Mt. Whitney - The Summit

This post is a continuation of Mt.Whitney - Day 2

When I finally reached the summit, I heaved a huge sigh of relief. Without stopping to read signboards or exchange pleasantries with other hikers, I rushed straight to the rocky ledge at the extreme end of the summit to soak in the incredible vista. It is not very common to see a 360 degree panorama of snow clad peaks, but here in the Eastern Sierra, the view was simply magnificent. The air was still, there was not even a speck of cloud in the clear blue sky and visibility extended for miles. In some ways, I felt the weather was making up with me for being so harsh the previous night. Elevated above the mean world below, I felt I was in an ethereal world in the company of sublime rocky peaks.

However, after few minutes of this bliss, my excitement quickly evaporated. Firstly, I was not the only one on the summit; there were atleast 15 other people and quite a few with grey hair. This was a grim reminder that my achievement was in no way extraordinary. Secondly, there was cell phone coverage at the top of the mountain. This completely squashed my wilderness experience. On most trips like these, I pride myself on shutting myself completely out of the mundane world – news/email/phone and everything else. The constant chatter of people and the occasional ringing of phones was symbolic of how technology and humans have obliterated the concept of “wilderness”. I even overheard an idiot talking to his chiropractor about his appointment in LA.

Lastly, it dawned upon me that my task was only half done. I still had to descend 11 steep miles before daylight fades away. I tried to convince my friends to shorten the scheduled break at the summit and head back, but to no avail. After taking a few pictures of my friends, and gleefully posing in a few others, I resigned myself to an extended halt and settled on a rock to take a power nap. When my friends had satiated their eyes and camera lenses with the outstanding scenery, we all sat down for a lunch. Here, I regained my appetite on some really tasty cilantro jalapeno hummus, courtesy Trader Joe's. At 14,500’ even plain bread tasted great!

The 11 mile descent to the bottom was completed rather uneventfully and in a much hurried fashion. Our first major halt was at the trail camp to pack all our belongings and head further below. We were relieved to find that the marmots and chipmunks had left all our equipment untampered, and more importantly they did not pee on our sleeping bags :) Once packed, we made a swift descent to the finish. In all, it took us about 7 hours to descend the 6300 ft, but we were in town before sunset.

Looking back, the entire trip was very unique. I went in completely unprepared. For most part of the trip, I wasn’t super thrilled, worst at times, it was frustrating and very strenuous. At most times, I didn’t feel anything special about this trip at all! However, when the dust finally settled, and I started revisiting the moments, and the trip started growing on me. It was definitely more strenuous than my half marathon effort or the hike to the bottom of Grand Canyon in 100F. We had been on the trail trail for 34 hours, hiking for about 15 of those 34 hours!

Having visited the Sierras before, I was pleasantly surprised by the breathtaking scenery. As I look back at the pictures, I cherish this trip evenmore. By the time we had finally made our way to the humdrum of Los Angeles, everyone in the group acknowledged it to be a very memorable trip. Like an aging wine, this trip feels better with every passing day. Today, I no longer revisit the trip as a checkmark, but rather as a very special experience.

The END.

Mt. Whitney - Day 2

This post is a continuation of the previous post Mt. Whitney – Day 1

It was 4:00 AM on Monday morning, July 13th. I had slept only 2 hours the previous night. Needless to say, I woke up exhausted. The wind which was howling yesterday night had mellowed down a bit. It was still cold outside, and an extremely long day of hike awaited me. In the wee hours of the morning, the mountains glistened under the clear moonlight sky. I managed the morning chores courtesy this moonlight and my headlamp.

I tried to put the exhaustion and the nightmarish experience of yesterday evening behind and look forward to the long day ahead. At 5:30 am, laden with a backpack filled with water and food, we began on our final ascent of 5 miles (2500 ft) to the summit. Our first obstacle was the 97 switchbacks which weaved to the Trail Crest. After witnessing a beautiful sunrise, I kept marching forward, trying to minimize the breaks.

With fresh set of legs, I led the group for most of this part of the trail, while carefully keeping an eye on all my compatriots down below. We took periodic breaks to catch up with the entire group and ensure everyone is doing well. Group hiking teaches you valuable lessons in team dynamics. The most important I have learnt is that the group is only as strong as its weakest member. The best way to improve a group’s performance is to empower its weakest member. (Yeah, I am still in B-School essay application mode :)) )

The midnight freeze had left most of the trail icy. There was one treacherous turn where the narrow trail was completely icy and the railings were placed so far away as to be useless. The only way to climb these few steps where to find hand-holds in the hard snow on the right and try to get traction by digging into the ice below. This was also the first and probably the only time on the trail I realized that – One slip and I can die on this trail.

After ascending through these 97 switchbacks, we reached Trail Crest at 13,600’ and were quickly welcomed by some outstanding views of the Western sierra & Sequioa national park. There were snow clad peaks as far as my eyes could see. At the bottom, there were beautiful lake filled valleys. The view almost wiped out the strain of the last 2 hours of hiking and propelled us further. Soon we were walking on granite lined rocky trail to the summit.

The last 1 mile to the summit was the hardest. Above 14,000’ the altitude finally seemed to catch up with me. A mild headache, feeling of dizziness and lack of appetite slowed my progress. Ronnie suffered from similar symptoms, and we made it a point to make periodic stops and hydrate ourselves. Enroute to the summit, we would stop to talk to people descending the peak who would be kind enough to give words of encouragement. Atlast, we crossed the huge snowfield and made our way to the summit. 4-1/2 hours after we set hiking in the morning, and exactly 24 hours after we began the Mt. Whitney trail, I had finally reached the summit at 10 am. I was relieved……

...to be continued - Mt Whitney - The Summit.

Mt. Whitney - Day 1

The whole trip had been ironical in some ways. Scaling the peak had been my dream ever since I came back from Alaska last summer. I had initiated the idea of applying for permits to camp and convinced a group of faithfuls to join the trip. Yet, in the months leading to the trip, I was the least prepared of all – no altitude acclimatization & no physical training. Worse, I had even been arrogant about my abilities and had adopted a callous stance towards the elaborate planning of my compatriots. With this background, I ventured into Mt. Whitney expecting to learn something new about myself.

“37 lbs”, I exclaimed after placing my backpack on the weighing scale. For the better half of the day, I had planned to lug this heavy backpack up along a 6 mile trail ascending 3,700’ to our trailcamp at 12,000’. The first one hour was the probably the hardest. My heart was throbbing loud. I have never before felt a pain in my chest while doing strenuous activities, today was definitely different. We marched as a group and took breaks at regular intervals to unload our heavy backpacks and revitalize ourself. TrailMixes and nuts have never been my food of choice, but I forced myself to eat them while continually consuming water to prevent dehydration.

Our strategy was to cover 1 mile/hour and enjoy all the beautiful sights enroute. The trail soon ascended into higher Sierra’s and offered some outstanding vistas of Inyo Mountains in distance. Our first major break was at Lone Pine lake after 2.8 miles, where we had a quick lunch of apple, bread and some more trailmix bars. After the initial break-in period, I had gained a rhythm and was more comfortable with the ascent. By the time we had reached our next major stop at Mirror lake, we had run out of water. At this juncture we decided to put our purifier to test as we purified the clear lake waters to fill our drinking bottles.

