2000 miles, 35 hours and a lifetime of adventure!

The first time I saw Grand Canyon was on a calendar page. This was way back in the late 90s, and I never forgot that image of the canyon. Couple of weeks ago we took a trip to visit the Grand Canyon which is one of the natural wonders of the world. This was the longest road trip we have ever taken and we knew we were pushing the limits. Its not the distance or the drive that was challenging. It was Elisha, my 2 years old daughter, but then again with her even a trip to Walmart is a challenge. She is a very active kid and she loves to run around all the time. She doesn't like being restrained to a car seat. She has grown up eating home made Indian food which means I have to either rely on Indian restaurants or I have to cook meals for her everywhere I go. Among the packing list, pressure cooker is now added by default.

On day one of our journey Elisha was very cranky because she woke up earlier than usual and she cried a lot. To top that, we almost ran out gas because we were distracted and was trying to keep her calm that we missed to re-fuel. Luckily there was a gas station some 25 miles down the road and we headed there immediately. Last thing I wanted was to be stranded on the freeway with a screaming child in the middle of the night. 

We were on the way after refueling when Justin got an text message that $150 was spent on his credit card which he had not. His credit card got hacked maybe because of some foul play at gas station. We contacted the Bank and they deactivated the credit card. For a moment we heaved a sigh of relief. That's when the realization hit us, what if our second card is also hacked, we did not have much cash with us as well. We took a detour to the nearest ATM, by then it was already close to midnight. The ATM was located in the middle of what can be described as a ghost town. There were lots of abandoned old buildings, graffiti and no vehicles on the road. It took us a while to figure out that we were on the historic Route 66, and we ended up driving around the route for couple of miles just to satisfy the curiosity. The place reminded of the movie Cars and it was sad to see the state of a town which has lost all its glory.

Day two : After a night long drive and quick nap for couple of hours, we reached the Grand Canyon south rim trail. Me and Justin were frantically looking around to see the canyon but all we could see where the trees on side of the roads for a while. One quick turn and there it was!! It was breath taking. Nothing had prepared us to see the grandeur of the Grand canyon. And believe me when I say the place is heavenly. The pictures you have seen as screensavers is for real, its not Photoshop or camera trick. Grand canyon is as majestic as it is in the pictures. We spent a day there visiting all the view points each one more beautiful than the other. The Sunset at the Hopi Point was one of the magical experiences of my life. The Canyon changes its color along with the setting sun. The photos taken minutes apart looks completely different from each other. You can also see the Colorado river snaking through the canyon. And in the brief moments when Elisha is quiet, you can also hear the sound of the river and the sound of wind blowing in the background. It was amazing. 

My dear friend Jennifer Kumar had mentioned that we might get to see the milky-way if the sky is clear. We went to the Grand view point in the South rim crossing our fingers that we will catch a glimpse of the milky-way. The viewpoint looked completely different in the dark. the sound of wind was almost deafening and it was cold. We stepped out of the car and looked up at the sky and there it was, the band of the Milky Way......I swear to God it was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. I actually said 'Praise the Lord' for he is a true artist. Never have I seen so many stars, there really are billions of them, words cannot describe that feeling. I couldn't stop myself from thinking how majestic the universe is and how small we really are. Watching the milky-way, planets and shooting stars snuggled together with Justin was one of the most romantic thing I have ever done and to me that was the highlight of the entire trip. 

Day 3: To visit the Antelope Canyon and horseshoe bend in Page was the agenda for day 3. It was hot and sunny and we had to walk couple of miles to see the horseshoe bend. Elisha is daddy's girl which loosely translates that Justin had to carry her around most of the time. It was tiring to walk in the sun and sand carrying a toddler.  But the effort was totally worth it because the view was to kill for. The canyons have never stopped surprising me. Horseshoe bend is like a lone canyon and the river has made way around it. It stood strong and proud almost as if greeting all its visitors. Needless to say we clicked several pics in an attempt to capture its beauty before heading to Antelope canyon. 

Our reservation to the Lower Antelope Canyon tour was for 1:45 pm with Dixie Ellis'. We were so fortunate considering we made the booking only on the previous day. The tours are usually sold out weeks in advance. The view from lower antelope canyon was gorgeous. We were around 20-30 feet down and no one would guess that such a beauty is hidden underneath. We started at 2pm and the timing was perfect, the sun was bright and it cast shadows which enhanced the beauty of the canyon.  Our tour guide said even if it rains 100 miles away, the canyon will get flooded which means the Canyon is somehow connected to places that are really far away. All those rocks in the canyon are a billion years old and some of it is petrified sand compressed and baked in the sun for over a period of time. We also saw footprint of a dinosaur. Just imagine a creature that has lived billion years ago has left its mark on earth and it is still visible. There was also a Native American dance in the resting area which was quite entertaining. We spent rest of the day wandering around Page seeing the buttes before heading to Las Vegas. 

