Weddings, Marathons and more

Bangalore:
Acknowledging the end of a holiday has taken me months. Such is the deal isn't it with things we don't want to end. But hardly does one realise that only once u acknowledge the end of it can you progress forward i.e Plan for the next holiday. In how may ways can you say I am sorry. How many tears of how many people you love will it take to correct the course of an avoidable path of pain. At the end of whirlwind trip to India where the feeling of having been through a tornado is physical, thanks to the time spent on roads, amount of food ingested and the number of activities you have gotten through! 20 days.... Dint seem like much when we planned the holiday...but made me realise how intense the schedule was as we drove back home in AKL ...that strange sense of disconnect to everything here which should have been so familiar! Catching up with friends that take time off their routine and share bits of life the joys, the achievements and the frustrations is so underrated. Our daily lives so different and disconnected, our social circle so different, our struggles and choices unrelatable but we are comfortable in each other's company!S n I celebrated being friends for 15 years now, That day in 2004 ....me, a bundle of speculation, S with a big bunch of friends from the same college. Since then our life choices, career paths have all been so different but the deep sense of having a friend that I can and have called at weird times with weird problems..except she dint find them weird is such a blessing. Family... Dad drives the mental well being n strength for all of us in the family. He always has a way of telling me exactly what I need to hear at any point. I don't run to him with all my troubles but some quandaries need his experience n wisdom. So when Mom mentioned that he has been unwell, I could not first accept and then I was upset n disturbed or more correctly helpless at being this far away n useless in the face of either of them being unwell. I am not sure I would have done anything more than what they had already done amongst themselves, but I sure feel like I should have been there.
 Mysore and the wedding
Things that I noticed and absolutely loved about the city :The tidy streets and freshness of air.Clean wide roads and footpaths. Drivers with a better sense of traffic than Bangalore and a lady traffic police sitting in a booth calling out offenders that jumped the signal like "yyaakappa signal kansalva"on a loud speaker. Effective and hilarious!
 Wedding:
 Events that mark beginnings of many dreams for those that are getting married and conclusion of it for their parents.The joy on their faces. The dreams in their hearts and the anticipation of bliss, the glint in the eyes of the bride and groom, their faces exuding joy despite all the tiring rituals and the responsibility of logistics. The culmination of preparations of months over phone calls, emails, WhatsApps. People watching: observing outfits of couples that have carefully color coordinated. The amount of effort that's gone into making the look feel effortless. The color and smell of flowers fresh at the start of the day, worn out by the end of each. The music, laughter, dancing, drinking and losing oneself in the crowd... Henna on the hands of little girls, green tendrils of a stem.The camera men directing the show more than the poojari and getting upset that the bride/groom did not look at the camera but rather into each other's eyes while garlanding, and actually making them redo the process but this time consciously looking into the camera! Having attended South Indian weddings where the simplicity is taken to the heights of having a groom not even wear a shirt for the main wedding ritual, this was a bit of eye opener.So many ppl that liked being the center of attraction and some that absolutely dislike attention.Food..feast served with so much attention to the details so as to cater to all palates down to the paan vs beetle leaves..Rituals and ceremonies that bind the families together while the crowd engages in wishing, participating dressing up n posing, giggling , gossiping, dancing and indulging in mass revelry. Having one's mom trust one to do make up, finding a beauty parlor to help tie the saree in a specific way with L. Early morning runs around heritage buildings n parks of Mysore. Consuming copious amount of food were all great memories that got created in those few days.I didn't have to bother checking on k for anything, she was in the happy company of a few kids she's met a few times before. At the end if the 4th day, it was moving to see them cry and hug and find it difficult to say byes and let go. Back in Bangalore was the usual working early mornings and social day lives.How time flew I have no idea! On the last day mom took me to buy a salwar kameez from Angadi Silks where I has to find non-silk material and she found a tailor that'd stitch it out for me in less than 24 hours :O. The things that are possible...somehow makes one feel entitled as if it were some attribute of me and not the society that such privileges come to one in India.  D n L were starting out training for the NYC marathon, Prash and I were supposed to be a few weeks into the Chicago marathon plan but my cough had kept me from being on top of that. We went for a few runs in Cubbon park, Sankey and also while in Mysore, mostly easy fun ones. I miss it...my holidays mornings that are pleasant, cool and noisy but comforting.That we were going to run a Marathon in the USA kept me sane for the few months once I got back to Auckland.

