To Yellowstone and back!

We all hi fived before getting into the two taxis which drove us back home to down town Milwaukee and for the hundredth time we chorused in unison "Yellowstone Stones" which translates into something like "Yellowstone Rocks”. I know I couldn’t stop thinking and smiling about the events of last 4 days, believe me if you were the 9th, 10th, 11th person along on this trip along you would have been smiling too.

On day one, we entered the Grand Teton national park at the break of dawn. It was cold and beautiful, with a magenta and blue sky above our heads and the moon hanging like an incandescent lamp above the snaggle toothed Tetons. The Jackson Hole lodges resembled the Swiss chalets with soft orange and yellow lights making the buildings and the trees glow. The YMCA hostel facility were we freshened up was something to mention. It was a modest arrangement with dim lighting, a shower and no heat. But it had 4 comfortable bunk beds in each room, making the hostel rooms very affordable and very desirable for a quick shower and a quicker nap. Our next stop, Lake Jenny one of the many lakes in the Grand Teton outback was a delight. As the day turned from a cold September morning to a warm September day; the crystal clear glacial water was too tempting to resist wading along and keeping on our shoes. The park without a doubt had a magnetic draw for photographers, wildlife enthusiasts and rock climbers. For the rest of us, the peaks were mostly a backdrop of surreal beauty.

Day two of the trip began with a stopover at the Yellowstone Grand Canyon. The canyon is carved out by the meandering Snake River which falls magnificently as the canyon upper and lower falls. The top of the upper falls is visible from a barricaded wooden deck, where tourists flock to get a safe view of the magnificent drop. But all thanks to some adventure enthusiasts amongst us we did cross over the barricade and sit atop the rock jutting out over the fall so that if you sat hanging your legs on it you could feel the water spray. We then mostly drove and stopped randomly at beautiful spots, hiked the lost lake trail. Ooh-ed and aah-ed at the Yellowstone wonders and clicked like a gazillion pictures.

Came day three at the park and the weather had been our friend despite the constant warnings from weather.com of showers, clouds and snow. Things turned out to be pretty good. Evenings and nights had been chilly but the days warm and sunny. Early morning we stopped by the Yellow stone lake, caught a heard of buffaloes having their early morning drink. We took some pictures jumping about in bursting Bollywood style. We spotted a white wolf playing by the lake side with two of her pups.

Another grand attraction of the park was the Yellowstone Caldera or the Cauldron, a home to the Old Faithful geyser. The Caldera is a gamut of hot water geysers, which go off every now and then. Old Faithful true to its name and will a full house erupted in its full splendor. It gushed out hot water and steam for about 5 minutes before it decided to rest again and prepare of the next show 80 to 150 minutes later.

Day four was all travel. The drive from Yellowstone to Salt lake City was 7 hours long. Which included 4 stops at the en-route gas stations to refuel our Ford, Explorer. Restock our water and snacking supplies. The 7 hours seemed shorter than its 420 minutes. Time flew by humming Strings, listening to some standup comedy on YouTube, appreciating a little bit of hip-hop, and participating in some intense palmistry sessions.

We were in Salt Lake City with finding an Indian restaurant on our list of top priority items. You would cut us some slack if you knew some of us just ate the fancy sounding Trout Almandine or Vegetarian Lasagna for the last three days. We did find a Nepalese place, the food there qualified as Indian and delicious. Later, on a full stomach we managed to get a few quick pictures in front of the Utah Capitol building and the SLC Northerwestern Mutual office before making a dash for SLC airport.

Our itenary from Salt Lake City to Milwaukee was via Phoenix. While travelling from Salt Lake city to Phoenix we flew over the Grand Canyon. Even though most of my friends were fast asleep I thought it was breathtaking to see Colorado snaking its way through the Canyon. It looked spectacular. Flying from Phoenix to Milwaukee I do remember a not so friendly air hostess, who complained about a glass of spilled tomato juice, the dude who thought everyone in the airplane was checking him out, the rock band artist with lovely long black hair who tipped the air hostess with a twenty. Then there was a bevy of tough cross word puzzles, short naps and some pricking and prodding not to let the others sleep.

