Bekal - 3 states in a day trip! ( Maharashtra, Karnataka & Kerala)

On the 17th of February 2018, we headed to Chatrapathi shivaji airport. 3 days holiday means we can chill out and have some fun. But it din't exactly fo like we were hoping. The flight was delayed by 20 minutes. So we got enough time to buy a case of books and some coffee. 1.5 hours later we landed at less crowded, not like other airports - the Mangalore airport. But in Mangalore airport, things went perfectly. We boarded a car, we sat back enjoyingthe lovely Mangalore drive. As we went, we saw some school ads, trees and nature related things. But I slept so before we knew it, we were at Taj hotel.

 But I was bit drowsy. So, I din't enjoy the necklace giving and welcome watermelon juice drinking part. But the juice freshened me up a bit.

At first, I felt it was a bit small. But when I found out that it was just the lobby, it looked a whole lot bigger!

Then a separate buggy came to get us to the room (411). We had just been in the hotel for 5 minutes but it was already my favorite hotel and trip. The room too was really nice - we had a plunge pool, which was perfect to have legs dipped in. There was a big bed, perfect to be crazy and jumped on, there were 2 red comfortable chairs and 3 tasty chocolates.

Alaska.. The last frontier!

There is a certain enigma with far away lands. You need to see these lands, enjoy what they offer, relish the experience…however, what is probably most important, is to feel your presence in their midst. 

We felt such in Yumthang, in Leh, in Egypt and now in Alaska.  It is a land so distant, so mysterious, so inviting…it is aptly called, ‘The Last Frontier’.  The indigenous Aleuts also call it ‘Alyeska’, ‘the great land’.

Earlier this year, our 5-year-old son happened to have Alaska as a topic of discussion at school.  He came back home suggesting we make the trip in summer.  While we made light of the comment, it stayed with us.  As we approached our anniversary in May, we were tasked with identifying an ‘exotic’ place to travel.  Our fancy for exclusive locations and the recent conversation with our son on Alaska, surfaced it again as a potential candidate.  Very soon we were down to Hawaii and Alaska as contenders. 

The fact that we knew fewer people who have been to Alaska as compared to Hawaii and that given a choice, we would prefer the mountains to beaches, Alaska was it.  That being said, we are a family with a child, vegetarians and certainly not the most adventurous. Thus the travel had to tick the right boxes, in order for us to feel comfortable taking it on.

And so we researched, immensely helped by our cousin (who was originally proposed to travel with us).  We had to select whether to fly into Anchorage and do road trips across land or take a cruise, stopping at ports for exploring.  The former was decided against, as it was too early in the season, with most of the places still not accessible by land.  It also required a much longer duration, considering in most places, you still need to take vehicle ferries to get through.

That got us to the cruise. Wanting to do most of the ports in Alaska that cruises go to, we decided on an itinerary that originated and got us back to Vancouver, taking us through Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay and Ketchikan.  This was 7 nights.  We added 3 nights in Vancouver, making it a nice round 10 night holiday.

Vancouver is PRETTY, really pretty.  It has snow clad mountains, is very green, has an ocean shoreline and plenty of places to see.  We flew Newark – Toronto – Vancouver.  On reliable advise from the airline staff of United (United Express from Newark to Toronto), we were checked in all the way to Vancouver and did not get our bags at Toronto.  Even without having to get our bags, we barely made it to our connecting flight.  Huffing and puffing, we were glad to have made it to Vancouver as scheduled…but, turns out, our bags were not as lucky.  Apparently, we were to get out bags at Toronto, unless we were flying directly with Air Canada.  Any other airline including their code share partners, you are to get your bags and check them in again at Toronto.

The airlines got our bags later that night, so it was not terribly bad. With a start like that, we were anxious as to how the rest of the holiday would be.

Since we reached evening of day 1 after a 10 hour travel, sight seeing started on day 2.  We got an extremely informative cab driver on our way from the airport.  He was from Algiers and gave us great tips on what to see and how.

We started day 2 with a visit to the Capilano suspension bridge, built in 1889. Website for the bridge reads, ‘The first suspension bridge was built 127 years ago by George Grant Mackay in 1889 with hemp rope and cedar planks. Don’t worry, we’ve updated it since then!’

