Ski week in Hawaii

To round out seeing almost everything in Hawaii, we went to Oahu for a third time. There were a few key things on the list which we hadn't done.

1. Pearl Harbor - Kids are old enough to understand its significance now
2. Snorkeling in Hanauma Bay - Somehow conditions were not right in the last couple of trips 
3. Disney Aulani which we felt the kids would love.

At Pearl Harbor, there was a light drizzle. There is so much history there, and we decided to take a submarine tour of the USS Bowfin.

Hanauma Bay was as beautiful as we expected. It was a perfect day and we saw so many fishes. It was the first time Surabhi snorkeled, with my help of course.

I also did a bunch of snorkeling at the Disney Aulani where the water was chilly but we could see the fish in all their glory. Kids absolutely loved the place with its private beach, slides, pool and activities.

Food wise, Govinda's at the ISKCON temple was a highlight. Getting Satvik food in Hawaii was a treat!

Cancun for new years

Last New Year, we were sleeping in Hilo when the clock struck midnight, only to have an epic new year's day. This year, we went to Cancun with 4 families. 8 adults and 8 kids so it was a blast.

We were supposed to stay at the Moon Palace in Cancun for 6 days, but we upgraded to the Grand for last 2 of those days, which was totally worth it. Both places were beautifully kept and the hospitality was perfect.

The highlights of the trip were:

• A boat ride to a reef where I saw an eagle ray, totally unexpected given the reef was not great. The eagle ray was digging into the sandy bottom for something. I thought it was a sting ray but only after some research, I found that it was way bigger than sting rays with a long straight tail. Also, I realized I was too close to it after reading stories about ray stings. Seeing a majestic animal like this was out of this world. Surabhi's first snorkeling day was great, she was tentative but also very happy when she saw a fish.
• The boat ride was on a speed boat which 2 people drove. I was with Surabhi and Anu was with Adi. We were pretty tentative about riding the boats but it turned out to be awesome
• Ziplining with kids. Adi still can't get over his fear of heights while Surabhi totally loves it!
• A day at the Beach Palace where the beach waters were turquoise and warm. It was not great for boogie boarding but the waves and water were amazing
• Trying the flowrider at Moon Palace which is an artificial boogie boarding machine
• A magic show on Saturday night by David Magee the magician and mentalist in the Grand's theater
• Couples massage at the grand. Both the massage and the swimming pool inside the massage place were out of this world
• The water park in the Grand where the kids had a lot of fun

This time, we were wide awake at midnight on new years, with food, DJ and friends, which was great. But I would rather sleep if the next day would be the one like in Big Island a year ago!

Thanksgiving in LA, Palm Springs

Day 1 and 2
Adi and I have been to Universal Studios Hollywood on a dad-son trip, but Surabhi had not ever been. Adi loved Harry Potter and so did Surabhi. Adi is still scared of roller coasters but this was the trip where Surabhi overcame her fear. We both loved Flight of the Hippogriff. Surabhi got scared in the Studio tour, especially King Kong 3D. We all loved Water World. I think kids will be happy to go again to Universal Studios or Disneyland any time!

Day 3
We went up the aerial tramway to Mt. San Jacinto. It was cold and crowded. There was a huge line, but we got our tickets from a lady who decided not to go, at a 20% premium :). That saved us a couple of hours, but it was my first time in the US buying tickets in "black". The hike at the top of hte mountain was cold but beautiful

Day 4
The last day, we went to Joshua Tree National Park. The Cholla Cactus Garden and the Hidden Valley hike were highlights. I have never seen Cactii so beautiful in my life.

We also met up with Raj and Priyanka in Palm Springs with their friends, which was fun!

Cruise to Mexico

We were a group of four families who took a Carnival cruise to Mexico. It was a blast!! The ship had a water park which was the highlight. The food, beautiful sunsets, mini-golf and shows all added to the experience. We also a dozens of dolphins playing next to the front of the ship as we cruised into the sunset. The port of Ensenada was fun to get out to, but there wasn't much to do, except get a glimpse of Mexico.

Italy

This was our first family trip to Europe and we covered Rome, Florence, Pisa, Venice, Lake Garda and Verona!

Rome was beautiful with so much history that I was amazed at how well they have sustained these structures for so long, each with its rich history. We did the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palantine Hill, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and each had its own beauty. We ate the best gelato near Trevi fountain. I have never had Kumquat gelato and it was really awesome! We also went to Vatican City museum and Sistine Chapel. St Peter's basilica is the best church I have seen from inside!

