We just got back from a 3 week trip to the US - two weeks of vacation in Hawaii (Big Island) and the Bay Area and one work week in Seattle. I travel twice a year on average to Seattle on business. But this was the first real vacation in the US for me and family in the last 3 years. A constant theme with my friends in the US is about whether we are staying in India for good or if we are coming back. I believe I am immune to this temptation by now, although I was wondering what my family would feel after a 3 week immersion in everything wonderful the US has to offer, seven years after our return.
The highlights of the Hawaii trip were a wonderful snorkeling experience (first real one for me) as a family and the trip to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The Big Island is not known for its white sand beaches or snorkeling, but for beginning snorkelers it is more than good enough. As a non-swimmer, I managed to keep my fear of water in check long enough to enjoy snorkeling at the nice and secluded Kealakekua Bay. I was clinging to an inner tube for dear life for about 30 minutes gazing at corals and multi-colored tropical fish. Among other things, I learnt for the first time that the rock-like corals are actually sea animals in the same family as jelly fish that are fused together living symbiotically with algae. While most snorkellers' objective is to try and spot as many fish species as possible, it was hilarious to watch my daughters (who are actual swimmers and not that worried about the deep water) trying to avoid as many fish as possible.
The real attraction of Big Island of course is that as the youngest Hawaiian island, it is home to still active volcanoes. When we went though, the Kilauea was not that active. There was some activity going on a mile from the nearest road or trail; from the Jaggar Museum viewpoint all you could see was the smoke during the daylight and the red-orange glow of the lava in the night. What we did see was lots of lava rocks from previous flows just about everywhere as we wound down the Chain of Craters Road from the center of the park down to the coast. The Volcano House restaurant is easily the best food outlet in a National Park I have been to.
On the day when the results of the Indian election were announced we were in Hawaii. I turned on the TV for the news (call me old-fashioned); there was a lot of coverage of Don Sterling's racist rant on Magic Johnson and the kidnappings in Nigeria, but absolutely no mention of the Indian election. I then went online like every other person to get the news. A few days later, I watched a typically incisive 4-part report on the Indian elections in the Jon Stewart show. The segment was actually positive overall where Jason Jones, the Daily Show correspondent seemed impressed by the 66% voter turnout and the 100% electronic voting, the former not matched by elections in the US. As part of all this, I realized that opinion-free 30 minute news reports are very hard to find (non-existent?) in US TV. Whatever happened to Headline News?
The one week in Bay Area was mostly about idling, shopping and visiting friends and relatives. I go to the Bay Area with a been-there-done-that attitude, but I was pleasantly surprised by the visit to Pier 39 in San Francisco. I have been here before, but I had forgotten how charming a place this was - the setting with overlooks of both the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge complete with interesting shops and restaurants. The weather in Hawaii was slightly on the hot side (mid 80s) for my preference, while the weather in the Bay Area (70s mostly) was just perfect. The best part was the weather (100s) we were avoiding in Hyderabad.
In the Bay Area, we attended the California Tamil Academy's annual day function (many of my friends' kids learn Tamil there). Through all my trips, I am impressed with what this community does to keep in touch with their roots.
In Seattle, I was working, but we managed to squeeze in a trip to the Seattle waterfront on Memorial Day Monday. We have seen a few huge aquaria, but the Seattle Aquarium is probably the perfect size to do full justice without overwhelming yourself. The new "Seattle Eye" next to the Aquarium is a nice addition to the waterfront. It was good to see the effort underway in Seattle to make the waterfront more accessible. Among others, they are doing away with the waterfront hugging Hwy 99 overpass and replacing it with an underground tunnel, although I heard some funny things about what happened to Big Bertha, the drill-bit that is drilling the tunnel. Various freeways in the Seattle area have been widened since the time we left, but travel times during peak hours have not reduced. The South Lake Union area has really developed nicely in the last few years with a bunch of trendy restaurants and food trucks.
Anyways, we're back and my wife said she has got the US out of her system (phew!). Just when I thought I got away with this one, yesterday my daughter came and asked me, "So, why did we move back again?".
- Balaji
The highlights of the Hawaii trip were a wonderful snorkeling experience (first real one for me) as a family and the trip to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The Big Island is not known for its white sand beaches or snorkeling, but for beginning snorkelers it is more than good enough. As a non-swimmer, I managed to keep my fear of water in check long enough to enjoy snorkeling at the nice and secluded Kealakekua Bay. I was clinging to an inner tube for dear life for about 30 minutes gazing at corals and multi-colored tropical fish. Among other things, I learnt for the first time that the rock-like corals are actually sea animals in the same family as jelly fish that are fused together living symbiotically with algae. While most snorkellers' objective is to try and spot as many fish species as possible, it was hilarious to watch my daughters (who are actual swimmers and not that worried about the deep water) trying to avoid as many fish as possible.
The real attraction of Big Island of course is that as the youngest Hawaiian island, it is home to still active volcanoes. When we went though, the Kilauea was not that active. There was some activity going on a mile from the nearest road or trail; from the Jaggar Museum viewpoint all you could see was the smoke during the daylight and the red-orange glow of the lava in the night. What we did see was lots of lava rocks from previous flows just about everywhere as we wound down the Chain of Craters Road from the center of the park down to the coast. The Volcano House restaurant is easily the best food outlet in a National Park I have been to.
On the day when the results of the Indian election were announced we were in Hawaii. I turned on the TV for the news (call me old-fashioned); there was a lot of coverage of Don Sterling's racist rant on Magic Johnson and the kidnappings in Nigeria, but absolutely no mention of the Indian election. I then went online like every other person to get the news. A few days later, I watched a typically incisive 4-part report on the Indian elections in the Jon Stewart show. The segment was actually positive overall where Jason Jones, the Daily Show correspondent seemed impressed by the 66% voter turnout and the 100% electronic voting, the former not matched by elections in the US. As part of all this, I realized that opinion-free 30 minute news reports are very hard to find (non-existent?) in US TV. Whatever happened to Headline News?
The one week in Bay Area was mostly about idling, shopping and visiting friends and relatives. I go to the Bay Area with a been-there-done-that attitude, but I was pleasantly surprised by the visit to Pier 39 in San Francisco. I have been here before, but I had forgotten how charming a place this was - the setting with overlooks of both the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge complete with interesting shops and restaurants. The weather in Hawaii was slightly on the hot side (mid 80s) for my preference, while the weather in the Bay Area (70s mostly) was just perfect. The best part was the weather (100s) we were avoiding in Hyderabad.
In the Bay Area, we attended the California Tamil Academy's annual day function (many of my friends' kids learn Tamil there). Through all my trips, I am impressed with what this community does to keep in touch with their roots.
In Seattle, I was working, but we managed to squeeze in a trip to the Seattle waterfront on Memorial Day Monday. We have seen a few huge aquaria, but the Seattle Aquarium is probably the perfect size to do full justice without overwhelming yourself. The new "Seattle Eye" next to the Aquarium is a nice addition to the waterfront. It was good to see the effort underway in Seattle to make the waterfront more accessible. Among others, they are doing away with the waterfront hugging Hwy 99 overpass and replacing it with an underground tunnel, although I heard some funny things about what happened to Big Bertha, the drill-bit that is drilling the tunnel. Various freeways in the Seattle area have been widened since the time we left, but travel times during peak hours have not reduced. The South Lake Union area has really developed nicely in the last few years with a bunch of trendy restaurants and food trucks.
Anyways, we're back and my wife said she has got the US out of her system (phew!). Just when I thought I got away with this one, yesterday my daughter came and asked me, "So, why did we move back again?".
- Balaji
