Right or Wrong?

I have never felt so sad about doing what I perceive as the right thing for us.

This weekend we cut down a beautiful sugar maple which hovered right above our roof… In spring time with new leaves peaking through, this tree would have been the a sight to behold.. I can still remember waking to the chirping of the birds outside our bedroom window.. now I wonder if I will ever hear them again.

Practically, we did the right thing, with hurricanes getting bigger and bigger, having a huge tree above our house would be a liability we can do without.

Then why do I feel like a murderer? Why do I feel this awful sense that I have wronged ??

This is in fond memory of a tree that once was ….

An long overdue obituary

There are so many times in your life when you tend to look back at life what is past and then sigh… some of them filled with that feeling of correctness, the content … and some that of regrets.

Yes! Regrets,.. a human nature is such.. always second guessing at what may have been.. always thinking about how you missed that opportunity .. how perhaps life would have moved on a different track (not necessarily the right one but different nevertheless).

Amongst these zillion peeps down the memory lane.. I have always regretted what I think was my biggest failing ….. I have always wished I could turn the clock back on that one and do things differently.

You would understand this ache in me, if you have ever had someone you loved pass away and when you look back .. u wish you had snatch some personal moments with the loved one, before the death snatched them away!

My Favorite cousin, Suja, was always this person I loved… my fondest memory of her in sitting with her my parents room, she wearing a white nightdress my mom had given her.. me playing with her hands and telling her this movie story (excruciating and painfully detailed) which was my then favorite. She smiling, asking questions, seeming genuinely interested in listening to me .. at the end saying “I want to now see this movie, your story just mesmerized me” and me glowing with pride on having evoked the desire..

Now when I look back, I can see how kind and sweet that really was. Would I ever be able to listen to someone for more than an hour on a topic I really did not care about? And yet be so gracious and so delightful.. I am not so sure..

She was that kind of person… a nature lover… a animal activist …I sat beside her, reading books about volcanoes, and nature…she was a born story teller, could make anything sounds magical… the prettiest amongst us cousins.. she was the one with a heart I could connect with, with whom I could share my ambition of being a pilot, with whom I could talk about joining army.. with whom I could really discuss the things I really wanted to do…

As I grew up, I never loved her less, but I did not seem to spend as much time… perhaps life got in way.. and then when I was in my senior year (12^th grade) she feel sick suddenly…  she was sick for 4 days.. and I thought I would go and meet her… I kept pushing it out and by 5^th day she was gone…. Forever from our lives .. the brain fever just grasped her away.. .and I never ever got to say how much I cared, how much I loved her still.. Till the date, I feel awful about being so immersed in my teenage life.. I cry for a chance to see her smile again, to tell me go do what I want to .. alas! I never can, I never will.. and all I have of her are few memories and a wish that I was not so selfish then …

Sometimes when I am living my life now, I often find myself wondering what would she have tought of me now? Would she have liked what I have become? … I have no answer.. but just regrets.. for not having “the Suja” in my life anymore…

A Buffet Lunch @ Malabar Hills, Elmsford

A lunch with your old colleagues is always a delight.. given of course, you liked them at the first place. I meet my old colleagues once a month at restaurants around the office area. Of course, the number of folks getting together seems to be getting smaller with each meeting, some leaving for another job, some retiring.. sigh!

So  for the last few times, we have been exploring Indian restaurants nearby. Perhaps by the virtue of me being Indian, I qualify well (amongst the acquaintances) to be  “the Indian” food connoisseur.

So this time around, we ended up in Malabar Hills, Elmsford, NY.

The décor of the place is nothing extra ordinary, in fact quiet on contrary; nothing about the place stands out. Of course, while I appreciate the ease of parking (A plus in Westchester), I would not choose this place for a romantic night out with my other half.. .. but on the other hand, I think it is perfect for a lunch with colleagues or friends. 

And the food… well, let’s put it this way.. it is one of my favorite Indian restaurants in Westchester County for buffet, which is saying a lot, since I am not particularly huge fan of buffet. I have always held on to the idea that the buffet food screams of similar tasting items, lined together for the newly exploring taste buds.Yes Yes! I am biased, but there have been very few buffets which have evoked any other opinion from me.