Florence is probably the most beautiful city with its beautiful sunsets and all the art. We did Michelangelo Square, where Surabhi fell trying to climb the statue and slit her chin. That night we went to the hospital and got it glued back. That would be the only tense few hours on the trip. We did Uffizi with a guide and it was awesome. I also hiked to Boboli gardens and of course the beautiful Ponte Vecchio.

We did a one day trip to Pisa and it was really beautiful. Climbing to the top, we felt the tilt. Before that we had Pizza watching the Soccer WC in Italy!

Next stop was Venice. We probably walked the entire city in 2 days, going to various touristy and non-touristy areas (well, almost all of Venice is touristy, so...). Highlights were a nice gondola ride, an amazing restaurant that made ketchup from scratch for our kids and an amazing Polenta meal on the canal!

Next stop was off the beaten path to Lake Garda which is a tourist spot but more frequented by locals. Its a beautiful alpine lake where we had dinners on the lake. It was just beautiful. We took the cable car to Monte Baldo which had unbelievable vistas. There were Alpacas on the top which made my day.

Finally, we came to Verona, the home of the real characters that inspired Shakespeare to write Romeo and Juliet. We saw the first century arena which still houses concerts. It was really surreal to see something operational that is from the 1st century!

We never rented a car, but used trains all over Italy. I loved the trains! They were fast, clean and fun!

Spring Break in Arizona

Almost a decade ago, we had visited Grand Canyon's west rim, when the skywalk had not been created. But we have never seen the more touristy and beautiful South Rim. This Spring Break, we took a trip to Arizona and stayed at the El Tovar on the South Rim. We loved the place with Elk grazing outside the hotel in the morning and deer on the trails. We did a good bit of the Rim to River trail and the views were breathtaking. We then had the finest lunch at the Bright Angel Lodge, especially their Tortilla Soup is the best I have had.

Then we headed over to Page to see lower antelope canyon. We were in sandstorm and had to cover our entire faces which made the experience very interesting, especially the drive to the canyon. In the canyon, the scenes were unreal. I just could not believe what I was seeing. The sun's rays coming down the canyon and the beautiful shades of brown are something I have never seen. Then we went to Horseshoe Bend to battle another sand storm. We also saw the Glen Canyon dam and checked out Antelope Canyon by boat. The driver was nice to allow the kids to drive the boat with around 25 folks on board!

Final stop was Sedona. It was way more beautiful than I had imagined. We stayed at the Poco Diablo Resort which I would totally recommend. We hiked on top of Cathedral rock, saw the most beautiful Church up there and had great food!

All in all, a great trip!

New Year's in Big Island

The last time I was in Big Island was in 2010 and we covered Kona and south of Big Island in that trip. This time, we decided to do the rest of Big Island. Last time, we had covered Kona and the south of big island. So this time we decided to spend three days in Hilo and 3 days in Waikoloa. Hilo was all about the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. On 30th December we visited during the day and saw all the points, including the Thurston lava tube the Jaggar Museum Overlook and the sulfur vents. It was just amazing, but this was just the beginning. On 31st December, Aditya and I took a helicopter tour to see the lava in the caldera. We saw burning lava which was great.

But what took the cake was the second trip to the National Park at night. Adi and Anu serendipitously met a friend who said that we must see the glow of the volcano at night. I was really tired that night, and we decided to skip it. But having slept early, I woke up at 4 am and woke up my wife to ask if she was up for going. She readily agreed. The kids grumbled when we woke them up, but the next few hours were the best on the island. It was a full moon day. We reached the Jaggar Museum overlook just in time for the full moon to set. The glow from the Halemaumau crater was a sight to behold. We saw the sun rise and came back to check-out of the hotel. 

We drove to Hapuna Beach where we would spend the next 3 days. On 1st of Jan, we saw the moon set, sun rise over the Halemaumau crater and sun set at Hapuna Beach.

Every day for the next 3 days, we would hit balls at the golf range, followed by two visits to the beach and evening in the hot tub. Hapuna beach is great for Boogie Boarding. Adi and I literally bruised our stomachs boogie boarding. Finally, Virgin America was overbooked so they gave us $1600 to fly to OAK instead of SFO, setting us up for the next trip!