Had it not been for this convincing note, we would not have had enough confidence to walk across it .  You have a good 2 to 3 hours worth of things to see.  We had some sandwiches & samosa at the coffee shop there and headed to Stanley Park. 

Staley Park is a national historic site of Canada.  It right in the midst of the heavily built urban landscape of Vancouver, much similar to Central Park in NY, except much larger.  The park offers scenic views of water, mountains, sky, and majestic trees.  It has beautiful beaches, wildlife and also an aquarium.  We took the hop on/ hop off and traveled through the park, getting off wherever good pictures could be taken.  Time permitting; one could spend an entire day here.

We continued on the hop on/ hop off for an entire city tour after that and by late evening, were able to get a very good flavor of what Vancouver had to offer.

Thanks to the cab driver from the previous day, Butchart gardens at Victoria, which was never part of our agenda, had found it’s place as a full day trip for day 3.  We took an organized tour from Vancouver to Victoria, which allowed us 3 hours at Butchart gardens and a couple of hours at Victoria downtown.

Butchart gardens were created by Jennie Butchart over a century ago, at a site where her husband had established a limestone quarry.  Having seen a fair number of botanical and flower gardens across Europe and other parts, we were beyond impressed with these gardens.  An explosion of color and beauty, greets you as you enter the gardens.  You will be in awe as you walk through the gardens and cannot but admire, how meticulously these gardens have been planned and tended to.  Make sure you keep enough time for the gift shop as it will take a lot of will power not to but everything in there.

We did Canada Place the following day, including the FlyOver Canada show.  Taken from their website, ‘FlyOver Canada utilizes state-of-the-art technology to reveal some of Canada’s most awe-inspiring sights as you have never seen them before. You will hang suspended, your feet dangling, before a 20-metre spherical screen while our film whisks you away on an exhilarating 8-minute journey across Canada, from east to west.’

This is a must do while in Vancouver. It is simply the best ride/ show we have ever been to.  Not sure if there are other shows such as this but if only all cities/ countries could create such rides, showcasing their best, it would truly be brilliant.

Afternoon of day 4 brought us back to Canada Place to board our first cruise.  Airport like check in, long queues, plenty of waiting; about 2 hours after we started, we were onboard.  We were traveling on Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam.  The vessel has a classic, understated elegance and a relaxed vibe.  As first time cruisers, the highlight for us was friendly service and easy navigation within the ship.  We had taken a suite, which allowed ample living room and plenty of space for storage.  The balcony was spacious and comfortably accommodated a coffee table, 3 chairs and lots of space to spare.

The itinerary was Inside Passage sailing on day 1 and 2, Tracy Arm and Juneau on day 3 (9 hours in town); Skagway on day 4 (11 hours in town), Glacier Bay National Park on day 5, Ketchikan on day 6 (8 hours in town), followed by Inside Passage sailing on day 7, reaching Vancouver early on day 8. 

Juneau is Alaska’s capital.  There are no roads connecting the city to the rest of Alaska or to the rest of North America. This is due to the extremely rugged terrain surrounding the city. Juneau is thus an island city, even though it is located in Alaskan mainland. Downtown Juneau is at sea level, with tides averaging 16 feet, below steep mountains, which go up to 4,000 feet. Atop these mountains is the Juneau Icefield, a large ice mass from which about 30 glaciers flow. 

We were picked up at the harbor and taken to where the Whale watching trip began…super excited.  It was a small 7 seater boat, felt like a speed boat.  In about 25 mins, we traveled a fair distance.  The tour was confined to waters around Juneau, not going into open sea.  Before long, we saw a pair of hump back whales, a mother and calf.  Calves are curious, excited creatures and are far more visibly active compared to grown ups.  This one did numerous dives within a short time, allowing us to capture it’s moves comfortably on video and pics.  Mountains all around, Mendenhall glacier visible, snow peaks at a distance and giant whales performing…it was surreal.  The tour lasted 4 hours and we were back at the harbor. 

It was time for our helicopter tour on to a glacier.  It was drizzling and we were told that the glaciers look all the more beautiful in this weather.  Bags locked up, jackets on, safety instructions given, snow shoe wrapped around our shoes, booster seat hooked on in the chopper, lined up for boarding…and the tour is cancelled due to bad weather.  Obviously very disappointed, but then, bad weather and such cancellations are common to Alaska where weather is so unpredictable.

