Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Being with loved ones!
In fact the last two months have been just wonderful! one beautiful holiday after another; that too with the people whom you want to be with the most!
In April it was B'lore and the weekend at Nature Valley with Rakesh, Shalu, Rhea & Sachin and family! Just out of B'lore but a totally different world- the resort developed by a yuppie management graduate, very well planned, eco friendly- to give the city bred folks a glimpse of getting cl;ose to nature! A valiant effort- the guy had sunk his hard earned gulf money into the project, I hope he succeeds!
We had a great time, especially the children-they had their doubts when the saw the bare brick structures topped with roofs of hay; but soon got friendly with the kittens, puppies, the guinea fowl strutting around! Their first experience of milking the cows in the stables!
There were books for the readers, board games, so we got back to good old Ludo, Snakes and Ladders, Carrom and the like. There was cricket & gilli danda for the boys!
We also tried our hand at pottery, to the great amusement of the skilled potter who was guiding us! It was something I always wanted to do and realised it was no child's play!
A nature walk inthe morning, and bullock cart ride in the evening! How we enjoyed the eco-pool where you dunk in along side the frogs, tadploes and bulrushes? And can we forget the twinkling stars while sitting in the round metal boatlike vessels (forget what they are called) in the open fields, sipping ur single malt or gin or rum or .....!
I would measure my life by all these beautiful moments and nothing else!
Is'nt that why daddy decided that having both sons & their families together in B'bay was an occasion for celebration and what better way than getting away to a beautiful place and spend all the time just being together and doing some lovely things!
The bungalow all to ourselves, breakfast on the lawns, trying our hand at table tennis! Neil & Aditi introduced us to playing pool! Rhea fighting with dadi (whats new?) for the hammock, playing hide & seek with her new found kaki, the ride to the beach by bullock cart- images have stuck in my mind!
To these have been added another long list of beautiful moments spent with Neil & Aditi! Our month long whirlwind vacation seemed like one long dream. Must say Aditi had planned every day to the last detail!
The wine tasting trails at napa in the stretched limo, the walk of fame in Hollywood, the homes of the rich & famous in Beverly Hills, the out of this world scenic views of the Bay area of San Fran! We twice traversed the Golden Gate bridge, walked the Crookedest street in the world in LA and generally soaked in the West Coast- California!
At napa we learnt that wine has to be swirled around, its scents and aromas (ranging from vanila, strawberry, cherries, pears etc. etc) relished, and then to be sipped delicately, elegantly taking in all the flavours of the Merlots, Pinot gracias, Chardonnays, Pinot grigurs, Cabernets ............... the sparkling whites, reds and rosee!
Daddy's long time wish of paying a visit to the Universal Studios finally came true as we drove thru the sets of many a hollywood movie- the great Cowboy westerns, some of the Horror films and watched a Thunder storm followed by a heavy downpour, a gushing of Flood waters, the splitting of the sea for Moses, the famous shark of Jaws and numerous other exhibits! The best was an accident involving 2-3 cars being enacted right in front of you and looking so real!
Back home in Manhattan, I was introduced to Ann Taylor, H & M, J Crew, Esprit, The container store, Crate & Barrel and a number of fancy stores by Aditi. Until then my shopping list was limited to K-Mart, Old Navy & Macy's and a visit to Bed Bath & Beyond! By the time I returned, I had collected a fancy American wardrobe of capris, crops and tops!
A visit to Bliss- the Beauty Salon, to get me a French manicure & pedicure was like the icing on a cake!
The evenings saw us making a beeline for all the varied restaurants, bars, grills of NYC. The steak house of Del Friscos, the Flor de sol- a spanish place that served delicious Tapas (translated - small servings) and fabulous, fruity Sangaria along with a live band & Flamenco dancers! I enjoyed the tapas here!
I also loved the pizzas & got used to the Sandwiches served by the snack bars although I could not appreciate the bland meats! But I enjoyed the ambience, the service with a Huge Smile, the Margaritas & Mojitos, the huge screens playing the Yankees v/s The Red Sox, or the Mets v/s The White Sox!
We also tasted the Indian food at the exotic Indian places- Watan- done up in a typical Kutchhi village style, Dawat -owned by Madhur Jaffrey (wife of Syed Jaffrey), The Mink- which served Indian food in the American setting! And of course Chennai Garden and Tiffin Wallah which was my very own discovery- and its owner- Naik of Kolhapur- who was happy to pour his heart out to us -his gaovalas. He'd just been thru a divorce after having lost his flourishing hotel bussiness after 7/11.
Can I forget the Letterman show that we saw live, as part of the audience at NBC? We were so excited for 2 whole days, would have been our first TV appearance, had one of the myriad cameras spotted us!
At home, Aditi baked some exotic cakes, he r famous pohe & khichadi! I know her Salmon was out of this world, but I cant think out of my 'dal chawal'! So finally Sarojben (whose "Mien ata hoon, mein jata hoon" was really funny) came to evryones rescue!
I loved the Fruit & Yogurt combination, and tried it out back home, but it was not the same!
Daddy ofcourse freaked out on the Sitcoms- The Golden Girls, Still Standing (showing in India just now), Reba, Here's Lucy, etc etc. whenever he was not walking the streets & avenues!
We were also introduced to Golf-the US Open, no less and actually found ourselves engrossed in the game; with Neil helping us with the Birdies & Bogeys, Eagles, Bunkers etc!
But I predicted the winner at half time on the last day and would have made a pile had I put some money on him-poor guy! I was the only one who thought he would win! Which he did in great style! You could feel the elitist attitude of all the commentators (they were literally speechless) who could'nt believe their pet Tiger was left in the woods by this South Americn or was he a Spaniard called Cabrera?
We also played our own game of Golf & Tennis at home- with the Wii .
How did I miss out the Grand 60th B'day Bash? It had been very elaborately planned out-a total surprise for daddy! All our relatives in the US, Anil & family, Neelu atya, Leena & fly, Ameet, Ritwik, Shivani, Hrishi were all there and Maria to help out! Meetu & Shvetan couldnt make it, they came the next day to wish dad.
The guests were directed to the Social Room of the Ritz Plaza and assembled there. We four left home (to a restaurant for dinner) and were taken to have a dekho of the newly appointed Party Room on the 1st Floor - and were greeted by a loud cheer! Daddy was tickled pink to see the whole clan & the room decorated with balloons!
The food from Darbar was excellent, as was the cake!
The journey back home was uneventful unlike the flight into Newark, which was sabotaged, Dad & I left home intending to fly together, at the airport I boarded the flt to JFK while he took the one going to Newark. When I landed, I was alone! He had to go back as the flt was over booked & came the next day. I just love this adventure! Its become an integral part of our travels!
We parted with the hope that we would all try and get together whenever & wherever possible!
And, as I said before I had collected a store of beautiful memories that will stay with me forever!
