Foodies & Roadies

Rocksugar rocked my Soul!!

2011-09-06T17:29:00.000-07:00

While I was thinking I had seen everything exciting and eaten everything enticing in LA, we discovered a new place that sky rocketed to my top favorite restaurants list as soon as I sipped my drink!! That is what prompted me to open my blog again after months!! Rocksugar is a Pan Asian Kitchen ( as they call themselves), that offers enormous variety in their food and drinks and probably the most captivating ambience you can find in a restaurant. The first few minutes after I entered, I couldn’t lay my eye on one single wall without saying Wow!!! It’s the most inviting, interesting and invigorating feelings you get when you step into a restaurant famished!! Yes, we were extremely hungry on that day. The place I am sure is packed for dinner, cause the waiting area was huge!! Beyond are 6 booths with coal to keep you warm and then comes the hostesses’ desk. The Asian theme is evident from the entry, with wood carvings, antique stuff, lanterns, whoever did this place deserves compliments. They do have indoor and patio seating.

Entry of the restaurant, Picture coutesy www.enlightermagazine.com

A look at their menu online got us both confused and intrigued. Being Pan Asian, they do have all kinds of Asian cuisines included in their menu but the first glance may not give you a taste of what you are going to experience. The genius here is that all the ingredients are a mixture of Asian cuisines, but the flavors, ooohhh the flavors are absolutely fleeting, taking you to places you wouldn’t imagine! I mean, even though you may not be familiar with all the ingredients, the flavors are a little familiar, but also a little fresh and new! The price range for this place on Yelp is $$$, so we were prepared for the slight prick, but nothing told us how good we would feel when we finally left the place.

So coming to what we had. I apologize I wasn’t able to get great pictures for you cause one, we didn’t have our DSLR with us, and two, our table was not exactly in the best lighting for the food.

Lime-Mint Squash

So the complimentary inviting snack was saggu biyyam vadiyalu! Well you would know what I just said if you are Telugu, but to translate, it’s basically Tapioca crackers, also called Saabu daana in Hindi. Its was served with a sweet and spicy tomato based sauce, that really surpized us considering the way we ate these crackers as kids, just plain or with rice and dal! We tried their non-alcoholic drinks that gave us a sample of the uniqueness of this place. Pineapple Tamarindo is a crushed ice drink Made to cool you down thoroughly! A good balance of the sweet and tangy with a dash of lime is always the best way to relax. Lime-mint Squash, which is basically lime juice with mint is flavored with Calamansi limes, was made to perfection. Even though it was just a virgin form of Mojito, I would pick this glass up instead of my fav drink!! Looking at these perfectly made drinks, we were pretty sure we would like what we ordered next, the Crispy Imperial Rolls.

The rolls come with minced pork or chicken. We went with chicken. They are again basically spring rolls, but with a twist. The meat is minced, has Indian flavor, and is combined with cellophane noodles and shiitake mushrooms! Add to this a smash hit sauce to dip into and leaves of basil, cilantro and lettuce to wrap and/dip with. I must say, each ingredient gives you a unique ride. Just the rolls, very good!, dipped in sauce, spicy/sweet and great!! Wrap roll in basil and lettuce and dip them, superb!!! Do it again with cilantro, and you have a completely different feeling!! Now I really cant explain enough. You need to try it to believe me.

Crispy Imperial Rolls

Our main course included Festive rice and Thai Basil Cashew Chicken. So the waiter arrives, with the chicken on one plate looking almost burnt! And an inverted cone of, I think a banana leaf covering yellow rice! Now, by first glance, this meal portrays nothing unusual. But one morsel of the rice with a piece of chicken, proves to you again, its well worth it!! Festive rice is Jasmine rice with coconut, lemongrass and cashews. It’s the perfect balance really. Just a hint of the coconut and lemongrass and jasmine rice is like pulao! Now the Chicken, it was special because of its sauce that contained caramelized onion, and a wonderful combination of Red chillies and garlic. Caramelizing is not easy to do. And to find it done so well is amazing! We were full to the neck. Not that the portions were too much also. But some how, we did get quite stuffed. The flavors did everything I guess…

Caramelized Banana Custard Cake

For dessert we tried their famous Caramelized Banana Custard Cake. They give you 2 slices of banana cake with a layer of Malted Crème Anglaise (custard caramelized on the surface) and milk chocolate ice cream. Also sprinkled on top was Nut Brittle. I must confess, the Brittle was my favorite!! I just can’t describe Brittle to you. Its basically ‘Chikki’ as we call it in India, made with all kind of nuts including pistachios. It was yummy! I found the dessert too overratedthough. Firstly the combo of milk chocolate ice cream and banana cake didn’t strike me as the best. The cake itself seemed a little dry, probably to compensate for the custard on top, but still it needed more moisture. Custard on its own was good enough. I would rate it a 2.5/5.

Overall our lunch was a 4.5/5. Ambience was a hit and the food was absolute bliss! Looking forward to visit them for dinner some time!

Check them out at: http://www.rocksugarpanasiankitchen.com/
Westfield Century City
10250 Santa Monica Blvd,
Los Angeles, CA-90067

San Diego Wilderness

2011-02-21T00:07:00.000-08:00

San Diego is world famous for its zoo and safari and the sea world. I believed it only when I experienced it! A wonderland for children, and no less for adults, these attractions make any aged person say 'amazing'!! Here are some interesting tips and guidelines for visiting these places, and loads of pictures with my favorites.

Macaw

The San Diego Zoo is located in the area dense with trees inside Balboa park of San Diego. When you are visiting here, make time for a day for each park. Unless you slowly walk along and see all the animals you wouldn't cover all of them right? And its going to be quite an interesting walk so I am sure it will be slow too. We took advantage of the multi-day pass and got free visitor tickets for my sis in law. We could visit 2 parks in two days. And that was exactly what we planned to do! The ticket includes the bus ride in the zoo and he tram ride in the safari park for the two of us, but the third person needs to buy tickets for these rides. The first thing we did was take the bus tour. The map was very clear, but we needed to see what we were in for before we walked all the way to the other side to see something we thought we liked. The tickets for the bus tour are sold exactly opposite to the entrance. And the loading point, a little further. Quite a few buses were coming along to take all its passengers, but it did seem like we were wasting time But in the mean time, we were greeted by plenty of peacocks and peahens! I couldn't get a good picture of them but I did bring back a good pic of the macaw that welcomed us to the bus. A bright red bird watching all of us as though it were to keep us in order in the line. It was so beautiful.
The sightseeing bus took us to all the major locations of the zoo, slowly explaining about the animals, and the stops that they have along the path. So once we were done, I knew where I wanted to go. The two aviaries. The Scripps and Owens Aviaries are at the heart of the zoo, amongst all the chimps in the place. One useful this about the map and the sign boards along the pathways was that they are not only named they also tell you how long it takes to hike along to finish it, and whether it is moderate or easy or steep terrain.

Golden breasted Starling

Victoria crowned pigeon

One thing I loved about this zoo compared to the ones I have seen before was the way the animals were free. Certain animals like say the birds of certain kind were free in the aviary and sometimes could fly to you. Kids could interact with them. Amazing birds they were. A paradise for me and my husband with our camera!

Skyfari

Once we were done with the birds and the chimps, we wanted to go to the other side of the zoo to catch a glimpse of the polar bears. at the Polar Rim. To do that, we could either walk all the way, or take the Skyfari. It is an aerial tram that runs all day long. The line is very long so you need to be very patient. At the other end, the polar bears were sun bathing. It is interesting to know the names of all the animals, and they also have descriptions of what each bear is like. Active, or lazy, their favorite thing to play with , etc everything is written on the walls. We were told that the best time to see them would be earlier in the day. We were hoping to see some in the water, but no luck.

Polar Bear

Next it was time for Panda Canyon!! A sweet family of Pandas resides in the zoo. A cub was born 6 months ago, and they were having lunch when we visited them. Sorry I cannot recollect their names but I brought you pictures!!

Baby Panda

It was now time for the elephants. They have both african and indian elephants spread across a large area. But before that, We saw the most spectacular Lion ever. A lion and a lioness were having their meal. Chewing and gnawing at a chunk of meat on a bone. He was so majestic, they dont call him the King of the jungle for nothing!

Lunch time!

The elephants were calm strolling in their spacious courtyard. A baby elephant was hopping along the mother eating straw. it was a pleasant sight. There is also a show sometime in the afternoon that introduces visitors to the elephants and their life.

Indian Elephant

After watching many other cats like snow leopards, black leopard, hyenas, I stepped into my favorite place in the zoo. The reptile house has about a hundred kinds of reptiles and I loved the various kinds of snakes they had. Each one so discreet, poised, watching through the other side of the glass.

Pit Viper

My experience here was fun, amazing, and tiring with all the walking. We had a field day with taking pictures and admiring natures creations. It is a well kept zoo and I enjoyed it thoroughly. For more lovely pictures, go to, http://www.vijayram.net/

The Mediterranean break

2011-02-06T23:04:00.000-08:00

   Have you ever eaten something that makes you feel renewed on your palate and so satisfying you want to try more? Thats what I felt when we went to eat at Ali Baba's Kitchen in Newbury Park, CA. After repeatedly eating Italian, American, India, and Chinese, it felt like I was basking in the sun on a warm morning!

   We chose to eat the small family combo which consisted of everything Medi food is essentially made of. The most popular Medi food people most often like is Falafel. Made of Chickpeas and some seasoning, this fried pattie/ball is eaten with pita bread or just plain.At Baba's, it is served with a tasty tangy dip. Its filling, its tasty, and has a great taste! As part of the meal they served us some fresh salad too, which had a very distinct flavour to it. I am sure there is something special in the dressing used cause it had a sharp flavour and freshness of cucumber!

Falafel, Baba's salad and Pita bread

Now the next favourite in this food is Hummus! Of course you have eaten it in many places, and in many flavours but it is amazingly fresh with chili powder drizzled on top and olive oil along the edges. The meal does not include the hummus so you will have to order extra to eat with the warm pita bread that is included though. Believe me, there is nothing like fresh hummus!

