River Walk at San Antonio

River walk at San Antonio is a exciting place to visit. Its situated at the downtown itself , These are pavements across a river stream several miles long. On both sides of the stream there are several restaurants and street shops where you can buy memorable goodies. I started from the entry point to the river walk which is near the Alamo( a historic place depicting the wars and clashes which happened in the region centuries back).  Ripley's believe it or not museum is also nearby which is worth visiting. You can buy tickets to the Ripleys museum ,the 4D theater and Louis Tussauds wax museum  together for 30$ per person.  If you dont want to walk thru miles long  pavement  there is boat service which takes to the main part of the riverwalk the guides are very knowledge of the area and often can explain about the history of the most of the spots on the way . You can easily spend one day , without getting bored.

Champain County Forest Preserves, illinois

Glacier National Park, Mountana, US

​ I decided to visit Glacier National park as some of my friends told me that it’s a beautiful place​. As beauty can be a relative team​,​ I was skeptic initially, especially because I had already visited so many National Parks in US​ and some of the the mountainous national parks have similar looks, but to my surprise my friends were true. Although its mountainous, Glacier National park is surrounded by huge water bod​y​ which makes it very different from others. Although most of the Glaciers had disappeared by now some of them still remain and in another 30 years all will disappear, but it’s not only about Glaciers ! As we had gone a long weekend and room booking where done late, it was hard to get bookings in any of the hotels in the National Park area. So I booked a hotel near the nearby city Kalispel, MT. The ride thru vast Montana state itself is an enchanting experience. It’s almost two to eight hours ride from Kalispel via western entrance of Glacier national park to the eastern entrance of the park which takes you to the city of Browning. The entire way is a part of the highway system 2 of Montana. There are plenty of spots nearby to stop and watch. But most time consuming once are the hikes. There are long and short hikes through​ ​out. So you need to consider your hiking needs if you plan to go for one. There are hikes of moderate to hard difficulty.

Silver Falls State Park , OR

If you love waterfalls this is the place to be. You would have seen lot of waterfalls but this is quite different from others. There are miles long trials and some of them are not family friendly and its a quite a bit of walk. The waterfalls are such you can get to the back of the waterfalls as you walk. giving a spectacular view.

You can have a barbeque in the silver state falls park. This is mostly a one to two three day affair based on where all you want to visit. Go on a summer day otherwise trekking can be difficult because most of the trekking , hiking path are non paved. But there are several waterfalls of different varieties and varying sizes.

This is one and a half hour drive from Portland city.

Multonmah Falls, Oregon

Mutltonmah Falls is divided into two falls. The upper falls of 542 feet (165 m) and a lower falls of 69 feet (21 m ). The lower falls is easy to reach as its very near to the road access. Parking lots are on the both sides of the road and after parking there one can reach the lower falls within 10 minutes walk. The upper falls there are steps to take which could be a little burden for physically challenged. Both the falls are awesome and is a feast to the eyes. The height from which water falls is something very different compared to the other falls you see. The volume of the fall is not that great, but its the height that makes this fall unique. For those who want to take the full hike there is 2 mile hike up the mountain, its challenging but you can watch the falls from the top of the mountain. Outside the falls in the entrance you can see a gift shop where you can buy a souvenir for your visit. There are small coffee shops and eateries at the entrance.

Cannon Beach, Oregon

Canon beach is the Clatsop county of Oregon state. Canon beach is kind of different from other beaches you see, because this has got rock like structures adding beauty to the beach. Its almost one and a half hour distance from Portland, which is one of the biggest city in the state of Oregon.

More information here : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannon_Beach,_Oregon

Its important to visit the place during summer season and also when there is warm weather. The water in the beach is extremely cold during winter season. So many motels, hotels and restaurants are surrounding the area so there are plenty of options in those if you plan to stay.  The drive thru Ecola state park is reminiscent of tropical forest. Its covered with a blanket of greenery even sunlight finds difficult to reach the ground. There is small fee to enter to the park and there are mainly two entrances towards the beach. The beach is famous for the Haystack rock which is a landmark of the beach.