USA
Fast forward to end of September and we were boarding the plane again. Some holidays are more than a few days off, they are a break in the literal sense from the routine of day to day life. The trip to US was one such..where u flip a switch and off you go to a world that one has forgotten exists beyond the daily grind. Simple things like getting onboard a flight, getting coffee from different places and driving/walking on non familiar streets suddenly seems to shake up my brain that's not had the need to think about these for a while.It started out with a workday that blurred into a holiday where one watches TV with a glass of wine, except its on a plane. K commented at the airport immigration line: this is like pak n save - a supermarket which is the only place where we seem to stand in queues in NZ!
Cupertino: 
Dreamy drool worthy mansions, cafes, walking in Stanford Campus, driving around in Tesla and taking in the fact that this is one of the places where life changing - my life changing technology is being created everyday.
SFO:felt big, busy and dirty. We did the touristy visit to crooked street, twin peaks, bay bridge, pier walks and the Golden gate bridge.I ran for a bit on looking the bridge and lucky for us there was no fog engulfing it so the rusty red stood out really well against the backdrop of the setting sun. The difficulty we had in paying toll for crossing Golden gate bridge in the hotbed of technology next day was lol-worthy!
We drove to Caswell memorial park so we could join a few friends for camping. Windmills , Golden dry hills for miles.Miles of apple tree like farms and more in the making. Tractors blocking the highways like in Mandya sugarcane farms were all part of the scenery driving down. Lazing about and eating heaps of food, watching videos projected onto a blanket, the things that are possible even when camping amazed me!
Pleasanton: Aptly named historic township. Long training run along the iron horse trail was really nice. I long to back on that route. Spending time at outlet mall, walking along the downtown post dinner, ice cream at historic dairy, hike on trail with a group of ppl we met for the first time, Sunday market.. all things bright and beautiful! Totally loved this place. A 50ish year old man walking into the parlor to get a pedicure in the same place I went to was a first !
En route to King's canyon:Giant-est pumpkin in a truck..Halloween decorated(?) houses, shopping at Walmart as if we were setting up a home and the drive up the hills where the temp dipped as we gained elevation. Our cottage was warm and cosy. Hand dryer in the bathrooms made the most noise and we heard no birds! Hearty breakfast and tall black coffee. Grant tree walk where we saw big tree trunks with bark splits that glow like hair standing in the sun. Yoga in the cold sun, walking on the trails was part of training while we stayed in the national park. On the drive along the winding roads to Hume lake, the view of the high sierra was impressive with the massive peaks towering in front of us. We saw a few kayakers in the lake and drove down to rent a rowing boat. An hour's rowing in the clear lake surrounded by green trees on 3 sides and the mountains for a view was worth every arm rotation. A short walk to catch the sunset drenching the Sierra's in that orange hue as if to create a postcard for memory.On the drive back, the crowd had died down on the roads and we spotted a couple of deer that ran away as soon as we started paying them attention. What if we saw a black bear, all of us kept thinking in our minds and suddenly there it was!! Walking on the highway, with it's back to the car, about 50 m away. It turned towards the headlight of the car. Prash instinctively switched off the lights and brought the car to a complete stop. The bear turned towards the car as if to get a closer look but then made a swift exit into the forest across the road. We were super thrilled! We felt dwarfed next to the Sherman tree.Yellow of the sunlight deceptively showered the rays of golden color with no warmth. Moro rock reminded us of Pinnacles in Coromandel. Walk with the ranger was very engaging. We learnt about the Prescribed burn : an activity planned for 3 years and was happening on that day. Also the charming sunset of the previous nights dint seem great as we learnt that the orange hues are mostly a result of particulate matter dispersing light i.e due to pollution from the valley below. oh oh!
Next day, checking out of John Muir lodge we longed to stay back for longer. Walked up part of manzantia trail, spotting a few deer.. Mama and a couple of baby fawns. Identifying the different types of trees, incense cedar, pines etc. I was lost in my thoughts on the way back to Pleasanton. Nature humbles one really well. Relationships are like Sequoia trees. So tender and vulnerable initially till they mature and become strong and self sustaining. After which there is not much that can bother them.. No fire, no fungus, no drought can bring it down. We all want to build such relationships that outlive us and feel like they are eternal and indestructible, isn't it?

