Constant Messenger

Teary Farewell

2007-02-21T14:20:00.000-05:00

The inevitable had arrived. It was our last day in Maui. We soaked in the beach. Played in the surf. B mastered his swalking and will now represent our county in the national swalking championships. We finally managed to lunch at Badabing restaurant. I clicked away to make some last minute memories. Did some deep breathing and filled my lungs with the salty air. By midday we were packed and all set to move out. Ron came in at noon to make sure we were clearing out as planned.

The day was over in a flash and before you could say Aloha, we were at the airport lounge. A lot to take back home with us. This had been a fantastic honeymoon.

Oh sweet sweet Maui, I hope to see you again.

Precariously Perched on an Active Volcano

2007-02-20T14:01:00.000-05:00

Yes, this was the high point, literally, of the trip. For those of you who think "Geology Rocks" then you must already know that Maui is home to Mt Haleakala, an active volcano that soars to a dizzying 10023 feet above sea level.

They get the beaches AND the mountains. Is there a God?? Anyway, we decided that this might be the first (and in B's case, last) time that we get to see the crater of a volcano. Unfortunately, going up 10023 feet involves a 2 hour drive. Add to that the fact that all our guidebooks recommend viewing sunrise (yes, the Rise) at Mt H.

Chin up and determined to make this once-in-a-decade (I hope) visit worth every penny, we (read I) decided to set up the alarm for 3.30 AM. Thats particularly ridiculous when in HI. There is no early bird-worm battle in this laid back place. I digress. Back to Mt H.

Two hours, many curves, some in the passenger's seat, and a 35 degree temperature drop later we were at The Summit. My light jacket was useless here - I never factored in the windchill. I was already eyeing other people's blankets! We stayed put in our car a little while, waiting for the sun to come out. Thirty minutes later we ran into the little glass house to view the big sunrise. It was brilliant. It was my first time above clouds and watching the sunrise. The picture is worth a thousand words indeed! Oh, and there is actually plant life at that altitude... and (really) its endangered!

We were back at our condo a couple of hours later and caught up with much needed slumber. Of course, that was another day of golf - this time around at the Makena Resort Golf Club. I played one of my better rounds here. The ocean, beaches, mountain, golf, hula dancing... all things that heaven's made of.

The Old Lahaina Luau

2007-02-19T00:33:00.000-05:00

The next morning was rather pleasant. We lazed about our little rental pad a while before we greeted the birds and the rest of nature brilliantly bathed in sunshine. Another nice brunch at the Kihei Cafe, sumptuous and sinfully filling. Not a good idea when you're trying to stave off the cheese and eggs to keep the bikini on!

I decided I wanted to attend the Luau and the most authentic on the isle was voted to be the historic Old Lahaina Luau. What is a Luau you ask? A feast that our Hawaiian friends indulged in everytime an event of substantial importance took place - births, weddings, king's birthdays and the such like. What more fun can islanders have!

Unfortunately, being the best also means being the most expensive and having the longest waiting lists. Not one to be discouraged, I called up their local listing to be told that I'd be called back if something opened up that day. I'd had the audacity to ask for a reservation for that very evening! Pushing my luck, right?

Wrong. These friends of ours have a very business savvy heads on their browned shoulders. They added an extra table for us latecomers and booked in our money. Bottomline, I was happy.

The Luau was a grand affair. We were assigned places in the pineapple section (the fruit represents best things Hawaiian) and were duly escorted to our sit-down-at-the-foot-of-the-stage table. Did I mention the men wore yellow & green sarongs? Just the sarongs? And they all looked like they surfed when they were not Luau-ing!

We shared our honeymoon space with other couples - vacationers, repeat visitors and anniversary celebrators.

Back to the celebrations now. The folks at the OLL did a good job of telling the tale of how Hawaii came to be, how their people from far away Polynesia first discovered these islands and how today they are so very proud of their heritage and are pleased to showcase it for us. (Most of the dancers seemed to be half-American and not entirely of Polynesian descent to me). Ever since this 2 hour dance-story-song session, I have caught myself many times trying to do the Hula. Much of the booty wiggle is in the knees I was told.