Once we passed Mirror Lake at an altitude of 10,600’ ft, we bid the treeline good-bye. The trail now was rocky and the sun was directly shining on us. However, the cooler climes of the high altitude made for a comfortable hike. In anticipation of the trailcamp, the last 1 mile of the hike definitely seemed much longer than it should have been. When we finally reached the trailcamp – just a flat rocky patch next to a lake – I was relieved that the long day was finally over, and that I could have a relaxed evening and a good night’s sleep.

However, the relief was short-lived. Above the treeline, the wind howled unobstructed. With 35 mph winds, it took us more than 1 hour just to prop up the tents. Six carefully placed huge stones inside the tent prevented it from flying away. It was already cold, but now the wind made it unbearable. My two layers of clothing seemed hopelessly inadequate to face this weather. Sheltered by huge rocks and stones, we finally got the flame on our stove going and cooked a quick dinner. Normally the best part of the trip, dinner, today was hurried, courtesy the unrelenting wind gusts.

As I sat out in the open braving the cold and the wind, I wished I could somehow teleport myself to the warm confines of the motel from previous night. I was prepared for the steep climb, the cold but never had I foreseen wind to be a factor. Later that night, under the moonlight sky, we spent another half hour filtering water for our hike tomorrow. I finally went to bed at 10 pm, 2 hours behind our original schedule. The warmth of the tent was overshadowed by the noisy tent cover fluttering in the wind. It had been a brutal end to our tiring first day of the hike. As I tossed inside the tent, sleepless, I wish I had never been here in the first place. For the first time, I doubted my decision to climb Mt. Whitney.

To be continued........Mt. Whitney Day 2

Keep Austin Wierd!

On my trip to Austin last month, I noticed the following:

"Pedal to Lunch. We deliver lunch in downtown on a bicycle" - Sign outside Whole Foods store in downtown Austin.
"Monsanto is preying for your soul" - Sign at a local juice store.

These signs, in many ways, symbolizes the contrasting lifestyle between Austin and rest of Texas. There is a reason why Austin has always been known as an island in Texas. Although, not the birth place of hippies, it is known to shelter a lot of them. I have lived in TX for a little more than 2 years, and I have had the privilege of visiting Austin close to 10 times during this stay. Each time I visit Austin, I come back with more appreciation and love for this small city. I sometimes joke with my friends that after my stint in Chicago, I would love to come back and work in Houston as it is only 2 hours away from Austin.

Most people remember Austin for its legendary nightlife - 6th Street. Having lived in State College (Penn State) and spent many a weekends jaywalking on the bar-lined College Ave, I was surprised to see the size and scale of 6th street nightlife. Unlike, most college towns, Austin's nightlife is not just fueled by college students but also by tourists and local citizens. This makes the 6th street experience fun even when the school is not in session. My favorite on the 6th street is the musical comedy show Esther Follies. With the road closed for traffic on weekend nights, 6th street transforms itself into a maze of drunk pedestrians after midnight. The small roadside stalls serving hot dogs/ kebabs/ fried rice etc serve the appetite of drunk and hungry revelers after last call.

The upscale joints along 4th street provide a laid back experience for the more mature crowd. However, nightlife is only one aspect of Austin. Austin boasts of a plethora of amazing restaurants. In absence of chains, the whole town boasts of a very local flavor and serve some of the best cuisine of all kind. The city is filled with mom and pop local stores which gives it a very quaint appearance. Shops lining Gaudulupe street near the campus or the Congress Street south of downtown provide the best examples of this diaspora. Any city which such a liberal view inevitably boasts of its coffee and coffee shops. Some of my favorites are JP Java (best coffee), Mozarts (best scenery), Halcyon (best mix of alcohol and coffee).

Most people' experience of Austin is primarily defined by the above three paragraphs. However, another important aspect to Austin's personality is the stunning scenery. In a flat arid Texas landscape, Austin breathes a fresh lease of life with its rolling hills, lakes and lush greenery. For water enthusiasts there are plenty of options to boat on the Travis lake and Town lake. The hills around the city provide some amazing drives through narrow winding roads overlooking the lake. There are natural springs which maintain water at certain spots at a very comfortable temperature and serve as great swimming holes. No wonder, Lance Amstrong was able to practise well on this terrain and win 7 Tour De France!

Amidst all these, it is easy to forget that Austin is also home to the most literate people in the country with its huge academic population (Top 10 university) and booming semi-conductor and hi-tech industry. This high level of education also begets a high level of wealth which is evident from the ubiquitous mansions lining the hills surround the city. Outside of downtown, its hard to find any homeless people or run-down homes! Austin also has the highest singles population and coupled with the fitness craze in the city, it boasts of a very attractive set of population. I think this is probably the biggest difference between Austin and Portland - The other Weird City!

Travel Wishlist II

Here is an update to Travel Wishlist I published before.

These places need to be visited before (I have) kids.

1) Backpacking in Eastern Europe - Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Turkey

2) Backpacking in Boundary Waters - 7 day in absolute wilderness of Minnesota!

3) Backpacking in Scandinavia - Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland

4) Backpacking in South America - Colombia, Venezuela & Ecuador

Oh Lord! Give me some Vacation & Money!

15 hours 45 minutes (BOM - EWR)

Most people view any flight of more than 10 hours as an ordeal. People complain about claustrophobia, boredom, leg cramps, noisy infants, smelly feet, rude stewardess and every other thing one could imagine. However, I have always enjoyed these long international flights more than the short 2-3 hour domestic flights. Its been only a few hours since I disembarked from the longest flight I have ever taken in my life - 15 hours 45 minutes from Mumbai to Newark and my belief has only been strengthened.

When I board one of these flights, I embark with a mindset that I am going to be here forever. I eye my seat as if it were my new apartment. I carefully choose my aids - book, I-Pod, Glasses etc and furnish my apartment. The remainder is neatly stowed away in my apartment's attic. Once ensconced in the seat, I survey my neighbors. I make it a point to break the ice with my neighbors before the flight takes off. If an interesting conversation is struck, I shall let my curiosity further the conversation. If the neighbor is cute, then its a bonus! If the neighbor is annoying, I just pretend to close my eyes and act exhausted.

Once the cabin door is closed, and I switch off my cellphone, I enter a zone of bliss. The blackberry no longer incessantly buzzes with emails. People can't reach me and I don't feel any guilty for the same. At 30,000 ft above sea-level, a different sense of freedom sets in. I feel I have cut all ties with the ground below and I am free to do anything I want. I can read, I can type (blogs like this!), I can watch crappy movies, I can eat or I can just do something more relaxing - sleep. Since I don't wear a wrist watch and as the plane flies across multiple timezones, I lose sight of time. I do not anticipate the trip's end. This seems like the perfect escape from planet earth. It seems like one endless journey suspended way up in the sky. In contrast, a 3 hour domestic flight seems like a painful countdown to destination.

