Travels – Page 5 – ⋆ Second Gen Desi ⋆

Pree September 18, 2020 Tamil Nadu, India

Tamil Nadu at the End of a Decade

Reading Time: 7 minutes

Written April 15, 2020

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India, is a massive country, no secret there. It’s the second most-populous country in the world, and literally defined as a sub-continent.

A behemoth beauty Bharat be…

Unfortunately, I’ve only been to one area of India in my entire life (Tamil Nadu—South Indians where you at?!), although multiple times in my life. That is the tradition of a SGD: you go to the motherland with your parents and siblings, perhaps every two years or so, and stay with grandparents for a couple weeks—months if you are young enough and can afford to miss school for that long…

A quick look at (part of) the sub-continent…

Traveling to India is also a strenuous ordeal. Many SGDs and their families live in countries on the other side of the globe…unless you’re in Europe, or so lucky enough to be “nearby” in Singapore…

Even my Dad, who is a pretty tough guy, has recently found his yearly trips to India to be a source of sheer exhaustion and stress. A lot of that is centered around trying to fit seeing 20+ extended relatives and friends within a time frame of days. Trying to avoid hurt feelings, missed shopping items (can’t forget to bring back Grand Snacks to the States!!), and getting sick…it all adds up. No wonder trips to India are rarely seen as a vacation for many desi families🤷🏽‍♀️ .

In a recent trip however to India in late 2019, my Dad, sis, and I discussed that maybe it was time—now that we were all older, and the number of people to visit has grown smaller over time (due to life, to put it gently…)—it would be worth trying to visit other parts of the country.

Unfortunately, time wasn’t in our favor yet again. We found ourselves with many commitments as usual, and not too much time to fit in extra excursions. But unlike in the past, we did step beyond the households of perimas and peripas. Even though we were still restricted to an area close to our “home base” (Chennai), we made an effort to have our “mini” vacations with stops at the following:

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Marina Beach

Beaches in Southern India are unlike beaches in Cali…for one thing, something called humidity dictates everything.

For the three weeks I was in Chennai for Dec. 2019/Jan. 2020, running wasn’t a huge priority for me, but when I did get the chance to run, I tried to race with it 😉.

Unfortunately, humidity levels close to 100% and temps of 80 degrees Fahrenheit by 8am just doesn’t sit well with me. And being one out of three women running that morning out of like, hundreds of men? It felt super awkward, not gonna lie.

Although, I did see a significant speed increase in my pace! I was hesitant to look around me because desi men (and women) are known for their stare-downs, so I just ran until my legs gave out and the humidity was too much 😅.

The best time to visit is in the early morning, of course. Given that Chennai’s population is 7.088 million (2011, Google), the likelihood of having a “normal”-sized crowd is only likely to happen before 7:00am strikes.

But not everyone is so keen to wake up that early…

Boy, would I have loved to see how Marina Beach looks now in the time of corona lockdowns…

Tirupati

Tirupati is another city in Southern India, located in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh (so, not Tamil Nadu, but we drove here from Chennai!). The drive there and back is a little over 6 hours roundtrip. The reason we visited was to pay our respects at the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple. In Tamil, my family’s language, temple = Kōyil (கோயில்).

A lot of devotees come from all over India (and the globe) to visit the auspicious கோயில். So much so, that there are dedicated travel bus and van services that are designed with a full-day itinerary package. I traveled with my Dad, sister, cousin, her husband, and uncle, so we were able to book a decent-sized van.

Our driver was a mad man. We left at 6am, and nearly shed a full hour from our morning half of travels 😐. Meaning, there was no doubt that he was speeding at *many* points during the trip.

We were lucky to have made it one piece, and our first stop was at a local “canteen” for breakfast. It was simple, carb-packed fare of idli, sambar, rasam, chutney, vada, etc. but no protein meant I would definitely get hungry later…

We were warned of the high altitudes as we made our ascent into the mountains. The கோயில் is located in the Tirumala Hills, which is part of the Seshachalam Hills range ~2,800 feet above sea level 😱. The hills have seven peaks, representing the seven heads of Adisesha, ” King of all Nāgas and one of the primal beings of creation” (Wikipedia).

