Vegas to Vegas in 2000 miles

More than a hobby, writing blogs on our travels is not just about sharing our experiences to the people out there, but it was out of realisation that we ourselves started to forget the minute details of the trip. We started to forget the experiences when the number of trips got added which we had enjoyed at that moment. So, this has become a means to relish those moments of our life. A summary of things which Dillu reminded me & which I remember myself.

We had been to the US a couple of years back. This was one among our very first trips and this trip is the reason which shaped us into the kind of travellers we are today. Both of us loved travelling, but until this trip we did not know what kind of travelling we are into.

This trip also had many firsts for me like the first long flight, time zone differences and problems/ boons related to that which were mere textbook experiences during geography classes at school, longest international stay till date then, snowfall & other winter experiences etc.

Dillu was in India for a longer period that year but busy with going for classes &giving his exams and I was focused on my career. I had got my US visa two years back by then. We planned to spend some time with Deepakka (Dileep’s sister) & family who used to be busy during their trips to India. Their kids were very small then who have grown to become independent loving teenagers.

It was during winter we had been there, just 2 weeks after New Year. It was very cold and I started to shiver even with my jackets on landing at Houston airport. But this was just the start of the roller coaster experiences of this winter trip. The decorations of Christmas & New Year were still on and so got glimpses of those on our way to their home which was 3 hours’ drive from Houston. But since I was tired, I slept until we reached their home.

In those 5 weeks we got to see the glimpses of their regular days & we too preferred to stay indoors due to cold weather outside. Though occasionally we stepped out to HEB, Austin scoops or to pick up the kids from their school. And as though our luck, Sun would shine on weekends and so it was favorable to step out of the house. It was during such weekends we visited San Antonio, Mount Bonell, Canyon Lake Dam, Wimberley glassworks etc. During these short trips with the family, Dillu got his driving lessons from Raj Bhavu (Deepakka's husband), which came to use for our one-week 2000 miles self-drive trip Vegas to Vegas.

Day 1 :                    Airport, Las Vegas -> 29 Palms                           247 miles, 4 hours

We flew to Las Vegas from Austin. We had reached Las Vegas around 2.30 PM. We had booked a self-drive car from Las Vegas. All the formalities were done including filling the fuel. It was time to kickstart our trip. We did not have any local sim, but carried Deepakka’s phone for navigation. It is very easy to drive on US roads, if we follow the navigation instructions as per maps & the freeway (express highways) sign boards. You must be well prepared to drive on freeways because of the following reasons

1. One cannot stop on the freeway to check the map.
2. There will not be anyone on the freeway so that you can stop to ask like that in India.
3. In case of a wrong turn taken, you must exit the freeway and enter again as there are no U-turns.

It took 45 minutes to exit the airport road and take the fork to freeway because we kept following the maps instead of step-by-step instruction on the maps. Looking at the maps, we were just looping the airport road. It also became dark as it was winter and the sun set early. This added fuel to my worries regarding how we are going to manage by ourselves for the entire 8-day trip. I was sweating even in that cold weather. P.S. I was the Navigator & using the Apple maps for the first time.

Finally, Dillu stopped the vehicle and helped me to read & navigate using Apple maps. P.S. Those days I was not much familiar with using google maps. Also, Apple maps & google maps featured differently. Even today I use google maps knowing there are many issues nowadays. We were supposed to reach 29 palms for dinner, but since we lost time in navigation, we had to take a short break for dinner or rather early dinner. It seemed very late & dark due to early sunset during winters. The working hours of the shops and other outlets are also limited due to winter. We were not sure about restaurants being open by the time we reached 29 Palms.

After the exit where we stopped for dinner, we never came back to the road which we had travelled so far. There were only two lanes now (one lane for traffic in each direction) and I was getting more petrified as it got darker and no vehicles were on the road. Neither, we overtook any other vehicle, nor any other vehicle overtook us. Occasionally, when we saw brake lights of vehicles far ahead, we were relieved only to realise in a short while that we were never to reach those vehicles. Either those vehicles were very ahead or followed some other route. We could see lights like that of a town/village occasionally in the valley. We felt we were driving on a road which was on the top of a mountain. Later when we passed a few intersections (a junction where two or more roads converge, diverge, meet, or cross), we realised that there were other roads as well and those lights which I mentioned earlier probably came from the vehicles which travelled on that road. When I conveyed my fear of being stranded on the road, Dillu asked me whether I can spot SOS on every mile which we can use to seek help in case of any emergency. P.S. We were lucky that we reached our destination without having to use an SOS. Thus, that was the first time ever I came across an SOS.                     

Day 2 :                         29 Palms -> Joshua Tree National Park                5 miles, 7 min

After breakfast, we proceeded to Joshua Tree National Park which was very close. Joshua Tree National Park is a national park in southeastern California. It is named after the Joshua trees native to the Mojave Desert. The paved main road allows visitors to drive to major attractions and through the park. The reception at the National Park provides you all the necessary information & charts which includes the trails & other information required for a tourist to traverse through the park. It normally takes 2-3 hours to exit from the park. It is very hot once the sun shines.

                    Joshua Tree National Park -> Palm Springs                       49.2 miles, 54 min

After spending quite some time traversing through the park & clicking enough pictures, it was time for us to proceed to Palm springs. The city is noted for its mid-century modern architecture, design elements, arts and cultural scene, and recreational activities. One of the most famous aerial tramways to San Jacinto starts from Palm Springs. We spent the rest of the day shopping & dining at Palm Springs before returning to 29 Palms.

Day 3 :                                      Palm Springs -> Mt San Jacinto

After an early breakfast & a drive of an hour, we reached the ticket centre of the Palm Springs aerial Tramways. The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is the world’s largest rotating tram car. It travels over two and half miles along the breathtaking cliffs of Chino Canyon, transporting riders to the pristine wilderness of the Mt. San Jacinto State Park. During your approximately ten-minute journey, tram cars rotate slowly, offering picturesque and spectacular vistas of the valley floor below. Once you reach the Mountain Station which is at an elevation of 8,516 feet, enjoy two restaurants, observation decks, a natural history museum, two documentary theatres, gift shop and over 50 miles of hiking trails.

