Christmas in Mexico

We had only been to Puerto Vallarta and this time, we decided to go to Cabo. The flight was short and smooth but the immigration line was really long. We decided to stay 4 days at Cabo San Lucas and 2 Days in San Jose Del Cabo.

The first 4 days, we stayed at the Bahia hotel a block from the beach. We went to Lands End and the Arch and saw sea lions that the kids loved! We then went to a glass blowing factory where Adi, Surabhi and I actually blew glass. Having never been there, all of us loved it. The rest of the time, we were either in the ocean, the pool or the hot tub. The ocean was pretty nice but overrun with businesses and swimming areas were pretty small. There was always a backdrop of some cruise ship behind you.

The next 2 days, we stayed at Cabo Azul and that was awesome. Their pools, beach activity and food were awesome. You could not get into the ocean, but it was great nonetheless.

Thanksgiving trip to Vegas

We had planned a trip to Las Vegas with my in laws but they had to leave early, so we went without them. Adi had complained that he wanted to see the Eiffel tower, and why I went to Paris without him. So we decided to stay at the Paris so he could get a pseudo feel!

We obviously went to the top of the Eiffel tower, which had a nice view of Bellagio. Paris is pretty nice. Kids loved the crepes and we liked their sandwiches. We also found a nice Indian joint called Rani's which had really home cooked Indian meals.

We went to a bunch of other casinos and checked out the water fountains, the circus show and so on. The best part of the trip though was the day trip to Death Valley National Park. I was visiting after a decade and I have always loved that place! We went to Badwater, hiked on Artists Palette and loved Zabriskie Pt. Plus, kids loved hiking on the yellow mountains at a random point on the way!

All in all, a great trip!

Father Son trip to Harry Potter Land

Adi and I took our first father son trip to Universal Studios to check out the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Adi had just completed 8 books and had watched 6 movies by this time so it was perfect timing.

We flew down to LA and spent 3 days in Universal Studios. It was so much fun! We bought the interactive wand at Ollivanders, although Adi didn't get picked by the wand maker. We went in the Forbidden Journey ride, like 10 times. Adi just loved it. Once he even sat alone without me (I was in the next coach), but the ride got suspended for a few mins mid-way scaring him. He would not sit in the Flight of the Hippogriff after going on Jurassic Park since he was scared.

I commend him on going to Jurassic Park and Mummy rides once. He also loved Transformers, Simpsons and Shrek. The show he loved most was Water World. We saw it 5 times and just could not get enough of it!

The first evening, we went to the planetarium at the Griffith Observatory and watched two shows there. We found parking far back so hiked half a mile to get there. Adi loved the shows!

After a fun trip, we came back, bringing great memories.

Business Trip to Paris

I made a quick business trip to the Paris office. I stayed at the Villathena, which is a regular hotel walkable from the Google office. In the evenings, I would take a walk to various tourist spots including Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame. But what impressed me most were The Louvre and the saturday trip to Versailles Palace.

The Louvre is huge and full of beautiful artifacts, but the oldest sculpture Ain Ghazal which is 9000 years old is fascinating. As is the medieval region section which literally makes you feel like you have gone back to the medieval era.

The train ride to Versailles was fun. More than the Versailles Palace, I loved their gardens. The fountains were beautiful even though it was a somewhat rainy day. Also loved the exhibits in the Petit and Grand Trianon on Marie Antoinette's estate.

I upgraded to business class on my way back which made for a comfortable ride home.

Disneyland and Pismo Beach

We took a week of to take kids to Disneyland and Pismo Beach. We had another family joining us for the kids and so the kids had company! We met them at Newport beach where the kids had a blast.

We spent the first day in Disneyland where we did rides during the day and shows at night. Adi loved the Indiana Jones ride so much that he went 3 times! We also loved the Star Tours ride! Adi has traditionally been scared of roller coasters, but he somehow got rid of his fear in these roller coasters which was great. Surabhi loved the Astro Blasters ride! In the night we saw the paint the night parade and fireworks. The former mesmerized Surabhi and she saw all her favorite princesses.

We spent the second day at CA adventure. It was Surabhi's dream to be a princess and meet Elsa and Anna. And what better place than Disneyland to do that. We did a meet and greet with the princesses and saw the Frozen musical. The musical had really high production values and could stand out on its own as an attraction. We had nice orchestra seats which only enhanced that experience. Surabhi sat through every moment of the musical and asked to see it again at the end of it.

This is where we parted with our friends and went to Pismo beach, but not before an amazing lunch in Artesia at Rajdhani. Pismo beach was relaxing, but the beach itself was a bit disappointing with seaweeds and flies around those that totally irritated the kids. The sand was nice and soft, but the beach itself wasn't great. We played ticket to ride for the first time and Adi was able to get a hang of the game which was great!

Overall, it was a great trip with friends and memories for life.

India, Karan Johar, Mangoes

Sometimes, the experiences that come as part of your job can surprise you. This was one of those trips to India which happened unexpectedly when a media event was scheduled in Mumbai and I had to represent Bollywood Music as part of my portfolio.

I traveled on Lufthansa and A380 for the first time, and while the plane was fascinating, I have to say their business class does not compare well with other airlines. There is much less privacy and space compared to other airlines.

The event was hosted by Karan Johar at the Taj in Bandra. It was a well organized event to promote Google Search for Movies and Music in India. This was the second time I felt like a visitor in a town I grew up!

I had a chance to meet my parents/friends and eat lots of alphonso mangoes, which are my favorite! Overall, it was a great work trip!

Trip to Korea

It was mostly a work trip, and I have to say that both colleagues and other folks I met in Korea were really nice.

In the evenings, I went and checked out a few places. One was the Gyeongbokgung palace which is just off the seoul metro station. It is absolutely huge and beautiful with lots of history behind it. Another evening I had a nice dinner in Seoul at Han Miri where my colleagues graciously picked out the best vegetarian options - the food was great. I also visited Gangnam which is their shoppers and diners paradise. It was very interesting. Finally, as icing on the cake, I literally stumbled upon the French Open trophy tour, where I saw the actual trophy presented on the French open.

Finally, the most exciting piece - I took a day off to go to the North Korean border. We went in a trip to Panmunjom, the place on the border where you can cross over to the North Korean side. The history of North Korea since the Korean war is both fascinating and painful. We saw North Korean soldiers on the other side and we had UN guest passes as a sign that we are non combat civilians. The military complex there had both South Korean and American soldiers side by side which brought realism to what we hear in the US about thousands of soldiers stationed in South Korea still. On the trip, I had the best Bibimbap during lunch.

Overall, it was a great trip. Flying business class on Singapore Air was a great experience as well! The only struggle was the combination of food and language barrier sometimes, which was generally not an issue since I had someone else helping me out!