The food however was forgettable. And I would not be surprised if most of the visitors agreed with me. The sight of the pig being removed from the earth-oven at the beginning had a lot to do with my appetite loss.

Nonetheless B & I explored all that the OLL had to offer - the tiki carving, flower lei making, photo taking, sunset watching. The high point of the evening was the dance that we got to share under the moonlight at the beach. A honeymooner's special the MC announced.

All in all, the OLL was a lovely evening. Like a cherry, if you will, on top of a huge sundae!

A Doctor, a Lawyer, a Fireman and B

2007-02-17T16:07:00.000-05:00

Rise and shine… at 4 AM. it’s been four days since we arrived and the stupid jet-lag refuses to let go. I know I will pay for this soon. Today is a big day for B. he is playing at the Plantation Course. For those of you not so well informed about golf – the Plantation Course at Kapalua is the site of the first game of the PGA tour every year. I suppose he managed to catch some sleep through the night.

A little about the Kapalua area for the non-Hawaiian – before the tourists came, this beautiful land was all just pineapple plantations. Infact, the only pineapple cannery in the US is in Hawaii. And they are supposed to be the sweetest and most succulent here. However, unfortunately for me, I am allergic to that prickly fruit.

Kapalua is a good 90 minute drive up from Wailea. We grabbed another solid brunch this morning at the Honolua Store in Kapalua. As usual, we made sure it had an “ono” recommendation from our guide book. The store also had some good souvenirs which I noted for later purchase. it works out best for us to have brunch and then a snack in the evening before dinner. Of course, our condo does have a fully equipped kitchen but we did not do any cooking at all. No eating on the lanai, much against my wishes.

B pulled another one of his stunts and we got the discounted twilight tee time of 2.20 PM. A morning tee time, non-discounted is roughly $300. I was just a ride along for this round; this course is not for novices. We get there; I do some putting while B talks to the starter and manages to get us going almost over an hour earlier. That’s perfect, considering that it takes a good 5½ hours to complete this course.

We were to play with Bill, the doctor, Warren the lawyer and Steve the fireman. Bill was the really talkative one and wanted to know a lot about India and kept paining me. He was also the best player in the group. Warren did not come forth too much, at least not until he had downed a couple of Bud Lights and he was the worst player. Steve was a pain, shooting out advice and generally bluffing about his skills and his golf knowledge. Empty vessel, but not a bad player though. Also a real sour puss. My job, yes you guessed right – photographer.

B did not play the first two holes well at all. His driving improved but his putting & chipping were badly messed up. Oh, these greens are impeccably maintained. What a pleasure to play here.

Oh yeah, today is also Valentine’s day!! Our first V-day together! Candlelight dinner by the beach. Sigh.

"The Sands at Maui Lani" Round

2007-02-16T16:04:00.000-05:00

This morning was our first golf round in Maui. We had reserved a morning tee time at the Dunes at Maui Lani golf course. B as usual had done a humongous amount of research on the courses in Maui and their prices. A morning round, which is usually the preferred tee time for most serious golfers, would set you back roughly $250. Naturally, no right minded desi ever paid anything in full. And there is always someone offering something at a discounted price. B got out the laptop and onto the internet to connect to some obscure local site that offered ridiculously cheap round rates. Nice. A couple of quick phone calls on our free landline and we were good to go. Ah, how nice to pay less than half and get full service!

We grabbed a quick brunch at Denny's. Terrible service. In the time that we waited to be seated we could’ve have finished eating!

The day was hot and humid but also mildly windy. If it hadn’t been for the wind, I swear I would’ve been fried. That is not to say that by the end of our honeymoon I was fried anyway.