I am sensitive to and recognize where I am welcome vs where I am tolerated, but what totally touched me was staying with friends that felt like extended family. In their welcoming homes, where we stayed like it was our own, getting pampered and integrating into their social lives and routine for the 2 weeks in Bay Area. The company K had for the most part made her super happy and us very comfortable. Attending Durga pooja, golu dolls display, decking up in borrowed Sarees was the last thing I imagined I'd do while on a holiday! R had picked out a dozen of them for me to choose from and dresses for K, P had another set to spoil us... Was totally worth it and memorable. Also went to Sabyasachi's trunk show in San Jose, the trademark dreamy intricate patterns felt like an indulgence to even browse through. Catching up with friends from college and a cousin after a very long time with their families was so endearing. We also turned up at one of Prash's friend's place at 8 PM on a weekday and I surprised myself when we realised it was close to midnight and I still kept talking to them. Staying with A and R, seeing a bit of Pittsburgh city and more enjoyably catching up with them made my one day solo-trip so memorable.
We ate out very little and most times that we ate out turned out to be great tasting food. Drinking a glass of beer or wine mostly for company, we definitely did really well in terms of the training leading upto the run.Vegan food was not a problem eating out at all. Gracias Madre in SFO has got to be the best plant based mexican food we've eaten so far + the freshest Margaritas to complement.
 The cities- SFO, Pittsburgh,Chicago, Cupertino, Pleasanton- were great. SFO specially where the adverts are also about tech and API (like really!) The shopping tiring in its abundance. The drives though..super monotonic landscapes that got a bit boring after a couple of hours.

Chicago Marathon: 
Uninstalling the app 3 weeks after the run I realise we actually ran a world major marathon! My time(5:17) surely should have been better and Prash's time(4:15) commendable for a first time marathoner. Chicago, the city was totally prepped. Every restaurant, every cab driver, every one we met on streets knew about the run or was running it. K n G came all the way from Dallas to catch up with us and took care of Khushi while we ran. How can anyone thank such? We must be really lucky to be able to partake in such indulgence! The day before the run, we saw a few city highlights and despite not wanting to walk much ended up with 10k+ on foot. The 24 hours from the night before the run till we boarded plane after the run is something that certified crazies plan to do. So we sent off K with the friends to their hotel and came back to ours, packed up to check out early am.Cleaning the airbnb, setting aside pre-run breakfast, hydration till run started, on course nutrition(salted dates and almonds + gatorade chews)... It was going to be a cold morning (2 deg!) so we planned to wear extra layers, headbands, gloves etc that could be removed and discarded on the course if we felt too warm during the run...Finally at 11 pm when the outlay of my run outfit was in place I was too tired to take the customary pic. Waking up super early, we loaded all suitcases to the car, parked the car close to the train station and sat in the train filled with runners. Someone was calling a cop and filing an incident of having a gun pointed at him in the previous station. Way to get ur adrenalin rush before u even get to the start line I told him in my attempt to help calm his nerves but he was not flustered at all and went on to tell me that he was an olympic rep for the US many years ago and runs all majors for free since then. In his late 50s now and he feels sleepy after 23 miles on the course ;) making my way to meet Prash out of the crowded train, we got coffee at 7/11. Dropping Prash off at his starting corral, I impressed Prash with my experience of dropping off gear bag, ways to tie it and other little nitty gritties. Told him that after mile 22 it gets really difficult and he will want to give up but should not. Push through and get to the finish line and wait for me. He got all choked up and wanted to run in my late-start corral, after all what's the point of running our own runs he tried to say! Finishing up our drama, we decided we'll run our best and stick to the plan. I went and dropped off my gear and that meant leaving the thick jacket in it. Standing in the serpentine line for toilets in that chill for half an hour was no fun! Before I knew, I was crossing the start line and thanks to Amod, I knew the GPS on the watch would not be reliable so just focused on time taken and mile markers. the crowd was thick on either side of the course. Skyscrapers wherever I saw and the wide roads of the downtown, way to make one feel like a celebrity! I started off really well and kept up with 4:40 pacer till 18th mile. After that I felt a sudden drop in strength. I just could not plod along. So I decided to let go of the timing goal and just run to finish without hurting. Worked well and I did not hit a wall. Gatorade to drink, 2 chews and almonds+dates were all I had for on course fueling. No gels this time! At mile 22 I knew Prash would have finished so I called him to congratulate, yes I run with the phone in my pocket :D and ran through the next few miles. When there was just a mile left to go, the energy surged again! crowd cheer, music, almost-there feeling made me dance a couple of steps and soon I crossed the finish line. I sat down with the medal and cried.. tears of exhaustion and exhilaration. We did a little bit of stretching and headed back on the train to the car, picked up K and had a meal and shower at friends hotel, said bye to them, returned the rental car, checked in luggage, boarded that plane and sighed a sense of I-dont-know-what! The most memorable holiday had come to a spectacular end. I cant get over it for a very long time so I wont even try to. Will just keep recollecting and re-living the best parts of it in my head for a while... 

