Hawaii: the lava land

The picture in my head - lush, green, flowery, fruity, tropical, rainy and all that. Yes, its what I always had in my mind about Hawaii. Little did the geography lessons matter - volcanoes, lava and all that. The winter of 2015 changed it all. It started from Maui and then Big Island, it felt like the world began here and ends here too.

Big Island is an island of opposites - from the burning hot weather due to the never ending stretches of lava rocks to the pleasantly cold and lush green rain forests that appear just round the mountain corner. It was beautiful. The rainforests are a surprise in the inhabited Big Island. They seem dense and green and water flowing from heights but just around you will find homes. Yes, its inhabited. People from all over the world have also landed in this beautiful place and have started a livelihood.

This has led to Hawaii not a vast originality in its culture. The artists are from all over, the food has traces of famous world cuisines. But yes there is the aloha from Spain and the coconut to the mai tai to the pork and the representative the Hawaiian flower Lei.

The land seems vast and barren and beautiful dense and green in stretches and oh yeah, the rainbows are in plenty.

Maui is beautiful and has fewer tourists compared to Big Island. The island is like the upper half of a person if you look into the map. 

Maui has beautiful treks - Waihee on the head region of the island (north of the Iao Valley state park). Its not a tough trek (except for a short distance at the start, can get a little slippery as well). It has beautiful views and fog gets denser as you go up.

In the torso part of the island is the road to Hana. Starting at Paia (starting on Hwy 36 all the way on 360 toward Hana) to Hana and continuing further down south to Pools at ohe'o and joining hwy 31 then on to 37 to complete on whole loop. And yes, although a little tiring, it can be done. All the way its littered with beautiful beaches, waterfalls and lush green rainforest until you hit Hwy 31 post the pools at ohe'o. The road turns around the hill and there boom... its different land; the grasslands and barren hills. but still beautiful. The road is still a little rough and narrow with blind curves and lots of blind spots. Drive carefully and slowly is the mantra. 

on the road to Hana try the coconut ice cream the crisps and offcourse the banana cake... worth a try.

It's all about doing your job well

Shopping in bangalore can be an activity in itself. Consider the traffic, the parking and then entering the stores to find what you want. This is mostly about my experience picking a mixer grinder that works in the US - the 120v difference. It's not an unknown, the big showrooms are known to stock these, although the choices are fewer. Makes my life easier!

So it was the Cromas, Pai, Vivek, Giria's and the others. There were only two options for the 120V requirement. The first few stores did not have one on display and it was about going to the storage to get one, which meant had to visit them the next day. All I wanted was to see it, and considering the lack of options it was not a difficult choice. I found the stock in one store, asked them a few questions; warranty, can you just check if its working before I buy it, and what all are included in the box. The last question was easy as they opened it up and we found it out that time. But the first two question were like..not sure about warranty, if there is a problem, you can bring it back to our shop. eh? exactly the sound that came out of me. I am buying it so I can take it to the US and you tell me I should bring it back to your store on Marathahalli Outer Ring Road, Bangalore? even if i make it to bangalore airport reaching your store will keep me from wanting to get it repaired.

The second question, can you please check if its working before I buy it. boom!! They were like no, we cannot do that, we don't have the adapter. He also mentions that he has customers who have picked it up earlier and no one has got it back. haha. oh yes! no one got it back because its probably not working and ended up in their garage or the its that lucky owner for whom it worked. I did not buy it. I was just unsure and could not make up my mind to buy something that the salesman was only telling should work.

On another note, I happened to be visiting Trichy, a personal trip. As we had a few hours on hand, we decided to check the small town center there. Went through the wholesale market for onions and garlic, then the small, narrow lanes of hardware and steel utensil stores, and one small round about and that was the town. But we also heard about this one store akin to the famous Saravana's of Chennai. Mangal was the name of the store. located in a narrow market crowded, crowded lane. Had a feeling that whole of Trichy was out shopping that day.

Mangal is a four or five storey building housing all home goods. All kinda of utensils, in steel, alluminium, plastic and all that. Even an area for items required for religious rituals and beauty products. It was crowded like an annual shopping even that is only on that day. Found the mixer grinder. The lady behind the counter was as traditional as interior TN can get, the ash on her forehead, the turmeric on the face, the hair plaited. She asked if we were interested in buying and will give us the details and a demo. We just said yes. She explained everything from the manual to the power changes in India and the US, how to use the grinder, its capacity and tips for best results and how to clean it and also the discounts we can get, the freebies with it and at the end of it she said, if you want to buy it I can open a new piece and show it to you and she also said she will power it on and show us that it is in working condition. In awe of a job well done, she really knew the product she sold. A SME to say the least. No questions asked, I had nothing more to ask. She picked her power converter, connected a new grinder and showed it to us. Impressed. she was very good at her job.

Considering the crowd in the store, they had a very different billing system. You pick an item and hand it over to the billing and they hand over a colored slip with the amount and a code, you take it to the payment section and pay it, they will then handover a similar colored receipt, then you walk over to the pick up area and hand over the receipt and there you get your purchased item. All floors are are color-coded in terms of billing.

Its a crowded place but a very satisfying customer service. The other surprise, there is a Saravana stores very next door. It has around 4 floor and all the things exactly like I mentioned for Mangal. But then, literally there were only 3 people shopping in the whole store. Wonder why?

It's not about having a well organised big showroom with well dressed salespeople. But all that matters is how well you know your product.

The procession of life...

is in your eyes.
the eyes of the mind take stock of all events but scrutinize the ones that are revered by the heart. Thinking back, my tableau vivant, solely due to the fact that its etched in me and seems to be a constant mind companion. The value of whom only grows by the day. The pain of them not being around right here, right now make the memories more fond.  Don't have a day that goes by without the celebration in my head. The celebration of loss, gain, joy, loneliness and all that.