This is the place where I got my first experience of snow. It was very cold on the top, but I was super excited. It was snowing when we arrived and so the pathways were all slippery. But none of these things stopped me from having fun in the snow. Only thing I regret is that I could not build a snowman myself because Dillu stopped me from staying without gloves for a longer period. He did not want me to fall sick.

Palm Springs -> San Diego                 133 miles, 2 hr 22 min

It was not a long drive. But we had to reach early before it got dark. Another thing which I noticed on freeways is High Occupancy Vehicles or HOV lanes. These are available only in a few states that promote carpooling and thereby reducing cost, pollution etc. The pavement of the carpool lanes is marked with the diamond symbol. These carpool lanes are reserved for buses and vehicles with a minimum of two or three people including the driver. These lanes are normally busy only during weekends when people travel along with family & friends. It was during this journey; I came to know about fast tags or RFID passive tags which are used for making toll payments.

Now we had almost reached San Diego & we could see the lighted name board of our place of stay on my left side. We were following the maps & passed it. But we had no way out so that we could turn towards the hotel. We took the next exit and again followed the map and this happened thrice. It was then we switched to step by step instruction of the map instead of the map view only to realise, we had to switch the lane and turn towards the fork/intersection which leads to our hotel. The main lane which we were travelling had a multi-leg intersection. So, switching to the correct lane and taking the right fork was important without reducing your speed. (P.S. The road was very busy and there was no way we got time to think and act). We stayed in San Diego for 3 nights. The to & fro. driving here made Dillu an expert driver on US roads. 

Day 4

In the morning we went to Silver Strand. But we found the sun was a bit harsh & there was no shade. So, after clicking a few pictures, we just drove till the US – Mexico border and back. Then we headed to Point Loma.

A wrong turn does not always mean to lead you down a wrong way. Before reaching Point Loma, we again missed some turn on the map that we ended up somewhere else. To check the maps, we needed a break, where we could stop our vehicle safely and get back to the road later. This led us to Harbor Island - a shoreline path with a steady ocean breeze that keeps walkers, joggers, skaters, and bikers cool while they enjoy panoramic views of the San Diego skyline, Coronado Island, and the Big Bay. Several grassy areas provide ample picnic spots. We too chose to spend some time and then check our map.

Point Loma is a rugged peninsula, known for Cabrillo National Monument, a park with trails, tide pools and exhibits on California history. It is a seaside community within the city of San Diego, California, United States. which is bordered on the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, the east by the San Diego Bay and Old Town, and the north by the San Diego River. Together with the Silver Strand / Coronado peninsula, the Point Loma peninsula defines San Diego Bay and separates it from the Pacific Ocean. Sunset Cliffs Natural Park is a popular spot to watch the sun going down.

After roaming around till sunset, downtown was calling us to end our day.

Day 5

The entire day was well spent at SeaWorld, San Diego. You can get close to dolphins, penguins, sharks, walrus and more. There were awe-inspiring shows with magnificent killer whales, playful dolphins, humorous sea lions and an amazing pet show featuring adopted animals along with the exhilarating rides, roller coasters and water rides.

This was also a once in a lifetime experience where I got to see many of the creatures of the oceans in real life which I had only seen in textbooks till then. I was totally awe struck by the way people & these creatures interacted with each other. Seeing the penguins & these water creatures like sharks, walrus etc live also became my firsts along with many firsts in this journey.

Day 6 :                               San Diego -> Las Vegas                435 miles, 6 hr 43 min

This indeed was a long drive, so we started very early. We were very much tired when we reached Vegas. But all the weariness vanished seeing the glowing Vegas. Due to the lights & crowd, the sky above Vegas seemed like it never sets.

At Vegas, we stayed at Luxor - One of the most recognizable structures in Las Vegas, the 30-story pyramid – an architectural wonder. It is an easy access to tram and monorail for going to most areas of the Strip. But what attracted me was the elevators. They look just like regular elevators, but because of the shape of the building, they ascend and descend on a slight angle. The floor stays level, but there is a very brief sensation of sideways movement at starting and stopping. They are enclosed that it is hard to tell that you are going up at an angle but they do rattle as they go up and down.

We spent roaming around the strip exploring fountains of Bellagio from atop Eiffel tower, MGM Grand, New York, Excalibur, Luxor, Mandalay Bay & hopping on & off on monorail till we were tired. But it felt like night was still young in Vegas.

Day 7 :                 Las Vegas -> Hoover Dam                                         37.1 miles, 40 min

                        Hoover Dam -> Grand Canyon National Park         243 miles, 3 hr 44 min

After a long night, we started early in the morning after breakfast at Grand Canyon National Park. Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona. One would get great views of the mountain & dam. We spent less than half of an hour and started our journey to the Grand Canyon.

The Grand Canyon in Arizona is a natural formation distinguished by layered bands of red rock, revealing millions of years of geological history in cross-section. We spent quite a generous amount of time in the park stopping at viewpoints & clicking pictures. We wanted to see the sunset at the canyon. The words are not enough to describe the views we got. The canyon displayed different shades depending on the sun rays and it was truly a mesmerising & spectacular view once the sun set. The warmth around us disappeared and the temperature dropped so suddenly that Dillu started shivering as he was not wearing his jacket and I was wise enough to carry my jacket everywhere. The car was parked a bit far so that one cannot go fetch it quickly.

The return journey seemed like it was taking longer. Another interesting thing for me was the time zone. There was a one-hour difference between the Grand Canyon which is in the state of Arizona & Las Vegas which was in the state of Nevada. Out of 6 time zones in the US, we travelled from Central to Pacific & then to Mountain driving 2000 miles ourselves.

Once we reached back, and freshened up we again set out to try our luck at casinos and then exploring further down the strip.

Day 8 :                                                Back to Austin

With lots of memories added to our memory basket, it was time to return to Austin.

Ek Het South Africa Bya Lief

After the pandemic, the countries had started welcoming tourist, as things were returning to normal. We were eagerly waiting for an international trip. We prepared our itinerary for first country and started checking for dates for visa. But disappointed to know that, tourist visa was not being issued. Now it was time to prepare for next itinerary and started checking for visa dates. We were disappointed again as there was a large queue for visa and we had to wait for no less than 6 months. Now we started to check for countries which were welcoming Indian tourist or countries where we could get visa on arrival. When the list was ready, most of the places were either visited or the countries which we did not want to travel to. Finally, we arrived at a decision. The decision which changed our perspective for good. SOUTH AFRICA!!! Yes, you read it correct. When we discussed about the travel plan with close family & friends, I saw faces frowning. Even I was not so sure myself. But after the trip, South Africa has earned a place in my heart after Sri Lanka & Scotland where I would love to go again.