Roll stall

paneer ! One of my first trysts with the creamy rich slightly salty, slight sour, classified as cheese item was in a curry that was synonymous with Sunday night dinners. The kitchen in my hostel was closed after tea on Sunday evenings and we all went in tow to a select few restaurants that were in the area. K and I particularly went to a fast food joint and ordered paneer butter masala with butter roti on Sundays when we both were there. It was a ritual and one that I cherish thinking back to this day. It was also one of the first times I wondered how the kitchen staff managed to cook any of the 100+ items from at least 4 different cuisines at a given point. The first few times, we used to get the menu and read through mostly similar but dauntingly large list of curry variations, after some time we skipped that part and went into order right away. The waiters knew this too and all it took was a 'same-aa' from him and a nod (not even a word) from us to get our order in. If someone had told me then that I would take orders for paneer roll someday in future, I would have laughed the idea off or ignored it at best. But this weekend, I did! Wore my apron on and tied my nervousness at the back of it and took orders for about 80 kathi rolls. That we go and set up a food stall was S's idea and my always eager to try the next exciting not-yet-tried thing self signed up for it. I was in charge of making the rotis and with prash's help we thawed and cooked about 85 of them in 2 hours time. A and S were in charge of the filling and they had batches of chicken and paneer marinated and cooked to the patented recipe. The plan was to sell the rolls and a combo of masala coke at a community event for a few hours on Saturday evening. K was super supportive and did her bit for promotions/marketing. Keeping track of orders and rolling up the cooked and ready roti+filling started to get hectic and prash jumped in. What we anticipated to be a 2 person job clearly kept 3 of our hands full. At one point we had a backlog of 12 rolls! A kept up with the heat from the hot plate and dint cut corners even when the line kept growing. When the last orders were done, prash and A had a roll each and we still had ppl come ask if they could order in. At times, we gave too much Coke, at times spilt a little, at times the rotis were too hot to roll, at times the baking paper was not ready to wrap the roll. We had way too much filling for the # of rotis etc, all lessons to learn for another time. For now, we sold out and made profit and had ppl compliment on the food and dint have a single disgruntled customer. S took kids home and we wrapped up after cleaning, had a beer to celebrate the success and called it a day. The planning, shopping, prep cooking, on the day set up and action time, everything was quite an enjoyable and a satisfying activity, nonetheless a lot of  hard work, this business of selling food:) Glad to be around friends and family that make such experiences possible!

Summer Holidays

For K the 10 weeks of summer vacation were a dream come true. Both Jiji and tata all to herself to play, talk and get pampered. We all had a good time together and made the most of summer times! I try and capture them in words and pictures below:

K's birthday:
Her interests vary every year and this year it was indoor rock climbing. Was great fun to see Dad give it a go, wearing the harness and standing in line with 9 year olds listening to the instructor. Mom preferred not to crumple her Mysore silk saree but cheered dad along beaming with pride and wide grin. The vegan cake we ordered was tasty. The rest of the finger food we made (fruit skewers, Pesto pasta, sandwiches, mom-made fryums) was more than necessary and made for nice left overs.