The secenery is absolutely gorgeous. We spotted all sorts of wildlife—including monkeys and warthogs!

When we got to the top, we were dropped off at a meeting zone away from the கோயில். We could see that even at 9am, it was packed. Because everything in India usually takes place 30 min+ after the call time, we really didn’t assemble and head over to the கோயில் until around 10am or so.

The “guide” gave instructions on what you were allowed to bring (no video cameras, etc.) and dress etiquette in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. Then we had to fight for our place in line to enter.

Things got crazy soon after.

I never thought I’d experience the feeling of being crushed against hundreds of bodies in a holy place, yet here we were. I am so glad we went before the covid outbreak…and I’m also glad they temporarily closed the கோயில் to the public, because those crowds mixed with a virus….nah 🙅🏽‍♀️.

It reached the 90’s (Fahrenheit) by the time afternoon rolled around. My sister and I were exhausted—too sleepy to eat at the canteen even! We thought that after our second meal stop we would head straight home, but alas, the driver wanted to stop for coffee at another roadside canteen. I however, had the appetite for more sleep, not coffee!

The drive back was also slower compared to the morning, due to increased traffic flowing in and out of Chennai. Needless to say, sleep was enjoyed that night once we got back!

Mahabalipuram

Our “semi-relaxing” stop on this trip was a vacation-from-a-vacation-like detour to Mahabalipuram, a coastal town approximately 1 hr south from Chennai, in the Chengalpattu district of Tamil Nadu.

We stayed in a beach resort that had direct access to a private section of beach, and it was meant to serve as our getaway from the city life of Chennai.

The entire resort on the inside was air-conditioned, so it was extremely refreshing compared to the hot, humid weather in JANUARY! Funny thing was, the temperature difference was so extreme that every time we came back from outside, our phone screens would immediately fog up!

Mahabalipuram was definitely not immune to crowds. My sister spent most of the weekend of our visit indoors, while my Dad and I made the brave trek outdoors in the late afternoons. The crowds were unbearable for us too, so we decided just to “hike” near Roya Gopuram, but in reality, we wandered off somewhere and tried not to fall over great boulders!

In the evenings, the weather would cool down significantly, making it an awesome time to go to the beach. Compared to Marina Beach, it was quiet, serene, clean, and not cluttered by people! There were the frequent pariah dog visitors, however 😉

Oh, speaking of dogs, there were plenty all around! Pariah dogs are an indigenous breed in India, and prowl the streets in search of food. They are hungry, cautious souls that I wish I could hug, but they can get pretty vicious when they feel threatened.

Still, even when watched from afar, they made sure to make my heart melt 💔

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The good ol’ TN will always hold a sacred place in my heart, as it is the home of my family and ancestors, as well as the roots of my culture, but I don’t want to limit myself on future trips to only visit Tamil Nadu out of obligation. I don’t restrict myself in the same way when I visit other countries, so why should it be any different in this case?

Have you ever visited India? Which part?

Pree July 24, 2020 Dubai

Dubai – a Brown Peoples’ Vegas

Reading Time: 7 minutes

If you ask me if a little over 24 hours is enough to spend in Dubai, I’d say, plenty. Especially if you’re traveling with a dad who reached his point of exhaustion before even making it to our final destination (India) and a sister sensitive to overwhelming crowds after being sleep-deprived for 14 hours…

When it comes to artificial landscapes and hellacious weather, I’d be the first one to find a fast excuse to hightail on out of spending more time than necessary in the place of question. But given that a cousin we hadn’t seen in 13 years was living in “Brown People Vegas” with her husband and two grade-school twin kids, that was our rationale for making a Dubai Detour.

I once overheard some Europeans raving about visiting Vegas, Arizona, and Southwest USA in general because of the desert landscape—something nonexistent in the fresh countries of Europe. But if you ask me, I’d rather spend time in the artic, rainforest, or ocean before choosing the desert. I can never wrap my head around the idea of wanting to spend time being hot. I don’t care about sand dunes, if my skin is at risk of being fried, I’ll pass.