It’s a good course, lovely service – wet towels, bag tags and all that. Smiling Joe and Freddie greeted us, made sure us honeymooners were not paired with another twosome. The views were beautiful. I might actually end up using the word beautiful several times through my Maui blog, and I promise to use the thesaurus as much as I can, but really there is no other word to describe everything here. A shitty day here would be when your Titleist doesn’t find the cup on your second putt from 1 yard. By that statistic two of my three golfing days here were shitty. This was one of them. I played my usual windshield golf; the ball found every crooked nook and twisted corner just outside the designated fairway. Yes, I am proud to say that I made contact. Direction is an entirely different ball game, pun intended. B was a bit out of touch, but he managed a respectable 93. Definitely nowhere near his best. I usually stop keeping track of shots when I cross the double bogey limit. I was in charge of getting good pictures of B’s swing action for future reference. Don’t tell him, but I was more interested in the mountains in the background. O Haleakala, no ko ai!

Later that day we walked down to the beach at the Ekahi village. One thing about our place of residence, there were many, many elderly people staying there. In a way that’s perfect for us because Wailea is more like a resort area in Maui and with such neighbours there was hardly any disturbance around. I was tired out at the beach that evening and fell asleep really early without much of a dinner. We planned to go to an Italian restaurant called “bada bing” – remember bada bing bada bang bada boom – the Italian Mafioso thingy? B always pronounced it “badaa” like the opposite of “chhota” in Hindi. Tickles my funny bone even now. Apparently he did go to bada bing but their kitchen was closed and he had to settle for a pizza express number. He saved some for me, the dear.

Days 1 & 2

2007-02-15T16:03:00.000-05:00

Day 1

Yippee! Sunlight makes its way through wooden window blinds onto my eyes. I can hear the waves crashing. It’s the most b-e-a-utiful morning in Maui. I step out onto our lanai and take a deeeeeep breath at the sight. Refer picture. Now, imagine being in the picture. Bet you can’t! Impressive sunrise – check. I urge B out of bed to share this slice of utopia. We shower quickly and head down to the walk along the shore – a private walk shared among the resorts that line this side of the isle. It’s easy to feel that you are where you were always meant to be.

Morning walk pictures and off to the guide-book-recommended breakfast cafeteria. Nice place, but very small, bursting at its seams and fast service. We drove around a little while before returning to the resort and our beach.

It was my first time wading into ocean water. I’m used to the controlled pool environs. However I was rather proud with the way I handled the waves and enjoyed the afternoon with my non-swimmer B. we splashed around for quite a bit and then waded back to our striped beach towels for some shut-eye in the sun. Bliss. We moved to the pool a little later and I had the best passion fruit cocktail I have ever come across. Nothing like a cool and refreshing drink to jump start your sleepy limbs.

Meanwhile, good news from the front desk, one of our delayed luggage pieces had arrived. It had all of our clubs. Naturally that meant a trip to the driving range and some terrible hitting on my part. I’m most comfortable with the woods. The irons don't tolerate me. The putter is my sworn enemy! Oh who cares, I’m in Maui!

Day 2

We checked out today, just to check into our rental condo for the rest of our stay. Oh, we also picked up our final missing bag at the front desk – my pink, broken-handle Wilson golf bag. We droe a block down the road to our condo and met Herr Ron Holbrook.

I tried my rusty German on Ron, our condo owner; his was rustier! We left our bags and spent some time chatting with the old guy who owns two poodles and liked the pink color of my clubs. Make of that what you will. He also had a little earring on his right ear and spent most of his life in SFO. B doesn't agree with my conclusion!

We quickly left to be at our designated departure point for some whale watching. It was exciting to be miles away from the coast looking out for humpback whales. We did see several calf and mom humpbacks playing around. Nothing really spectacular this afternoon. We were sailing for about an hour and half and while we started back, the captain told the passengers – "A free drink for anyone who can tell me the origin of the word catamaran". Ha-ha, easy drink that was as I shouted out from the back of the boat about the Tamil origins of Kattai-Maram! We later chatted with the captain who was most curious about where we were from! Fabulous.

