Niki and I flew Emirates from JFK to Dubai. The flight was smooth, the seats and service, excellent and the in flight entertainment, simply superb. We had ordered Hindu meals, so we fed on parathas with chicken curry and even chicken biryani. Sitting next to me, was an Italian gentleman who taught ballet at the NY city ballet. The gentleman had a flair for talking and gave me a fully guided tour of Europe. Though I should say, I didn’t really care for the smell that arose from his sea food meals. It was a 12 hour flight and I was [View Full Entry]

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The minute my flight touched Indian soil, I felt this exhilaration and nostalgia for my country. It’s still hard for me to decide which country I like the best - my birth or my adopted. I love New York, at the same time, I cannot deny my love for India. This was my first landing in Cochin airport, I usually fly to Bangalore. What a total contrast between both the airports! Though Bangalore is a major IT hub, during my last visit, it was a sea of chaos and confusion and the staff had no sense of discipline. Cochin airport on [View Full Entry]

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My dream was to study in California. I’ve always loved the sunny beaches and palm trees, and star struck at Hollywood’s glitz and glamour. I had gotten admission at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco, but one month before heading west, I changed my mind as being away from Rajesh for too long seemed like a heart breaking venture and instead ended up in the SUNY, Albany MBA program. Finally, a visit to see Lavanya and Sathya was long pending as I was caught up with school. So we were glad to get away for 10 days in November. [View Full Entry]

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We boarded the train to Edinburgh at 6:15 am from Kings Cross station. The day was very muggy and the weather, a wintry mix. The view from the train of Scottish scenery, the sea and tiny little Scottish houses was beautiful. The minute we landed in Edinburgh, it was sprinkling, there was a gale and it was bitter cold. We decided to take the hop on hop off bus tour and boarded the quirky looking bus. We decided to check out the castle first, so we got down there. The guards barricaded our entry into the castle saying that the castle [View Full Entry]

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Rajesh found the best deal to London in British Airways. Air + hotel for $400 a person. It was an offer we couldn’t resist and with kids out of the way in India, we decided to go for it. We both are normally non-touristy people, hate hopping on and off tourist attractions. But London was an exception. London is a great city and definitely a place to see all the important landmarks of history. We stayed at the Hilton London Kensington, close to the Kensington Palace that was home to Princess Diana and Prince Charles. The tube in London is a [View Full Entry]

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Our darling little baby girl Megna was born on June 14th 2005. We were very happy parents enjoying her sweet little face, chubby little fingers and cuddly little body. But we somehow felt that we needed a break from parenthood; not that we spent sleepless nights each day. We just felt that we needed some time to ourselves, like a mini honeymoon. So we planned a trip to Quebec City during the Labor Day weekend in September. We got a really good deal at the Hilton and the hotel was located in an excellent spot, within walking distance to old town [View Full Entry]

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Our Honeymoon in Seychelles Islands, located in the Indian Ocean was the ultimate romantic trip of our lives. We flew Air Seychelles from Bombay airport with a stopover in Mauritius and arrived in Victoria, the exotic capital of the island Mahe. We took a cab to our hotel, The Coral Strand where we were staying for a week. Coral Strand Hotel is nestled in the Beau Vallon Bay, the most famous beach on Mahe. I was glad that our room had no TV; it was our honeymoon after all and who needs TV ; ). We had a sea facing room [View Full Entry]

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