Next course is the Chicken Shawarma with rice and Chicken Kabab. Shawarma is shredded meat that is grilled. and mostly served in the form of a sandwich. Now in this meal its served with flavoured rice. And the Kababs are diced chicken marinated in lemon juice olive oil and vinegar and skewed. Its the most delicious kabab I have had in ages(in US)!!

Hey, I almost forgot, for dessert, try their Baklava. Its a puff pastry with a layer of nuts, spices and honey. It is yum yumm yummm...
So if you want to fill your tummy with happiness, do check this place out. In the mean time, I am gonna try some more of their yummy dishes and fill you in! babyee!!

Ali Baba's Kitchen
2110-B Newbury Road
Newbury Park CA-91320

http://alibabarestaurant.com/

Sunny City San Diego

2011-01-28T16:31:00.000-08:00

San Diego is most famous for its animals. The zoo, safari and seaworld are the most popular, but there much much more to San Diego. That is what we decided to explore when we were there last time. I am going to share with you everything other than just the animals. I will fill you in with the amazing animals at the zoo but for now lets take a look at the other side of this seemingly small but second largest city in CA.

Hotel del Coronado

Within a small radius, San Diego offers all kinds of entertainment and activities. Lets take a look at the two most famous beaches here- Coronado and mission beaches. Coronado beach is in Coronado on North Island. It is this vast stretch of sand silent, pleasant, quite a lot of activity going on too. We were there at sunset and there weren’t many people in the water, and the wet sand under the waves were forming these beautiful ripples that glistened in the setting sun. Along the beach is the famous Hotel del Coronado. One of the oldest hotels in America, and host to many celebrities. While you relax here you may also spot airplanes taking off from the adjacent North Island Navy Base.

Sunset at Coronado beach

After sunset at Coronado Beach

Mission beach reminded me much of the Orange county beaches in CA. The colouful houses along the sand and the waves trying to wash the beach away, and bikers and walkers enjoying the fresh breeze while sweating it out! (watching it makes me feel light and healthy too!)

Mission beach

Another spot you have to see in San Diego is La Jolla. Along the Coast Blvd of La Jolla town are the tide pools, sea lions, sea gulls and Pelicans. The place is great for just a quiet walk, healthy jog, or even a picnic with your kids along at Scripps Park. A famous activity here is Kayaking, which you can take to the La Jolla coves nearby. A lovely place for sea animal photography, and a happy place to just relax. So bring your blankets, sandwiches, and lemon juice, and enjoy this beautiful stretch of ocean blue!

La Jolla

Tide pools at La Jolla

Sea Lions at La Jolla

The Whisky Girl

Now for the nightlife. The place to hang out in San Diego in the evenings is Gaslamp Quarter. It is a very popular place for all kinds of ages to just chill and have an evening dinner, with their buddies in the numerous sports bars, or if you want to have a romantic dinner with your partner. Most places have specials on game nights, and you could go bar hopping all you want and have a blast! We tried the Whisky Girl. It was full of people, activity, we got raffles tickets (but didn’t win!) got some specials for drinks and some great fried beans too! A loud bar as it should be for a game night, on the whole a nice place to see the locals having fun drinking eating and winning!

Pepperoni pizza at Sammy's

We had dinner at Sammy’s Woodfired Piza. A neat place, pizza was expensive for its size! But it was definitely good! I would give a 4 star rating for this place. We had a simple Pepperoni pizza and enjoyed it a lot! The piping hot cheese and dripping juices!! Yummm….

   We also visited the USS Midway Museum. Amongst the many naval attractions in this city, we made time for this Vietnam war air ship turned into a museum. It took us nearly 3 hours to see the whole place. And considering our speed, if you had kids whom you would want to educate, make time for atleast 6 hours. This is a great place for youngsters (5-15years) to learn and appreciate the work of the navy and their apparatus. The entry is $18 for adults and it opens at 10am. There is a lot of walking to do and steps to climb at times so it is better if people avoid it if they have some difficulty. They give you a free audio tour with ear phones etc which you can carry all over the ship. Directions are clear, and there are guides all over the place to give you more information whenever you need it. The main attraction of the place is the Upper deck. There is a display of their aircrafts with veterans to explain about how they work. We can also step into a couple of them to see what it is like to be in them. I do not have very good vocabulary in these things, but I must say, I was very excited to see these aircrafts that were actually used once in real war! One that really got my attention was the SH-3 Anti-submarine helicopter that rescued crews from Apollo 11, 13, etc. The most interesting thing was when I saw a veteran explaining to his 15 year old son about his experiences on that ship! The man must be so proud of himself, and the son amazed!

F-14A predecessor of the present used jets

SH-3 Sea King that recovered the Apollos

Old Town is a restored town as it was in the 1800's of Spanish settlement. Personally I didn't find it to be so amazing. But there were a few buildings that intrigued me, like the Wells Fargo building with displays of mail sorting and a real carriage. I believe they used to have horsemen that carried mail across the country in just 10 days! Then there were stores like the cigar store for instance. This place was reeking of cigar odour, but, It had pipes from years ago, hundreds of kinds of lighters, apart from thousands of varieties in cigarettes and tobacco. At the courtyard of Casa de Reyes, dance troups perform on a stage for all the guests interested. Catchy music and bright colours are very attractive. The shops here are typical to the spanish and unique too. Most of them are souvenir shops some food stalls, and there is one eye catching one. That is the Casa de Furco. Its got all kinds of hot sauces, with a whole section for habanero sauces. The pics will show you what exactly I mean.

The last place we saw was the Cabrillo monument. Passing by the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetry, we reached Point Loma that houses the Cabrillo Monument. Parking was very difficult to find and after going around 3 times, we finally were able to enjoy the view of San Diego. On one side is the North Island Naval Complex near Coronado, with the down town as the background. Little boats sail into the bay all around you. On the other side is of course the ocean! Cabrillo came to San Diego Bay in the 16^th century from Mexico. A statue of him is the monument that marks his landing. There is also a light house that has been used since 1800s.

The bay view from Point Loma

The Cabrillo Monument

The lighthouse at Point Loma

As dessert for this post, why not taste some yummy ghirardelli ice cream!! You cannot miss this place in San Diego right? Anything and everything is lip smacking, no introductions needed, Here are the two treats we had!

Hot Fudge Sundae in a Waffle bowl!! YUMMMM!!!

Butterscotch Sundae!!

Another dessert that we enjoyed was at Old Town Mexican Cafe. We also had Chicken Quesedilla, enchiladas and fish tacos, but this dessert was the best. The fried tortilla with ice cream. I never imagined it would be so good!! Do check it out next time!!

Useful Links:

http://www.sandiego.org/nav/Visitors
http://whiskeygirl.com/
midway museum: http://www.midway.org/
http://www.oldtownsandiegoguide.com/
cabrillo monument @Point Loma: http://www.nps.gov/cabr/index.htm

Filippi's flips you over!

2011-01-10T23:09:00.000-08:00

Famished after a day long stroll in the San diego zoo, we were hunting for some good italian food in Little Italy. We picked Filippi's Pizza Grotto. We are fanatics of italian food, so we were ready to dine in this famous italian deli cum restaurant. We were there on monday evening at 8:30pm, and we had to wait 25min to be seated! So you can imagine how popular it must be! They have other locations all around San diego, and stretching upto Napa too!

Waiting in line, and observing the deli around me, I counted more than 20 kinds of EVOO(Extra virgin Olive Oil), Wines from all over the world, including their own home brew France ca Chile Flippis. And cheese?? Dont ask me! I couldnt count them....Displayed in the counter, hanging on the counter, there was cheese everywhere! Of course, no italian store can not have pasta! There was loads and loads of pasta everywhere... It was a delight to see almost everything italian in the store.

Once you pass the deli and enter the restaurant you know they have been around for a long long time. The place was full! Tables all over, waiters running all over, 'bottles' hanging from the ceiling everywhere! I later got to know they were bottles of Bell'agio Chianti dry red wine, ordered and autographed by their customers. This place was screaming, 'You are here for SOME experience'!!

We ordered some fresh garlic bread, and then binged into this cheezy, pizza surprise. It was the Vegetarian Special, with loads of cheese smothered all over, mushrooms, onions, tomato and black olives. Ingredients are not so appealing I know!( there was no chicken on the menu) But the pizza was certainly a mouthful.

After the pizza, we were ready for more. So we tried their Eggplant Parmigiana in the a la carte (smaller portion) with some lasagna. Yummm... it was perfecto! The pictures may not completely tell you how it tasted, but... neither can I! But if you are any where close to Little Italy in San Diego, do make sure you check out this place. The ambiance itself will bowl you over!

Useful Links:

http://www.realcheesepizza.com/

BJ's Restaurant

2011-01-08T21:56:00.000-08:00

BJ's is a restaurant that is famous for its beer and food along with a friendly atmosphere to be with friends or family. Here are a few of our favourites @ this amazing place.

We absolutely love their Santa Fe rolls.Filled with chicken, beans, cheese, and peppers, served with their Santa fe sauce and avocado cream sauce, it feels awesome. You just cant stop eating them and licking the sauce! While the rolls are our staple appetizer, the last time we were there we tried their Best beginners appetizer combo. Oh yes! It was definititely the best for beginners. They have their Santa fe rolls, Avocado egg rolls, Spinach and artichoke dip with nachos, and mozzerella sticks with marinara all in one plate. You get a taste of all their wonderful spices in the kitchen and they suit everyone's taste on the table too! I am a fan of their dips. The spinach and artichoke dip was great!

Mediterranean Deep Dish Pizza

Something you cannot miss eating at BJs are their deep dish pizzas. Try any of them. They are all excellent A crunchy crust and hot chewy cheeze, yummmm... We loved the Southwestern and the Mediterranean. Here is the Mediterranean.

A slice of deep satisfaction!

Pizooki Trio

Now for the desserts. Their exclusive Pizooki is well worth its popularity. Hot freshly baked cookies with ice cream. You can either have one bigg Pizooki all by youself if you have some space left in your tummy after the delicious pizza, or you can share the Pizooki Trio with your choice of cookies cookie n cream, Chocolate macadamia nut, Chocolate chunk, Peanut butter or oatmeal raisin walnut.