However, at around $11 per buffet, the good thing about Malabar Hill buffet is that each item seemed to have a distinct individualism. The Sambar (and I am a stickler for this, since my mom makes the most amazing one) and the idlly, were pretty good, dosa’s not bad either. Cabbage Subzi, Cholle, Saag Paneer and Kheer which are the usual buffet items in any Indian restaurant were well made and distinct in their tastes as well. However, my favorite was perhaps the onion pakoda’s (Onion Fritters) and yes! I know fried stuff always tastes good…. However, you would be surprised how many can taste rancid if not made fresh. .

I think the buffet is reasonably priced, however, I do balk at the prices if ordering for individual dishes. I think they are  pricey, but I guess Indian food always is….!! So, if you are not an Indian, or do not make Indian food at home, and do not mind paying for dishes which you really want to choose and eat, this is a reasonably good place as any (much better than Royal Palace, Passage to India, Mughal Palace)

So, Another buffet lunch meet up in Malabar hills? Sure, bring it on, I am game!!

Leshan Gaint Buddha (A day trip from Chengdu, China)

With a claim of being the world’s biggest Stone Buddha, sitting tall at 71mts, how can one miss seeing this wonder just a few miserly hours away?

Roughly about 2.5 hrs away (100 KM) from the Chengdu City center, the Leshan Buddha makes for an easy day trip.

Build by the river banks by a monk, to calm the water “monsters” it is definitely a sight. Amongst the oldest statues in the world, this Buddha is craved onto a cliff in sitting position (perhaps to give it more support?).

There are 2 ways to seeing the Leshan Buddha,  (a) via boat, from the River (where apparently you see the most picturistic views) (b) A trek down the steep staircase, starting somewhere near the head of the Buddha to the very feet of the Giant.

We choose to trek down and were soon engulfed in the huge mass of tourists.. mostly local Chinese people, coming to see this ancient statue… As we stood in the snail paced lines, I had locals coming and asking to take pictures of me. Perhaps, they had never really seen a brown Indian Woman…. Nevertheless it was a great way to pass time: Taking pictures with dozens of Chinese locals, none of who spoke English.. posing and smiling with each of them, trying to interact using signs …

And as we walked along the queue, we realized, that perhaps, just perhaps, China does not understand the concept of queue and waiting to take your turn very well.. we had some pushing, shoving, trying to get ahead sort of people.. and eventually, we decided to form a human wall of 3 , which could not be crossed .. and that worked really well..!!

I had a woman behind me, probably angry, trying to shove her way through… almost shouting .. . but since I do not not understand Chinese, and she could not speak English…and frankly since there was no emergency… we learned to ignore her and she us …

And soon as we reached the bottom, near the foot of the Buddha.. she rushed past us and looked as us with a total look of victory!! Sweet! No words were needed to translate that to us !

From the foot of the Buddha as you gaze up.. u realize just how tiny you really are and how perhaps insignificant you stand in this world …. Was I awed? No.. but I was impressed, by the sheer size of it, by the sheer age of it and by the sheer effort it must have taken to build at that age and that time (803AD) ….

The long trek down to the Buddha

At the foot of the Buddha.. a then we Gaze up.. behold the biggest Buddha of them all !!

At 90 RMB, the tickets were not exactly cheap, and for those with small kids, consider taking the river boat rather than the trek down to the Buddha foot.. However, it is definitely a sight to see near Chengdu and well worth a day trip…

A first: Venturing into China as a tourist for the weekend

I will start with this disclaimer “I do not know a word of Chinese” and traveling in China without a Chinese speaking native seemed like a huge challenge.

However, with a weekend in between the meetings, it seemed like a waste of time in a country of such depth and culture like China, to not explore. So here I was with a few of my colleagues (who I had managed to convince) all set to sightseeing.

Now there were two main issues to be resolved, where should we go and how? The where part was easy.. Leshan Buddha, Panda Park and Local Market, seemed the right amount of things to do at the right pace…why would I miss out on seeing the world's biggest Buddha and the world's cutest living slobs! Yay! the agenda seemed right.. 

Now the biggest question for non native, non-chinese speaking folks is "how to see the sights at your pace, all by yourself". Well, turns out when you work with China team, it can be resolved rather simply (I call it cheating.. but hey! whatever it takes)... I simply asked one of our Chinese colleagues to help book a air conditioned taxi for us.. and one lesson I learned while she was booking our Taxi was “always haggle in China” . It was pretty amazing how well that worked… the price started from 1200RMB and ended at 340RMB … So, if in China, haggle away!!