I wanted to hit the pool, B wanted to hit some balls. So we decided to meet about 90 minutes later at the heated pool by the beach. I swam and swam and got my swimming muscles back into action. No sign of B at the 90 minute mark. It was dark and getting a little chilly. I decided to take action and started on my way back to the condo. I’m surprised I actually made it home easily enough although it was pitch dark. My navigational skills only seem to shy away in the sun!

Home I was, and still no B. quite some time later he walks in with stories about his new friend Kino who fixed his swing. Ok, how interesting…. We headed up to South Kihei for some Greek dinner. The food was awesome. A little pricier than we had anticipated, but in the end justified by the sheer authenticity of the place and the dishes.

Oops...

2007-02-13T16:01:00.000-05:00

Our honeymoon began with a little hiccup. Two of our bags did not make it with us. The two that did come had the clothes. I was glad. B was pretty upset that the golf clubs would take another day to arrive. I had to remind him that it was him and I on our honeymoon and that golf was secondary. Try explaining that to a golf addict who has been seeing snow and subzero temperatures the last eight weeks! Oh, ands it’s still my birthday. My 29 hour birthday!!

Going to Maui is like going to Pune from Bombay. The latter is fast and people rarely have time for each other. Pune by contrast sleeps for two hours in the middle of every weekday. Life in Maui is clearly laid back. There are not too many roads where the speed limit is over 30. Ten and twenty are common. One amazing fact about Maui – the birds here are fat lazy slobs. I am yet to see any avian on this island that actually flies. Wings are wasted on those feathered friends, they are happy on the ground beneath your feet at your table eating scraps (sometimes even on your table if they are bold/hungry enough), on the roads they use the crosswalks while adroitly avoiding car wheels or just sitting on the lowest tree branch singing a lilting tune. I can say that the first and the last characteristics apply to the locals as well.

Pick up bags, rental car, and map and drive 20 minutes to resort. We checked in and drove down to the nearest taco bell (yes, I know what you are thinking) for a quick bite. Why? It was ten at night, and restaurants here close at ten. Sigh. No Hawaiian tacos here, the same stuff from the mainland is served. Sigh. Back at resort and sleep like a baby.

Onward Ho!

2007-02-12T15:18:00.000-05:00

Well, well, well, here I am on the last leg of our onward journey to Maui! It is another good five hours to our destination. What does one do when one is forced to into a confined little space with a constant engine drone in one’s ears with feet that feel like ever expanding melons? Write, of course! It’s also been quite a while since I blogged. I think mine is turning out to be more of a travelogue and less of a blog.

It has been over twelve hours of staring around the plane and out the window and my eyes are beginning to ache. Unfortunately I still do not feel the lack of rest, or perhaps it is the excitement that’s keeping me awake.

B has had two cat naps already – lucky him, but to his credit, he did not sleep a wink the night we were to leave. It’s that old theory about not being able to wake up early enough if you decide to sleep the previous night. Personally, I always have trouble getting myself out of bed be it 7 AM or 11 AM. I learnt early on that some things in life are to be humbly accepted.

Below us, the vast blue expanse of the Pacific Ocean as seen from above many a white puff. These flights, at least the domestic ones have decided not to serve food. The mathematics involving number of passengers, food options per passenger, total pounds of food to be carried and the extra fuel to be carried and burnt by the big bird (phew!) clearly show that eliminating meals while still charging the same fare can infact be very very beneficial to the airlines. I really don’t mind this but the one biggest downside is the increased traffic to the restrooms due to excessive beverage consumption. Self not spared.

The stewardesses on the other flights were definite veterans in their chosen field, and retirement seemed to be the last thing on their minds. The stewardesses on the Maui flight are the same, except more colorfully decked with massive fake flowers in their mile high updos – like a peacock showing off his brilliant feathers just before the monsoons!