The rush in my head of the memories makes me feel the after life. is it? is it not? I wonder why. The kiss of life, the eternal sunshine in my mind, the sight of darkness and the hovering mist - the chapters of my brain are not in any order, infact just float around, pegging at times.

I often wonder if the sun shines, burns, warms, or lights up the darkness. Wonder why we are conditioned to wait for day after every night. Is it the color blue over the black or the sight blinding light sources that we have invented. I wonder what. I wonder why. The most important things are always the hardest to say. 

Life as it happens

i could juxtapose my mind and my life, happens quite often in my case, i can see it run all so smooth at times. The restricted regime of my body dosen't quite agree with this parallel though. No, it's not a problem of depression or loneliness, its a happy mind. I can run happy in my mind no matter where I am.

The memories of the past create a foundation for life. Its the strenght that adds bricks and motar as we move. The person that I am, my ability to think, decide, rationalise, be independent, get angry, cry, run, cook, talk, emote and everything else is a part of my growing up days. the shape it is gaining gains completion with life.

How does a mind work such that a gratitude is always better recognised for something after it ages. I always think i just missed the bus of thanks....Only if

Is there a thoughtful me looking over the stupid me?

Puerto Rico

Puerrrto Rrico; stress and roll the r's as much as you can. The beautiful Puerto Rico is so different from it controller nation, the US of A. From the non-English speaking, to the not so evident fast food regulars - the McDonalds, Taco Bells, the Panda Express. The territory is suprisingly low  on agriculture even around the lush rainforests!

Puerto Rico

Few pointers:

• SpanishHH. yes, make sure you have a few words you need in your kitty. Not many speak English and you'll be pleasantly surprised with how Spanish is spoken with everyone at first glance.
• Vegetarian food is far and few. If you are OK to not eat local, then there are a few subway's. But there is a veggie version of local specialities - Mofongo, Tostones (plantain chips), risotto (not found everywhere but yes it makes an appearance). 
• In the San Juan neighborhood, there are vegan options, like Ocean Park, Pura Vida, Bebo's, and in Old San Juan Cafe Berlin (priced on the higher end). For the regular veggie food there are the cheese pizzas, found at pizzerias. 
• In Vieques Trade Winds, Belly Button have some veg and vegan options too. The smaller the citi the lesser the veg food options. For example, Fajardo, but here you have McDonald, Taco Bell, Burger King and Subway.



Trade Winds in Vieques

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• Make sure you have a map of the Old San Juan before you start. Plan to walk. The streets are narrow and clogged by single lane car traffic. Donna Pella is a downtown parking lot in Old San Juan close to the ferry for parking. There are people who rule the streets around the parking lot and allow parking for a fee - park at your own risk here. 

Old San Juan on Thanksgiving day

• Note the gas stations expect payment first at the booth inside and then they enable the gas dispenser number where you can refuel.
• Make sure you check if cards are accepted before you start. This is at any place you go!
• Carry water. Not many drinking fountains around.
• GPS or maps are not very reliable. They are not updated. There were times when we found restaurants and directions and went round and round and landed at empty plots. The locals go by land marks in the city limits for directions and outside the city limits they use the mile marker.
• Ensure you are aware that both KMs and Miles as they are used without discretion. 
• Everything is marked in Spanish in majority of places

Ice Cream shop in old San Juan

• The direction boards inside buildings are very confusing. It does not always denote what you are seeing.
• There are many bakeries with sweet meats. They are not as sugar filled as in the US. 
• Be aware of your surroundings when you are in the outskirts. There are place which are sparsely inhabited and have no mobile signal. We did not have a lot of issues with AT&T; worked for most parts.
• The Kiosks at Loquillo is not a great option for vegetarian food. Even otherwise it did not impress me much. The happiest part was finding coco-frio (tender coconut). The cooling coconut water made up for the hot day. You find a lot of fried food and pork in the kiosks. The are called kiosks and they are a row of small eateries usually identified by a number.
• Make sure you book your cabs in advance. There can be delays in them arriving.
• A lot depends on the weather, the kayaking activities, the trekking the bio bay tours. THey can cancel it at the last moment if they think its not great weather (even though you think otherwise). We did not have a great experience with out Bio- Bay tour, the whole experience was just OK. 
• Bio-luminescence is an amazing thing. But its about the survival mechanism of micro-organisms that emit the light and its not something that is like an illumination in the water. 
• A few attraction around PR - Ziplining (Roqui and Jamar of yzapr are amazing guides), kayaking, trekking in the rain forest, eating mofongo, walking around, and don't forget the beaches

Sierra de Luquillo - beautiful drive up the mountain

beach at Loquillo

Ziplining in El Yunque

THE functional specification

Wonder what the requirement specification was for creating a human being. And the options for configuration. Phew one hell of a job!  

Wonder if we humans are the result of a job well done or a job gone wrong.

Can I be?

Yes, I can but won’t be allowed to. It’s a question I have always asked myself and wondered. The impossibility of the implausible hypocrisy of the religious, cultured, educated Indian is the stark reality that stands out.

We search for and create godmen. The same we go ahead and find faults in our creation. Question the sanctity of the unbelievable acts of godmanship. We pride in our ability to isolate the bad. But, all this from the same individual we catapulted to the sanctum sanctorum? The sights in life and my living is evident of the invasion of the human being by the mind of the lifeless madness.

What is life? A race towards death or the celebration of birth? We, or let me not generalise, rather say most ofus live the years with no sight of our final goal and create an expectation of endless journey.