Mount Hood, Oregon

Mount hood is a potentially active volcano. It is located about 50 miles (80 km) east-southeast of Portland, OR. The altitude of this mountain is around 11,249 feet (3,429 m). The whole surrounding region and the valleys of the mountain is extremely beautiful. There are several water falls nearby (like the Multonmah falls) which itself takes couple of hours to watch. Our intention was not to hike the mountain so most of the time we where near the road or watching the spots by stopping our car on parking lots nearby. The mountain ranges are surrounded by skiing areas. In one version of the legend, the two sons of the Great Spirit Sahale fell in love with the beautiful maiden Loowit, who could not decide which to choose. The two braves, Wy'east and Klickitat, burned forests and villages in their battle over her. Sahale became enraged and smote the three lovers. Seeing what he had done, he erected three mountain peaks to mark where each fell. He made beautiful Mount St. Helens for Loowit, proud and erect Mount Hood for Wy'east, and the somber Mount Adams for the mourning Klickitat.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Yellowstone national park is one of the geological wonders that exist in earth.  Yellowstone Lake is one of the largest high-altitude lakes in North America and is centered over the Yellowstone Caldera, the largest super volcano on the continent. The caldera is considered an active volcano. It has erupted with tremendous force several times in the last two million years. Half of the world's geothermal features are in Yellowstone, fueled by this ongoing volcanism. Yellowstone National Park spans an area of 3,468.4 square miles (8,983 km2)

Seattle to Yellowstone (12 hours by car)



The park engulfs the Yellowstone Lake. We were traveling from Seattle to Yellowstone. So we crossed the states of Idaho and Montana and stayed at Wyoming, Montana which is a border township of Wyoming Montana border. We spent almost two days at the Yellowstone national park. The park had got several entrances. This one is the west entrance. First day we covered the Grand Canyon, Lamar Valley, Lower and Upper falls, Great fountain Geyser, Old faithful etc. The park consists of Bison's and several other wild animals.Second day mainly focused on visiting the volcanic activity basins. Norris Geyser Basin, Biscuit basin etc. Finally we exited thru the North entrance after visiting the Mammoth Hot Springs.

This would be the one among the must visit places if you are coming to north america for a visit. 

Lulu mall, Kochi, Kerala, India

Lulu mall,  Kochi is one of the largest malls in India. The mall contains general shopping area with most of the renowned brands having outlets in it, a children's play area, a ice skating rink, a small bowling alley and a food court. The sheer size of the mall is astounding. Lulu itself runs general grocery store, electronic item store, clothing , jewelry store etc. Its a one stop shop for all your purchasing needs. The Parking area is large enough to accommodate the crowd.

Key factor which differentiates Lulu mall is the children's play area. A large portion is left out for this. Most malls don't have as many play items in the play area like Lulu has. Lulu general store is also one of a kind and you get lot of variety for general grocery merchandise.

But I doubt if its the largest in India or Asia as some people claim. May be there is some criteria in which its treated as no 1. You could easily find several bigger malls than this around the world. Other issue is with the
infrastructure in an around the mall. If you are going on a rainy day , roads surrounding are pathetic, full of pot holes and water logging. So you need to account for that and give enough lead time to visit the mall.

Matsyafed Fish Hatchery , Njarrakal, Kerala, India

Matsyafed Fish Hatchery is situated near Kochi, Kerala, India. Its on route to Vypeen from North Paravur. The road towards the destination was pretty bad. It seemed some pipeline work was going on and the pending asphalting work was not done on a time bound manner after the pipeline work. This hatchery is located 2 kms from hospital junction. Admission is 200 India rupees ( or 3.5 US dollars or so per person)

The place is fun and you like catching fish. Its better to go with your own fish rod if you have a professional one. Otherwise the rural hand made one they provide very cheaply, it costs less than 50 cents for several hours. They will give you fish food to be used on the rods.

