A memorable visit to Malibu

Malibu is a beachfront city in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. An internship in San Diego, CA gave me the opportunity to visit this beautiful place many a travel blogger had raved about. In addition to that, Malibu also has a pretty beautiful Hindu Temple. 
It was the new year's day of 2013 and proved to be a perfect opportunity to drive up the State Highway1 to visit Malibu. I've heard a lot about the Highway1 and it totally lived up to it's name. It winds along the lovely beaches of California state and the drive is a sight to behold. 
The original inhabitants of Malibu were a Native American tribe called the Chumash. They called the area 'Humaliwo' from which the present name is derived. This region started developing after the Spanish explorer Juan Cabrillo landed here in 1542 looking for fresh water.
Being the typical TamBrahm, my first visit was of course, to the temple to offer thanks to the Lord. The main deity in the temple is Lord Venkateshwara, modelled after the presiding deity of Tirupati, India. The temple is located in the midst of undisturbed forest and hills.

 
The drive from the temple to the Malibu State Beach Park is extremely scenic. I could not take any pics as it was a solo drive. But the beach itself is extremely pretty and serene. There's not too many rough waves, and can be a good kayak place due to the gentle waves most of the time. If you are at Malibu, do stay back for the sunset. Pics below will tell you more:

Can't get much better than these can it. I mean, if my amateur camera can capture this much, imagine the feast for your eyes. That concluded my short trip to Malibu. It was back to work the next day, so had to run back to San Diego. Hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I loved walking and driving around Malibu. Brickbats and Bouquets welcome as usual.
  

San Diego Zoo - A must visit place

It's been a while since I blogged. Things have been frantic and I've been moving around a lot, coast to coast in fact. Got an opportunity to intern in San Diego, yeah sunny San Diego. Of all the places in the west coast, I've always wanted to see the San Diego zoo. This was the perfect opportunity and I was not gonna let it pass. The long break for Christmas was the perfect opportunity for me to be one on one with nature.

So, an early start to the day. I had booked my tickets in advance, so no standing in queues and went straight in. That makes for tip#1: Do buy tickets in advance. There is a considerable amount of crowd coming in daily. Tip#2: Get the free map at the entrance. Its available both in English and Spanish. That will help you navigate easily through the labyrinth of exhibits.

Being a reptile lover, headed for the snake house first, which is immediately to the left of the entrance. They've got an awesome collection of venomous, exotic and rare snakes. I was mighty impressed. Here are some clicks  

LanceHead Viper

Gabboon Viper

 

Green viper, a venomous species

Blue lizard from Africa

Iguana

Vine snake in action

There is an area where you can pet and feed mountain goats. They are super friendly and a joy to be with.

A sleepy and lazy one, refused to budge

Met a very friendly and curious otter after that. He was a dream to take pictures of. He'd respond to my clicks and whistles and look in that direction. He'd then jump into the water, come out, dry himself and pose again. Here's our hero:

Hero material this guy

Got to meet a very loud and territorial parakeet. He'd give a loud sound if we got too close. But he was absolutely gorgeous.

Wish he spoke actually

Flamingos were up next

I was transported back to the Rann of Kutch in India where they nest

You can feed the friendly giraffes here. They accept the food gleefully and slobber all over your hands

A juvenile Giraffe, or a calf

Meerkats, never saw them before, other than TV maybe

Meerkat Manor

Met a lazy bum of a Polar Bear

Did you just call?

Never expected to meet these lil' beauties

I've never seen this bird before, probably won't see it again

Mysterious bird, who art thou

Is that me looking at a mirror?

Coming from someone who's been to the zoo, here's a tip that could make your day, DO take the backstage pass. You'll be totally surprised. I could describe it and spoil the fun, but naa, it's something that needs to be experienced.

Hope these pics made the zoo make your bucket list. More SD experiences to come. Stay tuned!! :)

Indian To-Do List: A very short blog this!