North island road trip :
The 10 day road trip started with packing in what we call mom's restaurant all loaded to the boot. It could be a small business mom could have run given her unending enthusiasm to cook meal after meal for us! On the side of highways the bales of neatly rolled up grass n cattle on the farms are drastically different to farms from my summer holidays, where smell of cow dung did not deter aunts and grannies from using it to clean the floor! Driving along beaches of west coast, we reached New Plymouth on the longest drive of the vacation. House we stayed in had a garden filled with pretty flowers and patches of spinach/coriander. Chapati yengai for dinner was satisfying and we called it a day after a short walk along the backyard that led us to the beach.
Each morning run at the beach n walk for parents, exhibitions of illusions at puke ariki museum, lunch at Indian restaurants that impressed dad with consistent and acceptable taste, walk along the Coastal walkway, Rewa rewa bridge, old school clock tower at the city centre, visit to modern Arts museum(Len Ley exhibits) made up the rest of days at New Plymouth. Throughout the drive, word and other games or more precisely arguing about rules kept us busy. K mostly took jiji's side and by sheer persistence they both made up rules that none of the other 3 agreed to but complied nonetheless in spirit of actually getting to play a round of the actual game! The highlight of the holiday in terms of adventure was the Taranaki climb for Prash and i while the other 3 stayed at home playing more board games, cooking sambar with spinach from the garden.

 


Taranaki summit climb has been on the list for a few years now. ..10 precisely, since we first visited the place. However it's a full day's work n k is not big enough to endure such yet. This time the Alpine weather forecast looked perfect plus Dad n mom were happy to take care of n play with k the whole day. So we decided to give it a go n see how far we can go. Driving into Egmont national park till the base of the mount felt like driving into the gut of a green monster with moss covered trees thickly lining both sides of the curvy road at the end of which a veil of mist lifted up to display the perfect cone. The first 2 hours of the ascent had shrubby green vegetation n a steady incline. A section of this climb is called the puffer bcoz u end up puffing ur breaths. I think the whole climb should be called that;). There are reminders to consider the weather surrounding the mountain n how u r feeling at every reasonable turn back point as the micro climate can change drastically n go from bright n sunny to chilly cold rainy n windy (i.e unsafe) in a matter of minutes. Astounding natural phenomena that make the climb risky in addition to the challenging gradient and changing terrain. After the last hut about half way up the mountain, there are about 200 steep stairs that lead to boulders. This section is unpaved but has big boulders with enough footholds to make it past. We saw snow next to the boulders n the melting snow trickles here which by the time we reached this point in our descent had formed a waterfall!! Past this point is scree section. Loose jalli kallu that tire you,  sliding back one step for every 2 u manage to crawl up. There is no vegetation and you are exposed to wind and sun (or cloud and rains) in this section. The poles help you stay on course n not drift to the sides - a rocky ravine on one side and blinding white sun-drenched snow incline on the other. We were both sweaty and warm even at that altitude in the dry heat n decided to leave a few drink bottles n took away layers of clothing n left a bag near one of the poles n continued on. Prash had to moral push me through this as I was starting to worry how on earth will we get back on scree safely even if we managed to climb past it. Bear crawling even on the ground is not my favorite exercise drill, forget on an incline uphill, so when scree gave way to more sturdy rocks my enthusiasm n energy catapulted ! The rock climbing section is scary if one looked down. Near vertical ascend in this part is left to each person's navigation. I surprised both prash and myself by managing to get up as high as I did in this part. On some rocks, u have to pull urself up like in rock climbing so after all those indoor sessions helped a bit anyway:). The width of the rocky part reduces as one climbs higher n closer to the summit. The poles are marked from 100 (starting of scree area) to 1 which is the summit. I made it up till 6 and could have made it to a couple of them more if I really pushed myself. Prash went upto 2. The last section of rocks is called the lizard due to it being as narrow and jagged as a lizard's back.The snow covered 70 degree inclines on either side make it scary enough for anyone. I sat at what has been the highest I have ever trekked at 2500 m (summit is at 2518m) n soaked in the wispy clouds engulfing the mountain, the cold wind howling and listening to my heartbeat n breathing sounds while prash made it to pole 2 and back. Without crampons passing through the icy crater was a risk not worth taking, besides we were only half way through. Climbing down was going to be equally changeling. Actually it was so much more tiring but not as scary as I had imagined it would be. Getting down the rocky part was slow for me. Sliding n falling every step down the scree was frustrating. Much to my anguish I ripped my brand new lululemon tights! yes I know and I have been reminded of this blunder a 100 times since! (thanks Prash and mom!) My toes started hurting like hell every step I took n that slowed us down considerably. Swapping shoes with prash who walked barefoot on gravel was totally due to my negligence of not checking shoefit before hand. Such a rookie mistake that I was upset with myself for most of the way down. Finally when we reached the DOC center after 10:15 hours, the sense of accomplishment was overwhelming.