Armed with a few English to Chinese translations (thanks to our Hotel concierge, I was all set with most important things like “Toilet”, “How Much”, “What Time” etc.. you get the flow… ) I was ready to see the sights..

The driver was amazing.. did not speak much, spoke no english, did not play Chinese music.. just drove at an even pace (probably slow for China) and the whole trip was a breeze.

We spend 9 hours with him and he waited for us patiently at each spot and took us from one place to another, all our communication was done via sign language and at the end of the day the total cost of the taxi, gas, driver’s food was just 650RMB.. Not bad for a private tour, done at your own pace.. with the cost being shared equally amongst the 3 people.. it was barely a burp..I would do it again in a heartbeat..

The bottom line, traveling in China can be reasonably cheap, provided you have haggled the right way and have some good references..

For timebeing, after my first taste of China as a tourist... I am dying to explore China at leisure with my other half and the baby….. it should be fun…

A day with Panda’s (@ Chengdu China Giant Panda Breeding Base)

A weekend in Chengdu, thanks to some extended client meetings now allows me to vouch for the fact that “Panda’s are really the most adorable, cutest slobs you can ever see”. Their black and white fur, tinted with brown dust makes them definitely one of the most photogenic bears around the world. Albeit, note that the  word “bear” can be held debatable, they apparently  also classify as belonging to Raccoon family. However, I think bear sounds much more huggable that raccoons, so I choose to use the bear classification.

At 60RMB (approx $10) the entrance tickets are rather affordable. We choose to just walk around the park, rather than take the trams provided. Armed with the panda park map, available the ticket center, we set out gaping and looking at these near extinct animals. A true bamboo lover, these panda’s do actually survive on the nutrient deficient bamboo alone, with a capacity to gain up to 350 pounds.

These Panda’s are not really “wild” per say.. but I cannot imagine them being very quick in wilderness either.. the calmness which surrounds them and the zest with which they eat those bamboo sticks can be defined in one single word : “ZEN”… truly asian..

Apparently, all the white Panda’s worldwide are Chinese property.. I like to call them “Chinese Citizens” (Ahem!!) , sounds much more dignified don’t ya think?. …and boy! Are these citizens treated well.. 200 acres devoted to their preservation effort, huge open enclosures, devoted cleaners, unlimited bamboo supply.. these Panda’s seem to be doing well. Yes, definitely much better than that in zoo!

And Whilst I forget, you can actually hold the Panda’s, but of course, as is with everything, it comes with a nice sizable price tag attached to it. At about 1000RMB, holding the Panda is not exactly cheap and I decided to savor the cuteness from afar with no regrets.

Towards the end of our visit, we bought a few “gifts” from the official store at the entrance of the park and as we walked outside saw a whole bunch of stalls with “panda” items selling for much cheaper prices right outside.. well, since China does not really have a “return goods” policy, we had to make do with what we bought… but perhaps next time I will be smarter..

At the end of it all, I have to admit the white ones are the ones who evoked a lot of “ohh !! ahhhs” from. me. The red, while cute in their own rights, nevertheless paled in the “cuteness meter” next to the white Panda’s. Well, who can deny “Po” is much more adorable than “Shifu”  in Ku Fu Panda.. now I know why!!

Being You: The everchanging defination

A relationship is a funny thing.. in some ways it defines the very meaning of being you and in some it changes so many things that there is essentially a new you. Whether you like the new persona that you now are is a question you strive you answer.. sometimes the changes is like wave .. it just happens naturally and sometimes it is like a bend around the road, which you have to take…

A mom, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend….all very important relationships and all influencing the very core of being you… . An introspection at those rare silent moments makes you startle at this person you have become along the way.. so many things new which were not there earlier.. some good and some bad…

The bad are the ones which make you wonder how you got there and what made you make those decisions… some regrets ? yes, perhaps, but you move on.. you shrug away those .. decide to make a change (whether you do or not is another question) and force your thoughts away from this haunting new/disturbing  piece of you…

And it is then, you think to yourself.. “perhaps, just perhaps, there are still pieces of me, which are truly me.. good pieces of me.. totally undiluted, un-influence able, and still fillled with hope/lust/love ”

Kindle : A travel Companion

I get to catch up on my reading while traveling and it is one of the few pleasures of a business travel I have come to enjoy. By far, kindle is my favorite electronic gadget and I find myself immersed in the world of words.

