Tuesday, December 3, 2024

2024 Thanksgiving break - a relaxing time.

 With our days being hectic and our minds craving some relaxation, we decided to take a no-agenda getaway during Thanksgiving.

The trip began with a cozy day spent at my close friend Lilu’s home for a sleepover. The kids had a blast ice skating, while we savored some delicious Italian food at Delarosa in San Ramon. The evening ended on a delightful note with entertainment courtesy of the kids and watching the beautiful movie Kishkinta Kaandam on Amazon Prime.



Thanksgiving Day itself started leisurely. We all woke up late. While Sree, Anoop, and Lilu went for a refreshing morning walk, I took my time to get ready, dressing up in a saree. Inspired by Lilu’s idea to capture some fall-themed pictures before all the leaves had fallen, we found some picturesque spots near her home. The vibrant fall colors were breathtaking, and I even recorded a small dance snippet amidst the beauty.





After breakfast at Lilu’s, we packed our bags, said our goodbyes, and headed toward Red Bluff. True to our plan of keeping it relaxed, there was no strict itinerary. By evening, we arrived at our modest cottage accommodation, where we spent the night unwinding, playing games, and enjoying a comforting dinner of roti and curry packed from Lilu’s. We slept soundly, recharging for the next day.

Friday morning began with a peaceful walk around the farm-like cottage area, tea in hand. Later, we cooked breakfast, got ready, and checked out. With no fixed plans, we decided to drive to Burney Falls. In hindsight, skipping Burney Falls and heading straight to Redding would have been wiser. We lost a couple of hours on the road, found most lunch spots closed, and ended up skipping the falls altogether before heading back to Redding.





Lunch at Fusion Lounge in Redding turned out to be a delightful surprise. Their fusion menu was fantastic—the edamame, ramen, Thai curry, and everything else we ordered were spot-on. Later, we picked up biryani, roti, and curry from a Punjabi Dhaba before heading to our next destination: a cozy cabin.




The cabin was undoubtedly the highlight of the trip. For the next two days, we fully embraced the art of relaxation—playing rounds of Catan, enjoying homemade meals, sipping tea, reading, and simply soaking in the serene surroundings. The cabin’s charm and tranquility made it the perfect retreat.













On Sunday, we reluctantly said goodbye to the cabin and drove to Petaluma to visit friends. After a warm lunch at their place, we made our way back to the Bay Area, feeling refreshed and content from our no-agenda getaway.

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

Washington DC

 I did a quick 3 day trip to Washington DC for work. Apart from work, just wanted to mention two things that we did as a team

1. We did a street art tour, in Noma and Union market areas of DC. This was ok, I think there is a lot to learn about street art.


The street art was inaugurated by Michelle Obama




2. This was the most special for me. On both the days, I was there, we did a walk around all the monuments in the night. The weather was perfect, and to see all the monuments lighted it was amazing!









Monday, July 29, 2024

Udaipur - Cheriamma's Birthday Trip

We planned this trip about two months ago to celebrate my Cheriamma’s birthday. A trip was originally planned for 2019 or so, and then the pandemic and other factors delayed this, and finally in 2024 we made this trip. We had four days in total, with two days dedicated to exploring Udaipur and the other two for travel.

Summary

Day 1 : COK-HYD Flight, and then HYD - UDP. Dinner with Gaurav's family

Day 2 : Explored Trident. Explore Sajjangarh, Moti Magri, Nimmat Mandir via ropeway, Camel and Horse rides, pics in Rajastani attire, and back to Oberoi. Dinner from Ambrai Restaurant 

Day 3: Explore Oberoi. Explore Gangore Ghat, Jagdish Mandir, City Palace with Gaurav and Ankush. Back to Oberoi, and dinner in the night with Gaurav and family.

Day 4: Travel back to COK

Day 1: Travel Day

We hit the airport bright and early at 7:45 am for our 9:45 flight. After breezing through check-in and security, we had some time to kill, so I showed Cheriamma some cool pics on my phone. We snagged some good seats on the plane and enjoyed a bite to eat. After a brief layover in Hyderabad, where we grabbed coffee at Starbucks, we continued on to Udaipur. We landed at 5 pm and were picked up by Gaurav, a childhood friend of Sree’s. We headed to his place, met his lovely family, and enjoyed some delicious home-cooked food before they dropped us off at the Trident. The kids immediately connected with Gaurav's kids and enjoyed the time there.The hotel was fantastic, greeting us warmly and showing us to our balloon-decorated room. We settled in for some rest.

All set to board

Udaipur Airport 

With Gaurav- Sree's childhood friend

At Gaurav's parent's place - traditional food



In the hotel room, decorated for Bday celebrations 



Day 2:
We started the day all dressed up and headed for a delightful breakfast at the Trident, where they whipped up a custom Dosa for Pappu and pancakes for the kids. After exploring the hotel grounds, the humidity drove us back to our room to cool off. We checked out and Gaurav had a car ready for us. Our first stop was the breathtaking Sajjangarh Monsoon Palace. Despite the kids being a handful, Cheriamma and I really enjoyed the views.

Morning views 








Dancing with my mom!



Sajjangarh - Monsoon palace 


Next, we explored the ancient ruins at Moti Magri and snapped some photos in traditional Rajasthani attire. Pappu had a blast with camel and horse rides by Fateh Sagar Lake. We then took a ropeway to Nimath Matha temple before heading to our next hotel, the Oberoi. The check-in was smooth, and our room had a stunning private patio. After lounging by the pool and grabbing some snacks, we freshened up and dined at Ambrai restaurant, which offered gorgeous views of Lake Pichola and the surrounding palaces. A stroll around Fatehsagar Lake rounded off our evening before we headed back to enjoy a relaxing bath and called it a night.





 

 

 




Birthday celebrations!




Swim time





Beautiful view of the lighted palaces around




The candle room


Day 3:
We overslept a bit and rushed to catch the tail end of breakfast at Oberoi, which wasn’t as impressive as Trident’s. We spent the morning taking photos around the stunning hotel. Later, Gaurav took us to Gangor Ghat and Jagdish Temple, which had incredible architecture. We shopped around the City Palace area and enjoyed some local Dal Bhatti. The kids swam again back at the hotel, and we all loved the sunset boat ride—it was a highlight! After showing Gaurav and his family around the hotel, we grabbed dinner nearby, took some last-minute photos, and said our goodbyes.













Jagdish temple



In front of city palace








These are bats









Day 4:
Travel day—Gaurav kindly dropped us off at the airport for our flight to Bangalore, where we had a lengthy wait due to a delay. Eventually, we made it to Cochin and drove back to Thrissur.


It was a whirlwind trip filled with beautiful sights, great food, and even better company!