We roamed around downtown, walked in and out of many beautiful shops, bought souvenirs and were back on the cruise well in time.

Skagway the following day was low on expectation.  We were to do a 6 hour road trip to Yukon valley.  The weather was exceptional.  It was crisp and sunny…a good 50 degrees.  We had a small group of 10 people including a warm Brian, our guide, whose Skagway anecdotes were super funny. 

Quite sure, my vocabulary is not broad enough to do justice to the beauty we experienced.  I do mean when I say ‘experience’ and not ‘seeing’. 

Mountains, snow capped peaks, lakes, many many shades of green, variety of flora...truly breathtaking.

 We had lunch at Carribou crossing and drove on to Emerald lake, probably nature at it’s prettiest. 

The unbelievable colors were made more stunning with the sun shining bright.

We got dropped back at the downtown.

  Had a quick bite and went about appreciating the local shops. The Russian connection to Alaska is very evident in the shops, with many of them selling Russian artefacts. 

The next day was entirely on the cruise as it sailed through Glacier Bay National Park. 

 Watching such a mass of ice, as chunks fall into water, is a sight to behold.  Glacier Bay National Park encompasses the most amazing scenery and wildness. 

 It covers 3.3 million acres of rugged mountains; dynamic glaciers, temperate rainforest, wild coastlines and deep sheltered fjords and is a World Heritage Site.  It offers wildness, which is remote, dynamic and intact. There is plenty to intrigue and inspire.

The last port of call was Ketchikan…the first city of Alaska.

  Ketchikan is named after Ketchikan Creek, which flows through the town, emptying into the Tongass Narrows, a Y shaped channel.  It is a quaint town and allows for plenty of pictures and shopping. 

 We then took off on a seaplane for a tour of the Misty Fjords National Monument.  I never expected it would be such a small plane for one and never thought we would fly this high. 

 The small size and a window seat, meant almost being suspended on mountains at 4000 feet. 

 Flying over waterfalls, mountains, forests…never seen anything like it AND have never been as scared.  We landed on a mountain lake…could get on the aircraft rafters and take pictures. 

 The water so still…perfectly reflecting the tall peaks around us…it is exactly what dreams are made of; you just want to keep soaking in the beauty forever.  We got back and a quick walk through the downtown, got back to the cruise. Our camera lid fell into water when we got down and got my son googling if sharks eat camera lids:)

The last day was about relaxing on New Amsterdam, our cruise ship on the Holland Amsterdam Line.  It had everything you would expect from a cruise line…nice restaurants, decent number of entertainment options, both for kids and adults and pools.  It offers a traditional cruising experience, which steers clear of rock climbing walls and waterslides in favor of timeless touches like fancy afternoon tea and elegant formal nights; friendly and relaxed atmosphere and attention to service.  The layout is very well designed…a combination of classic, understated elegance, a relaxed vibe and easy walkability, which made first-time cruisers like us feel right at home.

So, it is a long travelogue…probably the longest on the blog.  But it had to cover Vancouver, the cruise and the largest and most awe-inspiring state in the USA.

Does this visit move up to the top of our favorite destinations…Venice held the spot so far followed by a close second by Egypt?  I would say an emphatic yes…not to say the other destinations have moved away but the sheer scale of natural splendor humbles you!!

Mickey to Mickey

As an adult, living in this ‘real’ world, we are becoming increasingly skeptical about anything that has ‘magical’ in it.  ‘Magical’ is an experience, ‘Magical’ is a feeling. ‘Magical’ is unreal…

 

Welcome to the happiest place on earth!!  This place defines ‘Magical’.  From the very first interaction when you book your holiday to the time you check out and your child says, please let’s stay back pleeaasssseeeeeee…it sinks in, what a truly ‘Magical’ experience means.

 

I guess for those who have traveled to Disney often, it might not be such a ‘wow’.  However, for us, this was our first Disney experience and it was a truly exceptional holiday.  They know how to make you special.  We book the holiday and a few weeks later, you get a personalized information booklet with your family name on it…The xyz family’s grand adventure’.  How cool is that...You then get to personalize your magic band, they get your name embossed on it, you get to choose your color and around this band, your holiday is managed.  Enough to impress any adult; let alone, a child!  However, what follows, takes ‘holiday management’ to a different world.