These international flights are the only time that I turn into a strict vegetarian, as the veg food invariably turns out to be better than the dry airline chicken or beef. Thanks to the never expanding diaspora of desis and more importantly patel run hotels, the food in the flights nowadays are pretty delicious. In addition, there is unlimited wine. Nothing acts as a better sedative than a few glasses of merlot. I feel like a king as people serve me without me asking for it. International flights also tend to be the only times when I catch some good sleep on a plane. Except for one disastrous experience flying to Korea, I have mostly been fortunate enough to earn exit row seats with ample legroom to stretch and relax.

Its always a sad time when you near the destination and the stewardess request you to prepare for landing. The violent jerk of the plane rubber mating with the tarmac asphalt wakes me to reality. I switch on my phone, the flood of emails serves as a grim reminder that this was after all a dream! So ppl, next time you undertake a long flight, just approach it a tad different and I am sure you would attest to a whole new experience. Bon Voyage!

Vieques

"You are too fast for me, Maan. Slow down, Maan!"

Well, I had never been exposed to a place with Caribbean influence, hence at this island of Vieques, 1 hour off mainland Puerto Rico, I was having a fun time. Things were slow, as they say, I was on "Island Time". People here took life slow and no one seemed to be in a hurry.

We spent two fun filled days in the town of Esperenza in the southern coast of Vieques . The town boasts of a strip of few restaurants which the locals call Malecon. It took us only 5 meals to eat at every restaurant in the town:) But the Malecon was the place were all the locals hung out at night and just people-watching entertained us for hours the first night. Many locals were happy drinking from a hole-in-the-wall shack and avoiding the tourist traps. But most locals just strutted their jarring car stereos by making multiple rounds of the small 2 block downtown area. There were also people doing the same on horses, albeit without the stereos. There were old men gathering at sidewalk and talking loud, there were youngsters drinking and humoring (teasing) every lady that walked past them and all this was happening with the backdrop of the beautiful blue Atlantic ocean.

With limited vacation, I could not afford to relax for long. The morning of the first day we ended up going for snorkeling. A few practise session later, I had perfected my breathing technique and was observing multi-colored fishes underwater. On this trip, we met up with a very enthusiastic guide and 3 pretty ladies who happened to become our travel companion for the next 2 days on the island. After the snorkeling trip, we had lunch in a run down shack by the beach. With no more than 2 big pans, a few ladles and limited spices, this guy cooked up the best king fish I have ever eaten.

A huge part of the island is unpaved, so we decided to rent mountain bikes and bike to a secluded beach. After 6 miles of hard work we reached at the most beautiful stretch of beach I have ever seen - Blue beach. Although the beach stretched for about 3/4 mile, there were less than 10 people strolling on it. The clear blue waters, the white soft sand made for a magical combination. An hour later, while wading on this beach, my friend alerted me to the sight of some fins in the vicinity. For a minute the movie "Jaws" flashed in our mind, but we soon saw double fins and guessed it must be a stingray. With Steve Irvin's demise fresh in mind, we started backing away. Then we met a local who confirmed the stingray's presence and even volunteered to snorkel close to it.

The tiring bike ride back to the town was doused by a pitcher of fine Sangria. A little tipsy, we then went for the most magical experience I have ever had - Bioluminescent Bay tours. My initial take on this tour was that I might end up seeing a lot of glowing aquatic creatures like jelly fish etc. However, what I witnessed that night captivated me no end. This bay has microscopic creatures which emit light when they are agitated. So any time our paddle hits the water, or you touched the water the surface would glow. That night we paddled to the middle of the bay and jumped into the waters to soak this beauty. It was fitting that the sky was at its clearest that night too. I don't recollect the last time I saw so many stars in the sky. Between the innumerable stars and glowing water, the experience was incredible. There are only 3 places in the world which boast of this kind of activity, and Vieques boasts to be best among the best.

The next day, with some persuasion from our new found friends we decided to go horse-riding. This was my first time riding a horse and although I learnt the tricks of the trade quickly, I was still uncomfortable when the horse would start galloping. Things were made more interesting by the presence of our super hot instructor who definitely knew how to carry a low-rise Levi's. Spending time on the ranch, we also learnt about the interesting love life of horses which very closely parallels that of human being, including the philandering part!

We returned from our adventure packed weekend at Vieques to Puerto Rico refreshed. After spending some more time on the main island and getting a flavor of the Spanish/Caribbean influence, I returned to the humdrum of Houston. Island life is definitely fun, and Its a shame that it took me 27 years to experience this!

The Southern States

After spending 2 weekends away from Houston in Austin and Chicago, I was hoping to spend the last weekend in town relaxing. Thursday evening, I got a call from a friend asking me if I would like to join him on a road-trip from Florida to Houston, and I immediately jumped at the idea. 24 hrs later, courtesy one of our co-travelers, who works for an airline company, we were flying standby to Orlando. I was disappointed at not being able to rake up miles for this trip, but then again, its not too often that you book tickets 24 hrs in advance and pay only $100 for them. The plan for the trip was to pick up my friends car in Gainseville, FL and drive back 854 miles to Houston within a weekend.

Having never visited Florida, I was excited to land in Orlando. However, it was night time, and the only thing I noticed on my 2 hr ride back to Gainseville was the annoying number of toll booths in Orlando. We spent the better part of the next morning negotiating a car deal with my friend's friend. As we had no other option than buying the car and driving back, we had the bottom hand in the negotiations and were unable to reduce the price down to our satisfaction. However, this dissatisfaction was quickly downed by a feast cooked by our host and his fellow friends which included pepper chicken, egg masala, fried rice, aloo mattar and even a brownie for desert.

Its never a good idea to set out on a long drive after a sumptuous desi meal. After gulping some coffee, we handed the reins to our novice driver who also happened to be the owner of the car. The western part of Florida is lush green and the cattle filled pastures made the drive scenic. Although the terrain was devoid of any hills there were gentle slopes in the roads. More importantly thanks to big trees, unlike Texas, one's visibility did not extend forever. I had thought of Florida as a small state, but it took us almost 5 hours to reach from the centre of the state to its western corner. Key West to Pensacola, Florida actually runs 830 miles - same as driving Texas east to west on I-10!

After Florida, we finally reached the much awaited state of Alabama. The probability of 3 brown men driving through Alabama and Mississippi is pretty rare and I joked with my friends that I am glad we have tinted glasses, lest the KKK spot us. But jokes apart, I was little disappointed that we whizzed through AL and MS in dark and hence didn't get much chance to see both states. Courtesy, Corporate America, the interstate in AL seemed no different than most other states and I was pleasantly surprised to see that Mobile, AL was relatively big and the downtown even had the interstate going through a tunnel. Mississippi had some extremely long bridges over the bay and I wish to go back some day and drive the scenic byway US 90 which goes along the ocean for a long time.