My cousin did ask us beforehand if we had any ideas of what we’d like to do in Dubai within our short period of time visiting. She brought up a desert safari in which we could crash into sand dunes and dine in the desert, but my dad, knowing he was going to feel exhausted AF even before we departed the US, shot that idea down. If India wasn’t on our agenda, I would have been on-board with the idea, but I was hoping that she would toss in some more ideas that were, erhmmm, less physically taxing?

We never came to a real consensus on our “itinerary”, and so we left things up to chance when we arrived in Dubai. At least we arrived at a decent time, around noon local time, and not at 2am, which would unfortunately be our arrival time in India in a few short days…

My cousin’s husband, S, picked us up from the airport, outfitted in a polo shirt and cargo shorts. It was December 28^th, and lo and behold, it was at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit outside 🙄. This was cold weather for Dubai, meaning that I knew I would never be able to live here and be happy!

Tried to appreciate the blue, but all I could notice was the brown tinge on almost all of these buildings 😹

S helped us load our suitcases into his car, and gave us a little “tour” on our way to the flat. The shops were lined up similar to what I’ve seen in India, but the roads were more clean, quiet, and less crowded…at least during the day. Despite all this, everything seemed to have a “tinge of brown” surrounding it. I guess that’s something you can’t escape if the city you’ve built is literally atop a desert.

So far, I wasn’t impressed. I wasn’t convinced as to why Dubai has been considered THE vacation/party/travel destination of late. What was I NOT seeing?

We soon arrived at a complex of flats where my cousin’s family lived. It reminded me of what I would see in India, except less dusty (much to my surprise). We settled in pretty quickly, and honestly, it was hard to keep my eyes open because jet-lag was hitting me hard. Good thing we didn’t plan on doing the desert safari after all…

When my cousin M arrived, my sis and I lept up and gave her a hug to make up for 13 years of lost contact 🥰. We met her kids soon after that, and after freshening up, we thought it would help our body clocks to get some steps in around the city.

I will admit, the sunset views are top-notch!

Our stop was The Dubai Mall, where my cousin said we could see a fountain show as well as go to the top of the Burj Khalifa. The mall was large no doubt, but besides some unique shops I haven’t seen in the States (oh, and the Borders that seemed to be revived from the dead lol), I wasn’t blown away.

I thought this flying (or diving?) men art piece was pretty cool…

In fact, I was exhausted by the crowds and wishing I could rest my eyes and lie down on a soft pillow…my sister was also mentally and physically checked out. She was not having it with the overzealous tourists swarming everywhere…especially at the top of level of da Burj.

We pretty much had our own reality checks once we got to the top: it would take a substantial load of (nonexistent) energy for us to enjoy ourselves enough to be Instagram-pic level happy 😆. As much as I wanted to take in the moment and appreciate the views, I also had to be mindful of my body. My sister was on the verge of tears because of the emotional exhaustion she was feeling, and I had to be empathetic.

As much as travel is thrilling and exciting, it is depleting and tiring. That’s the truth that most people tend to brush under the rug when they return from a long vacation and are asked about how their trip was.

But I like to keep it real, and to be honest, despite the lovely views of the city from above, I was feeling like c-r-a-p.

I can now look at this picture and at least appreciate and respect the work it took to build something like this, but when I was peering through the glass at 7pm Dubai time after 14 hours of economy-class plane travel? 🤢🤢🤢

Fortunately, our cousin was very understanding of our emotional situations and we drove back home after descending from the Burj. We picked up some food court Lebanese food and shared family-style. At least the night ended well 🤷.

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The next day, we contemplated if we would have enough time to check out Abu Dhabi. It would have been a little over an hour in the car, and my mind toyed with the idea of how cool it would have been to check off two cities in the UAE, but there were other people to consider in my travel company ( a dad who just woke up from his first night of normal sleep in days, and my sister who was just starting to recover from her sleep deprivation)…

We played it safe, and visited another attraction that just astounded me—Dubai Miracle Garden.

