Visiting my birthplace after 16 years

We had taken Adi when he was 1 year old or so to my birthplace for his Mundan ceremony. Since then, I have been to Jaipur related to work and could not go back to Kuchaman City where I was born. This time my nephew's marriage gave us the perfect excuse!

Before the marriage, I spent a few days in Bangalore visiting my team for the first time. Work was very productive! On the fun side, we did one dinner at Gladia which was this amazing Greek themed Indian fusion restaurant. I don't think we find such elaborate architecture even in the US that often (except places like Las Vegas). I was super impressed. I also ate at Rameshwaram cafe meeting my cousin sister which was super interesting as well!

Now to the Rajasthan part of the trip. We spent a full day in Kuchaman City. Seeing the large Gaushala was humbling. Both my parents grew up in this place so they know a bunch of folks in the city. I met a many aunts on my Mom's side and finally went to my birth home that we rented when I was born. The new owners were gracious enough to allow us into the home and take videos. Understanding where you came from is such a human experience. 

The marriage was nothing short of spectacular, especially meeting all my cousins and the amazing food. It was a blast. We also went to the marble flats of Kishangarh where you see thousands of acres of marble dust formations that you can walk on. You could easily mistake it for Pamukkale in Turkey. I got my shoe stuck in marble dust muck which took quite some time to take off! I directly took off from Delhi back to SFO.

Around the bay with Parents

With parents visiting across two visits in the summer, we did a bunch of day trips. Highlights were going to Santa Cruz with extended family and the Ritz Carlton, associated beach in Half Moon Bay and Muir Woods. We had many picnics with family as well as did Ganpati together at home. It is worth noting that Anu and Surabhi spent a few days in London on their way to India where they had a lot of fun with the sights, shopping and food. They also did a waterfall hike in India that looked interesting.

Toronto, Niagara falls and New York

Adi and I took my parents back from the bay to visit my sister and spent some time there. The trip was brief but not without our pigrimmage to Niagara Falls. This time I made it a point to wake up early to see the falls without the crowds and it did not disappoint! I also had work both in Toronto and New york. Then we headed to New York for work, where I did my well, work and Adi and his penpal from NY spent the days traveling in downtown. He told me to visit St Patrick Cathedral the next time I am there and I took note. It was also humbling to see the 9/11 memorial. Uber's office is right next to that, so we also got an exclusive top down view of the memorial. It was memorable trip.

A quick trip to India

 While Anu and Surabhi planned to be in India for 2 months, Adi and I made a quick trip to meet my ailing father-in-law. We just went to Surat and Mumbai. Adi got to meet with a lot of extended family and understood our family history directly narrated by my dad to him. Unfortunately, my aunt (dad's sister) and uncle tragically passed away during the same time, so all in all, I came back with a heavy heart. 

Tennis at Indian Wells

 Given the success of the last trip, I couldn't help but plan it again for 2025. It is so easy to fly in and watch world class tennis that if I can help it, I will try to make it a yearly habit. This time, I flew directly in Palm Springs instead of outskirts of LA and spent 3 days with my friend Abhijit and his daughter just watching tennis. The schedule was simple - breakfast at a diner, followed by tennis all day and go to sleep! We saw matches of Sabalenka, Alcaraz and a bunch of really interesting singles and doubles games. Hoping we go again in 2026.