Now, a look at our co-passengers. A quick visual survey reveals that a majority are baby boomers. They have the money, the time and the insurance. The second largest contributing sector would be young parents. Surprised? Me too. Children are taking to the air much earlier these days. And they yelp with joy all the way. Lucky me. Then finally come the honeymooners and brides/grooms-to-be.

I’m a bit of a planner, or at least I’d like to think so. My meticulous listing and checking of items on the list(s) usually never fails. This time I’m disappointed to say that I missed out on two very necessary items. I will try not to feel their absence too much. In my defense, I stuck to list item #7 “Update Ipod”, I never wrote “Keep Ipod”.

After much deliberation and a few pages of Crichton I began to doze off. I was very aware of a baby crying quite loudly and its mother profusely apologizing to the people around, but somehow it seemed too faint and far away. My 30 odd minute deep sleep was just the pick me up I needed. I opened my eyes to a beautiful cloud topped mountain in the distance, shimmering in the golden rays of the setting sun behind us. Ah, beautiful beautiful Maui. A traveler’s dream, a retiree’s home, honeymooners’ heaven, Polynesian paradise.

2006-12-18T10:03:00.000-05:00

Its been a while since I blogged. I haven't completed the Chicago trip coverage. Let me see... last day at Chicago was spent exploring the various parts of the city that minority communities called their niche. Devon St for some puri-bhaji. Chinatown for some green tea and a massage. Greektown for a scrumptious dinner and "Opa!". That pretty much wraps up the trip. Memorable. Lovely. Just made better by the company you travel with. B for best.

Now onto some other news for the month. I lost an earring the other day and realised that it must've made its way to the trash somehow. Of course you ask how I came to that conclusion. Simple enough, it was left on the dresser and next to it were some tissues and um... some other trash-worthy items that are likely to be on a boudoir dresser. As enthusiastic as B is about cleaning, he can sometimes over clean. One fell swipe of the dresser and my earring went along with the rest of the gunk.

I might not have even noticed the missing jewellery if both earrings had gone. I mean, you either throw it all in the trash, or none. In retrospect, I wonder if its a good thing that only one disappeared. Only those of you who wear ear embellishments can empathise with me when I say there is nothing more frustrating that having one and pulling your hair out looking for the other. Except if you are gay. The one that's in your hand is a reminder of how much you loved wearing it, how well it went with every outfit and how now you might never find another pair like those! Weep weep.

Some clever observation of the dresser made me realise that it was cleared of ...er... stuff. And since I had no hand in it, I set about questioning the suspect. Some gold digging in the trash can and voila! I also enrolled in Hygienic Jewellery 101 that day.

Oh, I got a haircut the other day. Even the hair stylist noted the kink in my hair and gave me some tips on blow drying + styling. Apparently even my short hair needs some setting. Oh well, I like my hair the way it is, kink and all.

Stock markets are doing well. My portfolio is not. That sucks.

Christmas is round the corner. Decorations and lights are out. A lot of Santas everywhere. I'd like to sit on his lap but I hear he is strict about the children only policy.

Played some golf this weekend. The weather is unusually warm. No snow yet, barring the one day a few weeks back. Anyway, good golfing weather and B & I were out swinging. A lot of right misses on my part. I was told my arms were lagging vis-a-vis my hips. I tried to undo it and screwed up my game more. On a lighter side, I felt like hip-gyrating Helen on the golf course! Oooo... Mehbooba... Mehbooba... Oooo

2006-12-02T11:11:00.000-05:00

24th Nov

After a hearty farmer's breakfast of a vegetable omlette, potatoes and juice, we hopped on to the El (elevated) line train to Sears Tower. Oh boy what a sight it was! The tower was tall and all that, but there were a gazillion people below standing in what seemed to be an endless queue. Tourists I say! I must mention that it was quite a warm day and standing in the sun for a while and staring up can make one very dizzy. Thelong snake qound itself through the doors and corridors and finally the lift! I waited with bated breath for the lift to zoom up at 1600 ft/min, bracing myself for the intial jerk and the G forces. The button was pressed and we started moving... DOWN!!!!

