USA

National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington, D.C.

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March and April are two of my favorite months. This is when the excruciatingly long winters come to an end, and new life springs in every corner and crevice. After seeing nothing but grey, snow white, and the bare skeletons of trees, it is a welcome change to see life sprouting, as buds, colorful flowers, and green leaves. Have you ever noticed the fresh greenness of the baby leaves in spring? The temperature has risen, but not enough to make you uncomfortable.

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Niagara Falls & Grand Canyon – Grandeur of nature

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“I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.” This quote by the great African-American botanist and humanitarian, George Washington Carver, never ceases to inspire me whenever I’m travelling. So much so that my one-month long trip to the US seemed incomplete without a visit to two of the most spectacular natural wonders – the Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon.

Even though they’re both completely different works of nature and are situated on opposite coasts of the country, they strike a common cord due to their sheer enormity, beauty and the overwhelming experience they provide to visitors. And being intrepid explorers, neither my husband nor I wanted to miss either of these attractions.

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Ground Zero

New York: The Big Apple

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The only sound in this serene neighbourhood was the constant whirring of the security choppers patrolling the Hudson. Though there wasn’t much to see in New Jersey, I found its peaceful charm quite endearing. Whether it was driving through Harrison, or checking out the sprawling campuses of New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers Institute at Newark, or bagging great discounts at Newport mall, Jersey Gardens mall, Macy’s, Wal-Mart, BJ’s and Shop Rite, or simply walking along the Pier… New Jersey really appealed to my senses in a way that very few can comprehend.

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Discovering Fried Eggs at Luray Caverns

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The caves resulted from the accumulation of layers of limestone over millions of years. The caves are confined to a 100 feet thick zone. Rain water trickles, dissolving the carbon dioxide to make a mildly acidic solution of carbonic acid (secondary school chemistry, people). The acidic water percolates through the limestone, eroding layers and carving out shapes in the cave. A precipitate of lime forms, making stalactites from the ceiling and stalagmites from the ground join together to form limestone pillars. It is like witnessing a chapter out of a Geography textbook right in front of you. This is an active cave and new deposits are formed @ one cubic inch in 120 years.

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“Fall”ing in Love

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One of the many abstract joys of traveling is discovering your fascination for specific things you learn to seek in your journeys. For example, I have an amazing fascination for sunrises and sunsets I never knew of before. I have difficulty waking up for my 9 am classes, but I will have no difficulty waking up at 5 on a cold, wintry morning to take a walk by the sea, hearing the waves roar and the birdies fly by as the sun comes up and says hi. Similarly, I have a fascination for trains.

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Niagra - From US side to Candian Side

Visiting “The Niagara Falls” after 39 years

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I had last visited Niagara Falls in 1973 and whilst on a recent trip i.e May – Jul 2011 to USA and Canada, it was only natural that me and my wife visit this place. So we boarded a train from New York for Niagara ( Canadian side) and reached there after a nine & a half hour picturesque journey on an Amtrak Train ( Approx USD 60 per ticket). The Canadian Customs took about 2 hours plus to clear the complete train load. They were nice but could not resist asking about the food stuff we might be carrying i.e. “ Sir, Any Khakras; Any Theplas; How much Currency on your person”. When told that Khakras and Theplas were the staples of Gujaratis and not ours, she just smiled and dismissed us.

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Niagara Falls: Inspiring Awe

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For the longest time of my stay in the US, I waited for an opportunity to visit Niagara Falls. When a friend from Rochester invited me, I gladly jumped at the opportunity. Niagara Falls is accessible (with a valid visa of course) both from the American side, and from the Canadian side. I had to stick to the American side, for the lack of a Canadian visa. I had previously heard everyone tell me how the Canadian view of Niagara was way prettier than then American view. I never understood why.

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