The real reason we came to the US was that a lot of other places are accessible from here. I think Sriram and I have been fairly happy with the travelling we have managed in the past 1 year (yes we recently completed out 1 year anniversary in Austin!).
Lets see. We arrived in Austin - Feb 09
April 09 - New York City - Always wonderful. Spent time with brother. Even after having spent months in NYC in the past, I had never seen Liberty island and Rockefeller Center. So with that done, I think I've completed the tourist circuit in NYC. Which means, I can do other stuff when I go there again next month. Oh wait its already March. So this month.Yippie!
June 09 - South Padre Island - Spring break Mecca and for us, a long interrogation by US emigration(the island is barely 30 miles from the border with Mexico). and we hadn't even left the state of Texas! One lesson learnt on that trip - carry passport everywhere you travel.
Houston - Boring. I can't even remember when we went!. Its the only place apart from Dallas (even more boring I hear) that's an easy drive from Austin. NASA was a total let down. Yawn. Did I say boring? The highlight of the trip was perhaps the old old pub we visited in downtown Houston. Their cash register was at least 2 centuries old and it rang real nice. Side note - I read just yesterday that the sound of the cash register is one of the most pleasant sounds on earth (it ranked something like #2 in a top ten list). The other highlight? I almost forgot. Leaving our car in a garage that was closed for a public holiday. Convincing the Mexican inside to let us in to retrieve the car so we can go back home was no mean task! Lesson - Use hotel valet. Even if it means 30 bucks a night. Robbery.
August 09 - Trip with parents and brother to the West Coast. Lovely
Vegas - Every bit as over the top as you hear it is. The shows are nice. The casinos - you could'nt lose your money faster. Vegas even seems to have liquor that costs thrice what it would in a regular pub. In any case, people from Austin are spoilt with the low cost of living. Couldn't believe that a pint of Budweiser (about 3-4 bucks in Austin) could be 9 bucks in Vegas. They just used some fancy packaging. Anyway, the fact that I lost my camera and it was actually found and returned to me (posted home by the Casino I lost it at). Priceless.
Grand Canyon - The best decision we made was to rent a car and do our own driving. The desert moonscapes around Vegas are to be seen to be believed. The Grand Canyon is breathtaking. We really want to go back there and make the hike down to the river. Sigh!
Los Angeles - Finally. The land of Hollywood. The drive was interesting. The traffic in LA - legendary. Universal studios - touristy. But surprisingly, we had a lot of fun. The veggie food in a cafe there was one of the best I've ever had. Santa Monica beach - cold. But a beautiful sunset.
The bay area and San Fransisco - Reunion with with old friend. Great time. San Fransisco - as magical as ever. The redwood trees again. I never cease to be amazed by their size. A whole day wine tasting in Napa - hic! I've never had this much champagne before. The flavoured ones were excellent.
Sept 09 - Trip to Bangalore and home sweet home. Does this count as "travel". I guess not. What would have counted was the trip to Goa. But then - that was a disaster. We got caught in torrential rains that flooded the area and we basically scooted from there before you can spell G-O-A. There was that trip to Calcutta too. The less said the better. The street food in Calcutta always rocks!
Dec 09 - Puerto Rico. Now this, I wont let any of you go easy. I have spent a precious few hours writing a travelogue and read it - you must. It will go on this blog shortly.
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