"Whaaaaa??"

Exactly. We moved one measly level down to join another millipede in rooms that were specially heated to make you remove your clothes and suffocate to death. Ugh. And then an eternity later, another lift. Bigger, metallic. With just two buttons.
1.Ground
2.Skydeck

The anticipation was very toned down this time. We shuffled into the metal box that could very well have been our coffins if things went wrong! Ding! Whoosh. Pop pop pop pop glubb. My ears. Forty seconds later we came face to face with a view that was the highest in the world for a very very long time. Wow. Visibility was good that day. Buena vista.

We walked all round the skydeck for the 360 degree view of Chicago and neighbouring states. Its a surreal feeling to be that high up. The tiny cars. The little buildings. All those people rushing somewhere or the other. I wonder if this is how God feels. Anyway, its the closest I've come to nirvana. In the physical realm of things at least!

Been there, done that, now back to... you guessed it, the queue! One more to take us down.

Across the street was Giordano's. One of Chicago's oldest pizzerias. Famous for their deep dish pizzas that are now synonymous with the windy city. Having no idea how deep the dish is, we each ordered a small pizza. One other thing - small in this country is not small by desi standards. Back home, a small pizza meant the size of my hand. Here I was greeted by a deeeep, CHEEEEEESY, jumbo Italian sensation. Yipes! And we each had one! Oh dear.

There was so much cheese I nearly choked. Then I nearly puked. An hour and a half later we were ready for the bill and our doggy bag. Of course, no restaurant experience is complete without spilling some water. B expertly reached for the bill and toppled a half empty (note the optimism) glass onto his jeans. I wasn't spared either. So off I went to get some help and extra napkins. Ironically I had seen the exact same thing happen to the people sitting two tables from us when we walked in. All cleaned up, bill payed, picked up our doggy bag and headed back to the nearest El station. Just as the train arrived at the platform, resourceful that I am, I said, "Where's our camera??".

Run run pant pant, back to Giordano's in a record five minutes. I dashed across to the table. Nope cleared away. Then further in to the counter to retrieve the miscreant. Out of breath thank yous ensued. Back out on the street I fixed B with a killer glare. Even a tiger would've tucked in his tail and slinked away head down seeing my stare. Poor B. People forget things ofcourse. But a camera on a trip? Hmmph!

We freshed up and hit the streets later that evening to see the christmas tree lighting at Daley's Plaza. Traffic had been stopped to let the thousands thronging the streets go their way. The tree in itself looked terrible. Big green and red coloured, shiny, lighted tree ornaments amidst little yellow lights. Icky. I later realised that this season, decor was going retro. A few pictures were taken.

The next place on the list was Navy Pier. We spotted a trolley - those wooden antique things that transport people around downtown for free - that was exclusively headed to Navy Pier. Good. Exactly what we needed. But... not what we got. The stupid driver did not see us when we waved. Another confusing thing is that these trolleys don't have fixed stops. We decided to beat him and walked almost a mile ahead hoping to catch him at the next intersection. He caught up with us. We waved. And he still did not see us. That ignorant nincompoop. Its his job to pick up people. Simple! Look for wavers and let them jump in. I'm sure he has had all the special training that his job requires. Heavens knows what was going on in that brain of his. And even worse, the passengers who saw us did not bother to help! Makes my blood boil. We then caught the regular bus and walked a mile to the pier. No stupid trolley operator will ruin my evening.

Navy pier is a nice place. You can walk all the way down to the end, relax at the lakefront with the hustle and bustle of downtown behind you. Way behind. By this time, I felt like I had big buns in my shoes. Swollen, achy feet. Sigh. Some nice alone time later we walked back through the shops at the pier and caught the last trolley back to downtown.

Hotel sweet hotel. It was a tiring day.

2006-11-28T09:17:00.000-05:00

A surprise turn of events followed.

We completely forgot about switching our watches back by an hour. Oops! That meant that we were too early for check-in. Too early for lunch. Too late for breakfast. Darn!