This is the trip which saw a new version of myself. I started talking & discussing with people I am meeting for first time. Another change was that, I started trying out new dishes reading the menu in detail and discussing with people at restaurant which suited my tummy (I am not a hard-core carnivore). During all my previous travels, Dileep used to converse with people on behalf of me whether it be regarding my food or my doubt regarding the places we visit. I would share my concern to him and he would speak to people. The explanation that I gave to myself was that, I was not able to follow the foreign accent.

On the day of arrival at O R Tambo International airport, Johannesburg, after clearing the immigration formalities, we met our driver who was supposed to pick us from airport & drop at Johannesburg hotel. Its on our way out that Dileep realised, we needed a local sim for our entire travel. He asked me to wait aside and went on to different telecom counters to get a best deal. Its then Mr. Christmas started conversing with me. After initial 1-2 minutes of hesitation, even I started to talk to him with ease. He shared that he was very much embarrassed to deal with people because of his name. He was born on December 25’th and so his parents named him Christmas 😉. We were so engrossed in our conversation that I did not realise Dileep was back with the sim. He was smiling and to know the reason, I had to wait till we reached back home. He also noticed the change in me and was very happy for that. This change was evident in the entire trip and I realised only when Dileep mentioned it on returning home after our trip.

Day 1        

Our stay at Johannesburg was very close to Airport. We reached hotel in no time around 3.30 PM. We got fresh & took a small nap and went out for dinner around 6.00 PM. The day was at leisure.

Day 2                          Johannesburg - > Kruger Gate                           430 Kms, 5 hr 09 min

After breakfast, we geared up for a long drive. Our destination was Kruger National Park. Our chauffeur came around 9.00 AM. He seemed to be a reserved person. We tried a lot talking to him, but ended up getting answers as short as 2 words. So ended up in conversations between me & Dileep whenever we both were awake. The roads were smooth and the drive was scenic. We also witnessed the changes in the terrain from green fields to dry yellow fields. Occasionally we came across coal mines as well. We stopped at Alzu Petroport N4 for lunch & fuelling. There are few eat outs like Nandos, Mugg & Bean etc for filling up your tummy. Also, you can sit & enjoy your coffee or waffle watching Buffalo, Rhino, Elands, Ostriches etc walking mere feet away. This is a trailer for your experience at Kruger National Park.

After another couple of hours of drive through dry areas, again we started to see greeneries. Seeing Avocado farms, Macadamia Farms etc was a first-time experience for us even though we have consumed both earlier. The banana trees & avocado plants were all bearing fruits and hence, were covered with nets to prevent attacks from birds & other insects. There were export factories alongside these farms of Macadamia as well. Apart from coconut trees, we saw almost all plant kingdom from Kerala. 

We reached at Kruger Gate Hotel around 4.00 PM. The gate was just 250 meters apart from the place we stayed. The hotel itself gave a forest feeling. Our hotel was situated on the banks of the river Sabie and hotel staff informed us that at times, we can spot wild animals drinking water or playing in the river. We happened to see two fawns, when I moved our room curtains aside. The mother deer accompanied them a little while later. I was watching them at regular intervals expecting some predator attack.  

Day 3                                                    Kruger National Park

The day which we waited for!!! THE SAFARI DAY.

The Kruger National Park is approximately 350 km long & 60 km wide, covering two million hectares and is one of the biggest nature conservation areas in the world. There are 11 entrance gates, 18 shops & over 3000 km of roads.

The day started early as we had to reach the gate at 5.30 AM. The perfect time to spot wild animals after their long dark night of hunting. 

 Unlike other national parks which we have visited, the roads were fully tarred with smooth finish. There was an option for self-drive also, but that was restricted only to tarred roads. The range vehicles were the ones which were allowed to step out from tarred roads and moved to paved/unpaved roads. The park provides us with a detail map so that it helps in self-driving without any troubles. Also, there are picnic area & restaurants so that people can take a break during the game drive and do not have to bother about carrying the packed meals even if it is a full day safari. A self-driven game drive has been added to our bucket list during our next trip to South Africa.

Our ranger Andrews was very friendly. He shared so many information regarding each species and started showing us birds. Since the sun was just rising & light was in scarce, we were not able to capture them in our camera. He asked during our light conversation whether we were interested in birds to which we denied. Nevertheless, we were interested in only big species. He also told us that not to keep high hopes to spot Big 5 (Lion, Leopard, Black Rhinoceros, African Bush Elephant, and African Buffalo) in a single day of safari, but he will try his best.

We were welcomed by a Southern Ground Hornbill. After a short drive, we saw a giant leopard sitting on the middle of the road licking its paws. We were so lucky that, it sat there for a quite a good amount of time and there were no other vehicles other than ours. By then Sun had also come up. And that was just a beginning of our day.

The list includes Giraffes, Elephants, Spotted Hyena, Red-billed Oxpecker, Marabou Stork, Crocodile, Blacksmith Lapwing, Yellow-billed Stork, African Spoonbill, Saddle-billed Stork, Bronze-winged Courser, White Stork, Black-headed Heron, Chacma Baboons, Zebras, Impala, Bushpig, White Rhinoceros, Waterbuck, African Buffalo, Nyala, Greater Kudu.   

The Hippos were busy in waters. Along with the big 5, we were lucky enough to spot the endangered African Wild Dog, which were very rarely seen nowadays.

Our Safari was coming to the end and we were a bit sad as we could not spot any lion. Even Andrews mentioned that and said, lets take a chance once to that part of the park, where we had already been through in the morning. That is when we saw the king of the forest, taking a nap under a tree. Our happiness knew no bounds. Andrews parked the car, so that we could take enough pictures. We were so engrossed in taking pictures when suddenly another head was raising from behind the tree. There was a lioness taking rest hiding in the grass just behind the tree. The lioness raised her head just to check on us – THIRD WHEEL.