They serve you with local sea food and rice. It was tasty and there was prawn pickle which was delicious.
Limited boating facility also is arranged. Its a fun place to kill your time if you have 2 to 3 hours to kill. But for the price you pay its gives you a good deal for your bucks.

The whole facility seems to have good potential. On right hands this could be a money minter for the local people as well as the state. But poor marketing and management had taken its toll on its potential. This is very much visible. It seems nature had bestowed them with everything, what is lacking is basic infrastructure, cleanliness and marketing. Although the staff seems courteous, they are not trained well. They could increase the profit by arranging better infrastructure, like better parking facility, better restrooms, presentation of eatables could be improved, staff could be trained well.

They could change all that with some attention to details. I think 3.5$ is too low for such a facility. They could command a premium and add much more facilities and market it well.

Snoqualmie Pass Tubing, Snoqualmie , WA

Snoqualimie provides lot of opportunities for skiing and tubing towards the end of the winter.During the mid winter time it would be a little difficult if you are going with children. But towards the end you would get an awesome experience and its much safer.

Tubing is an activity where you would be lying down on a rubber tube filled with air and the tube will slide on snow through a slope of a mountain or a valley. Kids of age less than five years will be tubing with an adult member. Its could be a real mildly  exhausting activity too, because once you go down the valley, you have to pull the rubber tube to the nearby station from where a machine pulls you and the tube up.

Remember to carry a phone or a video recorder using which you could shout while you go down the slope, it will be fun to watch at a later point of time.

Leavenworth , Washington

Leavenworth is a town in the Washington state on the state highway 2 near to Wantachee National Forest. Christmas Light festival is famous and lot of people come during this time period.  The town maintains its ancient architectural style which gives a Vintage style look for the town.

There is large trail surrounding a river which gives a good scenic walk. Parking is sometimes a problem during busy season. So its good to be prepared for that.

Lake Wanatchee Park

Lake Wanatchee Park has lot of good camping grounds and scenic spots. Its in the Chelan county of Washington state. While coming from Seattle one need to take the scenic state highway no. 2 that goes towards Leavenworth. On route one need to take state highway 207 state to reach Lake Wanatchee park. Here is a map of the entire route.

Some snaps from the Wanatchee Park


 

Bellevue Botanical Garden, Bellevue, Washington

Bellevue Botanical Garden is situated near 8th street and very near to the downtown. Its difficult to imagine that such a green jungle coexists very near to the another concrete jungle, Bellevue downtown.

The Garden'd lights is an event where the whole botanical garden is lit up with led lighting. The enormously popular Garden d’Lights festival features over ½ million lights which transform the Bellevue Botanical Garden into a blossoming winter wonderland. Over 150,000 people enjoy this dazzling display each December! 

They have a huge collection of different kind of plants. You can search the collection thru this link here : http://bbg.cityofbellevue.net/Search_PickList.aspx

 More information about the botanical garden here : http://www.bellevuebotanical.org/

RoozenGaarde, Mount Vernon, Washington

Roozen Gaarde is a tulip farm and garden run by Washington Bulb factory. Often the GPS doesnt route you to the correct location. The correct address to the RoozenGaarde farm is 15867 Beaver Marsh Road, Mount Vernon, WA 98273. Its advisable to use the GPS to reach Mount vernon and then track this address thru a mobile with internet connectivity. Here are some photos: Entrance:

Tulip farms with Snowy montains in the background:

More Photos:

Usually the best time to visit is 2nd and 3rd week of April. Although its open for whole day its always advisable to reach the farm by early morning by 8.30- 8.45. This would give you enough time to roam around the farm before its crowded. The entrace fee is 5$ and children under 5 years of age is admitted free of charge. The colorful tulip farms with the slightly snow tinted mountains is picturesque. More details here: http://www.tulips.com/

Millenium Park , Chicago , Illinois

Discover a state-of-the-art collection of architecture, landscape design and art that provide the backdrop for hundreds of free cultural programs including concerts, exhibitions, tours, and family activities. In Millennium Park, you’ll find a new kind of town square – a lively, spectacular gathering spot located in the heart of the city and a destination for Chicagoans and visitors alike.