Useful Links:

http://www.bjsbrewhouse.com/

Maria's Italian Kitchen

2010-12-30T19:46:00.000-08:00

Established in 1975 by Maria Alfano, this Italian Kitchen is a blessing to LA. The owners were actually from Hoboken, NJ, but then fell in love with CA on a visit, and opened Maria’s Italian Kitchen. It is now open in 10 different locations in and around LA, serving fresh pasta, breads, pizza, salad, and much more! Here are a few of their lip smacking dishes.

Like most Italian places Maria’s serve complimentary garlic bread. But these are not like any other you might have tasted. Drizzled with oregano and garlic and eaten with olive oil, the bread gives you an intro to what you are about to savor.

Garlic bread

Cheese fries

As appetizer we tried their formaggio fritti. We weren’t familiar with what to expect but once we tried it, I am sure its something we will always have! Formaggio is a chewy kind of cheese, which is fried with bread crumbs to make it a fritti. The portion had just two rectangular pieces served with fresh marinara sauce and arugula leaves. Oh! What do I tell you about the sauce!! It was the best I ever tasted. You can taste the freshness, the juiciness and the sweetness of the tomatoes and when combined with the frittas, the combo is heaven! We also had cheese fries. These potato fries were drizzled with cheese and had just the flavor to tell you they were different. Frankly, I wouldnt say they are great. They were well done, tasted good but not extraordinary.

Formaggio Fritti

For the main course, we tried three different varieties just to get the taste of the place. And oh! I forgot to mention, we had a guest this time. You will hear about her in the next few posts too, ‘cause we are having a holiday together. That is why we could try 3 entrees instead of just 2.

One of them was vegetarian lasagna. This lasagna had spinach, portabella mushrooms, grilled zucchini, smoked mozzarella and sautéed broccoli. And of course their fresh marinara too! It was such a mouthful, and so yummy, I am waiting to try it myself some day. It was a large portion though, so unless you are very hungry, you might end up with a doggy bag.

Vegetarian Lasagna

The other entrée was the Spicy shrimp and Roasted corn Risotto. For those who do not know, Risotto is simply rice cooked in broth of meat/ vegetable till it gets a creamy consistency and served with any kind of meat. The kind we tasted was accompanied by shrimp, corn, and red chilli flakes, sun-dried tomatoes and cream. It’s a treat for those who love seafood and its distinct flavor cause this dish is loaded with it!

Spicy Shrimp and roasted corn Risotto

The third was ravioli a la marinara. The description on the menu reads “Delicious paper thin pasta pillows of Ricotta stuffed pasta. Light and delicious” And yes, it was just that. Inspite of being just the basic Italian combination, it tasted so special on my palate when the ricotto just melted in my mouth blending with the marinara. Hmmmm… I need to have it right now! And since it was just the right portion, you can enjoy it all you want, just until you can. It wont get too much into you.

Ravioli a la Marinara

So maria’s Italian Kitchen is my best choice for fresh marinara, and cheese. I bet you will not leave unhappy after eating at this place! Enjoy yourselves….

Useful links:

http://www.mariasitaliankitchen.com/

Christmas Lights 2010

2010-12-25T12:17:00.000-08:00

@Bellagio, Las Vegas

@Candy Cane Lane, LA

@Candy Cane Lane

Americana Mall Glendale

Grinchmas @Universal Studios, Hollywood

@Universal Studios

@Rodeo Drive LA

@Universal Studios(without lighting)

@Grove Mall LA

Pookie's Thai

2010-12-22T00:33:00.000-08:00

A small place amidst offices, by a pond with ducks swimming in the sun, kitchen busy to keep up with its loyal customers, and Mrs.Pookie flashing a smile at all her guests taking orders and serving the most delicious thai food in Westlake Village. That’s the Pookie’s Thai. The place was started 7 years ago and today its our favorite here in LA. The first thing you notice here is the way its hidden amongst offices at The Water Court. Next, the welcoming nature of the place makes you return every week!

Pond at Water court in front of the restaurant

Our favorite appetizer is ‘Kra Thong Thong’. Wonton cups filled with chicken, peas and carrots served with a hot n sweet sauce. It’s a great way to start your journey into the enticing flavors of Thailand.

Kra Thong Thong

Another popular appetizer is the Wow! Westlake Roll. It looks like salad wrapped in rolls. Tofu, cucumber, basil, cilantro, carrots wrapped in rice sheets and served with a special sauce. It’s a lovely combination that is so refreshing to the palate. The flavor of the basil simply pops out amongst the veggies dipped in the sauce.

WOW! Westlake Rolls

To accompany your meal try thai iced tea. A pink drink with a hint of tea.

Thai Iced Tea

On weekdays you can have lunch specials with duck, beef, chicken, everything. But otherwise, here are a few that we relish. Spicy monsoon noodles are my choice for a nice hot and sweet delight. Made of flat noodles, basil, bell peppers, mushroom and beef, chicken or pork it was a splash of flavor for us in this monsoon weather.

Spicy Monsoon Noodles

Hi, Yo! Silver is a milder choice made of fried silver noodles, shrimp, chicken, sprouts, tomato and egg.

Hi, Yo! Silver

Now for the fun part. You must be knowing about the famous red and green curries of thai cuisine. Well here, its definitely the best. They are served with white or brown rice, and you cannot stop eating it. We got a special treat when we ordered the green curry last time. Its called jade curry here, and as you might know the curry is made of coconut milk. But what if it is served to you in a coconut itself with fresh coconut floating in the gravy!! Yumm.. I have had nothing so exotic and yummy!

Ruby Curry(red curry)

Jade Curry(green curry)

Now coming to the rice, my choice is Prapan’s rice. The rice is full of spice, meat, bell peppers, onions and loads of flavor. Try it with one of the curries, it is heavenly!!

Prapan's Rice

So the next time you go to this place, don’t be scared of trying anything, I guarantee everything is going to be superb!! Enjoy yourself!!

Ducks in the pond

Useful Links:

http://www.pookiethai.com/home.html

Bellagio Buffet

2010-12-13T15:49:00.000-08:00

You can go without food in Vegas that is if you are soo much into gambling! But most of us like food more than anything else don’t we? So WE, cannot go without trying out one of the plentiful buffets in all the hotels of Vegas. Today I am going to introduce you to the Bellagio’s famous buffet.

It costs $26 per head and an additional $5 if you want a champagne buffet. Needless to explain they have everything from bread to steak, sushi and cakes. Frankly I couldn’t decide where to start! At the breakfast section that included 2 kinds of pancakes and waffles and omelets and oat meal and various kinds of homemade bread, muffins, danish, coconut macaroons, omelet, eggs benedict, or with fruit and salad! Sorry I don’t have the complete list of items on the menu, but I can give you a pretty good picture of how many kinds of food were available to eat. And I am sure you will love the pics too.

So I guess I have given you an idea about the breakfast. Moving on, for lunch there were four kinds of soup, a wide variety of seafood like seared bluenose, seared halibut, Chilean seabass, Smoked Scottish salmon, Roasted Salmon, Smoked trout, Scallops and Prawns !! Phew!!
Then there was the meat section. Steak of all kinds, with 4 kinds of mashed potato including pesto along with gravy was spread. The Sushi bar was good too, I cant really name all of them but they were about 6 in kind. I am not a person who relishes sushi really, so I skipped it, but it was looking good!

Whats the point of having a buffet and not having dessert? You are in for a treat with nearly 8 varieties of cake, vanilla and chocolate ice cream, sorbet, fresh fruit like watermelon, strawberry, and honeydew, oh god it was heavenly.
Although, I would have to point out here that I preferred the dessert section at the Ceasars buffet better.

I'll tell you about it some other time though. They had Tiramisu, Strawberry, Key lime tarts, Napolean, Pudding and eclairs too!!

Strawberries were yummy to say the least!!

Aloha Maui!! -Day5

2010-12-09T18:03:00.000-08:00

Our last day in Maui! It was saddening for us… We tried to extend the trip but could not. This morning we were supposed to catch the sunrise at Haleakala. But, we were so tired after our adventures in the weekend that we just could not move a muscle. So instead we decided we would catch breakfast at the Gazebo today! We missed it a couple of days earlier due to rain and the waiting, but this time we decided we will make it. It is located on the banks of Napili bay in the Napili surf beach resort. There was a long wait as usual as expected, but luckily no rain (I didn’t take the umbrella again). After waiting for nearly 45min checking out stuff at the small stall adjacent to it and watching the line behind us grow longer and longer, we were seated at a fairly sunny spot. The menu had only breakfast and lunch! Yes, they close at 2pm. They had all kinds of omelets, combos of pancakes, waffles, salads, burgers and lunch plates. Price was okay for a place so very popular, but the space was sadly small. My suggestion to you all is, please eat quickly and let the waiting customers enjoy this awesome food too! Its not a place where you can afford to sit relaxing and finish your breakfast. I mean you could, but do be considerate of those standing in rain and shine trying to get a seat. The food at this place has no adjectives. It was amazing!! We realized Maui has so many amazing places to eat, we didn’t want to leave!! We shared a shrimp Omlette and a stack of pancakes. This was the best breakfast ever! Not too filling, and too good. And last but not the least was the coconut syrup served for the pancakes. Yummmm….you can also buy some at the restaurant and bring it home! It was a breakfast we can never forget!

The Gazebo

Macadamia Nut Pancakes

Napili Bay view from the Gazebo

We got back to the hotel, and took one last walk on the ka’anapali beach. Just sat there staring into those blue waters, watching kids, parents everyone having a wonderful time… It was heaven!

Ka'anapali Beach

We checked out of the hotel and made one last visit to Lahaina. Had one last Maui Na Ka Oi Shave ice at Ululani’s and browsed some more stores before we headed towards the Tropical Garden of Maui. The Hilo Hattie is one souvenir store you must not miss. This is a huge store with all kinds of souvenirs from Hawaiian dresses for couples to pearls out of an oyster shell right in front of your eyes. Its going to take a while to browse through the whole store, so be patient. I liked the bamboo bags they had. Pretty colours and shapes. The clothes were good quality, and they also had chocolates and all such confectioneries. Tropical Garden of Maui is a botanical garden on the way to Iao Valley. This is a garden that also sells some of its plants but has a larger area dedicated to growing plants for research and other purposes. They do have a large variety of flowering and non-flowering plants and trees. The walkthrough takes about 30min and the entry fee is $5. My husband had a field day here taking pictures of all the flowers! And he got very good ones too! Check out the post Hawaiian Tropical blooms to see the colourful side of Maui. If you are planning to go to a place like this, please make sure you are wearing something that covers your body completely and keep some bug spray too. There are a lot of mosquito like insects in the garden, obviously due to the moist weather, which could give you a rash for days!