We were so happy and Andrew commented that we were damn lucky to spot big 5 in a single safari & the wild dog being the bonus.

It was time to return and we were so happy that, we promised to come back to Kruger once again. It was very hard to sleep that night even though we were exhausted as we were elated of morning sightings.

Note : Andrew shared that Winters are best time to visit Kruger, because you get to visit all the species. The reserve would be dry then unlike summers which are fully green.

Day 4                                        Kruger -> Johannesburg                      430 Kms, 5 hr 09 min

After breakfast, we checked out and proceeded to Johannesburg. Again, we had the same implicit chauffeur for our ride back to Johannesburg.  The city was a bit far from the place of our stay and we had no interest in exploring the city, even though we had a long day at leisure.

Day 5                                       Johannesburg -> George                                      1 hr 55 min

The garden route is famous for its spectacular landscape which is spread between Mossel Bay and ends in Storms River in the east. Since this was not self-drive tour, we flew from Johannesburg to George. I was excited as well as a bit scared. The flight was very small and it had 18 (2 +1) seats including the airhostess. I was flying on such a small flight for the very first time. It was bumpier & the turbulence was very much felt especially during the landing & take off. I got a window seat and so got engrossed in view outside. Another feature of small flights is that they cannot fly high which I came to know after this flight.

I noticed there were green patches on the ground occasionally which were in midst of the fields which were cultivated fully. What surprised me was they were in circular or semi-circular shape. Normally the croplands would be in rectangular or square shapes. The reason behind is centre pivot irrigation.

George is a quiet city located between the warm waters of the Indian Ocean and the beautiful Outeniqua mountains. Mr.Bryan Bredell from Brenton Blue Tours, was waiting outside to receive us. Unlike Johannesburg & Cape Town, George is like a retirement home for many. It took hardly 10 minutes from George Airport to the place of stay. Since the day was at leisure, we explored the property for a while & took rest.

Day 6

The tour started with a scenic drive through George & over the Outeniqua Mountains past Oudtshoorn to the Cango Caves. The Outeniqua Mountains is the one where the plane carrying the former South African Cricket team captain Hansie Cronje & two crew members, crashed into due to low visibility.

Mr.Bryan Bredell also shared so much stories relating to independence of South Africa, pre & post-independence time, and also promised to take us to another place as well, if we well behaved.

The other side of the mountain had tobacco & hops cultivation. Hops are the green cone-shaped flowers, or inflorescence, of the Humulus lupulus plant. They are a climbing perennial with a distinct jackpot for craft brewers. Hidden inside each cone are tiny yellow pods or glands called lupulin—the source of bitterness, aroma, and flavour in beer. The information regarding this plant called Hops was new to me and so was exciting. My grandfather was a tobacco merchant in my hometown but I have never seen tobacco in green. So that too added fire to my excitement.

This day was dedicated for two attractions.

Cango Caves - One of the world’s great natural wonders sculptured by nature through ages. The Cango caves are a series of dripstone caverns that open into vast halls of towering formations in the foothills of the Swartberg mountain range of South Africa.

They were formed over millions of years, as underground water seeped into limestone rock and gradually dissolved it. This created gaps in the rock, which became caves as the process continued. Eventually a large system of tunnels and chambers was created. Water with dissolved minerals then dripped into the empty spaces. The dripping minerals hardened to form stalactites and stalagmites. Stalactites hang from the roof and stalagmites rise from the floor.

Safari Ostrich Farm – We got to know the different stages of development from incubation to adulthood of the heaviest flightless living bird on earth, Ostrich. We met & fed the ostriches and were taken through the farm on a tractor. Before boarding onto the tractor, the guide asked us to remove/hide all the shining objects as they might peck. She also said that, if in any case one wants to protect from Ostrich pecks, just wave your hands in front of ostrich eyes which will shoo them away. Ostriches are very protective about their eyes. Another interesting fact that we came to witness is the brain size. The brain of this giant bird is smaller than its own eyes. They do have excellent eyesight. The eye is about the size of the billiard ball whereas the brain is just the size of a pea.

During our chit chats, Dileep informed Mr.Bryan that I write blogs. From then onwards, he became so generous collecting pamphlets/brochures from places we visited, thinking it would help in my writing. He also taught us few sentences & words in Afrikaans.

Along with the Kenyan Red, Zimbabwe Blue, South African Ostriches & rare White Ostrich, we got to see the second biggest bird in the world, the Emu from Australia. During the Ostrich farm tour, we got to experience how heavy an ostrich egg is. An Ostrich egg omelette is equivalent to 24 hen egg omelettes. Towards the end of the tour, we visited the souvenir shop where you can buy things made of ostrich feather or plumes as they are called, are used to make decorative items & accessories, ostrich eggs which are used for art & paint works.

After the tour, it was time for lunch. The café was owned by the same ostrich farm. Here a gastronome would get a chance to savour Ostrich Steak or any other Ostrich dish & eggs. 

After lunch, we headed to Herolds Bay which nestles in a sheltered rocky cove, a popular destination for surfing, fishing & swimming. Another thing which we noticed is that the beaches had tidal pools. We saw similar tidal pools later on in beaches at V&A Waterfront, Cape of Good Hope National Park as well.

Day 7                                       George -> Cape Town                            429 Kms, 4 hr 30 min

This was a bit long day but still we enjoyed the drive. The road to Cape town was taking us through the Garden Route - a simple, scenic, ocean-hugging highway.

It was Mr.Bryan Bredell who drove us to Cape Town. When we shared our Kruger Experience, he told us to collect all fresh denominations of 200, 100, 50, 20 & 10 from the bank before our return trip to India. These denominations had the images of the Big 5 wildlife species.

Had this drive been during spring the drive would have been even more colourful due to the cultivation of various crops. We on our way got to witness the orchards of Apples, Olives, Corns, Citrus & Grapes.

We had stopped at Swellendam for a short break & refuelling. During our drive we noticed a grey shaded bird having lengthy feathers like a peahen and we asked Mr.Bryan for that. That is when we came to know its Blue Crane, the national bird of South Africa which has been listed as vulnerable by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).

Before checking in at Cape town, we had a small deviation towards Neethlingshof Wine Estate. Neethlingshof lies in the very heart of the Cape’s Wineland. Along with the wine tasting, we had our late lunch.