Thanksgiving in Disneyland

Anu, her parents, her brother's family and I went to Disneyland for Thanksgiving. Surabhi loves Disneyland! She could not get enough of the princesses and the rides well, the not too scary ones! This time again, we saw Frozen in Disneyland's California Adventure. But this time, we got nice orchestra seats in the fourth row thanks to Anu. The show was so much better when you saw it from up close. You could feel the emotions of the artists.

Adi and I did the rushin' river ride multiple times and got really wet, especially the second time. We saw the fireworks and water show as usual. All in all, it was a great trip.

Summer in India

Work stuff and kids' vacation fell into place allowing us to go to India for 7 weeks. I took a one week trip from India to Zurich for work.

Zurich
Besides work, I drove an electric bike throughout the city. Its a beautiful city. On the weekend, I went to Lucerne by train and from there to Mt. Pilatus on one day on cogweel railway. Its the steepest cogwheel that took us through the clouds. The view from up there is breathtaking! The next day, I went to Rigi Kulm which was equally beautiful and scenic.

India

India was all about meeting people and having great food, as well as work trips to Lucknow and Delhi. The kids spent extended time with their grandparents which was great. Adi used to go swimming and learn the guitar in Surat. It was one refreshing change from the usual for us.

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!

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.

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. 

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.

Tahoe for Christmas and Skiing

This is our umpteenth Tahoe trip, but the special thing about this one was of course friends, but that it was the first time Adi would learn to Ski. He and a couple of his friends had ski lessons for 4 months and he picked up skiing pretty well.

We stayed at this beautiful home with expansive views of the lake. Anu and I divided up the skiing for 1 day each while the other one was with Surabhi. The snow was good but not amazing, but fun nevertheless.

Trip to Kauai

My parents have never been to Hawaii. When they were visiting this Thanksgiving, we decided to change that.

We have been to Kauai before and loved the South Shore at Poipu as its great for kids, good snorkeling and easy to cover the rest of Kauai. We landed in Kauai on Nov. 26, and went to our condo a block from Poipu Beach Park. We bought groceries as we were going to cook a lot on the beach.

Everyday, we would take a morning walk or jog on the beach, followed by one trip to one part of the island, followed by snorkeling on Poipu beach again. With two of the greatest cooks I know with us, there was no day that the food was short of excellent.

Nov 27, we did the Kilohana Plantation Train that Adi had enjoyed 4 years earlier. This time it was Surabhi's turn to feed the pigs! She could not get enough of the pigs and the rest of the trip she wanted to pet piglets.

Nov 28, we went to Waimea Canyon, and the beautiful canyon lookout. Parents absolutely loved the breathtaking views. We followed that with at a trip to Wailua falls, which is very beautiful .. one day I want to go to the bottom of the falls.

Nov 29, we went to a farmers market and spent the entire day on Kalapaki Beach. It is great for beginning boogie boarders with a very nice beach. I was in the water for hours. We had Pav Bhaji just steps from the ocean water and the experience was surreal.

Nov 30, we went to Hanalei Bay. But before that on our usual time at the beach we spotted a few sea turtles. The kids were mesmerized with the sea turtles, and one of them came ashore. Snorkeling with turtles was not something I planned at all, but it was an amazing experience. Hanalei Bay is beautiful with a great beach, and amazing views of the mountains.

Kalapaki Beach will go down in history where Adi did boogie boarding for the first time, and he did snorkeling for the first time on Poipu beach. We ate lots of ice cream, coconut water at a farmers market and shaved ice as usual.

Overall, the sixth trip to Hawaii was amazing.

Hawaii, for the 5th time

After visiting Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Big Island, we decided to come back to Oahu for our 5th Hawaii trip! With 2 kids, this trip was going to be more of a relaxing trip than doing a bunch of activities. We went twice in the water every day, and Adi just had a blast on the beach!

We took the kids to the Dole Plantation where they had so much fun. First, we took the Pineapple Express to view the pineapple plantation. Then we fed the fishes at a nearby lake. Finally, we sat down for a great lunch at the plantation.

Adi loved the hot tub on top of the hotel. He did not still know how to swim. Overall, it was a great trip.

Shekhar's marriage in India

After almost 6 weeks of being a bachelor in the USA, I went to India to attend Shekhar's marriage. The highlight of this trip was of course the marriage, but also all the great food. I went to Surat and met up with a bunch of relatives which was so much fun. Shekhar's marriage was fairly hectic but a lot of fun. The last few days, Anu and I ate at all the street corners I was crazy about as a kid.