Haleakala is a volcanic mountain that last erupted in the 17^th century. The road to the summit where the observation deck is located is very curvy and has numerous hair pin turns. Please take a good driver with you. The drive takes about 2 hours from the bottom. The volcano is the reason why the Haleakala national park was started and has the usual entry fee but open 24hours. As you drive uphill, the weather gets colder, and once you drive past the clouds, its sunny, but cold and windy! You will see many ranches, freely walking cows all over below the clouds. There many trails that you could hike if you like and camp too! At the top when you reach the observatory it is so windy you might just get carried away! So hole on to your hats and dress and carry a good sweat shirt. It wont take long to see the whole valley and you can leave soon, but I can imagine how amazing the sunrise might be! They have a sunset watch too, but we had to leave to grab some dinner and catch our flight back!

Just below we passed through the cloud above us

After we crossed the clouds

The Haleakala crater

View from above the clouds while returning

Flatbread Company in Paia

We went to Paia for our dinner. This time we tried Pizza at the Flatbread Company on Hana Hwy. This place also seems to be a local youngsters favourite. As it is Paia seemed to be a place for the younger lot to stay. Its right next to Hookipa beach and has lodges too. Everyone there looked like locals. This place has this huge clay oven in which they bake their pizzas. You can watch them make it and bake it in front of you! We tried a Coevolution pizza with chicken. It was okay, not something Maui could boast about, and expensive! Yes, this place is expensive and is probably more popular for its drinks. And I forgot to tell you. It is an organic restaurant, that is probably the reason for its price range. Well it was a filling meal, noisy night, and kind of a sad one because we were going to the airport after this. Just five days in Maui it seemed like months. We loved every bit of it and cant wait to go back!!

The Clay Oven

The Coevolution

Paia Town Square

Finally! Mahalo(Thank you) for reading, and Aloha from both of us…. Maui Na Ka Oi!!!

Useful Links:

Tropical Gardens of Maui
Haleakala National Park
Flatbread Company

Aloha Maui -Day4

2010-12-01T14:51:00.000-08:00

This morning, pulling ourselves out of bed was a struggle. But the thought of going into the ocean and snorkeling made us remember we are on a holiday!! More fun and more adventure awaits us! Our trip was with the Trilogy Company. They have Snorkeling tours, whale watching during winter, Snuba and scuba diving, and trips to Lanai island also. They sponsor our food, all the snorkeling gear for a price of about $90.

The boat left the harbor at 8:00am. It was a Catamaran with 45 passengers in total. As we sailed away from Maui, the wind picked up and the sail went up! We were heading towards Molokini Island for snorkeling. But first we got a quick guide about what the tour had in store, safety instructions, along with a choice of tea, coffee, hot chocolate or pineapple juice! They were also selling an underwater camera for us for $25. But we didn’t know till the end! So, I’m sorry I have no underwater pics for you. As we reached Molokini, we were taught how to use the snorkel gear and the beginners like us were given a more detailed explanation. There was one lifeguard in the water watching all of us, and we also had a choice of using a floating device(S to XL). I held on to a Bogey board just until I got used to the depth and floating. And kids who were scared or couldn’t float could use this cool bogey board with a window to see the coral and fish through… Wow!! I loved the ocean. Molokini is actually a gas vent created due to the Haleakala volcano on Maui Island. Only one half of it that is in a crescent shape is visible on the surface and the rest is under water. So the area within the semi circle is still and has some coral and fish resting here. We had an awesome time. I never saw bright yellow fish at such close a distance. And the coral was amazing. I have always wanted to see coral reefs and even though this was not a large coral, I was satisfied and happy to have been doing this in HI. The prettiest of colors are in corals, that’s what I say!! And I loved floating across from one end to the other following all kinds of fish. Snorkeling wasn’t that tough at all! The only time I needed the bogey board was when I had to adjust my mask. Otherwise I could manage with my floatation device around my waist.

Maui from the sea

Molokini Island

After an hour of snorkeling, we come onto the boat again, and we are treated with Mom’s Homemeade Cinnamon rolls and fresh fruit! The rolls were so so good! I can’t describe it. Not so sweet as the ones you eat in a mall, but the right taste at the right time I would say!! We got a second serving too! The crew was perfect too. They were so friendly and served all of us our seconds. While watching over the ocean in the bright sun, guess what we saw? We saw rainbows. Not just ordinary ones. These were on the water! Yes, these rainbows were on the surface of the ocean… glistening in the sun, blinking at us whenever the water splashed against our boat in the afternoon sun. I knew Hawaii was famous for rainbows, but never expected anything like this!!

Turtle Town

Food being served

This time, our catamaran took us to Turtle town near the Maluaka Beach park, to watch turtles! The bay was vast and we were instructed to swim around this one rock that was projecting in the middle of the water. And every 5 minutes we would see a turtle. We spotted a couple of them. Silent swimmers they were. There was a cave underneath the rock from which these turtles would once in a while come out to the surface. There wasn’t much of coral to see here, but It was nice to swim through this water and watch the bed of this shallow patch of ocean. I had a lot of fun. I was so happy I was there! I didn’t want to get out! While everyone else was back in the boat having their lunch, I was still in the water! I was the last one to get out and reach for my plate. They had Salad, Teriyaki Chicken, and Rice. We were also able to get seconds. Water does make you hungry!! So I hogged into my plate. And dessert! Was ice cream! Vanilla topped with the classic chocolate syrup. Ooh it was getting hot. The sun was on top of us and the wind was picking up too! We were enjoying every bit of it. We were supposed to reach the shore by 2pm. So on our way back we just drifted with the wind for a while with both our sails up! And suddenly, something broke! We didn’t know what but something happened and the sails had to be brought down. We were lucky it didn’t happen too far into the sea, but the crew was excellent. They were calm, knew exactly what to do, and brought us back safely with us feeling so happy that we came and it was definitely worth every penny for the snorkeling, food, people, everything. Thanks Trilogy!!!

We were excited, hot, tanned, and didn’t know what to do next. So we did what we usually do when we have nothing else to do! We went shopping!! We like Lahaina the most as a place of activity, eating and shopping so we set out to get some souvenirs, and clothes. There are plenty of stores, and variety for girls we notices. But the one I liked the most was ‘Go Under Beach Style’. This is a store on Front St, a small one with reasonable priced dresses for girls to wear on the beach. Nice patterns, variety, it’s a place girls will like I am sure. For guys, it was a little tough for my choosy husband to pick the shirt of his kind!! There was variety but not as impressive as the girls’. You have plenty of souvenir shops everywhere. Buy ear ring or clips with flowers on them, or huls girl dolls, or sarongs, or shells, everything is available. And we were attracted back to Ululani’s also! This time we shared a cup of Sunset Beach. I don’t have to explain, it wouldn’t be good enough I know. Please please please taste the shave ice here, its amazing!!

Shops at Front St

Sunset at Lahaina

After a nice shower, we decided to watch the hula at the ka’anapali beach hotel. But before that, we went for a walk to Whalers village to browse through the shops. The village had an amazing live jazz band in the courtyard. Made you sway to the music. Back at the ka’anapali beach hotel, they have hula everyday at their Tiki Terrace. No reservation required. They have a grill and a bar where you can have anything from sandwiches to fries with your drink. The show was sweet. They were kids part of a dance group. They were cute. A fun experience it was! The food I must say here was not very impressive. We had spring rolls and a couple of drinks. The drinks were fine but the food was not worth it really. So I recommend safe food like fries or pizza at this place instead of trying something authentic.

Live band at Whalers Village

Hula at Kaanapali Beach Hotel

After sunset at Ka'anapali Beach

Aloha Mixed Plate

Our dinner was at Aloha Mixed Plate. A favourite restaurant for the locals and splashed in all brochures. It is the management that also organizes the Old lahaina Luau. They are situated right beside the Old Lahaina Luau on Front St. It’s a small place, with a bar and seating on sand too on the beach, and seating was under beach umbrellas and the usual string of lights everywhere. Price was very reasonable, and we could see why there were proper local Mauians were at this place. They had authentic Hawaiian food and the price was right, that’s why! So we had Coconut Shrimp with Pineapple chutney and Hawaiian Spicy Chicken Drummettes. Both of them were good. Drinks were Hawaiian Angel and a beer. Not bad really. Quite refreshed we were and glad that there is one place in Maui that serves reasonable decent food!! Our main course was Shoyu Chicken and Thai Style Chow Mein. Both of them were good, but as I told you earlier I was not a great fan of their traditional food so I couldn’t finish the shoyu chicken. I preferred the chow mein. We were about to skip dessert when we realized they had those amazing Haupia (coconut pudding) with them!! So we couldn’t stop ourselves. We bought 3 and rushed to the hotel to crash again after our tiring day!!

Coconut Shrimp

Spicy Chicken Drummettes

Shoyu Chicken

Useful Links:

Trilogy Adventures

Aloha Mixed Plate

Rum Baba

2010-11-28T18:29:00.000-08:00

The other day, we came across a delicious juicy dessert called Rum baba. Its not a very common kind of pastry you would eat. But I recommend you do try it once to experience this rum soaked creme filled wonder. It was invented in France in the 1800’s, and I am sure you will find it in all French restaurants. Its also called Baba Au Rum.

Aloha Maui!! -Day3

2010-11-19T18:15:00.000-08:00

Anthony's Coffee Company

Today is the day for rainforests! Yes, we are headed to Hana to experience the infamous Road to Hana and we survived it!! SO after researching a lot on the net, my husband narrowed down on a few waterfalls for us to see. It is considered a very dangerous road with too many curves, and 56 bridges all made in the 1920s! On top of that, most of them are single lane bridges. Therefore we were in for some dangerous driving. It is suggested that we should take our own time and stay the night some where on the way and then return the next day., But we finished in one day, and it went quite well. We started off before sunrise to get breakfast at Paia’s Anthony’s Coffee house. They advertise a lot about their lunch box that they offer for the travel on the road to hana. So we decided we would try it. We had light breakfast at Anthony’s. Lunch consisted of a sandwich, chips, cookies and a drink each.