After the wine tasting tour, we headed back to Cape Town & had to bid a goodbye to Mr.Bryan Bredell. He made our long journey into an interesting one with passing information. He also did not forget to take a quiz on Afrikaans which he taught us the previous day. He was surprised and admired about my memory when I passed his test.

After checking in & getting fresh, we headed towards Lions Head for a hike - a mountain in Cape Town, South Africa, between Table Mountain and Signal Hill. The view of Atlantic few hours before sunset & the cool breeze made the climb better even when the Sun was directly hitting on your face.

Note : It is not an easy trek for amateurs. But highly recommend to climb at least a part of it, to get the beautiful view of Cape Town on one side & Atlantic Ocean on the other.

Day 8

We were picked up from the hotel by Mr.Faizal. The day was dedicated for the city tour. We drove past Parliament buildings, City Hall & the slave lodge ending up walking around the Grand Parade Square. We then visited the Company Gardens, where we walked through the landscaped gardens listening to the history of the District Six - a former inner-city residential area in Cape Town, South Africa. Over 60,000 of its inhabitants were forcibly removed during the 1970s by the apartheid regime. 

Then we came to know about the history of Bo-Kaap and its people as we move up the cobblestoned hills to the Malay Quarter and marvel at the ice cream colours of the quaint Bo-Kaap homes. The choice of colour is said to be attributed to the fact that while on lease, all the houses had to be white. When this rule was eventually lifted, and the slaves were allowed to buy the properties, all the houses were painted bright colours by their owners as an expression of their freedom. After a short photo session, we moved to diamond cutting factory.

Then we got to trace the moves of a professional diamond cutter, learnt about 4C’s of a diamond in detail and came to know about the history of gold & diamond in South Africa. We then drove past the V&A waterfront, Cape Town Stadium, Sea Point, Clifton & Camps Bay and then made our way to Table Mountain. We had to commute via aerial cableway to reach the top of the Table mountains & after spending an hour there, it was time to get down.

While we were traversing down by the cable car, we saw few people trekking through the steep Table Mountains as well. It looked scary though.

We went to V&A waterfront for shopping & a late lunch. After roaming for an hour there, we decided to climb Table Mountains again and spent the whole evening till sunset. The Sunset at the Table Mountains was enchanting.

Day 9

We started with cruising along Millionaires Paradise from Clifton to Camps Bay and on to Llandudno before an up close and personal Seal Island cruise. The Duiker Island is a Cape Fur Seal and bird sanctuary. This island is a home to Cape Cormorant, Bank Cormorant, Black Back Gull, Kelp Gull & Hartlaub Gull. It is illegal to go to this island. Most of the seals here are males waiting out their time until they reach the right breeding age which is between the age of 8 to 12 years depending on their size. Duiker Island is not a breeding colony because the sea can get very rough and the pups get swept off. Their eyes & nostrils close tightly when they dive and cannot breathe underwater. So they come up to surface to breathe.

The bay is surrounded by Chapman’s Peak. Chapman’s Peak Drive on the Atlantic Coast between Hout Bay and Noordhoek in the Cape Peninsula is one of the most spectacular marine drives in the world which is affectionately also known as “Chappies” and is a must for anyone who is passionate about the majestic scenery of Cape Town. Then we visited the Cape of Good Hope – the southern tip of the Cape Peninsula. It is also a part of Table Mountain National Park. The Cape of Good Hope is perceived as the meeting point of the Atlantic and Indian Ocean whereas they meet at Cape Agulhas which falls on the Garden route.

We were lucky to spot the Bontebok antelopes which were saved from extinction about 200 years ago, even though vulnerable now too. Then we saw Mountain Zebra & few ostriches at Cape of Good Hope National Park. Since the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet at the Cape of Good Hope, these waters can be treacherous for ships. The currents cause dangerous waves which have led to shipwrecks. It is believed that the Flying Dutchman was lost in a severe storm here. It is now a ghost ship doomed to sail this route forever. If you see this ghost ship, it signals imminent disaster.

Then we moved to Simons town and then to the penguin colony at Boulders Beach after the lunch. The African penguins can be viewed in their natural habitat as a protected colony of theirs exist here. There are wooden walkways provided to walk so that we can enjoy without disturbing them as well. 

We reached the hotel around 6.30 PM and then got fresh after which we had our dinner. We slept early as we had our flight back home the next day.

As the title says I loved South Africa Very Much. 💓💓💓

Chimmony Wildlife Sanctuary – A walk through the forest

One fine day, we decided to trek through Chimmony Wildlife Sanctaury. We had to make few calls to make sure the program is still available and finally decided to go for it on a Sunday. When we spoke through the phone, they had asked us to reach the gate at 8.00 AM in the morning. Its almost 2 hours’ drive from Cochin. The final 15-20 Kms drive will give you a heavenly feeling. There will not be much traffic.

We reached the gate around 7.40 AM. We were waiting for the guards to open the counter so that we could get our passes. In a while, a forest guard who was on a two-wheeler coming from the forest side said, there is a tusker who has blocked the road. I was quite excited on earing that & I was like why they were not allowing us so that at least we could see this tusker if we do not get to see any other animal during our trekking.

There was one more group (6 members) who had come to visit the Chimmony dam. Dillu went to the counter and spoke to the guard and he informed us that our guide would soon arrive with whom we can leave. Then other group also came to know about trekking, but they were not allowed because the group had only 2 ladies who were eligible for trekking. The rest members were either aged or kids below 12. Hence, they dropped the plan & decided just to visit the dam.

In a while the guide who was assigned for us arrived and he asked us to follow him. He led us through the forest and it was hardly 3 min ride from the main gate, the tusker was standing on the middle of the road which we had to pass through. There were couple of forest guard around it. They were trying to distract him and lead him to the forest. We stopped for 2 minutes and saw it was busy munching on a palm leaf. It was a Y junction and we had to take the longer route so that we can park our car & start the trekking program.