Now wouldn’t you call that a trip to remember :)

Travelogue: Eastern Wonders, India

One of the most memorable family vacation of mine came in fall of 2006, when all of us packed our bags to get a flavor of the tourist haven that North east of India is. Once there, one thing that hit me strikingly hard was that fact that, I had never seen so much green at any one place and at any one time, from the banks of the mighty Brahmaputra, to the jungles of Tezpur, to the Assam tea estates and to the virgin mountain slopes en route to Cherrapunjee.

Our first stop on the itinerary was The Kaziranga, to see the beautiful one horned Indian rhino. Putting up at the Tezpur circuit house, on the banks of the wide, beautiful and beckoning, Brahmaputra. That night we enjoyed a dinner floating atop a small steamer boat, gorging on a specially prepared buffet which included fish pakodas and to go with them this most jhaal finger licking good chutney you would have ever tasted, spring rolls, fried eggs, chicken, orange souffle and fruit cream salad. And If you looked out side the rickety steamer boat you saw these distant tiny little flecks of light which were perhaps other fishing boats or floating steamers. We in fact even had some one seeing a woman dressed in a white sari looking towards us from one of the fishing boats!! For other travelers Kaziranga offers a decent boarding and lodging facility at various lodges, mostly around the national park area. The Kaziranga is massive, and we decided to tour one of its zones riding in an open jeep. Our park guide proudly displayed the gashes he had received in two separate encounters with a rhinoceros. He smiled rather reassuringly and told us that if at all a rhino or a tiger was to attack at us he would try to scare away the beast with loud metallic bangs on the jeep's body and if the animal did not deter, he would then have to use his gun. But needless to say he said, that we were safe in his company. At Kaziranga we saw herds of this prehistoric survivor, moving about the tall thickets of Elephant grass and lazing around in swampy marshes. Among other animals we saw the majestic barasingha, hog deer, langurs and the wild Indian Elephant, with a young rambunctious one almost attacking us out of panic. Thankfully for us the loud metallic bangs did wonder. In the area surrounding the wildlife sanctuary you can see the famous Assam tea garden plantations and even get to see how you get your daily cup of tea.

Next onto our itinerary was, as the British called it the "Scotland of East", a sobriquet for Shillong, the capital city of Mehgalaya. Lying in the cradle of pines, conifers, pineapple shrubs and other exquisite flora and fauna the city offers an undulating terrain which serves as a constant source of attraction for tourists. The city is also home to a very fine tradition of rock n roll and country music. It would come as a surprise for you, to know that Shillong is the only city celebrating Bob Dylan's birthday. You can enjoy this music along with excellent oriental cuisine at one of the city's many restaurants and clubs. Other site seeing attractions in Shillong include Shillong Peak, the highest point in the city which from its very famous Shillong Point gives you a panoramic view of the entire city of Shillong. Shillong is also home to beautiful lakes and waterfalls. Elephant Falls, Spread Eagle falls, Crinoline falls, all of them offer a great treat of nature and are most suitable for a day out picnic with friends and family.

Situated about 56 km from Shillong on the India Bangladesh border is Cherrapunjee. Set against a backdrop of heavy set rain bearing clouds and breath taking beauty, it is surely a place to discover during the Indian summer monsoons. And as much as the destination it is the long meandering drive to it that is worth a hundred suns. Trust me on this, once you do the roads every bend and every turn would remind you of that picture perfect road you saw snaking through the forest in a web shots wallpaper. And once at your destination, there is this small outpost with a small tea shop serving snacks and cold drinks, but when you look beyond there is this most magnificent and breath taking view. Where the cliffs of Cherrapunjee kiss the plains of Bangladesh. These cliffs are first to be hit by the monsoon winds looming over the Bay of Bengal making Cherrapunjee the wettest place on planet earth!

So, make sure once you decide to unravel the adventure out here that you do not miss out any of these eastern wonders on your itenary! Have fun and Happy Globe trotting!