After getting a full tank of gas we were on our way to Hana. Our first brief stop was at Hookipa beach lookout. Hookipa has humongous waves. Surfers were way into the water riding the waves effortlessly. I always envy such a sport. Just going with the flow, but not being carried away.

The first thing you notice about this road to Hana is the greenery. The wonderful green rain forests all around you just hypnotizes you into a world completely unexpected. The most interesting thing I noticed was the different kinds of trees I could spot. From the tall oaks to the little shrubs, and even flower blooming trees. That splash of orange in the middle of plush green was eye catching and tough to put in words really. Probably my pics will help. We could always spot bright colors in the green background.

One of the old bridges

The next thing you notice on this road is the road itself! It’s the most curvy narrow road ever! Its supposed to have hundreds of curves around 620, and 59 bridges, 46 of which are single lane bridges, a reason why traffic can be a hassle on this road. You need an experienced driver here, or make sure you take turns to avoid strain. Keep in mind the slippery road cause it does rain quite often here. There are so many of these streams running all over that you may not see the curve ahead while trying to catch a quick glimpse of the lovely cascade. Most of the waterfalls do have some space to park your car but it is also possible there are already people at the spot and you may just have to skip the spot for your return journey.

Food it is said by many is scarce and that we need to carry some food and water. Water, I would agree, but not food really. There are quite a few local stalls you will find on this road, and a decent breakfast should do it. One stop you could make is this stall called Half Way To Hana. We had banana bread here. The most delicious one ever I guess!! The snack made us feel really good in this rainforest. It was definitely freshly made. Melts in your mouth and tastes like real banana!

Wailuku Falls

There are so many waterfalls that you will want to stop and have a glance at. We stopped for a quick picture here and there but headed straight to Oheo Gulch falls. But amongst the stops we made, like Keane Peninsula, Wainapanapa state park, I cant seriously pick one as the best. Every spot is so full of just natural beauty. There are also quite a few hiking trails on the way leading to many more falls, but we were hooked on doing trail called Pipiwai trail to the Waimoku falls, our last stop. Now to tell you about the Wainapanapa park, it’s a park that is home to the only black beach here. You will be surprised when you spot it. Words are not enough to describe what a great combination the blue sea, green trees and the black sand here make. Its more like black pebbles actually. Could make a good collection of lava rock. Yes these pebbles are actually lava rock. It is a must see beach even though you may not want to spread your beach towel out and sun bathe here. We tried our luck at this hidden trail on the other side of the entrance. It goes along the edge of the water and takes you to another rocky patch of the same beach. So you get a different angle of the same beach with the waves splashing on the black rock in front of you. A good photographer would get great frames with this spot I am sure! You can also camp here with reservation of course, there are trails that you need to be very careful about hiking, and fishing is allowed too. Check out the link at the end of this page for more details and contacts for reservation. By the way there are restrooms at this park visitor center…

Black sand beach at Wainapanapa State Park

Our next falls was supposed to be Blue Angel Falls. I know it sounds so good to hear! I couldn’t wait to see it. But, but, but, we had no luck here. The lonely, mud road that we were taking to reach the falls, was flooded in between by a stream! A normal occurrence, cause there were warning signs that read keep out if water touches red poles! And they definitely were wet! So we had to turn back…

Oheo Gulch, aka 7 sacred pools is in Haleakala National Park. Entrance is $10, and it is actually the falls that flow right into the ocean. The current was too high when we got there, and we were not allowed to take a dip in them. Yes, If you are lucky, and the water level is not too high, or the current is not too dangerous you are allowed to go and take a dip. We were unlucky here too. The path to the pools was closed with warning Do Not Enter RED signs! Well yes I almost forgot to tell you about these falls and the area around here. So Oheo Gulch is at the bottom, right at the ocean, but this water is flowing from a much higher spot, the Waimoku Falls. Now there are 2 trails, one that is 0.5mi that takes you to a lookout of the oheo Gulch, and a 2.0mi trail up the mountain to the Waimoku falls. I suggest you do both! If you are lucky(atleast luckier than us), you can swim in one of the pools, but otherwise also, you must take the 2mi trail up the mountain. It’s a sure shot, once in a….. I wouldn’t say lifetime, but, an experience you will always remember as one of your best. But please watch your step! It’s a rain forest, its full of trees, and shrubs, and stone, and not the least, slippery mud! So watch your step, watch for the peeks at the stream alongside and soak in the beauty this trail offers you.

Oheo Gulch (7 pools falls)

Makahiku Falls

As you begin your hike you first spot the Makahiku Falls. There is one official look out with a sign, but another if you dare to step onto some hanging rocks… It’s a normal waterfall(normal for what lies ahead on the trail) that splashes into the 7 pools. These pools are formed due to the step like formation of the black rock

View at the overlook

Walking ahead on the trail, you will spot a sign that says overlook. You look over, and you may not see much. Just some water flowing into a rocky cavern. But if you dare to watch your step and slowly climb down a few rocks, you will in fact find a trail with rocky steps leading to this amazing secret lookout of a waterfall at the cavern. Its an amazing sight with the waterfall right beside you, and the mist lightly splashing on your face and flowing into the dark cave… Please don’t miss this, My husband and I had an argument whether it was safe or not to go down there! Well I say its worth seeing, and you cannot miss it. But please be careful, not recommended for kids and older people who are not used to hiking or climbing also. As you hike ahead you will see a huge banyan tree. It’s a shock to see this tree all on its own in the middle of no where. This old tree is a land mark and those who would not like to tire themselves further can turn around after this point.

The Banyan Tree on the Pipiwai Trail

The next sign you see is on a gate that leads to the Waimoku falls. You shut the gate behind you and proceed ahead on the slippery trail. The next surprise you get is the beautiful bamboo forests. Two bridges take you over the gushing water, and you slowly emerge into this dense growth of bamboo. About 40 to 60ft tall, this stretch of bamboo blocks half the sunlight and most of it has a boardwalk through it making your hike simpler( but do watch out for the steps in between too they do camouflage). This was my favourite spot. Never saw anything like this. This rainforest had more and more surprises for us!!

The Bamboo forest

After you hike for about 15min amongst these tall shoots, you are suddenly back into the usual forest. And while you are wondering if you are on the right path, you see a stream flowing in front of you. Its not the end, the rest of the trail lies ahead! So we cross this little stream carefully, with or without shoes, holding on to whatever we can and there are 2 more to cross!! This experience could be a little scary, and dangerous, but with some help you definitely can do it, not so deal breaking as it seems, cause what you are going to see is like conquering a kingdom! While you are looking down to watch your step, you start hearing this roar of water, but nothing in sight. But right around the corner, you are suddenly in front of this gigantic face of rock, pouring down this magnificent waterfall, and spraying its mist all over you.

Waimoku Falls

Standing there in front of this beauty for 15min and just staring at it, I simply drenched in this feeling that it was all worth it. Made me feel glad I was with my husband and both of us could experience this together… ok, I wont get too romantic here now. Moving over, if you want to you could walk upto the falls in the water, but please use caution and go with friends. We did see a few people going up to it for pics but we didn’t dare to go. We just sat in front of it on the rocks with our feet in the cool water. We just could not leave. Not too many people can be accommodated in this area, so we cant really stay on unless we want to go onto the slippery rocks. We had to drag eachother out of there…

Our hike back was easier but it did take another hour. And the drive back home, was no less. Again, it was not me driving, and I could see how the exhaustion took a toll on my husband. So that’s why they say we must stay the night, now I understand!!

Whalers Village at night

Okay,… the evening Is not yet done friends, we still had to catch some dinner remember? So Hula Grill was the place for tonight. This restaurant is in Whaler’s Village, very close to our accommodation at the Royal Lahaina Resort. As directed at the reception, we started walking through the night, under a blanket of stars, along the beach. It was a 20min walk through a golf course, the Sheraton and then along the beach again to reach Hula Grill. Whaler's Village is like a mall with the whalers museum included. Many restaurants and stores for you to explore.

Hula Grill Restaurant

We were seated in the Barefoot Bar, a seating area with sand at our feet. The ambience was nice, there was a short wait but that was ok. Both of us were tired but managed to get a decent meal and drinks. Our drinks were Mai Tai and Ka’anapali Kooler for starters. Their ‘Barefoot creations’ are priced on the higher side but are worth a try. Starters in food were Crab and Macadamia nut Wontons with a spiciest shoyu and mustard dip, and Hawaiian ceviche. Both were something really good! Didn’t expect that flavor in them at all! I loved the wontons a lot and will definitely have more when I get the chance to! But beware the dip, it needs to be served with a fire extinguisher. But thanks to the hostess, she also brings us a sweet sauce that makes this dip milder...that’s all, milder!

Mai Tai @ Hula Grill

Hawaiian Ceviche

Crab & Macadamia nut Wontons

We dropped dead, trying to prepare ourselves to wake up at 6:00am the next morning for our snorkeling expedition!!! Yaaay!

Useful Links:

Wainapanapa State Park & Black sand beach

Oheo Gulch & Pipiwai Trail

Hula Grill Restaurant

Hawaiian Tropical Blooms

2010-11-18T00:39:00.000-08:00

Orchids in the wild

Red Torch Ginger

Birds of Paradise at Black Sand Beach

Anthurium

Red Tower Ginger

Aloha Maui!!! -Day2

2010-11-12T22:42:00.000-08:00

And its finally the day. Our first Anniversary!! Yes yes we were excited. Our plan for the day was sinking into the Maui beaches and experiencing true Polynesian culture at the Old Lahaina Luau. So here goes…

The day starts with breakfast right? So we set off to try Cane & Taro at the Whalers Village. But before that we tried our luck at the Gazebo restaurant. Gazebo is this little place that’s quite popular in the area. But due to rain, and me forgetting the umbrella, plans changed! Cane & Taro is voted the best in many Maui tourist books for breakfast. It’s a neat place. With a wonderful ocean view and fresh air, it makes your breakfast very appetizing.

