Second trip to Maui

Having loved Maui in the first go around, we couldn't wait to go back. We stayed in Kihei again, mainly because of the family friendly beaches there!

But on this trip, in addition to beach activities, we touched the clouds while going to Haleakala national park and the ocean floor in a submarine, both great experiences! We also did a bunch of boogie boarding (first time that Adi felt comfortable with it) and plain hanging out at the beach. 

Jakarta, Hong Kong and India

I went to Jakarta, Hong Kong and India on a business trip from Oct 28 to Nov. 13.

This was my first trip to Indonesia and south of the equator for that matter. We stayed at the Fairmont which was really nice. The hospitality, rooms and breakfast were all excellent with a special mention of the rain showers they had in the rooms. It literally felt like bathing in a waterfall! It is a country of contrasts and we met and saw people from all socio-economic levels! The only thing that was difficult was getting vegetarian food - much more difficult than I had imagined. Barring really fancy places, it was even difficult to explain what vegetarian means (Indian-style).

This is my second time in Hong Kong and I did the central mid levels escalator for the first time. Hong Kong is a developed country for all practical purposes, and vegetarian food was much easier, if you had someone that talked the local language.

Finally, we landed in Mumbai. This was my first time in my native city as a tourist which made it interesting. We stayed at the Trident which is a nice hotel. The food was really amazing, which shouldn't be much of a surprise.

After completing the work stuff, I headed over to Surat to spend Diwali with parents which was nice!

Summer trip to Tahoe

We went on a company trip to Tahoe, a departure from the winter trips we used to have. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency in Incline Village. Having injured my back in Badminton, I decided to go Sailing as an activity. Being on the lake was so amazing and serene. They pampered us with food and drinks. We did the tunnel creek hike and climbed some rocks to get amazing views of the lake.

In the night, we had a nice dinner, but the most fun was a karaoke session with fellow Googlers. My PM friends and I sang "Wonderwall" by Oasis. We also had a nice dance party for which we had to change venue multiple times for various reasons. 

All in all, it was a great trip from Google as always!

Monsoon in India

We went to India in summer this time to accommodate for the kids schedule. It was hot, humid, rainy but also a lot of fun. It had been years since I saw the Mumbai in monsoon. Since my parents are now in Surat, the stops in Mumbai were brief, but enough to eat at the best joints and meet old friends.

Bulk of my time was spent in Surat. We went to Lonavla with cousins and setup the program last minute! It was a great meetup in Lonavla and we did a nice hike close to Aamby Valley. We also did Zorbing and ATV rides on a bumpy dirt road in 19 Degree North opposite to Aamby Valley which is their adventure sports place. I had never done Zorbing so did not know what to expect. It was on land and not as much fun as I had hoped for. ATV ride was a lot of fun though.

In Surat, we celebrated Papaji's 60th birthday, where we got a nice cake and did a potluck where family folks brought a lot of food from Idly to Pasta to Pav Bhaji. It was such a great time with the entire family. I also went to Bardoli near Surat to scout a temple for a future event, and the dhoklas there were out of the world.

Overall it was a fun trip to meet friends and family, and best of all, the kids did not fall sick.

Business trip to Israel

We travelled to Israel for a work related summit, and it was an eye opening trip about a country I know so little about. First, on the not so bright side, no direct flights from SFO to TLV. Had to take a stop, but thanks to inflight entertainment, the inward journey was a breeze.

I stayed at the Savoy, less than half a block from the beach. The office was a 40 mins walk, but the weather was so awesome that I walked on many days. On Saturday I went to city of Jaffa by bike - yes the hotel gives out bikes to travel along the beach, which was awfully nice of them.

On Sunday, a working day in Israel, we planned a trip to Jerusalem. It was amazing how that one place is so sacred to Jews, Arabs and Christians at the same time. We went to the wailing wall, the church of the Holy Seuplchre where Christ was put to rest post crucifixion and resurrected thereafter. Never before have a I seen a single place of such religious importance to three religions at the same time. We did not visit the Armenian quarter.

The work was awesome, but so was the Google office! The food was amazing. A great assortment of Israeli and middle eastern food. They also had fresh squeezed orange juice which was awesome. Dinners in the evening were another thing worth mentioning. We went to one of Port Said's hotels, where the dishes are very innovative, yet tasty. There were a bunch of new dishes that I tried - Matbucha, Shakshuka, Mujaddara and the original versions of falafel, hummus and tahini.

On the way back, I got upgraded to business class which was awesome. It was a 12 hour flight on a 787 and the upgrade really helped to get some sleep and catch up on movies.

All in all, an amazing trip!