Not ones to be bogged down, we decided to walk aournd a couple of blocks near the hotel. Map in hand (which was too puny and quite confusing especially when you have to translate left and right to east and west) we stepped out.

There's only so much time you can spend walking around in practically deserted downtown streerts. Why deserted you ask? It was Thanksgiving day. Everyone was at home feasting away on cranberry pies and pumpkin soups. The turkey population also just went down by a few hundred million. At least this year, the president generously pardoned two turkeys! I guess he felt a little like Noah. Those two were shipped away to Disneyland in what one might think would be a life of R&R. I'm pretty sure the birds would've preferred the slaughter house over being paraded in a glass box next to Mickey and his friends! Sigh.

Back now to our intrepid twosome. I had a brilliant idea, why not cover the museum and the King Tut (Tutankhamun for those of you not familiar with Egyptian history) exhibition now!? We asked a police officer for directions. We asked a couple of pedestrians for directions. Even our map was useless at this point. (We eventually mastered it, but let me remind you that at this point we were still quite lost.) What do you do next? Hail a cab! Hop in, forget your worries and enjoy the ride. Our cabbie kept alive the tradition of swearing profusely and honking at other drivers. They never subject other cab drivers to this friendly gesture though. Hmm.

The Egyptians during the time of the pharaohs at least, were, in my opinion, a confused lot. They lived their entire lives preparing for the afterworld. And if you were a man/woman of standing in society, you were assured of a tomb well stocked with your own model slaves, your belongings from this life to be taken to the next, jewellery, staffs that represented strength, scrolls of magic from the Book of the Dead and a beautifully decorated, hand painted, gilded casket. You'd even have your innards removed and bottled up. Did they expect you to put them back in when you reached your destination in the afterlife? What if you shoved your stomach up your head thinking it was your brain. Yipes!

King Tut never had these concerns. He was, after all, the famed boy king. The child that ascended the throne at eight. Did he make everyone eat candy and close schools? No. Thats where we differ my friend. He restored the Egyptian gods banished by his predecessor, moved the capital to Memphis, and sent his armies to war across Syrian borders. A life unfortunately cut short at 18 and buried in true royal glory, the treasures of the tomb were rediscovered in 1922. Almost 3000 years later. And so much of it preserved beautifully.

As we stepped out of Egypt, we came face to face with Sue. Sue who? Sue the world's largest, most intact tyrranosaurus rex. Poor Sue. She's all just bones now. I'll bet in her hayday she was probably making the other dinos shiver to their bones. She might have been the toast of town. Every able bodied male t.rex would've hit on her. What a babe, they thought. Those teeth, that massive build, that strong tail, that terrifying cry.

We stopped briefly to see the lions of Tsavos. The only lions in the world that have no manes. For further insight, read about the movie "The Ghost and the Darkness" featuring these felines.

A quick bite at the Corner bakery and we were off to the hotel again. This time we checked in. Freshened up and hit the roads. On foot. This time to the magnificent mile! It was chalk-a-block of desinger stores. The Armanis, the Louis-Vuittons, the Salvatore Ferragamos et al. I walked gaping at the window displays. I looked closely to spot a made-in-china tag. But these are the biggies, they dont have tags on their things right? Oh, what I'd give for a Chanel sweater!

After a looong mile, we landed at the John Hancock observatory. A 10 second elevator ride to the 96th floor. The Signature Lounge that overlooks the lake, downtown, and rest of Chicago city and beautifully lit up. Nothing better than a cocktail at the top of the world. Well almost the top. And a view that comes for free. Ah, the high life. Lovely. Unforgettable.

2006-11-27T10:26:00.000-05:00

23rd Nov, Home.

Wake up at 7 AM on a holiday. That's earlier than even normal weekdays. However, there was more to this than just catching the early morning rays, we were off to the big daddy of the midwest - Chicago!! Forever remembered as Al Capone's headquarters back in the day, and proabably the first place where bootlegging started, Chicago is a fascinating, fast, tough city. And we were going to explore it like two simple tourists.