Ipad lovers would beg to differ and of course their claims that Ipad can do so much more is so true.. however, the beauty of Kindle is simply that.. you can read without distractions !!! Immerse yourself in the kaleidoscope of words… build your own world, where letters rule and make your own kingdom, let the words take hold of your imagination and let the magic work. …. Kindle is a definite hand baggage must have for me!

The Bookseller's Sonnets: A Book Review

As I started reading the book, I did not remember anything from the cover.. I had no idea what the book was about or what to expect. I just assumed from the title that it was something to do with middle east.. perhaps hoping for an Iranian flavor somewhere ..

Boy was I wrong!! As I read through the pages, it became evident, it was anything but middle eastern.. the completely fictional story takes place in post sept 11 timeframe.. exploring the complex world of a jewesh curator of Holocaust Museum in Manhattan.  As you get through the first chapter, you think you know the theme .. ah! A love story about a jewish woman with orthodox background in love with a non Jewish American.. and then! the plot manages to surprise you.. in comes that mystery book, from an aynamous person…. And a story within a story begins to unravel. It weaves a complex yet fine thread of pain, joy, love and suffering. The forbidden love between the catholic and a jew in Tudor times and the pain and suffering of holocaust…. just keeps you tied in.

Predictable? Yes perhaps, but the story is told in a rather engaging manner… when a new born had to be killed to protect the family from Nazi’s I found my eyes fill up , just imagining the horror of killing ur own child made my heart ache.. the inner agony of the main character, the Jewish curator to come clean about her relationship with her family… had your understanding…

To be warned, the ending of the book, is along the expected lines, however, there is something to be said of the expected.. sometimes the expected can give you as much pleasure as the expected.

A definite one on my list.

Kindle: A love Story

Yes! I admit it.. I am a kindle lover!!! 

And  this was no easy transition… A vivid reader, I have always felt the need to hold, smell and turn those pages.. Initially I could not wrap my brain around having a electronic format of book .. it seemed just too weird not to turn the page .. or to be able to jump ahead, read a few lines and jump back to recall something..

And then Kindle happened!! A gift from my husband, I threaded cautiously.. I felt the weight of the reader, I downloaded a few books from Amazon and I just gave it a try… And much to my surprise, I actually found myself liking whole experience!! I could easily hold the reader with one hand, slip it into my purse/laptop bag without adding extra weight, could read without my eyes getting tired…..  Soon  I found myself reading all the time.. while feeding the baby, in restroom .. while sitting in passenger end of the car, while flyin.. oh yeah I was hooked…..

Oh yeah Kindle is my current fav. Electronic gadget (yeah even after having it for nearly 2 years now) …. And my dearest travel companion!! Love Love Love  Kindle!

A first tryst with Gardening

Back at home, while we were growing up, we lived in a pseudo farm house, where my mom was deeply involved with Gardening and all things associated. We got most of our veggies from the garden and our lawn – Oh! it was so lush, green, filled with flowering plants... an paradise onto itself.

However, looking back, I realize that though I savored in the benefits of having a mom with green thumb rather readily, I myself never took to playing around in the mud, planting or growing those every so amazing flowers.

Nahh! A typical teen, I just enjoyed myself without a thought at the hard work behind it.

Now, looking at the sorry state of our new digs, we decided to do something about it. So off, we went to HOME DEPOT, our current favorite store and had a discussion with one of the lawn experts there. The net result: Acknowledgement that our lawn probably needs a lotta TLC this year without receiving the benefits of the basking in green.

We are now proud owners of a spreader, pruning scissors, garden rake and a bag of deweeder plus fertilizer.

Armed with these, we decided to physically dig out some of the Dandelions, chickweeds, before we use the de-weeder and fertilizer.. so off we went digging, me with my hat, S with his cap… and R (our 1 year old) walking/falling/ohhing/ahhing along our side.

And then came the turn of pruning, my mom (who is here with us for a few days) showed us how to prune.. so click click click went our pruning scissors . and by 4 pm in evening, we had just finished pruning the plants at one end of the house.. the other 3 sides still remained. But gosh, the side where we worked, did look much better than when we started on it… worth the effort we spend there. Makes me actually look forward to next weekend, when we finally put in de-weeder on the lawn and prune rest of the plants around the house.

So herez to the first step in many more to come : our first day at Gardening, 4/15/2012

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Vs IPad 2

I am in the process of buying my mom a tablet. And her requirements are rather simple: Ability to browse, download pictures from emails and camera, do simple picture manipulations, skype, Google video chat, watch videos, WiFi.

