Two and half days in Arizona

Until almost 4 years ago, Arizona, Washington, Minnesota, Nevada or even Florida (and more..) were just some names of mildly familiar states of the US! It was only after I started traveling in the country that the giant puzzle of what's what and what's where began to unravel on its own!

With another long weekend on the anvil, we got cracking on our vacation planning. After much brainstorming over 3 way conference calls, we agreed on Lake Tahoe, but a few days later we had to rethink our plans due to adverse weather conditions up in California. We weren't ready to face snow on this mini-vacay.  We decided to drive to our neighbors in Arizona and discover the marvels at Sedona and Flagstaff. Boom. Our last minute change in plan did not leave us with the luxury of planning our ‘sorties’ ahead of time and we were in a ‘go figure’ kind of situation which, I must say, was fun! Barring the excruciatingly long drive from LA to Flagstaff, Arizona pleasantly surprised me with its breathtaking landscapes, natural beauty and tales of history. The state is laden with history being home to numerous Native American tribes.

The first day of our trip was Christmas day (and an extremely cold and snowy one) therefore many national parks and spots remained closed but that did not put a damper on our enthusiasm. We headed straight to Walnut Canyon National monument and stealthily entered the area while ‘no entry’ signs flashed into our faces. I experienced the first snowfall of my life although I have played with snow before. We spotted some old ruins and cave dwellings.

Outside Walnut Canyon 

It was a long drive back to the city. With snowfall and a biting cold, some hot spicy Indian food was in order. I was excited like a kid in a candy store to find my favorite veggie momos on the menu of the Nepalese restaurant we decided to dine at. The following day, we went down to explore Sedona. We were quite fascinated at the contrast between Sedona & Flagstaff which are not that far away from each other! Majestic pink rock formations welcomed us. With a brief stretch break in its charming artsy downtown, we headed straight to the Red Rock State Park.  

Bell Rock

It was a beautiful day with a nip in the air punctuated by abundant sunlight. I love such days. We got our hiking gear on and chose a couple trails to get the heart-rate pumping. The overlooks gave beautiful views of the rocks. A true riot of colors and a medley of shapes. Piping hot chili and sandwiches were ordered to satiate our hunger post hike. The temperature started to drop later in the afternoon but we still managed to catch quick glimpses of the Bell Rock and Cathedral Rock. We spent the rest of the evening downtown looking at local art and craft.

View - Hike - Red Rock State Park

Our wanderlust reached another level when my friend dropped the pin on Wupatki National monument situated not too far from the Flagstaff city center. The drive to these historical ruins was spectacular with stunning views of partially snow-capped San Francisco Peaks. It felt like we were turning pages of a historical novel while gazing at the vast expanse of citadel pueblos, Lumaki and Box Cox Canyon ruins. Far off at the horizon were splatters of pinkish-yellow hues which was the Grand Canyon! We went further inside the ruins to the main Wupatki National monument’s offices soon after to open another treasure trove of history! What we saw was remarkable. We saw well-preserved settlements of over 800 years. A sense of discovery gripped us. I can jolly-well say that this was the highlight of our trip.

Wupatki Ruins

It was early afternoon and almost time for us to drive back home. We made a quick stop at the Sunset Crater National monument for some pictures. The drive back did not seem too long after all. Driving at sundown is beautiful, as always… to many more such trips together!

I missed a train

I think of adding content to my blog every day. It's a promise I never fulfill. But I knew that I would write sometime spontaneously and surprise myself! There I go…Missed the first train of my lifetime. Two fat hours to go and there is not dearth of things that I think I can accomplish.

In hindsight I think that missing a train, flight or a bus is not such a bad thing unless your travel is linked to a life altering event. I actually get 2 full hours to myself thinking of how the day went, what’s pending and ruminate a bit over where my life’s headed and most interestingly just watch people. As a social scientist, I take immense pleasure in watching people, their body language, trade smiles .. I try and build a story around them. Los Angeles is such a melting pot that wherever I am I always have different cultures, costumes and mannerisms to assess. I can never get bored of just observing people!

He who made my Cafe latte

Starbucks with free internet has been a blessing to mankind. Get a tall latte easy foam for $4 and enjoy free internet access for a lifetime! They don’t bother you to leave the place. Hubby must have called me 5 times after I communicated the bad news of having missed the train. He is fretting over the fact I could be sad or bored. But little does he know that I am quite relishing the 2 hours of mental stretch break.

I intend to work on my thesis this weekend but I could jolly well start now. It’s indeed a great time to know how I want to formulate the book and who I want to write to for guidance. I love writing formal corporate emails or reports. My cyber networking skills are so active right now that I have some fabulous ideas of who I want to connect with to get some striking inputs for my thesis on social media.

Self pic @ Starbucks

I just have one hour to go to board the train. The wait is really not that bad.

Be there or be square: An unforgettable wine trail

These have been long pending “self-commitments” that were accomplished more or less at the same time! I finally created my weblog and paid a visit to the Sula vineyards of Nasik.

I am not too sure if you share the same sentiment, but I was impressed to see what I did! The winery is top! It is spacious, clean, well designed and classy. The forthcoming staff of Sula vineyards organized a crisp and snappy visit of the winery followed by an elaborate wine tasting session. The fruity and honey-like taste of Chenin Blanc is still lingering somewhere inside my mouth. We even tasted their new matured red, Dindori Reseve Shiraz. If I were to put it my way then it was comme ci comme ca…!
We started off with the sparkling blush. Trust me its pale pink colour and glint will remind you of Penelop Cruz in the recent L’Oreal TV commercial! I quite liked the late harvest desert wine and loved the idea of complementing my desserts with it.

Though it was time for lunch, we decided to take a little stretch break at the winery itself before heading to the recently opened Little Italy restaurant and ordered for some Chenin Blanc with a cheese platter. The silence of the vineyards and the relaxed airs helped us come over our fatigue, (we drove 4 hours from Mumbai to Nasik). We realized that the wine was settling in well when we heard the gradually ascending sound of our chiming laughter..

The interiors are again stunning! We were welcomed by a string of wine bottles suspended from the ceiling of the restaurant. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that the restaurant now served a non-vegetarian menu. We chose a table facing the Sula amphitheatre. We were not ready to give up on Chenin Blanc; and another bottle was ordered along with thin crust pizza, pasta arabiatta, a chicken starter and fuseli in cheese, and spinach sauce. Since we all believed in striking a balance in life, striking a balance of taste was not exception to this rule! Tiramisu and chocolate brownie for dessert gave us the required shot of glucose! The restaurant is surrounded by manicured verdant lawns which were so inviting. The thought of a power siesta crossed our minds but it was also time for us to start for Mumbai.

We landed up at the winery again to take back some so called tangible memories of the visit. Apart from premium wines, I bought back a Dia, a low alcohol wine meant to target the women drinkers!! It’s very strange but true; we got very attached to this place and my meandering mind is still trying to understand why??!! Well, I think I need to go back to Sula to get some answers….