After parking the car & taking a backpack along, we started our program for the day. There was a medicinal garden on the way which we had to pass. It was hardly 2 min of our walk; we could hear some sound of the branches as though someone was pulling it. But me & the trek guide were too busy talking that we did not pay attention to that sound. Dillu had already seen HIM and he was asking us to keep quiet. Without knowing what is ahead, we continued to talk & walk. Suddenly I felt something moving on my right, in midst of dried bushes. I got scared and ran to my left. The tusker also got scared & he ran to the right, towards the direction of the dam. Had it run towards me, I would not have been alive today to write this blog today. PHEW!!! Meanwhile even our guide ran towards opposite direction & he was asking us not to run. These all happened in a fraction of seconds. It took us a while to return to normal.

The half of the sanctuary is moist deciduous category while rest of the sanctuary is covered by tropical evergreen & tropical semi evergreen forest. The forest seemed to be very dry initially, but we had shades of the tall trees because of which we were not hit by the sun directly. It is not a hard trek and since the forest was dry, no leech attacks as well. But one has to be prepared for wild encounters or attacks. It would be a different experience during rains, but its better to avoid monsoon because of landslide & soil erosion. At a point, we could hear the breaking of branches again. So, we stopped moving & tried to see in the direction from where sound was heard. But we were not lucky to see the animal. The place where we had stopped was surrounded by big trees and so we decided to take rest for a while. We had energy bar & drank water that we carried along with us and sat that for a while enjoying the gentle breeze, rustling sound of trees, chirping sound of birds & other different species and smell of the forest. Altogether it felt magical.

After 10 minutes, we started to walk and after covering quite some distance, we stopped at a place where it seemed like a huge wall. There were water holes as well. Our guide shared that it is a waterfall, which had dried up right now. During rainy season, we would cover this waterfall from the top. Again, it was a time for a short break. We heard cracking sound of breaking wood thrice, but were not lucky to spot any. All the way we could see was dry & wet elephant dungs. We saw few parrots & other species of birds, a small snake and other reptiles like Chameleon, Skink.

It took 3.5 hours to complete our trek and to reach the dam site where we rested for a while. The dam area has been maintained very well with few concrete benches and there is a small café. To sum up, it was a refreshing workout on a Sunday in the lap of nature.

Bundle of Nerves

 

When I heard the flapping of wings, I never thought it would be the tiny little sparrows. There were two of them. I have loved them from my childhood. They are so tiny & beautiful. I always wanted to pet them and happened to share this with Dillu. He smiled and asked how would you feel, if someone loves you so much and lock you in a room. That was enough for me to change. Since then, for few minutes I watch them flying and all their activities every morning after my workout sessions until my body cools down.

When I moved the curtains, they got scared and were trying to fly away. But the window was more than half closed. I love to keep my windows open always, but the pigeons make the place dirty and I have allergies as well. So, these tiny cute creatures were stuck in the middle of window panes and mosquito net which we have installed.   I wanted to open the window a little wider, so that they can fly out into open sky. I refrained from doing so because for opening windows, I must open the mosquito nets and if I do that it will get more scared and I might get hurt. Also, instead of flying out, it might fly into our flat. I pulled the curtains aside, and moved a bit far so that they can escape themselves. One of the birds, flew away within a minute, leaving the other one to struggle alone. The second one took another 2 minutes to find its way. When the birds were together, they had companion even if it is their bad time. But when one bird flew away, the other might have got even more scared, thinking it must fight alone now. That may be the reason that it took more time for the second bird to escape.

This put me in a deep thought. Assume two people are going through some trauma. One person may come out of it quickly or find a way of relief. But the other might take more time to either come out or succumb to that incident. The emotional intelligence quotient is never the same for any two individuals. The way a person deals with the situations, mishaps etc would differ from one another. So never ever tend to compare one another. We never know what he/she is going through or have gone through. If you are really worried about a particular person, give them your shoulder for them to lie upon, no taunts/comparison/advices unless thy ask for it. 

Fear can overpower your thinking ability leading you to get more trapped. It is easier said than done. But, If you can win over fear, then you have got the control of the situation which will thus lead to solution as well.

The Grey Matter

 

A couple of days back, I had to go out for dinner with my extended family. Few of them happened to visit a relative or family friend of theirs whom I might have just met once or just know by their name. A member of that family got his leg amputated and his son & daughter in law are staying far from him. The topic of discussion was the daughter in law. She was held responsible for staying away and not looking after her father-in-law. Here I have few questions to raise.

1)     Is only the daughter in law supposed to look after?

2)     Why son is not being blamed here? Just because he is a son or a male or an heir of that family?

3)     Who are we to discuss about others family?

4)    As a "wellwisher" can you make any decision or extend help so that present situation of that family improves?

I just kept listening to this and had no words to utter. But yes, I was irritated because this has been the hot topic for past 2 days. It was being discussed over phone and over the tables throughout the day. I do not know how much truth is behind the story & what made her act so, but would not like to pass any judgement. At least not until I come to know her side of story as well.    

But this triggered back a memory which I had tried to bury somewhere deep in my heart.

I am the eldest child in my family. So, among me & my cousins, I was bit more pampered by my uncles. But when I reached my teenage, all my uncles & my father stopped talking to me directly. If they had to talk to me or leave me any message, they passed it through their respective spouses or through my mother. This may be the reason which brought a shyness in me. They started to talk back after my marriage though. Back at school, I used to talk to boys, but there was no any kinesthetics gestures especially with opposite gender. Even now I cannot hug anybody & everybody however deep the relation is. I can express my love & care through words or by extending help, but not through hugs & touches.

Nowadays I see no gender differences when girls & boys interact with each other. They hug each other, touch each other, and behave normal just like they do with same gender. Even though I am happy to see the change around, I cannot do or practice it myself.

Now coming back to my memory, I could see two people just like in the situation which I started of this blog with - relation between a father-in-law & his daughter in law. I would mention them as Mr.F & Mrs.D respectively. Mr F & Mrs D are closely related to my heart. My feelings for Mr F changed the day I saw him in a situation which I should not have seen, that too during my teenage. This not only changed my feelings for him, but for entire male community. If I cannot forgive him even after few years of his death, how can Mrs D forget & forgive him? It was never consensual; Mr F was trying to force him. And this happened multiple times, because Mrs D remained silent thinking of family reputation, her then 6-year-old son & other blah blah factors. Mrs D’s husband & Mr F’s son was helpless, because the family business in which he was involved was run by Mr D. The people who knew apart from Mrs D & Mr F includes me, my mom & Mrs D’s husband. I have never discussed this with anyone, but I know my mom knows just because I overheard my mom & Mrs D's coversation. I still do not know whether Mrs D told even her own parents and if they know, they are not alive today. This secret will remain buried for ever because of multiple factors. But even if Mrs D chooses to reveal it now, nobody would believe because that was the social status held by Mr F. Even I was in love with that person until the day this happened. It not only changed the feeling for this person alone, but also changed my entire perspective towards relationships & social status.