Ka’anapali Beach is right next to whalers Village. It’s a long beach with many resorts adjacent to it. Guests from all the hotels enjoy this beach. And it rightfully does deserve this popularity. It’s a fine beach with sporty blue water and fun golden sand. It’s a place for kids and adults alike. Black rock the famous rock for diving is at this beach right adjacent to the Sheraton. You can also snorkel at this beach. Just rent your snorkel gear for just $1.50/hr at the stall ashore! At night, this beach is amazing for star gazing. Boat bobbing in the water and the stars shining above make a perfect romantic spot in the evening.

Black Rock at Ka'anapali Beach

Keawakapu Beach at Wailea

Our next stop was at the Keawakapu Beach. This is a beach in Wailea town full of resorts. A calm and serene place, not much activity except on the beaches. Wailea houses one of the best beaches for snorkeling. Being away from the usual crowd in Lahaina, the beach is not very populated. Next to Keawakapu is the Ulua most famous for clear water snorkeling in the area. Water at perfect temperature as usual, sand as golden as ever, this beach is great for making sand castles to snorkeling deep into the water.

Big Beach At Makena State Park

Much further south is Makena state Park with the Big and Little beaches. These beaches have their own charm. Big Beach has big waves, clear water, exceptionally fine sand and the right proportion of people to make your beach experience relaxing and refreshing. Little beach is hidden on the other side of a few rocks, but its very well known to all of us. Its supposed to be a semi-nude beach, less than half the width of big beach but it has the same magic with the same water, sand, and privacy. There is a hot dog stand at the entrance where you could quench your thirst or have a quick snack of fries or a dog before or after your dip. One problem I see at this beach is that they had no showers. So we had to leave with our salty hair. They did have toilets though.

Big Beach

After a long soak and play, we headed back to Lahaina for dinner at the Old Lahaina Luau. Luau is a traditional Hawaiian feast along with entertainment. Old Lahaina Luau is hosted on Front St. adjacent to the ocean. The setting sun makes a great background for the event. They start at 5:15pm and end at 8pm.

View from Luau

You are greeted as soon as you enter with Mai Tai, even as you wait to be seated. You are also given a memo of all the events and the menu. Every one of the hosts and waiters are dressed in traditional costume. You are then seated by your host at your designated seat and adorned with Lei, their traditional garland of flowers. As you wait for the event to begin you may stroll around the area, take pictures by professional photographers, shop for ocean jewelery, get some flowers made for your hair, or get some amazing animals or flowers made out of palm leaves. You can also go for some hula lessons!! The time is right with the sun just setting, and the Polynesian music playing along gets you into the mood to hula and enjoy a splendid evening.

The first on the agenda is the unearthing of the pig. The pig is cooked in an oven made out of sand pit and stone. It is buried underneath sand, wrapped in banana leaves, and the heat is produced by stones. The pig cooks for nearly an hour in this oven and the process of removing the pig is also an event here at the luau. This pig would be a part of our dinner later in the evening as the Kalua pig.

Pig baked in a sand pit

Once we got back to our seats, we are ready to treat ourselves with unlimited tropical drinks! All included in the fee. Everything in here is included along with the fee. The food, performance, drinks, everything. So feast your senses, all of them!!! Mai Tai was the best we ever tasted. All the drinks were in fact superb!! The drinks menu consisted of 14 varieties of unique alcoholic tropical drinks, Beer and wine, plus non-alcoholic ones for your driver! Mai Tai, Pina Colada, Lava Flow, Margarita, and many many more.

Now the Hula performance begins. The performance is mainly for introducing us to the history of Polynesia, and their traditional dance and its transition through the years.

The Hula Dancers

The show makes you sway with the beat. It’s a marvelous sight. They don’t say it’s the best for nothing!!Each table is assigned a waiter so the guests need not get up and miss the show to get their drinks. Our waited was Bula. A fun guy, entertaining, funny, and prompt. The audience is slowly led to the buffet row at a time. I forgot to tell you about the audience by the way! There are four rows of tables, each table has 8 people, and totally I would expect around 400 people perfectly seated to enjoy the show.

As we wait for our turn we have fresh fruit and great banana bread. So the feast now has 3 salads, 2 kinds of fish, steak, chicken, pork and rice. 16 items in total. All traditional flavours including the Kalua Pig, Poi, Ahi Poke and He’e Poke, Island crab Salad, Maui Style Mahimahi, etc, etc. Must mention the butter served with the bread. Its butter with honey and macadamia nuts! It was so so yummy. Never tasted anything like it before! You are allowed any number of servings but the platter is full and the variety so filling, you probably wont have a second.

Dinner at Old Lahaina Luau

The desserts are amazing too! Haupia(Hawaiian coconut pudding), chocolate brownies, macadamia nut tarts, and some dark chocolate with whipped cream. All of them are wonderful and compliment the evening of feast and performance perfectly.

Desserts at Old Lahaina Luau

One moment we will always cherish is the time we as one of the couples celebrating our anniversary on that day got our special dance. It was our first dance ever! We loved it! Something we will always always cherish.

At the end of this wonderful evening, I would also like to mention a few things I would like improved at this event. The feast is concentrated on the performance and that is understood considering the amazing performance. But, we could have had some more tissues, or a napkin or something to soak the dripping water from our chilled drinks. And I could see the place was too dark for the elderly guests. They could probably have some candles on the table I thought. The other thing I was wondering is the weather. Even though I agree Lahaina does not get too much rain rain, they say they have the performance rain or shine. Wonder how it would be if it was drizzling onto my mahimahi. And lastly, one suggestion to the persons sitting on the table closer to the stage. Please make sure you are not in the way of your friends on the same table. It could spoil their experience as it did for me at one point.

When the performance is done, as we leave, we are given a post card and a response card. Make sure you have some cash to tip your waiter as you leave, and say Aloha!!

After a day full of fun and feast, we ended the day with a walk under the stars along the ka’anapali beach. What a pretty sight! You have to see for yourself! By the way have you ever watched the stars and stared at them till you float into the universe? Well… that’s going to become a whole new chapter if I start off with that! So babyee see you tomorrow with day 3! Aloha!!

Useful Links:
http://www.oldlahainaluau.com/

Aloha Maui!! -Day 1

2010-11-11T00:11:00.000-08:00

It was nearly a 6 hour flight to Maui Kahului airport. The flight was delayed but we arrived pretty much on time. It was raining in Maui!! It sort of disappointed us. We did see online beforehand that it would rain and we just had our fingers crossed so that it wouldn’t ruin our trip all together. Now the first thing to check out about Maui would be the weather, cause you want to have a splendid holiday. So dont go and rely on weather.com. Check out http://www.hawaiiweathertoday.com/ . Its the most reliable considering the changing weather at hawaii in different parts of the island itself! They give you a good description of how it would be in each area on the island. My advice is, if the rain is around 40% also, its ok... cause there is a 100% chance of you spotting a beautiful rainbow every few hours!!!
As soon as we got into our rental car (a brand new mustang convertible) we headed straight to get our lunch. It was at Paia about 7mi from the airport. The Paia Fish Market. We first heard about it on Food networks The best thing I ever ate. So what we ate was, tacos. Not just any tacos they were fish tacos! And they were yumm!! Just as Bobby flay said on FN. They serve it as a side for $4.50 or a full lunch for $9.00. They serve 2 tacos full of fish, lettuce, tomato, cheese with a side of rice or fries and coleslaw. Even the veggie lunch was good. There were fries on the side and coleslaw, it was absolutely a meal. Other favorites of the place are Ono or Mahi burgers, Seafood chowder and seafood pasta. They have a very small place with benches you share with other customers and it makes a very friendly environment. Fish hanging from above and the walls posted with pictures of all sorts from food, people, black & white, to sharks and surfing. This place is so authentic! Everyone going to Paia must and should check this place out!

Fish Tacos

Veggie Lunch plate

Next we checked into our Hotel, the Royal Lahaina Resort. It’s a resort at the Ka’anapali Beach just like the Sheraton and others. It has rooms in its tower that face the sea, and some condos in the garden. The difference is just $50. So I say go for the view. Its very much worth it! The condos are much older and you would miss out on spectacular views. Since it was evening and the rain had still not really cleared, we decided to check out the beach at the hotel. The ka’anapali beach. When we went, they had actually closed down the beach access, but we sneaked in just the same. The tide was high and it was drizzling. The ocean was looking lovely. Waves were slashing on the sand and the sand was amazing. So granular and soft, we sat there enjoying our first evening at Maui. Stepping into the water made us even more happy ‘cause the temperature of the water was perfect!! We loved the place. Pics for these places I will add on a sunny day.

Dinner was planned to be at Lahaina town. Front St is the most popular and happening place here. It has lots and lots of shopping and dining all in front of the beach. And I am sure you will enjoy it. Another interesting part of Maui is art work. Paintings, pictures and sculptures are exhibited in many galleries. Many exquisite pieces I must say. Art lover will definitely have a field day here!!

Cheeseburger in Paradise was our stop for the night to grab some dinner. A very friendly place, with seating in two levels along with the view of the sea. They also have live music every night that sets the ambience to have a nice romantic dinner if there aren’t too many people around. The place is filled with pictures and number plates of every state in USA. Both levels have bars, and the place is quite reasonable. Since it’s a place where coconuts thrive, they don’t have a single menu that has no coconut in it. One must is the Coconut shrimp. Here, its called the Polynesian coconut shrimp that they serve with this mango chutney that’s a great combo! The shrimp was just right. The taste was perfect and cooked right. On the spicier side we had Tiki tenders that were basically normal chicken tenders, with spicy sauce. It was a good experience. The ambience makes your meal along with the food. It’s a place you will want to go to again and again. And again, Mai tai is not the least!