Ok, so this one's gonna be pretty short. It is all about a 100 things that you probably must do, especially if you're an Indian to be even able to remotely appreciate what India is all about. Its not my list, its a list I've flicked from the wall post (yeah, facebook) of a close friend. So here it goes:

http://www.thrillophilia.com/blog/things-to-do-in-india-101-best-one/

Its pretty comprehensive in all aspects and covers major regions, states, cultures and every other features associated with it. Read through, plan, execute and get enlightened! ;)

Wayanad with friends: An encore

Its been ages since I blogged. One main reason, I got a chance to go home. Back to India! Boy did that feel good from the moment I booked my tickets. As soon as I booked them, next step, wanderlust in India. This time it was going to be with some of my besties, not the usual lonewolf trip logs. Oh wait, has the concept of lonewolf taken a battering in my posts? Maybe yes. Anyways, destination Wayanad it was to be. You guys might have seen a previous post in which I describe a trip to Wayanad. Well, it did look like god's own country had taken me in as its own and made me come back. Away from the usual theme of the blog, this time its a succinct description of the whole experiences than just about the travel and lesser known facts.

June 8-11, all of the weekend, dedicated to a reunion after 9 months. Unlike last time, the route was Chennai-Calicut and then Wayanad. A different home-stay too; Wayanad Blooms it was. Mangalore Mail took us from Madras (yes, no matter what, it'll always be Madras to me and not Chennai) to Calicut. From there we took a cab to Wayanad Blooms. A major lot of the 16 hour journey from Madras to Calicut was covered by UNO and "vetti mokkais". Its never the same away from close friends, wherever you live. Things never feel the same without them around. You can always be the mental and childish you around them and no one will give a penny about it. You love being around them, and vice-versa. 

The cab journey passed in no time too, aided by breathtaking landscapes and just catching up with each other. No matter how many whatsapp messages you send, its never like a face to face chat. We reached WB at around 3pm. Arrival was 3pm thanks to a visit to the Soochipara Waterfalls. What a beauty that falls is. No matter how many times I visit it, I simply love being there. Unlike last time, it was not gushing like crazy and that allowed us to jump from rock to rock and reach close to the base of the falls. It was a truly wonderful experience.

Soochipara Waterfalls, Wayanad

A quick freshen up and it was time for grub. The menu was simple, but super delicious and homely. As famished as we were, we gobbled it all up and it was time to scout around the place. Its a picturesque setting. A stream flows nearby and there's a lot of green cover all around. Myriad sounds and sights of birds, a small animal shelter and if lucky a couple of reptiles along with the place itself resting in the pristine lap of nature make the place ideal for a short holiday and relaxation. I am sure that even the most stressed out minds will find solace here, or any of the homestays that are away from the main hustle and bustle of Kalpeta, or the main commercial hub in Wayanad district. WB also offers holistic ayurveda massages and all ayurvedic stuff, charged extra of course.

Your friends at Wayanad Blooms

So, well fed and rested, it was time for some badminton. Initially we thought of playing a couple of games and then retiring to the comfort of our rooms. But, 2 hours became 3 and we were bathed in sweat. Back to rooms, refresh and head out to eat. Again, a simple but delicious meal. Restless souls we were, it was table tennis and carroms this time. Repeat a bath in sweat. Go back to room, relax and refresh. More UNO and vetti mokkai. Bliss it was, no, seriously we wished the break to go longer than planned. We needed a bit of sleep at least and that compelled us to crash for a couple of hours at least. It was a long day ahead was it not?

Next day, head to Edakkal caves. This time I was better prepared with a tripod for a long exposure shot to capture the ancient cave art. But more than the photography opportunities, and I repeat myself, it was the quality time I got to spend with pals that made it super awesome. Lots of pictures here. It was not too sunny, a bit of cloud cover, and probably ideal light for a noob like me to get some decent enough pictures.

Cave Art at Edakkal Caves, Wayanad

After the fun at Edakkal, we headed to Banasura Sagar Dam, impounding the Kabini River. This dam is 21km away from Kalpeta and is the largest earthern dam in India. Legends say that the Asura king Banasura, (the son of King Mahabali, who is believed to visit Kerala during every Onam festival) undertook a severe penance on the top of these hills and thus it was named after him. The surrounding areas of Banasura Sagar dam are ideal for trekking and probably an amateur trekker's delight. I would surely like to come back here and explore the trails sometime.