 

Farm stay at Taupo was next destination.  A lovely chatty lady made us feel so welcome with home made bread. Her little energetic dog that ran around everywhere though kept our heart rate increasing. Peace and quiet of rural New Zealand was a welcome change. Undulating hills of the farm felt like the feelings of happy sad in daily life. We fed alpacas, pig, goats and horses. They tickled our palms and helped us understand that their behavior is similar to that of humans...some push and shove and get what they want while others stay shy and hungry. Next day we walked at a geothermal park - craters of the Moon we saw elements of nature mix and make wonders. Rain for a bit did not deter our enthusiasm. Lunch at Nepalese Indian place was satisfying. Shopping for k's togs and then finding our way to the spa park. Dad sitting under the high force falls was a highlight of our visit to natural hot water spa. Later we went to see the ever green Huka falls and the roaring copper blue of water is always meditative in it's continuity.


Eating broccoli palya, saaru and rice for dinner, we played board games and bingo and laughed a lot..The noise we made! The rules we bend. Packed up and left to Kinloch after omelettes and home made bread for breakfast.On the lakebed were toys and books in an open public library. We amused ourselves having a go at volley ball, throwball n tennis. Playing Sudoku, competitive word finding games, teaching k how to speak in Tamil we reached Napier. The stories that intrigued her about Krishna-Sudama at Mathura, some tourists stories from Badrinath, Dilli Mama's story from Kashmir, the story of vandalism n brutal destruction of art and temples in Belur, Somanathpura and many more have made K very interested in wanting to go to these places n see them for herself!

 

Next day we walked about Napier Marine parade along the art deco buildings. Mom and dad sportively had a go at mini golf:) Later we did Napier prison tour. At Bluff Hill lookout point we stood and watched for a long time the tug boats maneuvering the ship out to the sea. Day 8 was drive and walk up the Te Mata peak to catch the most scenic 360 deg view. Admiring the orchards of fruits, vineyards, flowers and trees at Craggy range winery we did a tour of their Olive and their veggie garden. Arataki honey center visit and the variety of honey on offer for tasting impressed us all. Rain foiled our plans to see the sunrise at Napier which has been spectacular in our previous visits. On the drive to Rotorua, we stopped at kerosene creek -so aptly named that the swim togs smelt of it even after we came back home to Akl! Drizzling rain made the landscape look dreamy, checked in to the Rydges hotel. Stayed indoors and watched Home Alone -such a delightful movie that! Day 10 started with the joy of giving presents that Santa put under the book tree. Loaded with buffet breakfast spread, we headed to Redwood Forest walk. Tall pipelike red wood trees older than a century preventing sunlight n the soft bed of dry leaves made for a good walk. Glass like still water below which the sulphur affected tree/ algae growth. The tree walk was closed and so was hamunara springs. But the clear cold spring water joining the river was a sight to behold. Pitstops at blue lake and Green lake lookout, lunch and nap later, we checked out the rose garden by the museum and walked along the lake that was full to the brim. Hanging out at one of the few places open on Christmas night the last night of vacation was upon us!