The night was spent in the outskirts of New Orleans (Slidell, LA) where we got a well earned hard night's sleep. After gorging the complimentary breakfast, we braved the cold gusts and made our way to New Orleans. Just before entering the city of New Orleans, we got a chance to ride the Pontchartrain Causeway, which is definitely an engineering marvel. The cold weather caught us unawares and my friends were forced to go shopping for sweat-shirts in the French Quarters. After some good gumbo, cafe au lait, beignets and an entertaining street show, we were ready to head out of New Orleans. Louisiana is know as America's wet land, and this is very evident when you drive on interstate 10 which has multiple 10-15 mile long bridges on these swamps.

Once past Lafayette, LA, the landscape turned to the typical flat TX terrain. At this point, we were tired and just hoping to reach Houston in reasonable time for dinner. After reaching Houston, a few dosas later, I returned to my friend's garage only to find that my car had a flat tire. Luckily, this was only a slow leak and after getting a quick fix at a gas station, I was home by 10 pm on Sunday. 900 miles later, I was definitely exhausted and a quick shower later, I slept like a baby!

Alaska I - The Mighty One!

It was about 10:00pm at night, but the Alaskan sun now hovered at an annoying location and blinded me as I drove towards our destination for the night - Talkeetna. As I squinted my eyes to look straight ahead, I saw an umbrage of something bigger than I had ever seen before. This giant shadow dwarfed the other tiny mountains in the front, and reached for the sky. Having never laid my eyes on something that enormous, my brain refused to believe that the outline was that of something rising from the ground. An hour later, with the help of a local map and an I-phone totting tech savvy friend, I convinced myself that this was not a figment of my imagination, but it was the tallest mountain in North America - Mt. McKinley!!

But my flabbergasted mind returned again, close to midnight, to convince itself of the inevitability. As I pulled over at the vista point, I knew I was looking at something extraordinary. Mt. McKinley rose about 4 miles from the ground, in a pyramid like fashion, almost touching the sky. Despite being 100 miles away, the size of the mountain was unmistakable! Now, the mountain was mocking me for getting excited earlier in the day at 5,000+ ft snow clad peaks. Alaska had always been a dream place for me, and for the first 2 days it seemed surreal that I was actually here. But the sight of Mighty One finally reminded me of the special land I was in, and would turn out to be defining point of the trip. The previous day I had seen grizzly bears cross road in front of me, I had seen moose and caribou gallop, porcupine scamper, and dall sheep graze on mountain tops. But no image would turn out to be as striking as the sight of the Mighty One. Mt. McKinley finally put things in perspective for me and definitely turned out to be the defining image of the trip.

Though they themselves undergo little change, Mountains actually have chartered the course of human history. They give rise to rivers, alter weather patterns and direct human migration. They establish the boundaries of cities and human civilization and constantly remind us of their importance. Visible for miles, they represent the final frontier for most human ambitions. The conquest to their summit, in many cases, is the ultimate test of human will power and achievement. Unperturbed by seasons, they stand guard and look down upon the world, fondly, and reflect upon their legacy.

Critics have called the Big Sur coast of central California as the greatest meeting of land and sea. I doubt if any of them have ever driven along the Seward Highway. Nestled between mountains and running parallel to the vast Alaskan water-body, this has to be the most scenic highway I have ever driven on. As one approaches the town of Seward, one is accompanied by the green mirror like waters of Kenai lake reflecting the snow off the towering mountains surrounding it. The town of Seward itself ensconces itself in the shadows of might snow clad peaks rising from the surface of the Resurrection Bay. Green chilly waters, and sheer jagged peaks make a match made in heaven, and Seward provides this feature galore.

Through my limited exposure to geography and television, I have always been fascinated by Fjords. Cruising along the Resurrection bay on that cold, rough Alaskan day I felt like my dream had finally come true. I hope someday I am fortunate enough to visit the Scandinavian Fjord lands of Norway, and the eight wonder of the world in New Zealand - Milford Sound. Most people were excited by the abundant wildlife in the sea; and I too, was bamboozled by humpback whales, defying gravity and dynamics, and leaping 10 ft above the ocean floor. But at the foot of these eternal mountains all the wildlife and the merry humans on the boat that day, represented only a minuscule passage of time. The Tall Ones had sheltered and entertained life for thousands of years, and will continue to do the same for many a millennia to come, but in a world replete with change, the constancy of their existence stood in stark contrast!!

Salmon Run, Here I Come!

Trip Blueprint

Jun 27th - Friday
Arrive at midnight @ Anchorage
Crash at Travelodge

Jun 28th - Saturday
Pick Up Car
Shop at Local Grocery store
Drive to Denali Natl Park - Sightsee Enroute.
Camp @ Riley Creek

Jun 29th -Sunday
Wonder Lake Shuttle - All day
Camp @ Riley Creek

June 30th - Monday
Sightsee Denali Natl Park
One Short Hike
Crash @ Talkeetna International Hostel

July 1st - Tuesday
Drive towards Glenallen
See Matunuska Glacier
Sightseeing along Glen Hwy
Camp @ Lake Louise Rec Area or Wrangell-Elias Park

July 2nd - Wednesday
Drive to Kenai Fjords National Park
Sightsee along Seward Hwy
Check out the Bore Tide, if possible
Detour to Whittier
Drive to Exit Glacier
Find a Campground near Seward

July 3rd - Thursday
Major Marine 8 hour Cruise
Camp @ Seward (Same site as above)

July 4th - Friday
Kayak @ Kenai
Drive to Homer Spit - Towns on Sterling Highway
Detour through scenic Skilak Lake road
Stay @ Homer Spit Campground

July 5th - Saturday
Spend some time near Homer
Drive back to ANC
Chugach Mtns state Park, if possible
Crash @ 26th Street Hostel

July 6th - Sunday
Flattop Mtn Trail in the morning
Return Car - Rent bikes and do the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail
Ship Creek Viewing platform
Fly out of ANC

The Great Plains

There are some states that you visit only if you are driving cross-country. South Dakota is one of them. I was thus mildly surprised when we undertook a road trip last weekend with the sole purpose of visiting South Dakota. While the high prices of gas kept most families out of the road, we did the opposite by clocking 1300 miles over the weekend. Courtesy of a 42 mpg hybrid, the round trip from Minneapolis to Rapid City was conducted with a mere 3 gas stops. Infact, I considered it a display of hubris, when my brother stopped at a gas station with the sole purpose of having coffee and using the restroom and NOT filling gas! I have already decided that while buying my next car I would give a serious thought to the SmartCar

Southwestern Minnesota is pretty uninteresting with a flat terrain with tilled agricultural fields. However, a plethora of windmills doting the landscaped testified the progressive environmental policies of the state. The 200 odd miles through this terrain was very uneventful and boring, and in many ways resembled parts of Texas. On entering Dakota, the wind which was already roaring, picked up even more. Here I was treated to the Great Plains of North America. Not only was the land flat as far as you could see, there were no trees to obstruct your views too. There were miles of prairie grass, fenced ranches, and grazing cattle. Having lived in Texas for over a year, it might surprise most people when I say this - I have never witnessed such plain tract of land before. This terrain of Dakota reminded me of the Serengeti's Plains of Africa abound with a million strong herd of Wilde beast and other animals. If not for billboards, and road signs, this part could easily be designated as wilderness.