 

You get baggage tags before hand, so if you are landing in Orlando and are using the Disney Magical Express for transport (and why wouldn’t you??), you are not burdened with getting your bags to the hotel.  They ‘magically’ get them to your room.  Your magic band ‘magically’ gets activated as your room key when you land, even though the room number was not known till a little while back.

 

 

 

At the airport, we were walking towards the Disney counters. There was a couple walking ahead of us.  One of the staff asked them, are you booked at Disney?  They answered no and the staff politely directed them elsewhere, telling them, beyond this point, IS ALL DISNEY. 

 

It seemed like a simple enough statement then, but as we get in, you truly understand what it means.   It was all about ‘Mickey to Mickey’.  You touch your band to where they ask you to and you keep moving.  Everyone smiles, everyone talks well, everyone helps you…everyone…no exceptions whatsoever.  You get into the bus and are driven to Disney World…really a ‘World’.  Immaculately landscaped zones, perfect roads, clear signage; it just does not seem like routine, you do enter into a fantasyland.

 

We stayed at the ‘Art of Animation’ resort.  Our son likes Cars and that prompted us to stay here…of course, the suite was great, the resort was awesome, there was plenty of color, plenty of good reviews; all in all, plenty of reasons to select.  The check in quick, optional too I believe, as you get a text with the room number on it and the band/ key is already with you.  It was a beautiful 1 bed suite with a small kitchenette; plenty of images of characters from ‘Cars’, toiletries, linen, furniture, everything around, inspired by Disney characters.

 

 

 

 

We had booked ourselves for 3 nights at Disney and another 3 nights at Siesta Keys beach. Day 1 was at leisure, day 2 was for Magic Kingdom, day 3 was for Animal Kingdom and Day 4 to 6 was to chill out on the beach villa at Siesta Keys.  Disney has so much to offer with its four main parks and more.  We decided to do 2 parks for this visit, as we wanted it to be a mix of activity and leisure…purely a personal choice.

 

We walked around the resort and had some retail therapy on day 1, making up for the early start we had that day.  On day 2, we started early as had been advised by many and were at Magic Kingdom just a little while after it opened.  There were 3 things we were concerned about…how crowded the park would be (and thus the waiting time for rides), how big the park would be (access from one place to the other within the park) and how hot would it get (managing over 12 hours with the little one).  On all of these counts, our fears were allayed. 

 

The park is not terribly big, waiting times at worst were 25 mins and it stayed at mid 80s through the day.  We had planned to do the rides in a certain order, so as to avoid back and forth between ‘lands’.  We had used out Fast Passes to our advantage and gotten ourselves booked on to our favorite rides in advance.  Rides were fun, more than what we had expected.  It was early May so I guess that contributed to the parks not being crowded.  By 4pm, we had covered enough ground and headed back to our resort.   Took a quick nap, had a snack and were back at the park by 6:30 pm.  We picked up where we left and justified the money spent by 10pm.  Fireworks…once you see it here, you will never be impressed with anything else.  Brilliant, just brilliant!!  We got back by midnight and crashed out.  We could not have been more satisfied with our accomplishments for the day.  Taking a break for a couple of hours in the afternoon allowed us to enjoy till the very last minute we were at the park.  We could not have sustained otherwise. 

 

 

The big surprise was an audience with THE Mickey Mouse.  I will be the first to admit that all I was expecting was the usual pic with the character, like you would in front of Toys R us at Times Square.  However, here we were in a queue at the central theatre, with only a handful of people being allowed to go in at a time to meet the celebrity.  10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes and the excitement was building.  Finally, we were ushered in.  Very pleasant, courteous, hospitable…that is everyone around including Mickey.  He made my son feel so special and to our pride, vice versa.  Our son spoke of how much he liked Mickey and that he was his favorite TV character and for so long he has been only watching his cartoons.  Mickey was floored and our son was awarded a big hug and an elephant walk with the Mouse himself.  Magical…again!!