Don’t get me wrong. The displays were beautiful, artistic, and a feast for the eyes, but I just could not get over the fact that—

Hold up, we’re in the middle of a freaking desert. This ain’t natural!

Hence the name miracle garden, I get that, but how is this sustainable? It just seemed to be the opposite of eco-friendly to me, and I couldn’t shake off this thought as we continued throughout the park.

I also couldn’t shake off the stench of fertilizer (lol), but I was distracted enough at some points to admire some pretty displays:

Gorgeous hues of flowers—really appreciated this for some reason. Maybe because it was a nice source of shade 😂

Eventually, the heat got to us and we moved on. I must have been pretty beat because after grabbing a scoop of Biscoff ice cream as we left the park, I fell into a sweet nap, along with the kids! #NoShame

It felt like a long drive to our next destination, but when I woke up we were in Al Seef, which I soon fell in love with because it had that desert charm I was expecting to see throughout Dubai…at least it was located in one place here!

At the end of the day, it was just another shopping and dining area, but I felt like once I was inside, it gave off the vibe of stepping into a world of an older time. Window-shopping was a pleasant experience…

Hi Dubai, you finally showin’ me your cute side?

My inner nerd loved this display at a perfume store 😀

Dinner was a casual affair: a stop at a sub-par Italian place that served up piadinas, and a place I wouldn’t recommend visiting—especially if your stay in Dubai was as short as ours.

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I do wish we spent another day or two, when our energy levels picked up, with my cousin and her family. Leaving for India at 9pm soon after our first full day in Dubai seemed like a hasty move, but the fact that we were even able to make room for Dubai was a remarkable feat for us 😂

Would I ever choose to live in Dubai? Nah.

Would I ever come back to vacation in Dubai? Most likely no, unless someone else paid for it!

But at the top of the Burj, my Dad shared his thoughts on how Dubai is probably the prime entertainment and recreation destination for many South Asians and Middle Easterners…probably the farthest one would venture “out west” in a lifetime!

So at least it’s there for someone—it’s just not my cup of tea 🤷

Have you ever visited Dubai? What was your experience like?

Pree June 26, 2020 Vancouver

Female Solo-ing in Vancouver

Reading Time: 8 minutes

❗Disclaimer❗ This is a travel guide written based on my experiences with solo travel. Your experiences may very well be different—I’m hoping that my “adventures” serve as some kind of inspiration for yours 😉

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Vancouver is the perfect city for a female traveler to go exploring on her own, without much hassle and worry. I paid a visit to this city of “Beautiful British Columbia” over (US) Thanksgiving break last year, and it turned out to be a pleasantly peaceful weekend to satisfy my ever-growing wanderlust.

View of Downtown Vancouver from Stanley Park

I booked this flight back in August, about 3 months before the trip. I used Scott’s Cheap Flights as a guide, and it was actually an e-mail from them that prompted me to book a flight! I think I paid less than $300 USD round trip! Interestingly, it was cheaper to fly to another country Thanksgiving weekend than it was to another state within the US 😂 #SupplyAndDemand

This was also my third international trip as a female solo traveler. My first two were in Barcelona and parts of Sweden, both of which had their ups and downs, but Vancouver just felt perfect on all fronts. It helped to be in a good mood going in, but many of the following things contributed to my conclusions about Vancity:

WHERE TO STAY

I flew out on WestJet from LAX the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. Because I still had to go to work that day, my flight was at night, and I arrived close to 10pm. Uber/Lyft is not available to Vancity (at least when I went) so I had to take a cab from the airport to my Airbnb in Downtown Vancouver.

The taxi cost about $30 USD, and wasn’t too bad since that’s usually how much is costs to get to LAX with Lyft in my experience. My Airbnb was located in a high rise near Gastown, on the 27th floor! While the views were gorgeous, the room I was renting out of the condo was literally the size of a closet! I guess you get what you paid for, and I paid about $250 for four nights, and the convenience of being so close to all the great city spots. Also, my Airbnb host had a cute frenchie 🐕 that would greet me with a plushie in his mouth, lol!