Live music at Cheeseburger in Paradise

The Maitai Bar

Our last stop for the day was for dessert. Now read carefully, it’s the best place in Maui, I can bet on that. The Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice. It’s the stop for shave ice. Try all the flavours, go bonkers and crazy with it, but don’t miss out on the coconut ice cream they add to it!! Its heavenly. Its basically the ‘Ice Gola’ we get in india that is on a stick. But here its served in this huge plastic bowl, with a spoon and a straw to sip all the flavor as it melts. Quantity is large for ice cream you may think, but when you eat it, it simply melts in your mouth! Its ice of course you may say, But believe me, when they add crème to it, it does end up to be quite a mouthful. They have all kind of combinations with different fruit flavours. Mango, guava, coconut, vanilla, pineapple, and many many more. Our first try was Coconut lovers and Hawaiian rainbow. Amazing flavor both of them had!! Look at the picture I have for you! This place has great reviews all over the net and it deserves more. Make sure you do visit these friendly people serving the most delicious shave ice ever!!

Hawaiian Rainbow

Making the shave ice

Useful Links

http://www.hawaiiweathertoday.com/

http://ululanisshaveice.com/

Into the Spirit of Hawaii

2010-11-10T18:32:00.000-08:00

Heylooo!! Planning a trip to Hawaii, we decided to warm up to the Hawaiian spirit so we tried Islands. ISLANDS is the place to experience the Hawaiian food on main land. An ambience full of trees, bamboo booths and leaves to give the tropical effect, makes you feel you are on the beach about to delve into dinner after a swim in the ocean. The bar has screens with the ocean and surfers. Coming to the food, its basically Hawaiian but not completely. The menu has a variety with Hawaiian names including the famous Mai Tai. But if you have tasted Hawaiian food you will find that it has been modified a little to suit everyone. Even then, they serve very good, refreshing food and it’s a must try. They have salad, tacos, burgers, sandwiches, and desserts that are mouthwatering! I had a ‘MAUI’, just to get into the spirit of Maui which we were going to visit in a few days. And it was awesome!! It has all the regular contents of a burger with extra guacamole too!! And so it was a feast for me (me being a person who picks guac over anything else on any menu). It was the first time I was having beef in my burger and I actually liked it. Lettuce was fresh, the cheese was mmmm…!!! Cant describe it to you guys!! Do get over to this place and try something. I am sure your gonna like it if you are ready for a change. Hey I almost forgot! The Mai Tais here are good too!!

Useful links:

http://www.islandsrestaurants.com/

Weekend Wine Getaway!!

2010-10-19T23:06:00.000-07:00

What’s the best place to go on a warm sunny day? Sip some wine at the central coast town Paso Robles. Just a 3.5 hr drive from LA, it’s the best destination if you are looking for a short trip and a good wine tasting experience. Here are a few of the places we visited last weekend. Must say, it was a spirited trip!

Our first stop was at the Firestone Walker Brewery Company. We enter, and see this bar with their famous brews on one side and some souvenir T-shirts and mugs on the other. I am not the beer types. But we took the standard beer tasting for $6. The tasting room had a normal bar look with pictures of beer bottles and barrels all over. The set of four beers given for tasting had their most famous Pale31 among them. One had a Pineapple flavor the other had toffee flavor, another had some sweet nector in it! They said the hop that they add to the brewing process gives the beer its unique flavouring. The presentation was also very unique. The four glasses were actually these little wine glasses served on a wooden holder. Need to look up what such holders/trays are called. My husband enjoyed the variety of flavours, and I enjoyed their aroma.

We were next off to get something to eat. Deciding to try true Paso food we stepped into a restaurant full of people called ‘Touch of Paso’. We got seated in the patio, and after a long wait we were nibbling at pork chops and grilled sandwich and split pea soup. The place was set up for Halloween. Jack-o-lanterns everywhere and twinkling lights, made a good welcoming sight. Well, we didn’t like the touch of the food after all. We could see that people in the area loved it ‘cause there were very few tables vacant. I guess its just the difference between authentic American food and the generalized American food we get normally in the food chains. Or may be we just picked the wrong kind of food! We have still got to adapt ourselves to it! We wanted to try the cake of the day but they didn’t have any that day! So we moved on and headed to the tour at the Firestone Walker Brewery at 1:30pm.

We were first introduced to the history of how the company was started and the awards they have got. One secret we gotto know was that the 31 in the name Pale 31 of their famous brew came from the fact that California was the 31^st state inducted into the union. Mr.Firestone was from CA and Mr.Walker was from England and thus the Bear and Lion respectively on their logo. We then saw how they actually made the beer. The process, the grain, the hop, yeast, etc. Its interesting how this small place could produce nearly 250 bottles a minute! That is apart from the fermenting process of course. To make their DBA(Double Barrel Ale) beer, they use two kinds of fermentation. Part of the beer is fermented in white oak barrels, which induce some vanilla and oaks flavours into it, and most of it is fermented in steel tanks. These are later mixed to form the resulting DBA drink.

Our next stop was at Vina Robles. It’s a swiss owned winery and as a harvest weekend special they were serving swiss pairings like gourmet swiss mac and cheese and swiss sausages with the wine! Tasting was free and had 2 whites, and 4 reds. We loved the Red4 and ended up buying it. The ambiance was lovely and they had a range of souvenirs. Also on display were wedding albums of those who chose to get married here. They also have an art gallery showing paintings, photography and a few sculptures. An interesting layout with pieces priced from $2400.

Bianchi was supposed to be among the best wines in Paso. It had a big tasting room with a bar against one wall and a few souvenirs. The garden had a pond with a waterfall at one corner. A pretty picture really. $5 for a choice of 6 wines including the glass. They had a wide variety of choice from whites, reds, and their reserves. These wines were not as impressive as we expected. I liked the Sauvignon Blanc and Barbera amongst the 6 I tasted.

Tobin James, a world in itself it is. The old look on the exterior, full of hustle on the inside with loud music, and the most friendly hosts it has. They had free tastings too. We tasted 3 reds and one dessert wine. We loved the Sangiovese of them all. All of them were very good! It was a splendid experience. Something different, something exciting… The place just lifted our spirits to a new level! We also got a souvenir Sun sticker for having tasted. They had all kinds of souvenirs, from wall hanging, to hats, T-shirts, they had this small arcade with some games too. You could just feel the fun even before even smelling your glass of wine! They also have a man doing airbrush tattoos! Halloween theme, James theme, or anything else, this is a fun place to be!

Our next tasting was at Bear Cave in downtown. This is a modest office that looks the least like a tasting room. Not a very attractive place for wine tasting, but, but, but, but, the wine at Bear Cave is superb! Surprisingly fresh and crisp. They mostly have wine that’s high in alcohol content giving a meaty flavor to it. The host is the wife of the owner who is never tired of talking to her guests and introducing us to the way her husband works and creates these master pieces. Their dog Maestro is also there entertaining guests, and singing away with his tennis ball in his mouth, looking for company to play with. They have all red wines, that ask for some heavy food to go with them. There is one wine on the tasting list that is just a drinking wine the host says, thats the ‘Just Red’. We got the just Red. It was just $10! What more do you need? She had wines from 2006 onwards and they were all a mouthful.

We needed to eat something after tasting so many glasses of wine. So we got to the Odyssey World Café just around the block. It was a nice calm place and the food seemed quite nice. The day ended, It was getting dark and we decided we should head back home. So tadaaa!! Will see you again next time…

An evening at Santa Monica

2010-10-15T22:28:00.000-07:00

Taking a stroll along the 3rd St Promenade full of stores, people, fun and sun!!

Looking into the sunset at Santa Monica Beach is awesome!!

Yosemite National Park Quick guide

2010-10-14T15:31:00.000-07:00

How to get there

There are four entrances to the park

1) From Northern California(San Fransisco, San Jose, Sacramento) take 120 East, the Big Oak Flat Entrance or the 140 East, the Arch Rock Entrance

2) From Southern California(Los Angeles, San Diego) take 41 North, the South Entrance

3) From Nevada state take 120 West, the Tioga Pass entrance(closed in winter)

Where to stay

There are a variety of hotels to choose from in the valley. But if you really want to experience the wilderness completely, reserve a camp spot in advance and plan for a 7 day retreat.

1) Ahwahnee Hotel—The biggest and expensive hotel in the area

2) Yosemite Lodge facing the falls—Situated right next to the falls, it has condos in many buildings some facing the falls too. It has a pool, some stores and a pretty good food court

3) LeConte Memorial Lodge—Near Housekeeping camp

4) Curry Village—Has cabins with or without attached baths, no heater/AC

5) Campgrounds—Perfect choice for the adventurous types

What to do

The most common things to do apart from absorbing the scenic beauty of the place here is Hiking. There are plenty trails short and long, steep and flat. Most challenging being the one to the top of Half Dome. A 16.3mi hike up and down. It starts from Happy Isles Shuttle stop and could be shortened if taken via Mist Trail. Permit is needed fri-sun and holidays.

Camping is the activity many of us prefer next to hiking. There are 13 popular campgrounds some with and some without reservations. A total of 30 days of camping is allowed in the park per year.

Horse/mule rides are also available with reservation. 2 hour and 4 hour rides are available.

Skiing can be done in winter on the famous Badger pass and many other spots.

Ranger walks, nature walks, star gazing, Campfires, Art workshops everything is happening in Yosemite for kids and adults. Swimming Rafting, Fishing is allowed too. There is also a museum, gift shops, the Ansel Adams gallery, and visitor centers where you can get a lot of information about the valley its wildlife and vegetation.

What not to do

Never leave your cars open with food inside. One of the first warnings you are given when you check into the hotel. Reason, bear can break into them and cause a wreck!

Useful Tips

To experience the magic of this heaven, plan and reserve in advance

Hiking shoes would be very useful on this trip. Whether you choose a 1 mile trail or a 10 mile one, the wilderness is best when tread with shoes( except when you decide to have a picnic beside the merced river when you may prefer slippers)

Dress according to the season. But its going to be a while before the sun shows up into the valley so its always good to keep a sweatshirt.

When to go
Although the park looks great any time of the year, the best time to go is the spring when the water is full and the sun is out. Later in the summer, the water dries out and the heat drills into you, and in the winter, most of the ways are closed, you cant camp and trails are difficult. One advantage of the winter is the skiing.