Keeping the above situation, if Mr F had fallen sick & was left with only son, would you look after Mr F forgetting everything if you were in place of Mrs D? If I were in Mrs D’s shoes, I would never, not even on humanitarian grounds. Yes, may be go for alternatives like arranging for a home nurse or admit him somewhere he would be taken care of. What would you do? Do you think Mrs D did a right thing staying silent? I know Mrs D is being blamed for not looking after her so called father-in-law. But among those who point fingers, how many of them know the bitter truth? She silently takes the blame for that as well apart from the never healing wound she got in the past.

I know another girl who was silenced against sexual abuse, by her own mother stating it would tamper the family reputation & bring shame to her as well thereby affecting her future. So, would her silence bring peace? Would she be able to look into her eyes? What about the person who tried to abuse her? Wouldn’t he take advantage of this and try again with her or someone else too?

Note: Both the incidents are true events. But name & place not mentioned to respect the brave woman’s privacy & silence which they have chosen and trying to move on.

Men in Red - UK

My husband & his brother (Mithu) are diehard fans of Manchester United Club. It was their long time wish to be at Old Trafford for a match. They have been planning it since long. Since we (Me & Dillu) have been to UK already 3 years back, we wanted to explore some other place which can be clubbed with this trip. We went to Turkey from Cochin & then flew to UK (Heathrow). 

Day 1            Heathrow Airport -> Victoria Coach Station              15 miles, 1 hr 12 min                                    Victoria Coach Station -> Manchester                       210 miles, 4 hrs        

Reached Heathrow around noon. From Heathrow we went by train to Victoria Coach station. Mithu had reached in London a couple of days before and he was exploring London while we were busy touring in Turkey. He also joined us at Victoria Coach Station. Our National Express Coach to Manchester was from Victoria. So together we started our journey from there. 

Day 2                             Manchester-> Liverpool                                     35 miles, 1 hr

Since it was an overnight journey, we took a longer rest and had a light breakfast. We got fresh and left for Liverpool by train. We had lunch and then went to Liverpool Cathedral, which is the Britain’s biggest Cathedral. The ceiling work & stained-glass work are spectacular. It took 1-2 hours exploring & admiring the art works. By then it had started to drizzle. The storm Hannah brought strong winds to England & Wales. The wind was so heavy that we decided to stay inside the church itself until the taxi arrived which came about quite late than the normal due to the storm. We stepped out and Dillu started to walk fast as he was the one who had booked the taxi. Mithu & I followed him at a fair distance. The winds were blowing hard and it was pushing us backward. I was struggling to move towards the taxi which was some 200 meters away. Mithu got hold of a chain which was put around a central piece of garden. He asked me to catch that chain as well because he was not able to reach me. We both were being pushed strongly by the wind. Dillu had reached by the side of the church complex by then because of which he did not know the impact of the winds blowing or rather he was strong enough. 😏

Our next stop was at The Beatles Story Exhibition/Museum. It was just 20 minutes’ walk from Cathedral. But because of the adverse weather, it was not advisable to walk. It is a must visit for a Beatles fan though I am not. The Beatles Story takes the visitor through the story of the Beatles using mocked-up scenes and displays whereas, the Magical Beatles Museum houses many authentic items, including letters, bits of film, clothing, instruments, and many personal items. Meanwhile we got busy at times with our respective phones trying to get the tickets for the match. It took around 3 hours to complete the visit. We headed back to our hotel and spoke to the owner regarding the ticket as well. He said he will also try for the tickets. By the time, we changed & came back he said our entry tickets for the match were confirmed. Finally, with a light mind, we headed for dinner at princess street in Manchester. Since it was a Saturday night, it was bit crowded as well. And then we returned back soon for a sound sleep because we (P.S. they) had a big day to follow. 

Day 3                                  Live Match Day!!!   GLORY GLORY MAN UTD

For me it was a normal day. But for 2 people with me (Dillu & Mithu), it was a great exciting day ahead. They were exhilarated. This was the main reason behind, for the entire UK trip. We thought we would have a brunch and then head towards the stadium. The restaurant was not crowded, but food was too yummy. While we were enjoying our meal, a scuffle broke out. The person was sloshed and timely intervention of people in charge of restaurant, evaded jeopardy.

Both dressed up in Man Utd jerseys(coincidentally my jacket was also red) and after lunch we proceeded to OLD TRAFFORD. The match was supposed to start at 4.30 PM. But we arrived around 2.00 PM. A little while later, we saw 2 bus arriving and players started to get off from the bus. People around us were shouting & screaming, calling out players names and receiving them with claps. They waved at us and entered the stadium after which we too entered the stadium which took around 15-20 minutes to settle. I was a fan of David De Gea those days. 😉

Me & Dillu were seated together & Mithu got some corner seat, a bit far from us. I wish these people got seat together so that I could have recorded them. The match kicked off at 4.30 PM. I was not at all interested in match even a bit. Instead, was watching Dillu’s expression throughout. But the environment around brought some kind of energy in me as well. The fans were busy singing aloud “Glory Glory Man United” and other slogans to cheer up the players. This altogether had put me in some another world. In the 11’th minute a goal came out from Mata which was a happy moment for the man united fans which made them to sing even more louder. I could hardly see the ball and the players. Occasional Uffs could also be heard. There were people at some corners banging their heads, hitting their fists etc. There was tension in the atmosphere. Finally in the 43’rd minute a goal from Chelsea turned everything upside down for Manchester fans. During half time, Mithu & Dillu were discussing about how Manchester missed the goal and what not. I felt as if why don’t these guys get down & play if things seemed to be so easier. 😐

During second half other than for some substitutes and few yellow cards, nothing much happened. The match ended up in a draw. Final score 1 -1. It took 15-20 minutes to get out of the stadium. We took some snaps standing in front of OLD TRAFFORD. The Manchester Piccadilly is the nearest station to OLD TRAFFORD which was 1.4 miles away & took only 6 min. Those 6 minutes, we were not walking alone, it was the people who came for viewing the match all around us. At the station we waited for 3 trains to leave so that we could get some space for us to place at least one leg. But we realised it was just waste of time as more people came in when one train left. So finally, we boarded the 4’th train and went to city centre. The city centre was not busy as it was the previous day and so we had a peaceful time. These guys were still busy discussing about the match and I felt like I did not belong to this group.