 

 

 

 

Thanks to us wanting to do character dining, we had booked ourselves at the ‘tusker house’ restaurant for an early lunch the next day at Animal Kingdom.  This as well is a pretty good park.  That being said, it is unique and should not be drawn in comparison to Magic Kingdom.  Each has a place of it’s own.  It is amazing how they have recreated the feel of Africa and Asia.  Green, rustic, subtle…markedly different from the rides and magic of Magic Kingdom.  If you think you know what ‘eye for detail’ means, visit this place and you might have to recalibrate your understanding.  From the rust on the name board (recreated with brown paint), cooking utensils dangling from the roof (a la desi dhaba), to the signage reading ‘Public’ toilet (with ‘Shauchalay’ written in Hindi); strips of colored cloth tied to trees, and a DJ playing Bollywood songs in the middle of the road, everything was INDIA (Asia)…not to forget an Auto rickshaw shell.  To name it and make it remotely look like something is routine; to recreate every single detail is Disney.

 

 

 

 

Following lunch, we did the Kilimanjaro safari.  It was good…plenty of animal viewing.  Then there was the walk through a ‘forest’ trail with plenty of bird viewing.  Next on the agenda was Kali river rapids.  Well, we had done the Splash Mountain the previous day, so we expected this to be similar…BIG mistake!  This was a ride in India, remember.  Day before was America.  So they have these round tube sort of a thing with seating in it.  As always, we had our theories on which side would keep us away from getting soaked.  As they say, any number of theory classes does not prepare you for practicals…we sat, we moved, we rose, we fell…and it SPLASHED!!!!  The look on my husband’s face…he obviously had no clue as to what hit him…completely flummoxed and soaking soaking wet!!  There should be better reasons to buy a new wardrobe at a Disney park…not because you want to get out of dripping clothes. 

 

It took us some time to figure out what was wrong with our theory.  Well…when everything is wrong with it, it does take time!  I think we have nailed it and for sure the next time we will stay dry!  I believe so…but for some reason my husband doesn’t J

 

We had a sit down dinner that night at sanaa and experienced African/ Asian food.  A good night’s sleep and we were ready to head to Siesta Keys beach the next day.  Our cousin joined us and by late evening, we were at our beach villa.  The next 2 days were idyllic, lazing on probably the best beach I have been to.  White powdery sand…something I had never experienced before.   It was a great way to unwind after busy 3 days at Disney parks.  Holidays came to an end and on the 7^th day we were home!!

Boston

What should you not do on the day of the Boston carnival?  You should never plan a bus departure from the city.  Assuming you do plan, what should you not do before getting to the bus station?  You should not plan to visit the Boston Garden, which is a mere mile and a half from the bus station.  Assuming you do visit the Boston Garden, make sure you are late by a good 30 minutes, not 3 minutes.  Assuming you are only late by 3 minutes, do not stand at the departure gate waiting for a bus personnel to attend to you (as there will be none).  Assuming you do wait, do not open the ‘Gate’ door and run to your bus when you see it start to leave right in front of your eyes

Assuming you do open the ‘Gate’ door and run to the bus, make sure it is not your wife and child who run while you lug the suitcase behind.  Assuming they do happen to be the ones who run, get prepared to be embarrassed by the entire team of service personnel, who suddenly appear from nowhere, to read the riot act to you (ironically, these very people were invisible till a minute back).

This was us, on our very first vacation in the US using public transport.  The vacation, fortunately however, was not as dramatic and disappointing as the sequence above.  

It started with us arriving at the NY Port Authority Bus terminal an hour before departure.  Yes, you read it right.  An hour before departure when leaving for vacation and 3 minutes after departure when returning from vacation.  This should tell you how keen we were to go on a vacation and how ‘un keen’ we were to return.

Boston was a pleasant contrast to NY.  It felt rich in history and architecture, laid back and touristy.  There was no chaos…everyone seemed relaxed.  The people we interacted through the 3 days we visited, were very pleasant and hospitable. There is so much to do and a single visit for 3 days would not do justice.  We went in prepared that this would be the first of a few visits we would need to cover the city.