Useful Links

National Park website

Yo Semite!! --Day 2

2010-10-14T15:28:00.000-07:00

Breakfast was good. I had a premium breakfast platter with waffles sausage and scrambled eggs. We reached the stables at 8am exact. We were supposed to attend an orientation about how to ride the horses. After a 10 min video about how careful we need to be on our rides that also have brains, we were allotted a mule each according to our weight and age. We were about 10 people in the group. I got the white mule called Buzz. I asked my guide everything I had to so that I didn’t fall off or hurt myself while on the ride. The first thing we noticed was the stink of poop in the stables. A person familiar with horses would find it normal probably, but for us it was not easy. And the last thing announced was that mules are gassy animals!! Ooooh… I was not waiting for that!! As soon as we begun, the one in front of me pooped… well we got used to it as each of the mules either peed or pooped all the way. My husband and I loved the ride! We were just strolling along the trail in a single line. The mules were fabulously trained. Mine diligently followed the one in front of it. That’s all! I didn’t have to do anything. I must say, the next time someone tries to insult you saying you are a mule be proud of it. They are so intelligent! Riding along our 2.8mi trail I could see how calculated the mule’s steps were. Climbing up and down rocky places, following in one line, it was a very good ride indeed. These stable guys definitely make sure we have the best time. The trail led us to the Mirror Lake, which was again dry! The guide said that many years ago a fine hotel was built with car parking for 300 and they had Saturday night parties too. But it was later dismantled since it was tampering a lot with the beauty of the area. We enjoyed the ride thoroughly. It didn’t seem like 2 hours.

Tenaya Lake

Next we were on our way to toloumne meadows. On the way back we took one last look at the Tunnel view. How amazing it was! So we were heading west on highway 120 also called Tioga Road and on the way we saw the beautiful Tenaya Lake, Toloumne meadows and the Tioga Pass. Tioga Road is so picturesque it only reminded us of the 17mi drive on Hwy 1. Huge mountain sides, valleys, trees, wilderness all over and lakes here and there it made the perfect place for countless hiking trails all the way. Every creek and lake had more than two trails nearby along with picnic spots and camping grounds. We are definitely going back to experience all that but on a cooler day!! Even the sight of burnt Sequoia was looking soo good! Nature is truly unbelievable. Our first stop on Tioga Road was Tenaya Lake. We stepped out onto a shady shore of the lake. Still clear water copper blue reflecting it was looking wonderful! On the other side was the sunny shore with more people and more waves, we could go boating on the lake too. The road then led us to the Toloumne meadows. These meadows were once the base of a huge glacier, some 2000ft thick and 60mi long. It’s a vast meadow today with no trees. And the day we were there, it was mostly sun reflecting off the yellow grass. There is a visitors center explaining the importance of these meadows and how it formed, the butterflies in the meadows and the rocks found in the area, also the trails that they in and around the meadows. After crossing the meadows we finally reached the edge of Yosemite National Park at the Tioga pass. We were at 9943ft elevation. The view of the mountains was spectacular and the road looked like it was built in the sky. We really felt like we were descending from the sky. We had now entered the Inyo National Forest. We could distinctly make out the difference in vegetation, rock and climate! A few spots on the peaks of these huge mountains still had snow too! The descent took us to Hwy 395 where we headed north towards the Mono Lake.

Mono Lake

This is a huge salt water lake. The tributaries now feeding the lake have been diverted to feed the Los Angeles water supply and therefore the levels of water of this lake have drastically reduced and the salt content in the water has effectively increased. It is an important part in nature. Many migratory shorebirds use the lake and its surroundings as resting places. They rest on the islands in the middle of the lake that were once volcanoes, thus showing their black rocky surfaces. Due to the lowering of the level of water, the main land is now joined to the island and predators are endangering the birds. These birds feed on the salt water shrimp and alkali flies around the lake.

We went to the old marina part of the lake. The flies made us avoid the water and there were quite a few gulls feeding in the area. Not many tufa structures in sight but definitely a beautiful picture. We grabbed a quick burger and fries at a place close by headed towards the June lake loop.

This loop extends from 395 through mountains along 4 lakes and again intersects 395 after about 15mi. The first lake on our way was Grant lake. Grant lake was huge! It had a campground beside it and a mud road that lead you to parts around the lake. It made a great place to have a quiet time with family. We could rent a boat and go into the lake. The time was perfect. Clear blue skies, and the water looked brilliant! A bright blue and in it was a dog swimming and playing with his fried.

Our next stop was at June lake itself. Other lake on the way were Silver lake and Gull lake. Mostly fishing lakes with many many houses surrounding them. They looked like summer houses for the Richie rich. Own houses or rental, with numerous motels too. Anyone could stay in campgrounds and enjoy these picturesque locations. But June lake was one of a kind. STargely enough we didn’t see too many people around it but we had a great time there. The water was most clear and looks lovely with a picnic bench on the beach. Trees all around, houses peeking from on top of mountains, people boating, It was nature all wrapped in itself!

June Lake

Well, well, well, this time after we didn’t stop except for food. Poor my hubby drove all day. One disappointment was the Hwy. Single lane on either side in many patches it was getting tiring with oncoming traffic glaring lights at us. We came back home all tired out and hit the sack like rock…zzzzzzz!!!!

A terrific trip, awesome at every curve, step and depth…

Yo Semite!! --Day 1

2010-10-13T23:39:00.000-07:00

Our day started early. Early meaning very very early for a Saturday morning. Surprisingly I woke up after only one snooze at 3:10am! After packing in a hurry we left at 4:30. Our drive would last for 5.5 hours. I am lucky, ‘cause my husband loves travelling too, and also loves driving. So I was off duty. I took a siesta and read a photography magazine to get some quick tips on taking pictures with our brand new Canon T1I.

We entered Yosemite National Park at about 9:30am. It was the National park day and so, our $20 fee was waived. We were given guides and maps. We were also warned not to follow any GPS or phone device to navigate ourselves around the valley. So I was trying hopelessly to guide us to our first stop The Glacier point.

Glacier point is a view point of the entire Yosemite Valley at a height of 7214ft. The view was spectacular! White granite mountains spread all around till the horizon and burning white in the hot sun. Half dome, basket peak, royal arches, upper and lower Yosemite falls(with no water unfortunately), Yosemite Point and in the valley, a narrow meandering stream of Merced river, the grand Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite Village, Curry Village and Mirror Lake area. It took so long for us to take all this in. It was nothing we could ever imagine. Granite faces going far far away, with Sequoia trees at the base. Half dome itself is at 8836ft above sea level. Looked exactly like a dome cut exactly in half top to bottom. People could climb the peak following a trail that is 17mi long! Not something I would do that too in such scorching heat! The sun was baking us, and we were basking in the splendid view of the valley. It was indeed jaw dropping. A geological exhibit at the Glacier point explains how the valley was formed. Thousands of years ago, the valley was full of glaciers. As these glaciers melted and erode the rocks, Merced river was formed and with its eroding the valley, this beautiful valley was formed. Just to imagine that vast range covered by a glacier was shocking. We then decided to come back in winter to witness this place covered in snow atleast. An interesting info about Yosemite falls was also given. The fire falls. Earlier many many years ago, people would light fire at the top of the upper falls and throw the fire down. The result would be a waterfall of fire. Quite contradictory I know. But that’s what happened back then. It was later stopped because it was considered man made and harmful for retaining the naturality of the falls.

Half Dome

Dragging ourselves from Glacier point, we headed towards the valley. It was already afternoon and we were damn hungry! The sun was harsh and we were baked already. We headed straight to the Village Grill. But, with a stop at the Tunnel view. Another spectacular view of the valley from between the mountains bases. The reason why its called Tunnel view just probably because its at one end of a tunnel leading to the valley. Thousands and thousands of sequoia trees all along the valley base and strikingly high steep faced granite mountains on either side. The view is a definite picture spot. We decided to go back to it on our way back!

Tunnel View

Village Grill was in Yosemite Village. Amazing how the village was hidden beneath the tall trees. We couldn’t spot most of it from the Glacier Point. Even though the sun was burning us, the trees were such a blessing. We were thrown into wilderness immediately. Squirrels running all over, we were on the look-out for bears too (bears could break into our cars for food). So we were unknowingly trying to spot some wild animals. The food at the Grill? There is a reason why I didn’t start with that. Even though me and my husband try out the best of foods everywhere, that day was unfortunate. The cheese burger was bad. My veggie burger was eaten just so that I am not hungry for the rest of the day. Sweet potato fries, um… interesting, but not very appetizing. Never know what worse food we could get in other places! So our expectation of food in the valley, dropped to a 3 from an 8.

Neither of us ever rode a horse. And it pleased me to see my husband was also interested even though the cost for the ride seemed a little too much for me! $60 per person for a 2 hour ride. I am always thinking if it was worth it or not for the buck. But as I will tell you later, it was definitely worth it. We stood for the free Yosemite shuttle buses and ended up on the wrong side! Thanks to the confusing bus route map. We were right at a certain loop standing in the wrong direction, in a hurry to reach the Yosemite stables. When we reached, it was too late. We missed our ride. Anyway, we booked our ride for the next morning at 9am and started back to go see the visitor center and museum.

The Museum has a detailed description of how the peaks and valley came to being thousands of years ago. Even before the glaciers. It has a good exhibit of the kind of animals residing in the valley and the kind of stone in the mountains with glacial footprints on them. A very interesting place to just ponder on the mightiness of nature and what it can bring about to our surroundings.

Our next stop was at Sentinal Bridge. Stop #11. It was a spot where we just sat and stared at the sight. It gave a pretty view of the Yosemite falls on one side and exactly at the bridge the half dome could be seen. We were sitting at the bus stop watching the Yosemite Falls with no water of course, and again we decided to be back when the water is full. It was the perfect spot for the falls. Seemed like a painting was in front of us. But of course much more magnificent. We could sit there forever, waiting to see water gush down the face of rock and splash onto the lower falls. We missed the white foamy water even though we had never even seen it there! It was wonderful.

Yosemite Lodge at the falls was where we were going to stay for the night. After checking in, we went for a walk to the lower falls. It was a short trail. The bed of the falls was full of rocks. The trees all around and the distant peaks on the opposite side made for lovely pics. We retired to our room early after dinner at the food court at the lodge. We had a choice of Pizza, Pasta, burgers and proper American meals with steak and mashed potato. Food tasted much better here thankfully. And we were glad the day ended early. We were in bed to make up for our lack of sleep last night.

Lower Yosemite Falls

Yosemite Lodge at the Falls