Backdrop of the Banasura Sagar Dam, Wayanad

We headed to our final destination of this trip, the Pookote Lake. Interestingly, the Kabini River originates from Pookote Lake. Pookote lake has tons of Blue Lily Flowers in the lake. They make great subjects for macro photography. Tourists can rent pedal boats for themselves to explore the lake. The charges are INR 50 for a 20 min ride. Make sure you have decent calf muscles to survive the 20 mins. The roots of the lillies do impede your progress and make pedalling more strenuous. 

Pookote Lake, Wayanad

After Pookote lake, it was time to head to Calicut and back home. It was a very reluctant parting to be honest. 2-3 days of togetherness and bonding does make you sad at the end of the trip. But again, we look forward to much more trips like this. In the next trips we'll have Vasisht too. I am so looking forward to his first trip with all of us. Arch, Deva, SRG and Vini, this trip would not have been possible without you guys. As always, it was super memorable, and like I said, looking forward to many more trips. Oh yeah, did I mention this blog entry is dedicated to you guys?

Kodachadri Trek - A Photo-Blog

A trek to Kodachadri, has been one of my most memorable treks till date. As a small follow up to all the wonderful memories, here's a small photo-blog.

The Start to the arduous trek, it's moderate-difficult in scale based on how fit you are

The Peak itself

The two peaks mark the Kodachadri Peak and the Sarvajna Peetha

View of the Western Ghats, 3.4ths into the trek

One more view

Sunset at Kodachadri

First Trip to the City of Dreams: New York City

NYC, New York City, City of Dreams, The Big Apple and what not. You can never describe this city with any vocabulary, not with the broken one I have at least. 8 Months in Rochester, NY was not even closely enough to prepare me for what I was going to experience in NYC. Rochester, well is a city in itself, but not even remotely close to what NYC is. Rochester's way of life is laidback, relaxed and well pretty rustic as far as I have seen. NYC is a complete contrast.

To say that i was all agape during my walk/MTA tour is an extreme understatement. To analogize in a very Tamilian way, its like a person from one of the remotest villages of TamilNadu coming to visit Chennai. And yet, I am not sure if it would scale up well with a comparison to NYC. I could rant on about how I saw cloud kissing skyscrapers, the ever busy times square and all that, but it would not even come close to the essence of New York. Its never one factor that makes NYC tick, its a jugaad, if you let me use that word of various factors like the people, the ever busy MTA, the roadside eateries, and of course the in-awe of NYC tourists like me (maybe).

After all the thought I gave to writing about NYC, I gave up. NYC is a unique experience to each tourist in my opinion and each one would have a different set of memories from his visits. As for me, I'd rather lead you into some facts of NYC I observed in the signage(s) and some of my own than try talking about it to no end. So here goes,

- Brooklyn Bridge apparently is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the USA

- New York was initially named New Amsterdam by the Dutch until the British took over the city, who named it to New York.

- The Manhattan Bridge has has three lanes, four subway tracks, a walkway and a bike-way (may not be significant, but I was amazed enough to mention it here).

- The best way to commute in NYC is a combination of the MTA subway and foot.

- The Grand Central Terminal with a total of 75 tracks and 48 platforms was actually the house of an Oil Baron family named the Vanderbilts!

- The Staten Island Ferry is the cheapest way to have a look at the statue of Liberty (from a distance of course! if you don't mind). It costs you nothing! It operates from the Manhattan Borough to Staten Island.

- DO NOT miss the NYC skyline and Times Square by the night. You'll be grateful you did not and be in complete awe!

My visit did not cover quite a few areas or tourist hotspots. But from the ones I did, here are some clicks:

The Manhattan Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge

New York, Grand Central Terminal

Times Square

The building in Times Square where the Famed New Year Ball Drop happens

Manhattan Skyline

Sunset at Manhattan

Brooklyn Skyline

Manhattan

Brooklyn Bridge

Wall Street, NYC Stock Exchange

The wall street bull

Rockefeller Center, Hollywood Studios

Statue of Liberty, needless to say!

All this would not have been possible without Srinath guiding us and patiently taking us to all these places, even though he'd been to it umpteen number of times. It was an awesome trip man, and eagerly awaiting for the next one.