Armed with my carefully planned itenenary for the 3 days, my suitcase filled with clothes and make-up (big city girls dress well, right?) and loads of enthusiasm I hoppped into the passenger seat of our of our trusty steed.

Me: "Hey why aren't we moving yet!?"
B: "Windows are frozen up"
Me: "But you always park it facing east to catch the sun! And you've been revving the engine for over 60 secs. Why are we still inside this igloo!!?"
B: "Patience... I do this every morning"
Me: [114 seconds of my trip already over and I'm freezing my butt out here] "We should've got antifreeze."
B: "For the windows???"
Me: "Duh..."

After what seemed like eternity we could finally see the building before us. Hooray! And then there was light... now I know the weight of that line. With renewed excitement I buckled myself in and started on an alto rendition of "How do I live without you...". Nice.

I will f.fwd through the next two hours because there really isn't much to describe when you're driving through Indiana. Flat. Harvested corn fields that stretch all the way to the horizon. I slept for a while, feeling the momentum of the car drag me into a vortex. "Wake up, we're here."

"Huh???"
"Starbucks, coffee. Breakfast."
"Oh...", rubbing eyes and helplessly watching my reverie vanish, "Yes, coffee. I need some." [South Indian caffiene addict that I was]

Muffins, bagels, lattes and several thanksgiving wishes later we were back on the road. I felt zesty. Thats the best way I can describe my reaction to a nice cuppa. Many more renditions of various pop tunes followed. I'm sure B flinched when I hit the high notes.

Two hours later, we were face to face with the steely maze of downtown Chicago. Our gps system began to show signs of failure in the big city. The high rises were messing with the satellite signal. Damn. While I tried all antics to catch the elusive signal, B vigilantly avoided the maddening cab drivers and their poetic honking. I will not elaborate on their colorful language- this blog is meant for everyone. Hand signals take a completely new meaning too.

We finally made it to our hotel... the oldest in town! Even the name had a historical ring to it. Nothing like the single worded "Hyatt" or "Drake" for me, thank you. Having found our nest for the next 3 days, the immediate need of the hour was to park our wheels someplace safe. That led us on another couple of rounds round the block. Eventually, the friendly doorman pointed out the right place. Aha. Gotcha.

I do not recall anything that elicited a breath holding reaction (swimming not included), but this lobby was unlike anything I had ever seen before. It was grand. It was colorful. It was breath taking.

2006-11-08T09:39:00.000-05:00

The constant messenger is supposed to give me some impetus to keep up the blogging spirit, so on that good note I created my blog on one of the inauspicious days according to the Hindu Calendar, viz Tuesday.

Ever wondered why they singled out one harmless day of the week and decided that it was "bad"? If we shifted time by 24 hours, then the bad day might've been Wednesday, or, to the delight of all working folks, Monday! Think about it, if all of society passed a resolution that weekends would be extended by one day, thus making Mondays part of the weekend, the psychological effect would be mind boggling. The economic impact would naturally be catastrophic! On the upside, we would get rid of that irritating phrase about the morning blues. We'd get to party on Sunday nights as well. Bars and nightclubs would make more money and bartending would become the number one job. the Hard Rock Cafe would make it to the Forbes list. You get an extra day to do all those household chores that you'd been putting off all week long. More time to plan the crazy road trip you've always wanted to go on, in the hopes of meeting many amply endowed girls. Parliament would have less time to pass stupid bills. Annual leave increases by a whopping 52 days! And if you have to, it gives overtime workers more chance to work overtime! Yay!!

On the flip side however, investment bankers would go mad just calculating the loss of GDP and the stock markets would crash. You'd have to listen to more tales of the good ol' days from your parents and grandparents. Hmm... thats probably about it.

Vote for issue 83748199321 if you think extensions are better on weekends than hair. Make my life easy.
It doesn't seem like that bad an idea