Adler Planetarium , Chicago , Illinois

Adler’s three theaters and numerous exhibitions for an unforgettable space science experience. Apart from this there are daily exhibitions which reveals the secrets of the universe. There are 3D and 2D exhibitions. The Adler is unique among Chicago museums in the variety of immersive theater programs it offers to visitors. From the Big Bang to the stars overhead tonight, the Adler’s theaters draw the audience into the experience.


more details here : http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/

Sky Deck , Chicago , Illinois

Sky Deck was one of the tallest buildings of the world a decade back. Later several other sky scrappers came but still the facility to see the world thru the Skydeck is attracting lot of crowd. Skydeck has floors build using reinforced glass slabs and you can walk over the glass slab and you could see the land below thru the glass. Its one of a kind experience.

Its almost 1353 feet above the sea level. This is the third tallest building in the world now.

more details here : http://www.theskydeck.com/ .

Field Museum , Chicago , Illinois

This is a must see spot if you are visiting Chicago. Although initially my plan was to skip this , I think I would have missed a life time opportunity if I didn't go there. The stuffed animals and plants display is one of the great attractions.

Actually one or two days you can easily spent in the field museum. Unlike other museums there is a diverse kind of display which makes people who are generally not interested in Museums thrilled !

There are giant TRex displays which gives a feeling of the magnanimity of ancient creatures that ruled the earth. There is display of different kinds or ornaments used in different parts of the world. Display of different kinds of gems and pearls gives you a glimpse of the variety in gems and diamonds.


more details here: http://fieldmuseum.org/

John Shedd Aquarium, Chicago , Illinois

John Shedd Aquarium is very near to the millennium park at Chicago. This spot along with surrounding areas are Chicagos major attractions. The Aquarium has several variety of Aquatic animals and really provides a uniqueness as a Aquarium. You could see several of the Sea Animals which you could not see in other Aquariums in US as well as abroad.

There is a Aquatic show and the facility is really awesome. The show is conducted in a glass covered aquatic center facing the sea. More details can be found here in this link http://www.sheddaquarium.org/

Tunnel Park , Holland, Michigan

This park is famous for its sand dunes and the beach near the Great Lakes region. The view of horizon from the top of the Sand dunes is indeed a splendid one. The barbeque experience at this park is one of my favorites. I used to go almost daily to spent evenings at this park. Only in summer we can go there since winter here is very cold in the range of -15 centigrade or below.

The tunnel towards the beach from the park side is an attraction here. Children enjoy the journey thru this tunnel. The sand dunes can give your body a real workout along with fun.

John Ball Zoo, Grand Rapids, Michigan

John ball zoo at grand rapids is located conviniently near the national highway.  Park have enough space for car parking and there is a recreational boating facility available near the entrance and it may be of interest to kids. Apart from the usual scenes like in other zoos, there is a section showcasing domestic animals like cows, hen, goats, and sheep. You could try a ropeway ride to add some adventure to the trip at an extra price. You can enter a small aviary and feed love birds, enjoy the water bodies within the zoo. There is a separate section for polar animals. You could go for a camel ride too. There is a separate section dedicated to African wild life and its awesome.

Riley Trails

Riley Trails is one of the prominent trials in South West Michigan. The whole trials is more than 2.5 miles long. Marshy land is covered by a circle of trials fully covered with woods. Some areas are very similar to thick forest and a walk thru the woods can turn out to be a soothing natural experience. The interesting challenge is to identify the trail location. Even if you are a regular visitor the trails can turn out to be a really mystic since every route can turn out to bring a different experience and terrain may turn out to be new than your expectation.There is a main route and several tributary routes marked by color pointers painted on the woods. So its quite challenging to go without being lost thru the dark deep woods. Maps are placed sporadically which sometimes is a challenge once you are lost since you cant determine where exactly you are. I took an iPhone with me and switch on the Maps to see the exact location where I am and plan my directions accordingly. There is a main route and several sub routes which join the main route at multiple locations all represented by different colors.