 

Pinnacles:
Nestled in the Coromandel Forest park is the challenging climb. We were surprised to see Flood detour marked at many places and many iron rungs nailed into rocks.After reading that a part of the track was built and maintained during the gold rush era, it made sense. The start of the trek is about a 2.5 hours drive from home. So Prash and I left on a Friday evening after work and had about 3 hours of climb to reach the Hut before dark. Track went alongside the stream, across bridges, amid waterfalls and serene ponds. Many trees  grew on ancient kauri trees fallen on the ground. The moss tendrils grew on all branches, stones and looked like green clothing and jewellery on them all. The sun beams of the dusk reflecting off these made it look like Sun was shining green light upon the valleys and hills.The challenging set of steps made us understand that physical fitness and ability are always to be supported with equal mental strength. We reached the hut intime and were excited to learn about how it all worked. The wardens that stay for 8 days at a stretch, the bunk beds in a room that sleeps 40 each, the glass windowed minimal kitchen made us feel like kids on a school camp. The entire facility was well kept and a lot more hygienic and pleasant than what I had imagined.Common sense and basic consideration for each other was key to keep all 80 ppl happy. We made small talk with a couple of ppl and slept in early. Eager to catch the sunrise, woke up long before the alarm went off at 4:45. Carrying only breakfast, water and headtorches we started toward the pinnacle of the Pinnacles.A few guys had already made headway and we could see shiny lights in the dark night. As the light from sun started making the black around us green and grey, we sweat our way up. Climbing up dew drops covered iron rungs on vertical rock faces are definitely not for the faint hearted. The sun rise was behind clouds and the clouds kept rising and racing up as Sun came up. The entire landscape was rugged all around, tall leafless Kauri trees suffering from dieback disease, massive monolithic rocks with sharp edges. Daunting yet inviting. We headed back after a few photos, videos and such. Packed up the rest of our luggage and reached the car park n were home in a completely different world in just a matter of hours.







Cricket match:
India vs Blackcaps ODI at Tauranga was an event to go to and watch with mom and dad. This we had decided the day parents booked their tickets. Years ago, when k was a baby, we stayed awake all night and cheered and waited with bated breath as India won the world cup, went out in the early hours of the day and celebrated with bursting firecrackers. A memory so cherished that it has become synonymous with cricket for me who is not a big follower of the sport.With only 3 tickets (my idea, like y!) and drama around no accommodation thanks to the long weekend we decided to do a day trip. Cooked lunch, packed and left at 11 to navigate slowly through nightmare of traffic, we reached Tauranga at 3. It was a hot day and mom+me started feeling like we want to be with the crowd. Attempts to buy tickets were futile, so we tailgated (more ) and got into the stadium. The atmosphere was euphoric! India batting first made it interesting. We found a comfortable spot, laid out blankets and made ourselves comfortable. Watching star-like players at an arm's distance, the green grass of the ground so close by was a spectacle. At break time, K and I spent more time standing in lines for food and toilet, talking to ppl we knew etc than watching the match. As soon as the sun went down, it got really nippy! Celebrating India's win, Prash drove back all on his own. I tried to stay awake but coffee dint help and I gave into snoring. Dad kept him company and we reached home at 2 am.



In all the road trips, small or long drives, mom and dad kept narrating stories that made it interesting for us and engaging for K. Solving sudoku, word search, antakshari, memory game etc made it competitive. Munching on mom-made kobrimithai, chakli, kodbale, churmuri, avalakki, tengol, peanut laddoo, avalpuri unde we had a wonderful few weeks of togetherness that k  misses I miss dearly now.We dint put away the picnic bag for 2 months thanks to mom's enthusiasm for cooking and packing the 3 course lunches and dinners we had at list of places --- Long bay beach, Hunua Falls, Devonport, Silo park, Orewa beach, Cornwall park, Mission bay. We did a whole heap of memorable activities together in which mom, dad and k were completely absorbed :Ferry ride to the city, viewing deck atop skytower, eating ice cream at Giapo, tasty dinners at Indian restaurants, Christmas lights in the city centre, nutcracker puppet display, watching K skiing at snowplanet, visiting the zoo, volunteering at school beach day, saturday bhajanes at kannada koota, get togethers at friends' and our house, matakana farmer's market, strawberry picking and making strawberry flavour puliyogre gojju, visiting a few temples, wainomu sand dunes, celebrating Sankranti, watching NYE fireworks and harbour bridge lights, watching symphony orchestra in open air theatre, playing bingo, blokus, pictionary, innumerable stories and over a 1000 chouka-baara games.


Packing snacks for only 3 instead of 5, today we went to Iskcon for early Holi celebrations and I realised I have packed and locked away a part of myself into those suitcases that mom and dad carried back with them. A part of me that only comes alive when I am with them and makes me feel complete and happy...