Day 4          Manchester -> Drumlanrig Castle               172 miles, 3 hr 10 min                                    

Next day morning Mithu had stadium tour at Old Trafford. It takes around 90 minutes to complete this tour which me & Dillu had completed during our last visit to UK. During this tour we can see all the important timelines of the team on the wall, visit the player dressing room, press meet room, and finally a chance to emerge from the tunnel where players usually come for the match. They make us to stand in two lines just like the players & play the music at the background which gives you the actual feeling of stepping into the ground for the play. This stadium tour is not scheduled on match days.

I got goosebumps at that special moment. Imagine what a juncture it would be for a true fan!!!

Meanwhile me & Dillu went to the Airport from where we had to pick up our car for the rest of the journey. We vacated our rooms & collected our baggage and then went straight to Old Trafford where Mithu was waiting after his stadium tour along with souvenir he had bought. He was on cloud nine after previous day match & the stadium tour. These guys again were busy discussing about their club & players. It took quite some time for them to focus on our upcoming itinerary & destination. 

We followed the instruction of the lady from the google maps & finally reached some place where we could not find any signs of castle. Me & mithu got down thinking it might be somewhere nearby asking Dillu to park the car & follow us. We started walking while Dillu got help from a lady who was feeding her cattle. From her, he came to know we still had 2 kms to reach the castle. By then we had walked quite a distance while Dillu came by car & we again got into the car and in 5 minutes arrived at the destination.

Drumlanrig Castle is the Dumfriesshire home of the 10th Duke of Buccleuch & Queensberry and is one of Scotland's finest examples of 17th-century Renaissance architecture. There were hardly few people. You can call it Hawa Mahal of Scotland because of its similar shade. The gardens are looked after well and it was a pleasant walk around.  After few clicks, we headed to Aviemore, which was our place of stay for that night.

                              Drumlanrig Castle -> Aviemore                    189 miles, 3 hr 24 min

The drive to Aviemore was enchanting. We had to pass through Cairngorms National Park. Both the sides of the roads were Caledonian forests. It was magical. We saw very few vehicles on the road. We reached Aviemore around 5 PM. Aviemore was a peaceful town with very less population. After checking in to the rooms & unpacking our baggage we stepped out to explore the locality. We decided to have dinner from a nearby restaurant which showed us on google. But there was a railway track which we had to cross to reach the restaurant. The overbridge was far from us and we had to walk almost 1 km just to get that overbridge. There were hardly any people or vehicle on the road. There was an underpass also which was closer to our place of stay, which we discovered only on our way back. 😉 Once it was dark, the place seemed like a scene from a horror movie. But we enjoyed our togetherness and calmness that surrounded us.

The main door of our hotel would be closed in the evening. We should operate it ourself with a plastic card given (which is the key) and a 4-digit pin (changes daily). The process was explained to us while checking in. Now it was time for action. Each of us were trying and the door was not opening. Each time, the pin was entered, a blue light blinked. Seeing the blue light, I kept arguing, it is because we were entering the wrong pin. The door will open, only when green light appeared. We 3 operated it turn by turn. It was pitch black and we were wondering how to enter inside as nobody showed up in the main area as well so that we could seek help. Finally, something struck in Dillus head. He repeated the same process and then turned the door handle which wide opened the door. We wasted almost 15 minutes doing the same process, but none of us turned the door handle. How will the door open then?

This incident still brings a smile on my face whenever I recall this. And whenever the topic of discussion becomes UK trip, we mention this & laugh at our stupidity.

Day 5          Aviemore -> Dunrobin Castle                            81.2 miles, 1 hr 37 min  

After breakfast, we headed to Dunrobin Castle. The drive to this castle was scenic. Even if one does not want to visit these historic monuments, just the drive through Scottish roads is mesmeric. There were many whisky distilleries on the way.

Dunrobin Castle is a stately home in Sutherland, in the Highland area of Scotland, as well as the family seat of the Earl of Sutherland and the Clan Sutherland. It is a beautiful castle & well-maintained garden facing the sea. After a 2-hour tour & handful of memories captured, we left the place to next destination. 

                    Dunrobin Castle -> Glenfiddich Distillery          110 miles, 2 hr 16 min                                  Glenfiddich Distillery -> Carlisle                            263 miles, 4 hr 38 min

Glenfiddich distillery is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery owned by William Grant & Sons in the Scottish burgh of Dufftown in Moray. It is one of the few family-owned distilleries left in Scotland. The name Glenfiddich derives from the Scottish Gaelic Gleann Fhiodhaich meaning "valley of the deer", which is reflected in Glenfiddich's stag logo. Most of the distilleries are located near a creek or streamlet which would be the primary source of water. The tour guide provided clear introduction of the whisky making process from malting to casting, marrying & bottling. The tour begins with a video presentation which describes the process of distillation, history of distillery and all the timelines. The tour ended with tasting of 4 types whisky 12-, 15-, 18- & 21-year single malt scotch whisky. We had been for Glenkinchie distillery as well during our last visit to UK. Hence, we knew the whisky making process well. Next day we had flight to Cochin. Therefore, after distillery tour, we headed to Carlisle which was halfway to the airport.

Day 6                                       Carlisle -> Manchester                    125 miles, 2 hr 5 min

Next day we got up early and started our return journey from Manchester Airport. Our flight was to Chennai. On reaching Chennai it was breakfast time and we all were damn hungry. We went to food court and ordered 2 plates of dosas and one plate of idly. But it was just beginning. We kept on ordering as though we were starving in the whole trip. That is when we really came to know how much ever we like pizza, burger and how much ever good it is prepared, ultimately the cuisine which you grew up with would be the world’s best food. Finally, it was time to return to our respective homes. Mithu left to Bangalore and we came back to Cochin.