking detail for each city we were to visit. We had tons of help along the way; all of our excited friends and family did their bit too. Thousands of BBM/Whatsapp/FB messages and pictures were exchanged on "so we HAVE to go here", "ohh look look sale starting when we go here", "that looks sooo good, we have to EAT here" and many many more. If you think planning a trip is easy, you are sadly mistaken my friend. The route, the mode of travel, the PRICES, the hotels, the PRICES, the spots you want to see, the shops you just don't want to miss, the time to want to relax (coz you are on vacation after all); so many many details but the joy of seeing that final plan and actually  living the plan is spectacular.

Advice comes flying at you from every possibly direction; make sure you don't get knocked out cold with it. Parents always worry about money - don't overspend, don't waste, be careful with wallets. So my parents come up with the this wonderful plan to avoid being robbed at security check. The two of us stand a few people apart in the line; one person goes through and clears and then the second puts both bags in for screening. That way one person is standing on the other side to receive the bags and keeping an eye out for thieves. Did we do it; you've gotta be kidding me !!!! We laughed at the idea all the way through security check and no, nothing was stolen.

You would find all kinds of people at airports. Its quite the tapestry of human beings; from the loud, over excited ones, to the mushy, romantic newly weds; hyper active children to the down right stupid ones. Our encounter with the last kind happened when a man walked into the women's washroom, stands there for 3 seconds notices women there and says "yeh ladies hai kyaa???". And you think you have seen them all !!!

All international airports envision looting tourists even before they board their flights; that's why they have Duty Free stores. You will see all passengers going "Oh soo cheap", "Oh discount", "Arre one pe one"; my sister and I were strong; we walked through all the stores, checked out all prices, tried on every perfume we loved (don't scoff; i know you would do it too) and yeah also kept in mind what we wanted to buy on the way back (read alcohol). By the time we boarded the flight; the excitement had vanished and sleep was haunting us. After the 20-30 odd calls and sms to our parents about our baggage, our check in, our security check, how we are killing time, did we eat, have we boarded; the cell phone was switched, to be switched on a day later. Bags were stowed away safely and seat belts were buckled. It was time to say Bye Bye India for 3 weeks and Hello USA !!!!

and what a wedding it was ...

The last couple of days have been the most fun i have had in a while now. One of my girlies was set to walk down the aisle with her beau of 8 years. 8 years.. wowwiiee.. and thus the string of celebrations began. This was the 2nd wedding of my girlie gang. While we missed 2 girlies who couldnt make it, the other 3 made sure we soak in every moment and give bit by bit updates to the others. BBM, whatsapp and FB helped us transfer a wedding happening in Mumbai to London and New York.

The bachelorette party happened two days prior to the wedding and i, for one missed most part of it owing to a delayed flight. But i caught of the events' happenings inspite of my very late arrival. The stories were non stop from my other girlies, the cousins and i think even her little niece. My usually coy and very lady like bride to be friend revealed an all new avataar of wildness and happily accepted a few shots of alcohol too. Bring on the madness i say....

The next day was her Rocce ceremony. In this ceremony a ritual hot water bath with anointing of oil and application of pure coconut juice is taken by the groom/the bride. This signifies the last bath that the bride or the groom will be taking in their bachelorhood/spinsterhood. The bride and her bridesmaids sat pretty while the application of coconut milk started. The fun started off when all relatives and friends aimed at drenching the bride and her entourage in the coconut milk. At some point in time someone brought out a tube of toothpaste :P. My friend has selected a theme for this ceremony and that required all of us ladies to wear 'Navari' sarees. For all those ignorant ones, you would see the navari style saree worn by Katrina Kaif in Chikni Chameli. "Bum divider" sarees as we usually call is probably the most uncomfortable and physically unappealing garment a girl can wear. Photos simply shows non existent layers of fat and no angle allows you to look good. But an experience none the less. I took my experience one level further when i decided not to change and drove back home in the saree. Yes, yes i got quite a few looks from the people in the building.