After traveling 400 miles through this Dakotan landscape, we arrived at Rapid City. Rapid City seemed like a quaint little town which seemed dead even on what should be a busy Saturday evening. I remarked to my brother and sister-in-law that this part of the country must be atleast 20 years behind the rest. Sure enough, the bar that we went to, was playing Backstreet Boys, Michael Jackson & Maddona! The next day we went to visit Mt. Rushmore situated in the Black Hills region. This region is very scenic with a lot of lakes and mountain activities to offer. Mt. Rushmore itself was pretty impressive, and stood a testament to an architect's pursuit of innovation and the indomitable spirit of all the workers who slaved 14 years in its making.

In a place where only white men live, I was shocked to find the existence of an Indian Restaurant - Curry Masala. My shock was compounded, when the billboard to the restaurant was scripted in Tamil. A couple from Madurai & Chennai doled out some warm hospitability and food to mildly confused Desis traveling through Rapid City. I have encountered Desis in remote parts of Kansas before, but even in my wildest dream I did not think I would run into a desi restaurant in South Dakota! The indomitable Desi entrepreneurial spirit will never cease to amaze me. Bravo!

On the trip back, we made a stop at Badlands National park. Given the great weather, the park provided ample photographic opportunities. From points of higher elevation on the park, one could see a distance of about 100 miles in any direction courtesy The Great Plains and the absolute lack of pollution. The park itself provided various strange formations and a good mixture of prairie lands with dry rock formations.

Most people would consider a drive through Dakota rather boring. But I came home with some fond memories. It was flat, the scenery never changed, it was windy but it was not lifeless. The roads where always lined with ranches filled with cows. The contrast of dark green prairie grass, the black cows, a pool of water and the lone wind shredded tree stood symbolic of the vast expanse of the tract and the rural nature of the state. Having seen South Dakota, I am now inspired to travel to the even more rural North Dakota. Fargo, Here I come!

Far East

For more than a year, I have been craving a visit to the Far East. On one hand, strictly from a professional perspective, Far East presents a great business opportunity and in an increasingly global market an exposure is must for anyone aspiring to the higher echelons of any corporation. On the other hand, it represents the best mix of a well developed country where 1st class amenities and infrastructure meet with the third world diversity, cultural values and more importantly humility. For a light sleeper like me, 13 hour non-stop flights are never a fun. Add to this a middle seat in the middle row, and its recipe for disaster. As my protests, with the added air of being a Silver Elite member, were mocked away by the rude ticketing agent, I resigned myself to boarding the flight early and grabbing both my arm rests. However, a tiring 3 day business trip of Los Angeles and 2 glasses of wine made sure I slept like a log through the remainder of the journey. An interesting point of observation - I was the only brown man in the entire Boeing 777.

The one hour bus ride from Incheon International Airport to Seoul was rather un-scenic but gave me enough evidence to establish that this country is highly developed. Four, and at times five, laned freeways were whizzing with vehicles at 100 Kmph. There were not many small cars of the Maruti, Santro sub-compact kind and hardly any two wheelers. Once under the shadow of the city skyline, the streets resembled Manhattan, with tall buildings towering car filled streets. Although, at parts, the traffic was as unruly as Manhattan there was no incessant honking or irate drivers. And then there were markets which resembled tiny stores in India minus the filth and the crowd. For a city with a 11 million population, the city never seemed really dense. There was always plenty of open spaces.

The city is split into two halves by the Han river. I was restricted mainly to the northern half. The surrounding green hills and mountains provide a pretty backdrop to the city. However, the perennial haze impeded the mountains from doing a complete justice to some of my attempts to take post card snaps. But the hills did provide some pretty drives with great vistas of the city. I was fortunate enough to be put up in one of the higher floors of a rather tall hotel which provided panaromic views of the city. Call it high-tech or just plain luxury, but my hotel bathroom had an electronic toilet seat, which would spray, clean and rinse my behind at the push off a button. Hell ya, you could even choose the water pressure, temperature and the spray rythm! Just tells you how far the technology has advanced in the East! Also, residing in the club level of the hotel, I was at the receiving end of some great hospitality, where I was reminded of the Indian subservient culture. Money can buy you a lot of things in America, but this is definitely not one of those things.

Most youngsters in Seoul seemed fashion crazy as duty free shops and fashion markets doled out some of the really expensive fashion brands worldwide. The airport had more stores for perfumes and handbags than for food! The ladies were extremely pretty and seemed to have a keen sense of fashion. The men were almost always dressed nattily in suits, and made me seem like a sloppy informal American with his casual sense of dressing and arrogant disrespect to other cultures. Business meetings were trifle annoying with the customer jabbering away amongst themselves in Korean for 15 minutes before asking me a question. I guess it is not seen as disrespectful in Oriental culture to talk in the native language in front of a non-native speaker.

In US, I often joke around that "I eat anything that moves". I was careful not to blurt this out in Korea, lest they take it seriously cause I am aware that they are fully capable of implementing the above sentence. After 1 traditional meal, I had perfected my chop stick skills and was successfully downing all the kimchi and noodles that were thrown at me. Most Korean meals are very elaborate with atleast 5-10 ceramic bowls utilized to serve just 1 person. I wonder if the most hated job in Korea is that of the person who cleans the dishes. Despite much hype, I never got to taste Dog! When I mentioned this to a co-worker this morning, she expressed utter disgust, "Geez, Arun, I own a pet, I could never imagine eating a dog". To which another co-worker remarked, "It probably tastes like chicken".....and I could not agree more.

Keep Portland Weird!

Ever since my first memorable trip to the Northwest, I had been pining for more. Having
heard and read a lot about Oregon, and Portland in particular, I finally got an opportunity
to satiate this desire by visiting this part of the country over the President's day weekend. If you don't visit the Northwest between July 4th and Halloween, the weather at most times is gloomy and depressing. But fortune favors the brave, and my to and fro first class flights to the city was further sweetened by 3 bright days of sunshine and warm weather. The occurence of 3 consecutive days of sun was best summarised by my colleague at work, whose first words on hearing this was, "You lucky son of a gun!".

The city of Portland has a very laidback and casual air to it and is often compared to Austin and Madison. In many ways, it follows the trend of most of the west coast cities like LA, San Francisco & Seattle. Devoid of big chain stores, the city exudes a personality of a small town with local stores dotting the downtown. Given the liberal outlook in this part of the country there is a plethora of unique stores and especially notable are the neighbourhoods of Hawthorn and Division district. Courtest the gloomy weather for most part of the year, coffee plays an important role in the lifestyle of Portlanders. I had my fill at the Stumptown coffee, and I must say, it definitely comes close, if not matches the best one I have had in Houston. The city also boasts of an underground network of micro-brews and doles out some really cool local blends.

The downtown, despite the lack of really tall buildings, sits pretty on the banks of Willamete river. With numerous bridges criss-crossing the river, the city resembles, in some ways, the east coast cities settled along the river. But on clear days, the downtown boasts of some unparelleled views of Mt. Hood and Mt. St Helens. Although St. Helens has its top blown off, Hood retain its perfect triangular apex as it rises 11,000 ft above the ground in its snow covered splendor. This forms a perfect backdrop to travellers and commuters heading east on the Interstate 84.