We reached Boston late evening on day 1 and were received by a good friend.  Dosa camp it was for dinner, and a nice coffee later, we were home all tucked up and ready to sleep.  Day 2 started with us heading to the Prudential centre to take the Duck tour.  The earliest tour available was at 4 pm.  It was only 11am then and we decided to do the city tour in the cable tram.  However, this was not before we had some awesome pizza slices at the famous Regina pizza.   The city tour took a couple of hours and was perfect for a lazy post pizza afternoon. Duck tours are city tours again, but in amphibious vehicles which half way through the tour, slide into the river for the remaining half.   Even with all the gadgetry we are used to around us, this simple transformation amazed you.  No wonder these tours are so popular with everyone.  The lady driver/ guide kept everyone entertained with snippets from Boston’s history and humour.  While on the river, she invited the kids in the bus to drive the duck… including my 3 year old…so, here were 25 to 30 adults in the middle of the Charles river, taken around in a duck/ boat by a toddler.   All the kids were awarded stickers, which said, ‘I drove a duck’…suitably impressed.  

Day 3 started early with a visit to the children’s museum.  Lots and lots to do here for kids.  No one including adults would get bored.  You would be surprised at how entertaining it is to see a ping pong ball go through long pipes and land at a designated spot.  Make bubbles, do Zumba, pedal a cycle to generate energy…loads of fun. 

We had lunch at the food court in Quincy market.  We were told that this is the most popular tourist spot in Boston.  It is so crowded that you will not have to make any effort to get lost.  Lots of options to eat but not a lot of place to sit.  Plenty of shops to pick up knick knacks.  After a couple of hours of buying nothing, we walked over to the aquarium.  We did an IMAX movie next door before getting into the aquarium.  The aquarium is good, although not spectacular.  We called it a day after this with a friend picking us up for dinner.

The next day we started late (mistake number 1) and visited the Boston Central Garden.  We took a Swan boat ride (mistake number 2) while knowing that our bus was at 2pm.  We did hear the carnival doing the rounds but failed to relate it to potential road blocks and traffic hold ups (mistake number 3).  We skipped lunch (smart move number 1) and took detours in order to get to the bus station in time (smart thing number 2).  We still got there 3 minutes late and spent the entire journey to NY discussing what should we have done differently and what could have prevented us from missing the bus…quite obvious I would imagine in hindsight.  

Boston is where politics, religion and education, all came together, making it a special place.  It is believed that just the sheer act of traveling across the Charles river to Cambridge makes you intelligent and scholarly, what with MIT, Harvard, Berklee, all located there.  We effectively travelled to Cambridge thrice in three days and missed our bus the fourth day…guess, too much of anything (knowledge, intelligence!!), is not good.

Newwww York!!

The long wait was finally over.  3 weeks after coming into the US, plans were in place for us to visit New York.  The feeling of having something at your arms reach and still be unable to touch it…yummy food that you can see and smell but can’t eat…probably these might describe how it felt to be in New Jersey and not be able to visit NY.  But then again, there was so much to unpack, so much to arrange… just so much to do which did not allow us to travel sooner.

It took us 45 minutes by train to get to NY Penn station and a quick subway ride later, we reached Central Park.  Knowing that Times Square was next, it took a lot of conviction to get into Central Park as in the face of it, it seemed less exciting.  However, once we were in, there was just so much to do and see.  The fact that we barely did half of what is there to see in the 5 hours we were there, told us how wrong we had been.  Plenty of performances, roadside activities, people in all their colorful attire and moods and a gorgeous sun shining bright, made it a fantastic day out.

We had packed a picnic lunch, which got over in a jiffy as all the walking had made us super hungry.  Took a cab after that and experienced the NY traffic in all its glory.  My son appeared satisfied with the ride; this was so crucial as he had been wanting this ride in a yellow cab from the moment we had landed here.  

Times Square was buzzing, is an understatement.  Not an inch of space…you could not stretch half an arm without touching someone by your side.  We got into Toys R  Us and did the ferris wheel ride.  Plenty of toys were bought and lugging it around, we breathed the New York flavor.  All of us were pretty exhausted by then and took a cab to NY Penn station.  A quick snack and we were ready to head back.

A spectacular day out in one of the best cities of the world…having lived in London for 2 years, there was a bit of skepticism early on…but by the time we ended the day, truly realized that each of these fabulous cities have their own identity and so so much to offer to everyone.