Finally the big day was here. My friend's excitement knew no bounds. The joy was spilling over and was infectious, affecting all those around. Never before had i seen a more beaming and happy bride. She greeted each one with a smile so wide, even as she posed for the photographer. There was a skip in her step and one could tell she was ready for this. The church mass was a beautiful solemn ceremony where the happiness of both families was evident. As the couple took their vows before their family friends and God, you could see a smile on the face of every person there.

As we headed out from the church and towards the reception, i realized the traffic police had left a surprise for me too. They towed my car away and left me the "clue" to help me find it. After roaming around two wrong police station, in what one of my girlies called outrageous outfits, we landed at the right place and got my car back. So after that little detour we headed back to that magical wedding. The celebrations were just starting off with all her well wishers, friends and extended family coming in to wish the couple. They joined in song and dance ( ohh so many dances). The super happy bride was seen running all over the place dragging everyone to floor to join in the celebrations. Half way through and i kicked off my heels and joined the dancing frenzy. We started with the regular club numbers, to Bollywood ones to some exciting jive numbers ( and yes i could do the jive; guided of course by someone who actually knew who to dance) and ending with some nice and slow numbers.

A beautiful ending to a beautiful wedding; with so much laughter, so much merriment and so much celebration. But we all know the celebrations have just begun for them. For all those who know them, we are so sure that this celebration will get bigger with every passing year.

Here's to you K & J... loads of love !!!!

Chottue trip down memory lane...

New years' eve is always a big deal and i decided to go back to home grounds and bring in New Year Bombay style. When you live outside your city, you think you can keep in touch with all that is happening and you know every place and person around; i too thought so. I was sadly mistaken; i am half Mumbaikar half Bangalorean now. Mumbai is in my blood, that feeling of safety and security automatically comes to me the minute my plane lands in Mumbai airport. The sounds are soothing, the area - as familiar as the back of my hand yet i am alienated. How big a difference distance makes :( The discrepancies can be seen in daily interactions - i call the rickshaw guy "guru" and not "bhaiyya"; i try to bargain about the fare then suddenly realizing i don't need to do that here and apparently i have the southie twang when i talk.

I wanted to prove that i still belong here; that i have memories here that noone can steal away. So i decided to take a small trip down memory lane and what better place to start it off than our very own Mithibai College :D.. Ahh those days, those classes, the profs and that canteen - where we spent hours on end eating all on their menu, chatting up with all those waiters, those iron benches and more than anything the witch hunts we had to get a place to sit :D This time when we went back the scenario was different. Our old canteen with little lighting was no longer there; instead i see a swanky, upgraded, almost food court style canteen. The old iron benches have given way to high tables and bar stools. Our friendly waiters were no longer there to take our order; actually don't think they needed to take it. They usually knew what each one ate.; the pav bhaji dosa, idli sambar (with sambar alag se), masala pav. The food still tasted good but the charm of that rustic, almost run down canteen with its ancient standing fans was lost.

We left college in 2006 and yes of course we miss those days ( don't tell me you don't). Feels like just yesterday that i walked into college for the first time and knew almost noone. Time has flown naah !!!

And the terror reigns struck again ...

Should be i ashamed to say that terror attacks are happening at intervals as regular as some major sporting events - 2006, 2008, 2011 ??? Do i expect one in 2013 again or should we give them the benefit of doubt and say they can plan a lot quicker this time and have another event in 2012 ???

Why.. why do we have to be the only ones who suffer ? Why does the common man who is going about his daily work and returning to his awaiting family have to endure this tragedy and some wouldn't even return back home to see their loved ones ? what have does innocent shop keepers done to have their livelihood, their shops, their life long earnings blown up like this ?

I sincerely believe we have become a soft target for terror. They know they can get away with anything since we don't take a stand and strong action. When the perpetrator from the 2008 attacks are still enjoying a comfortable life in jail, why should we assume that those involved in smaller intensity attacks would be caught and punished ? We have tried with dialogues and talks; now maybe it's time we "DO" something.

Anyway despite all i have said, i know very little is going to be done. Have i turned pessimistic ??? No it's just the realist in me talking...