Given the price tag of $499 for the new IPAD (ipad 3?), and that the key difference between the two versions being the retina display, I think that IPAD 2 at $399 may actually be a good option for her.

However, the fact that you still can't remove the battery, there's no HDMI out port, and no expanding the storage with an SD card, makes Galaxy Tab 10.1 very tempting. The built in stereo system, in build GPS, most importantly the easy transfer of data between SD card and windows PC makes Galaxy very attractive for the given needs

I will be the first to admit, I am not tab junkie, I have very little knowledge when it comes to tab. I use Kindle (and AHEM! Love it! .. ) and for mail etc, use my laptop or my phone (an Android based one).. so perhaps my confusion stems from the fact that I hardly have used IPAD/IPhone the way it ought to be .. real extensively.. my limited experience with these devices have been for listening to music, browsing.. which I think I can do as effectively else where in android based application.

And of course the price parity does nothing— the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and iPad 2 each cost $400 (as of March 2012) — and hence the additional dilemma.

But again, the fact that half the world and one very good friend of mine, Kanishk, is such a HUGE fan of IPAD leads me to lean a bit towards the IPAD.

Well, the conflict is on.. at this point the scores are as follows:

Galaxy tab : 1 / Ipad 2: 1.25

UPDATE: Based on further analysis and a strong recommendation from my friend Kanishk just ordered the IPAD.. . now waiting to see my mom's reaction to it

Blog revival

I have been thinking on and off about reviving this blog, it has been dead for a while with a post or two in between.

I struggled with this internally, and had to battle with the thought of no one reading the blog ! I found myself constantly pining to pen down those thoughts and struggled with possibility that I would find no one interested in it to read these thoughts, comment…. . form a comradeship based on these random ramblings.

Finally I looked real deep and went back to the roots of my reason for blogging .. and poof! It struck me hard that this was supposed to “MY Medium” for sorting/thinking/writing down things which matter.. my introspection, my view point..

And just like that, I had made the decision… to move forward, to let my doubts lie and start again on this journey, let the words flow and let them talk …

So with a bang, here I am declaring to world “YES, THIS BLOG IS ALIVE” .. KICKING and ready to go… here I am writing again! Yay!

Herez to a new start! Cheers!!!!

Genghis: Birth of an Empire

Just finished reading this book and I have to admit though not transfixing... it was certainly entertaining...

Being a total history buff, I tend more towards reading historically based novels.... it feeds my travel hungry soul!

The book gives an excellent description of the Mongolian landscape and the hardships places by the wandering tribes... I could almost imagine myself in the place. Though some of the historical facts have been tweaked a bit to make the novel interesting, it seems to stick to the essence of the "dreaded Khan"... I think the novel manages to be illuminating while being entertaining...

You find your heart going out and rooting for young Temujin (the future Genghis Khan) when he and his family are left to fend for themselves in the harsh Mongolian plains.. you cannot help but admire the feistiness of the mother, Houlen who manages to keep the young kids alive through the winter at sub zero temperatures with no roof on the head...

I, for one will definitely read the next in the series, Bones of the hills....

The characteristics of an ideal, perfect Tava Roti (Indian Bread)

Yes, I can make one… from a scratch. Well, being an Indian, it is nothing really to boast about and frankly, it is probably a very easy task. However, making a simple Roti is probably easy, but making a perfect one is a totally different story!

So to begin with the question is how do you make the Roti??

The recipe is as simple as it gets. All you need is (a) 2 cups of atta (wheat flour) (b) ¾ cup of water (c) a pinch of salt. Mix all these ingredients together in a bowl and knead it to make smooth dough.

You then form small lemon sized dough rounds and flatten each one to around 8 inch diameter using a rolling pin. Finally you cook this evenly on both sides on a skillet (or as Indian’s would say “Tava”). Your roti is now ready to eat !

Sounds easy enough eh? But to get an “perfect” roti, is an art in itself. A “perfect” roti has to be “perfectly round” and soft enough to melt while you eat with that “Hot curry”.

Alas. Therein lies the issue… first you need to mix the dough just right, if you over knead it you end up with “ultra hard cracker-style” rotis… if you mix it too loose.. it’s a pain to roll. After many attempts and a few dirty looks from my hubby about having to eat my creations, I think I have finally got the initial art of mixing the dough just right.