The main agenda of the trip, skiing, was established in the vicinity of Hood. Despite faring better than my compatriots, I was a tad disappointed at my endeavour. Having arrived with the lofty goal of graduating to steeper climbs of Blues, I ended up languishing for most part on a terrain which although dubbed "green", must have been a simple "blue". As I quench all my aspirations for same this year, in flat Houston, I look forward to a prolonged outing next year, hopefully in the Rockies, Sierras or the Cascades!!

The trip also involved a small jaunt to the beginning of the columbia river gorge and a brisk hike to see the head of the Multnomah falls. Under strict time constraints, the steep 1 mile hike to the top was completed thanks mainly due to persistence of my friend, but must say, it was well rewarded with vista views from the top. Having had my fill of Waterfalls (Catarratas), in Costa Rica, I arrived at this falls looking to sneer down at it, but was mildly surprised with its height and beauty. The remainder of the day was spent driving to the coast to the small beautiful town of Cannon Beach. Due to a really flat ocean bed, and tides, I was greeted to an array of colorful aquatic creatures clinging on the exposed rocks. Starfish, Sea Anemones and Mussels clinged on to moist rocks as they waited for the high tide to bring them back to their moist habitat.

Mountains and jagged peaks always allure people and add beauty to the landscape. And then
there is a rocky ocean with waves beating down on them and miles of pristine sand. You mix
the two, and you get a great meeting of land and sea. Don't believe me....just head west!

Big "D"

This was the third time in last 2 years that I have spent an entire week in Dallas, but I still cannot get myself to like this city. However, its always been a funtime in Dallas, as I have always been on training, which translates to 1 great week of hostipatility on company account. You also get an opportunity to meet and interact with people all over the world and learn new things. There are some crazy adventures and stories to tell from my first trip, but most of my other trips have been rather uneventful.

They have a saying in Houston which goes "If you don't like the weather, just wait 5 minutes". This probaby applies to Dallas too. Monday was a record high of 84F, whereas the low on Tuesday evening was 34F. A 50F (27C)differential in a day - truly incredible! But the extreme weather range of Dallas, 32F in Winter - 105F in summer, results in a very non-green, brown landscape which serves as no relief to the eyes from the concrete jungle.

On the face of it, Dallas is not very different from Houston or many other US cities, with its biggest claim to fame being the "Kennedy Assassination". It is flat, tall buildings dot the landscape, and the city is filled with strip malls lining the service roads by the freeway. Like most of Texas, you see a plethora of ugly huge pick-up trucks and massive restaurants serving twice the normal portion of what you should be eating. The city doesn't exude any special personality to impress first time visitors and things dont change much as you travel from one part of the city to other. The Dallas downtown skyline does boast of some impressive towers.

But in many ways, Dallas looks like a very white collared city with a lot of high rise offices of big companies. Infact a lot of big name companies have their headquarters in Dallas - must be some weird tax benefits. Combined with the cheap standard of living, this does make the city wealthy and some parts pretty upscale. This has resulted in the city boasting of 4 professional teams, one in each sport, with the Cowboys and Mavericks definitely close to the top of their induvidual league. Combined with Fort-Worth metro, it is definitely a big city, proven by its huge airport serving as American Airlines lines hub.

On my first visit to the city, I had made a valiant effort to find all things touristy and explore and learn more about the city. Soon I realised, the futility of that endeavour, and resigned myself to enjoying what Texas doles out best - Steaks! This time around, I got an opportunity to enjoy this bovine pleasure at probably one of the finest restaurant I have ever visited. The cheque at the end of the day was a record setter, but I should have seen that coming from the complimentary plates of caviars and ribs served to us. This also gave me a chance to add another delicacy to my long list of strange edible creatures!

Pura Vida

The Costa Ricans call it the "Pura Vida" - Pure Life. After a 7 day trip to this beautiful country, I am convinced of the aptness of this Costa Rican phrase. The lush green fields, the fresh produce, the aromatic coffee, misty mountains and the hospitable nature of the people are just few ingredients that contribute to the purity. Most of the drives through countryside are unbelievably scenic filled with great vista views, bridges over raging rivers, and pretty waterfalls.

San Jose a busy city is the capital of the bustling central valley and has a very temperate weather like Los Angeles. However drug peddlers, prostitutes and pickpocketers make parts of the city a difficult proposition to navigate after the dark. Still the city is steeped in history and busy commercial markets are a picture of color and variety. Some of the suburbs are very affluent, whereas some suburbs are completely Americanised with their Burger Kings and Pizza Huts, which caters to a study influx of tourists from up north.

For a country the size of West Virginia, there is an enormous amount of diversity and weather pattern. The central Valley is the most densely populated region of the country and is replete with terraced coffee plantations, and fruit plantations. Rainforests are scattered through most of the highger elevations of the central valley and abound with great diversity in terms of flora and fuana and wildlife. Due to the terrain and the rainfall there are innumerable scenic waterfalls which dot the landscape. The swelling rivers sustain good rapids and give ample opportunites to do white water rafting through some really beautiful landscape. Hidden among the mountain ranges are various active volcanoes. We were lucky to see the nightly display of Mount Arenal, as the hot red lava oozed from the sides of this perfectly conical mountain. The mountain stands at the edge of the beautiful lake Arenal which due to its windy conditions is ideal for wind surfers.

Having never driven in India, I was scared at the propsect of driving on Costa Rican roads. The fear was further compounded when I realised that it most places, there is no road at all! Its just unpaved muddy or rocky clearing. A 4x4 is absolutely must in most conditions, and I experienced the worst drive of my life while driving from Monteverde to Tillaran. Driving at night on an unpaved, wet, steep road with sheer cliff drops is always tricky - but then you add a thick blanket of mist and 5 ft visibility, and all bets are off. For 1/2 an hour I relied on my navigator to tell me whether to steer right or left, as I waded out a very nervous drive.

Prior to the trip, most of my backpacking had always been in the wilderness of national parks. This was my first urban backpacking expereince, and it was great fun to stay in various hostels with bunker beds and meet fellow travellers. Its always interesting to hear about people tell their travel tales, and more often than not when I listen to such veteran travellers I am always filled with awe and a great pining to travel more. But then it also leaves me with a tinge of sadness to realise that Corporate America only grants me 2 1/2 weeks a year for all my travel escapades.

Travel Wishlist

...Places I definitely have to visit in next 15 years, not necessarily in that order

1) TransSiberian Rail - This 6000+ km rail line which traverses the length of Russia, also traverses parts of China & Mongolia. It would be a wonderful 10-12 days on the rail where you get to see varied topography and 3 totally different culture, and mingle with various co-passengers and travellers and share experiences.

2) Mt. Kiliminjaro & Serenghetti National Park - At 19,000+ ft, Mt. Kilimanjaro might be the tallest stand alone peak. Serenghetti is definitely a place which showcases the best wildlife in the world and a trip to both the places would be a great eye-opener to the rich African culture

3) Fjordlands - Dubbed as the Eight wonder of the world, kayaking in the Milford Sound in the Fjordlands in New Zealand would be a dream come true. The Fjords of Norway come a close second to this place.