At the entrance of the Trials, there is a long water body and I saw several people walking thru the shores of the water body. Although its a short journey, this an option for those who dont want to walk long.

Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture park consists of botanical garden and internationally acclaimed Sculpture park. It’s not just the masterpieces of art and nature that delight your senses here.The surprising silhouettes and endless kaleidoscope of colors and textures provides a splendid feast to your eyes.

The sculpture park features works of over 30 renowned sculptors such as Auguste Rodin, Edgar Degas, Roy Lichtenstein, George Segal, Mark di Suvero and others are featured. The tropical garden as well as the Victorian gardens are really great locations to visit.

The massive sculpture of horse is one of the attractions inside the park.

This park is located at Grand Rapids michigan.
More details available in this link http://www.meijergardens.org/

Niagara Falls State Park, Niagara, Newyork

We reached Niagara falls around noon time, it was long weekend so it was bit crowded. We went to the whirlpool jet ski first. Per ticket its around 56 dollars, but money is worth spent. This one is like a speed boat shown below, which takes you for a splash around the river. more details here in this site http://www.whirlpooljet.com/. The speed boat can carry around 30-40 people at one go and can travel up to the speed of 55 miles per hour. Its one of the most thrilling experiences I had in my entire travel life.


After the jet ski experience we went to the Niagara Falls state park. The main two must see attractions there is the Maid of the Mist tour and the Cave the Winds tour.
There are other minor attractions all around like Discovery center and Aquarium etc.
"Maid of the mist" is a tour (11 dollars per person with kids under five going for free) where you will be taken to both the American side of the falls( called American falls) and towards the Canadian Falls called the Horse shoe falls. Its a breath taking experience which is beyond any word can describe.

Here is the view of the American Falls



Here is the view of Canadian Falls called the horse shoe falls.




By evening you can enjoy the color lit Niagara Falls. Also they have fireworks in and around that region which also adds a sparkle to the entire experience.

There is a queue for getting into the "Maid of the mist" and "Cave of the winds" tour. So its better to be inside the park by early morning. or else you will have problems finding a nearby parking spot. If you arrive early then first you could get into Maid of the mist tour. The boat will take you near the falls. Then get into the Cave of the winds tour where you can stand directly near the water fall on wooden stands they had put nearby the water fall.

Non citizens visiting the region should be very careful moving around in the car since Canada border is nearby, you may by accident get into Canada. As there is no big marker showing up the boundaries, there are cases where someone will get stuck at the border without having Canadian Visa and without having proper documents for reentry to US. So those who are having single entry visa's or say work visa in US like H1B or L1 should be extremely careful while travelling around the region. This is applicable to all those visitors coming from Michigan or Chicago area by drive since the GPS route will show a route thru Canada, thru the BlueWater bridge. This route may take you to Niagara and reduce the journey time by 3 hours, but all the immigration headaches are associated with that. If you can take 3 hrs extra travel time then its better coming to Cleveland, Ohio and then from there to Niagara.

Here is the route that we took we traveled from Holland Michigan to Niagara thru Ohio.


View Larger Map

Tulip Festival , Holland, Michigan

Tulip festival season is one of the celebrated times in West Michigan. The festival is 10+ days long and takes place in early May. Mostly this period is when the climate here is good after several months of snow. Slight rain may be there but that cools up the atmosphere.

Here are some of the Tulip season snaps



another snap



Half a million tulips are planted around the city of Holland and when the tulip bulbs bloom its a feast for your eyes. Lot many activities and functions takes place during this time period in the city. You will get a flavor of Dutch culture during this period since lot many dance festivals takes place on that theme. There will be fire works in the Kollen park in the evening to add up the spice. Another major attraction is Neils dutch village, where lot many rides and other show pieces are arranged.

A walk thru downtown Holland would give you a glimpse of floral arrangements. There are several parks surrounding the area like Centinnial park , Helder park etc and lot many activities takes place during this time period. Check the website www.tuliptime.com for more details. There is a tulip garden called Veldheers tulip garden and shoe factory. You will have a chance to see how wooden shoes are made.

