Wednesday, June 10, 2009

CA - LA times

Day 2 : S, B and I went for boating in a beautiful lake near S's home. I was shivering in the beginning, but slowly eased into it. I also pedaled the boat - it is a big achievement for me considering how 'adventurous' I am. We discussed some interesting topics as we cruised in the water. After that we went for biking. That is the only sport (is it a sport?) that I enjoy. I went two rounds in the bike trail. It was a beautiful place and it was such a refreshing journey.

Afternoon, we three met K at Saravana Bhavan. Yummy South Indian food!

In a shopping complex, I see this girl who looks like M - from far away! We stopped the car and I followed this girl with a baby in her hand hoping that she should be M. She was inside PlayGym and I kind of took the risk and approached her! It was indeed M! It was a pleasant surprise to run into an old friend in a shopping complex like this.

That evening we gathered at V's place - had a nice dinner catered from Spice Hut. Yummy Appams and Idiappams!. We all played Dumb Charades. This game never fails to entertain any group! Boys Vs Girls - and girls won hands down! I am sure none of the boys will read this post , so I can claim whatever I want here!

Day 3 : Met my cousin Anna and family after 8 years. We chatted with them through home cooked meals by Akka. After the meal, B and I set out on our long drive to LA. Reached around 8.30. Had a quick meeting with the tired looking bride. B and I had a peaceful dinner at Olive Garden. The conversation with the handsome chef post-dinner was also interesting. He has finished his Bachelor's and is going to start Master's. He is also acting in some movies (LA's Hollywood influences!) . May be, some day he will become a movie star and we could say "Hey, I know this guy"!

Day 4: Wedding was in the evening. We ran some errands for the wedding. We went to church with bride and groom. The Cathedral style church atmosphere and their songs and wedding mood made me emotional. We had lunch with bride's relatives. It was little uncomfortable to begin with, but eventually through the evening, B and I were joking to her uncles and aunts. It was a nice experience meeting different people and chatting with them during the wedding and the reception. It was a beautiful location - a cliff facing the ocean and I again became emotional to see the wedding of our sisterly friend!

Day 5: B and I went to Redonda Beach, killed time in a local mall and boarded the flight.

Back home! It was nice to get back and hug N and N. Home is such a beautiful place and you long to get back there. Being away from home is a welcome change which makes you appreciate both - time away from home and HOME itself. It was a really enjoyable trip and a great change!

13 comments:

Laksh said...

Nice!! sounds like a nice relaxing trip. Glad you had a good break.

shy said...

hey anamika that was an excellent round up. thanks for sharing. I loved the the last few sentences as much as the whole trip itself. hope you have recovred from the jetlag

Unknown said...

Me too, liked the last paragraph. Glad you had a lovely trip.

Anonymous said...

Never thought meeting different alphabets could be this fun :P

Anya Padyam said...

Welcome back! :) sounds like you had a great time!! that's good - a well reserved break to recharge!

what's new?

anamika said...

@Laksh - yes, it was, thanks!
@Shy - Hehe, I am happy to read your comment. The last few lines were the philosophical 'pearls', na! Slept one whole day back home and I recovered from jetlag!

@Suman - thanks, Suman!

@diffdrummer - oh wow, a comment from you! Ya, even I was wondering there were so many letters in my post!

@JS - thanks! well reserved alla penne, well deserved! Wake up,,hehe..just kidding! Never leave a chance to tease anyone!

Anya Padyam said...

hehehe; phone-il type cheyaan ithu vare not comfortable! :)
Ok ok well deserved!;)

Anya Padyam said...

hehehe; phone-il type cheyaan ithu vare not comfortable! :)
Ok ok well deserved!;)

Anonymous said...

M is also sooo happy to meet you so unexpectedly. Never imagined a chore trip to gym class would turn out so pleasantly surprising:) Hats off to you for recognizing someone from decade & more ago.

anamika said...

@M - what a surprise! Thrilled to see your comment here! Hats off to you for looking just the same after a decade and 2 kids!

UL said...

i loved that chance meet up with your friend...the world is such a small place is it not? And good thing you followed her to find out...that sounds so much fun...

Anonymous said...

And you too haven't changed a bit after all these years & 2 kids:) I could have recognized you too from any place on the road!

Sunitha said...

Loved the post.