4) Rafting in Himalayas - The grand daddy of all mountain ranges, a 10 day rafting expedition through the rugged terrains would definitely be a life changing experience.

5) Northern Lights in Fairbanks - One of the natural wonders of the world seen from the 60th parellel in Northern Hemisphere; is definitely the most divine and super-natural thing you can ever experience.

6) Machi Pichu & Colca Canyon - A trip to visit the old Incan empire and a gateway to learn about the ancient latin american civilisation.

7) Gold Coast & Great Barrier Reef - I have always been a big fan of things down under, and visiting the 12 Apostles would be an opportunity of lifetime.

8) Interlaken & Jungfrau - The Alps at its best at this beautiful Swiss location

9) Mt. Fuji & Tokyo - People all over the world are fascinated by the highly developed yet really ancient Japanese civilisation, and it would be worthwile scaling the Mt. Fuji and then spending time travelling in Japan, learning this culture

10) Banff & Jasper - I already have a taste of these national parks courtesy Glacier National Park in Montana. My love for glacial mountains would be complete with these parks and a visit to Fjordlands mentioned above. In all probability, this would be the easiest thing to achieve amongst the list above. Moraine Lake is definitely the place to go....

New England

There is one facet of NorthEastern US which is very unique and distinguishes it from the rest of the country - Fall Colors. Hence, I decided to make a trip up North to catch up with friends and relatives and also catch up on this Nature's spectacle. The trip began with a not so peaceful flight to Philly, as 3 old ladies around me incessantly chatted about spice girls, wine & airline jokes and distracted me from my book and my thoughts. As I ended up sitting on seat 1F, I also ended up overhearing their gossip with the steward, and got a great insight into airline steward's life and the industry as a whole. My ride from PHL to Edison on the NJ turnpike was a trifle disappointing as I failed to see enough evidence of Fall foliage. Had I mistimed my trip?

The next day, after renting the car from the cute Enterprise lady, we set out on our journey up north in the hope of catching fall colors. As usual Upstate NY turned out to be pretty, as we took a detour on route 9W to drive along Hudson river valley. A small pit stop at Kingston, NY was well served by a nice bowl of clam chowder and some raw peppered Tuna & wasabi. The higher elevations of Catskill Mountain showed plenty of evidence of fall colors, and most drives through the park were extremely scenic. The ride along the northern edge of the mountains offered some great views, with Point LookoutMountain Inn offering a view of 5 states from the vantage point. The cold evening was capped by a fancy desi dinner at a suburban Boston restaurant, which reaffirmed my opinion that the quality of desi food is inversely proportional to the number of white people inside the restaurant.

On Sunday, I finally realised my dream of visiting the city of Boston. The day started with an agonising 30 minute hunt for parking in Boston downtown, before I finally succumbed to the fate of paying for parking. A sluggish start to the famed Freedom Trail was capped by
a mouth watering jaunt through Quincy Market. The trail culminated with an exhausting climb along 294 steep winding steps of Bunker Hill monument, but the view from top justified the effort. In many ways, the northern suburbs of Boston reminded me of European
cities. I came into Boston expecting it to be a smaller version of NY, but to my delight it
turned out to be more laid back, clean and sunny.

A short train to the lively Harvard Square, on the other banks of Charles, got me to a
neighbourhood which probably has the highest density of nerds in the country. The Harvard
campus was pretty impressive, especially the Business School area. As we relaxed along the banks of the Charles, I got to see the famous sights of teams of varsity students rowing on
the river and passing those red bridges in the campus. The last halt of the night was at a
lesser known university dubbed as MIT. As I parked my car at the Electrical engineering building, I immediately recognised The Frank Gehry designed Stata building, thanks to my previous visits to his creations in Los Angeles & Dusseldorf. The next 1-1/2 hour was spent with me listening to a passionate discussion on string theory and gravitational physics between my cousin and my friend, and a whirlwind tour of the theoretical Physics building. At the end of the day, Boston did leave a lasting impression, and despite the harsh weather and high rents, I still wouldn't mind living in this beautiful city.

The drive back to NJ on Monday helped me increase my state count by 2, as we cruised
through the beautiful states of Connecticut & Rhode Island. All along the I-95, there were
beautiful sights of fall colors, and bridges over docks in the state of Connecticut. But the best laid plans of men and mice often go awry, and so did I have my share of hiccups on the final day. Firstly, our car blew a flat in Rhode Island. Luckily, I noticed this right when I was pulling out of the gas station and a small visit to a service centre nearby, resulted only in a 45 minute break in the journey. This was followed by an unsuccessful attempt to dine at the desi mecca on Oak Tree Rd in Edison, NJ due to paucity of time and store closures on Monday.

However, I was not so lucky with my flight back home. After having boarded the flight, I
heard the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard on a plane. The stewardess announced "Ladies & Gentleman, this flight is over weight, and we need 14 volunteers who are ready to go on the next flight....blah blah". Bravo Houston, Bravo !! You continue to set records when it comes to obesity. Anyways after much drama and 12 willing and 2 drafted volunteers, the flight finally did take-off, only to land an hour late due to thunderstorms in Houston and some gate delays. So, like most of my vacations, I went to bed well past mid night only to wake up groggy the next day and resort to espresso shots to survive a tough work day.

The Land of Big !

When people move from Asia & Europe to USA, they are overwhelmed by the size of everything - cars, people, houses etc. It is the same feeling which hit me when I moved from California to Texas. The Lone star state is definitely the land of the big and excess. The trucks are bigger, the people are fatter, the restaurants are bigger, and the houses most definitely are huger !! This scale of things has totally skewed my perception of what is normal and what is uncommon.

People pride in possessing the biggest gas guzzling trucks that they can flaunt. I can never understand why a person would need so much torque or load carrying capacity under his hood, when all he needs is a vehicle which would get him to and fro from work. Hybrids dont make sense to common texans. A prius sighting is as rare as a Lamborghini Murcielago in the city. Most maniacs drive their trucks as if they own the road. Giving indicators seems optional in most cases, as the road is ruled by size of the vehicle than the size of the brain, and I wonder if there exists an inverse proportionality between the former and the latter. Despite driving for 2 years in freeway crazy LA, my first 2 months in Houston has seen my road rage increase manifold.

Moving from West Los Angeles,(probably the second most liberal part of the country after San Francisco) to the bible belt of the country in the South, definitely is a big change. Houston sits in the heartland of the conservative state and church is definitely a very important part of everyone's life. This is clearly evident from the numerous billboards dotting the freeway, advertising church services and advocating bible study groups. At most times I try to be very careful while airing my political views, lest I get shot. Remember, this state prides itself in the pro-gun stance, which is further evident by people's penchant for hunting.