But my attempts at making those perfectly round “circular, even radii” roti’s has been a total disaster. I can proudly state that I can make all the shapes and sizes of the roti… will all, except for the round shape. of the various countries (of course, that is not by any design), but try as I may there is no way I can get a round one.

Trust me I have tried and tried… very diligently too! But after trying all I can, the art of making those perfect “coveted” round rotis totally escapes me.

So, I have a solution for when I make roti’s for some one else other than hubby and me… I call it “the knife carving method of making rotis”. Roll your dough out, don’t worry about the shape and then take a round lid , place it on top of the rolled dough and use knife to cut the extras. VOILA… you now have a perfectly round roti’s…

Some may call it cheating.. but I call it the art of knife carving roti.... works for me (Totally!)

Why I love Spring: Top 10 reasons

1. It comes right after the dreaded “winter”
2. It brings a "spring" to my step.
3. No more snow to shovel (Totally love the fact !! )
4. The chirping of birds outside my window (I wanna chrip too) .
5. The feel the sun on the face (right in sync with my Indian sensibilities)
6. The cool wind on my face while biking (Feel like singing aloud sometimes)
7. Walking amidst the greenery makes heart pump stronger (or so I suppose).
8. Longer days (Ah! the charm of illusion of more time.... )
9. I get to wear finally wear dresses, skirts and sleeveless tops. (Yay! )
10. Most importantly, It makes me Smile (pointlessly).

Expansion of the off-shore oil drilling... where are we headed...?

I have to admit I am a little disappointed with the new approach Obama administration is taking towards the offshore oil drilling. The fact that now the previously restricted portions of Atlantic and gulf of Mexico will soon be a oil and gas drilling field, makes me think of the numerous fauna and flora which will cease to exist.


Yes, I agree that with the new technological advances the oil spills, once rampant, are a vague (very vague) possibility. But, at the same time, it is essential for us to focus very heavily on developing other oil-substituting resources. Personally, I feel, that an increase in off shore oil drilling, will just encourage the folks to extend the timeline for maturity of the other natural resources.


It is a pity, that when Saudi Arabia and other rich oil producing countries are focusing on developing solar and other renewable energy sources, Kudos is being given to the new expansion plans for offshore drilling. I am not saying that solar is the way to go, but I am surely saying that there are other resources out there (perhaps natural gas, wind energy etc) which need belief and a need of urgency to actually meet its true potential.


It has oft been told "Necessity is the mother of all inventions"... so if we don't make the need essential and an necessity, the inventions will happen.. but eventually......and slowly.. ... perhaps too slowly !!


Think about that!

9/5: A note , Venice

I had some of my best Italian food today in Venice.. Ah! That Pizza with fresh tomatoes and onions was something truly to experience.

With my "extra retarded" knife and fork skills, I had my gallant husband come to my rescue. With that custom cut Pizza I could finally savor each bite.

The pesto Spaghetti dinner with a ultra YUM Tiramisu gelato.... makes me want some more...

I think I am going to like Italy.......

Glimpses of Venices

The famous Rialto Bridge

The First view of Venice from the Rialto Bridge.. SIGH SIGH

9/5: Our First Day in Italy: Venice

Being seated in the center seat in the airplane has some disadvantages, the chief amongst them being unable to get a clear glimpse of Italy from air. However, being an Indian, a race with a reputation of making things work, I was able to, by craning my neck a lil' get my first glimpse of Italian mountains (Dolomite perhaps?), which I have to admit did not awe me! Blame it on the Peruvian Andes which I saw last year. However, given the fact that my view was not really the best, I decided to let the first impressions rest.. atleast a lil' while longer!!

Armed with a bus and water taxi tickets, we were all set to begin our Italian adventure in the fabled “lovers paradise: Venice”

And lo! Venice, with wide canals (which BTW were much larger than I had imagined), throngs of people, water taxis jutting by, this place had certainly earned itz reputation of being unique. Sitting on the front row in the water taxi, I could not complain about the view. I was all set to fall for Venice, even a much colder Venice than I expected!

After depositing out bags in Hotel Bernadi we wandered, hand in hand, onto the narrow streets and up to the Rialto Bridge. From atop the Bridge, you get what some may call “A picture Perfect Venice”. The blue gondola's sailing along makes you sigh and as you seek that comfortable shoulder next to you.. you just know that you will love Italy....