The nearest airport is Grand Rapids international airport, but Holland is in the Amtrack line for those who wish to travel by train.

Six Flags Amusement Park, Fiesta , San Antonio , Texas

Six Flags Amusement park at Fiesta Texas is 3 hours from Houston. The day we reached there was sunny. Six Flags have rides suited for young children to elder ones who dare to go for adrenalin pumping rides.

Take a look at the snaps of some of the rides.






This is the one of the favorite superman ride

BAPS Swami Narayan Temple, Houston Texas

BAPS Swami Narayan temple in Houston Texas is one of the well known temples in entire North America. The temple is well known for its Serene atmosphere as well as the sculptures inside the temple. The temple is manged by BAPS Swami Narayan Sansthan. The entire sanctum sanctorum is surronded by flowing water body which gives it a pleasent cool feeling in Summer as well as Winter.

There is a gift shop which sells sweets and other matierials of interest. The 'prasadam' of the temple is a peculiarity and its different from other temples where they give you cooked pulses mixed with lot of spices and other ingrediates.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston , Texas.

The airport itself is quite big like any other airport you see in big cities of US. Houston was large like other major cities I had seen, temperature is hot enough that you will get tired if you are out in the sun for an hour. We were there when the summer was beginning when the mercury level was not at the top , but still could get a feel of how hot it can go during summers. Visiting from Michigan it looked like taking a dip from cold ice water to hot water tub. We went thru the terminal B. Airport is a little crowded and sometimes you have to wait and you may end up standing in the terminal. So its better if you come on time or very early so that you can find a spot to sit.

Detroit International Auto Show, Detroit, Michigan

Detroit Auto show is one of the worlds most renouned event in the Automotive Industry Circles. North America is one of the largest users of Automotive Products and major companies in and around the globe use this event as the launch pad for promoting their products and announcing the newer arsenals to compete in the market.

Usually this takes place during the first quarter of the year. Ford had a major presence.

I will post some snaps from the event soon

Princeton, New Jersey

It was a short trip to Princeton , NJ. We spent new year along with one of my relatives. We spent most of the time indoor, snow was all around so it was not a good time to go out and explore.

We were a little tired driving from Pittsburgh, but the journey gave an insight to the terrain of the north eastern US. We spent time on several spots on the journey towards and back from New Jersey. We got into trouble while driving thru a toll road at New Jersey. We were not carrying enough bills and we were having only credit cards with us. But the toll authorities noted down my license number and asked to pay online.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

We were on the route towards New Jersey, and we stayed overnight at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Towards the journey we spent time at Desquene Incline where we could get a full view of the Pittsburgh and surrounding areas. There was a small tram sliding thru the incline down and then up. The entire trip was very short. On return journey we visited the Hindu temple of Pittsburgh.

Holland, Grand Rapids, MI to Princeton, New Jersey

The entire journey was 14+ hours by car. Ours was a break journey and we took break at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We took the trip thru the I-92 till Ann Arbor, near Detroit.

View Larger Map

We took the i-82 towards Toledo. Then most of our journey was near thru the Lake Superior. We crossed the Ohio state and entered Pennsylvania where we stayed overnight. Next day we took the journey from Pennsylvania to Princeton , New Jersey. The entire route is looked like a straight route till Princeton. Most of the terrain was a vast unoccupied land. Most of the area we saw was not even having trees or other plants. It was simply plain, with some towns here and there between the routes.

Gerald Ford International Airport, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Although I had traveled across several airports this one was one is among the most liked ones. Its not a major international airport, but still it is big compared to the crowd we see there. It seemed like airport is very spacious for the crowd it had. Good facility for long term car parking (9$ per day). There is convenient to and fro shuttle arranged to the terminal so its hassle free , you can conveniently park the car at the parking lot and take the shuttle to and fro towards the terminal . Even they note down the location where you had parked the car and leave you near by that on return. The staff is very courteous and as soon as you get down from the car or shuttle they help you to bring down your luggage. Airport looks like a newly built structure.