Houston definitely prides itself as the restaurant city of the country. All along the freeways, by the service roads, one can find innumerable number of restaurants. These restaurants are huge, but even on weekdays, some of them need reservations. People love to eat out, and are very proud of their BBQ & Sirloins. Meat is definitely the preferred choice of food, and there are some places which are definitely not meant for vegetarians. Thanks to the proximity to the ocean, Seafood aslo features high on some menus. There is no dearth of expensive restaurants catering to corporate card using clientele either! Only after moving to Texas have I developed my penchant for a nice centre cut of filet mignon alongside a cabernet sauvignon.

The landscape of the city is as flat as the surface of water. The tallest points are actually manmade - freeway interchanges and skyscrapers. Previously I do not remember living in a place which is as flat as this and devoid of a uneven terrain. Courtesy of some huge construction projects, the freeways are perinially coated in dust and surrounded by bricks. The greenery in the city is the only saving grace, and parts like Memorial Park add a semblance of civilisation!

However, given the economic position of the city as the Oil Capital of the world, it is most definitely a very very important city. All the big Oil Companies call Houston as their home, and some of the wealthiest people live in this city. Harris County (Houston) ranks 6th in the list of most number of millionaires in the US. Houston is also one of the cheapest big city and is very affordable place to save up money and settle down ! Despite the high humidity and constant thunderstorms, the weather is still more amicable than most of the country as barring 2-3 months of hot summer, the weather stays pleasant year around.

A piece of heaven !

This July 4th weekend, I finally fulfilled my dream of visiting Glacier National Park (GNP) in northern Montana. Having visited Yellowstone, Grand Teton & Olympic National Parks over last summer, I arrived at GNP to determine the best national park in lower 48 states. Although I still maintain that Yellowstone & Grand Teton combined constitute the best park in the country, and Olympic is probably the second best, GNP is definitely the most scenic park. At most times the sheer size of the mountains and their proximity leave people overwhelmed and humbled.

Flying into the closest big airport Spokane, WA, I was probably the only brown guy in the entire aircraft. The same trend continued over next 5 days as I literally ran across less than 20 non-white people! Countryside Montana is as conservative as it is pretty, and at
almost every moment I could feel like a stranger lost in a land he shouldn't never have travelled. But once in the park, you come across the friendliest of the campers from all over the country (still white though!). Through my many camping trips at various national
parks I have found out that the visitors are most often old white folks. If the park is easily accessible, one might see a decent influx of asians or indians, but in such an inaccessible park, I wasn't expecting anything different.

Coming back to the park, I went in expecting most of the glaciers and snowpack to have melted away thanks to record heat all over country. But I was pleasantly surprised that the high elevations still locked in cold temperature and enough snowpack. Most sites in GNP are situated along the fabled "Going to the Sun Road", and it is definitely the best drive I have ever encountered in my life. The west side of the road starts at lower elevation skirting lake McDonald, but is soon gains elevation through Logan Pass and offer stunning
unparelled vistas of the continental divide.

The continental divide is like a wall of thin but super steep snow/glacier packed mountains which dissect the park. Numerous waterfalls wash the road and make driving on the narrow roads tricky. The east side of the park is more windy and dry and is dotted with
some beautiful lakes and creeks. The fresh glacial melts give the water a clean green tinge, and give the lake a very refreshing and unique look.

Although the park doesn't boast a wide variety of wildlife, I had the good fortune of having 3 bear sightings. One of them a mere 5 ft away (from inside the car obviously!), but I also had another sighting with the bear about 40 ft away while we were on our foot. Black
bears are normally calm and unperturbed by tourists. I was however, stunned by ability of mountain goats to walk on steep precipes at extremely high elevations. Other forms of wildlife included Moose, Deer & Big Horn Sheeps all adept at walking on snow covered steep
terrains.

Its definitely hard to get back to a normal life post GNP. The concrete jungle of Houston, alongside the ever growing construction dust on the freeway is a far cry from the pristine wilderness of Montana. But ordinary people have ordinary lives.....and so I live on with dreams of travel to my next destination !

European Terraces

Since my timing to Europe coincided perfectly with nice summer weather, I got a great exhibition of the european “terrace” culture which I have only heard, read and seen in movies. Streets after streets were teeming with people sitting outdoors and dining or taking in home brewn beer or just a plain cappuccino. The skies were clear, the buildings were archaic, the streets were narrow and conjusted and the people were merry – symbolising the typical European terrace lifestyle on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

The first thing I noticed as I walked the streets of Antwerp was that things are definitely much smaller in Europe compared to US. Flying in from Texas, where everything is big, Europe kind of restored some semblance to my skewed scale of things. The people were fitter, healthier and there were more people on bikes or on feet than people on car. There was abundant public transportation to take you to places of interest, and it was a nice change to not feel your car keys in the pocket. Many a times, walking through streets of old European cities reminded me of Bombay with its old Victorian architecture on narrow streets.

The train ride from Amsterdam to Antwerp, gave me a flavor of the Dutch countryside. With more than 50% of land below sea-level and with extremely fat landscape, Amsterdam is well renowned for its dairy products. The Dutch lunch is strange, couple of slices of bread, a piece of meat, soup and 2 glasses of milk – almost a second breakfast! Normally, a super flat landscape with absence of hills and mountains would be boring. But the dutch countryside is lush green with beautiful farms, filled with cattle, goat and horses and traditional windmills alongside rivers and canals to add further beauty. The Dutch love to bike, which is evident from 3 storied cycle parking structures at some of the stations and the special right of way that cyclists possess on the road.

Belgium, is very similar to Holland, with people in north speaking dutch whereas people is south speaking French. Sights like Grand Palace Square and other historic palaces make Brussels a hot spot for tourist activities. Antwerp is a tiny bustling city on the banks of Shelde River and world famous for its diamond market. I was also fortunate to visit cities like Cologne, Bonn & Dusseldorf along the Rhine in Germany. As expected, people in Germany did not speak as much English as their western neighbours, and I tried to apply my limited german skills to navigate while we were away from the city. Girls in germany were extremely beautiful, and at most times I had to shift my appreciation of beauty from architectural to human. Cologne, or Koln as the locals may call, is also the birth place of eau de cologne, and I made sure I got my own small bottle before departing.

For most people from East, USA seems like the most liberal and progressive country in the world. Unfortunatley, it’s nothing but a glorious misconception portrayed by latte sipping Hollywood actresses and blonde bedding hunks. Europe in true sense has a much more open culture than the US and no where is it more clear than Amsterdam. Tourists throng the famed “Coffee Shops” and the legendary “Red Light District” (RLD) areas along the canals. Walking through the lively, and super touristy RLD lanes in Amsterdam is a unique experience in itself and sometimes you wonder how the local society accepts such a set-up.

Although Europe tended to be expensive place to travel for a tourist, it is a great place to work. The work culture is relaxed with ample holidays, and life in general seemed slow and cheerful than other parts of world. However, the thing which annoyed me the most was the absence of free restrooms and drinking water. Given that water costed more than Beer, I decided to use the cheaper of the two to quench my thirst most of the times! Europe definitely turned out to be prettier and more enjoyable than what I had imagined, and definitely intend to make multiple trips to the continent to discover all that it has to offer!