After seeing the nature's wonders, Las Vegas and the Freemont Street experience was not as appealing as I thought it would be. Maybe its also because this was the second time we were in that city. The Hoover dam was a good experience especially when I poured water into the dam and it just flew up defying the laws of gravity. On our way back home we were tempted to take another detour to Death Valley, but we decided to see it another time. We got to see the Joshua Tree National park and several other parts of the Mojave desert.

The whole trip took close to 35 hours of drive and we covered approximately 2000 miles in 3 days. My husband and I have always been fond of travelling. It helps us to connect with each other and we always come back rejuvenated. All the struggles and uncertainties during the travel helps us to redefine our relationship. All the trips we have taken together has again and again proved our friendship and teamwork. It has become our routine to plan for the next trip when we are travelling back from another one. It is so fortunate that I found my partner with whom I can share this mutual passion for travelling. Like I mentioned in my first blog, its all serendipity of life.....

Wanderlust!

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” -Gustav Flaubert

My dad used to take our family for vacation when we were kids. I would have been just 3 or 4 years old but I clearly remember our family trip to Kapad beach in Calicut. This beach is a few kilometers away from our house. We all went to the beach on dad's scooter (four of us on a Kinetic Honda scooter!), I remember my mom made noodles that day and she added prawns to it. This was done only on special occasions. There was an orange colored picnic basket, a beach towel and I remember Dad taking a snooze lying down on the rocks as well. I think this is the first memory I have of travelling. We have traveled to several cities in India. Summer vacations also meant a trip to my grandparents' place. The fact that I remember all this even now shows how much travelling can influence a child. The prospect of going for a vacation always make me very excited, the anticipation of uncertainty combined with the prospect of seeing new places and meeting new people are some of the reasons why I love travelling.

Growing up, I never stopped my love for travelling and would never miss an opportunity to hit the road. I was very happy when I realized that my life partner also shares the same if not a higher level of passion for travelling. My first trip with my husband was when we went for our honeymoon to Malaysia. I was nervous back then... Completely unsure of what an international travel would be and how to adjust with my husband. It's honeymoon, my thought was I should be perfect and look my best all the time.... Our first stop was at Langkawi. Such a beautiful and romantic place and for a minute I forgot about the need to be perfect. We checked in to the resort and minutes later we were out for sight seeing. Before the day ended I realized one thing - Justin doesn't care about how I look, he cares more about how I feel. Like all newlyweds, we also fought on our honeymoon, he said something silly and I got offended. I went out for a walk at the private beach close to the resort where we were staying. It was a beautiful night and sky was full of stars. Romance was back on! I have seen in the movies where the hero and heroine running on the beach and I thought that would be romantic. I insisted that we do the same. Justin was hesitant and I forced him saying its gonna be fun. So I started running and he was chasing me. Next thing I know, there was salt water and sand on my face. It took me a while to figure out that I had fallen flat on my face. I panicked and was struggling to get up. I thought my beloved husband would be freaking out thinking I might have got hurt. Again all the romantic scenes from movies where hero would take the heroine into his arms came rushing to my mind. I turned around and looked for Justin. There he was laughing his heart out, he actually was holding on to his tummy while laughing, it must have hurt laughing that much. I have never seen him laughing that much till date. Lo and behold....my new husband. I was infuriated but only for a minute, because it was hard not to laugh. I really did make a fool of myself. And that night became a landmark in our marriage, it was the day we became best friends and that incident was also the ice breaker of our honeymoon. It is the story we would remind each other every now then and we still laugh thinking about it. 

We had two more days at Langkawi and we went for island hopping tour, cable car ride, underwater world, mangrove tour before we headed out to Kuala Lumpur. It was Valentines's day then and it was also our first valentine's day as married couple. We spent the day in the city seeing various attractions including the Petronas tower, Central Market, China Town and Bukit Bintang. It was also the Chinese new year that day at Malaysia and we had a magical time celebrating it along with folks over there. There were fireworks, dragon dances, games and lots of merriment. 

Needless to say, we thoroughly enjoyed our trip and we managed to see most of Langakwi and Kuala Lampur in one week's time. Our trip helped to strengthen the bond we have as a couple and the foundation of our marriage was stronger than ever. We still have the same passion for travelling and by the looks of it, our little one is also following in our footsteps. Travelling can bring out the best and worst in a person and this happens because you are outside your comfort zone, you have to adjust with what you have and always be prepared to face unforeseen situations. And with our small road trips, we are trying to mold Elisha to this as well.