THINGS TO DO

This city is perfect if you like to walk around and explore things on foot. I pretty much walked everywhere, except for getting to-and-from the airport. I took the bus when I went to Capilano but walked back to downtown, and was served some of the most beautiful views ever despite the long walk back!

So, TL;DR, just walk everywhere! It’s fun, and you can justify all those amazing calories you’ll consume while exploring Vancity 😉

✰STANLEY PARK✰

Stanley Park is a gorgeous, expansive nature-lover’s paradise! There are plenty of bay, forest and rocky views. I kept a lookout for animals, but only saw Canadian geese, ducks, seagulls, and of course the many breeds of domesticated dog!

I wonder how much blubber these babes have stored, cause dang it was cold when I visited!!

It’s not a park unless there are duck denizens!

One of the main reasons SP was on my go-see list was because of the Totem Poles. I love finding unique statues and historic sites in places I visit, in what are seemingly places that are common all over (like parks).

I passed through SP on all of the days I was in Vancouver. SP was my prime destination on the first day. On the second day, it was part of my morning run route, and on the third day, it was my final leg of a long walk back from the Capilano Suspension Bridge!

So I guess even if it’s not on your to-do list, it’ll somehow make it’s way into it!

✰GRANVILLE ISLAND (& MARKET)✰

Using Google Maps to walk to GI can be tricky, but I triumphed!

The air was quite chilly the day I went, so I was shivering as I was walking towards the island, despite wearing my layers, puffy coat, gloves and beanie!

I was low-key disappointed in what I found though…don’t get me wrong, some of the shops I walked into had cute, novelty Canadian souvenirs and plenty of things to peruse through, but I guess I was expecting there to be more stuff to do…

I did venture into the Granville Island Market…that was packed.

If I had been in a hungrier mood, you better believe I would have bought up most of the market 😂! There were SO much to choose from—fruits, cheeses, fudge, candies, cookies, gelato, fresh pasta, etc.!

But, what was silly ol’ me craving?

I took this piping hot cup outside, and found a nice bench by the water to sit, relax, rest my legs, and take in the views…

✰CAPILANO SUSPENSION BRIDGE✰

Alright, I’m gonna be 100% honest about this one. CSB is overpriced, and not worth the trip for anyone sensitive to motion-sickness! Walking across the bridge was more of a doozy than I expected it to be…

The views from the bridge are so fresh and green, but I was getting headaches and low-key dizzy from walking across the wavy bridge…

I would recommend—if you do decide to make CSB a stop on your Vancity trip—to come after eating a proper meal. Come bundled up if you visit during the winter like I did. I think part of the reason I grew bored of the attraction was due to the fact I was already doing a lot of walking on the trip, haha!

THINGS TO EAT

Since I was staying near Gastown, I had plenty of cafes, coffee houses restaurants to choose from! I didn’t have the best appetite on this trip, but when I did feel that hunger coming, I made sure to sate it with foods I was craving and visiting places worth checking out.

49th Parallel Coffee Roasters was a place I bookmarked on Instagram because they have a partnership with Lucky Donuts, and those donuts look BOMB.

I went to one of their shops on Thurlow St. in Downtown. As I was waiting in line, my appetite for a donut started to sink. The donuts looked gorgeous, but I just wasn’t feeling that sweet tooth vibe for whatever reason…so I got a cappuccino and a breakfast sandwich called The Avo. Made with eggs, avocado, mayo and sweet tomato paste, this was a perfect breakfast sandwich to refuel with after a morning run!

Other great breakfast/coffee places included Prado Cafe, where I had a beetroot latte to warm me up (in the most literal sense!) before a morning run.

PappaRoti had an amazing Mushroom & Jarlsberg Cheese Quiche, which I had with a mildly-sweet cafe latte, and also before a morning run!

Mushroom & Jarlsberg Quiche with Spicy Mayo, PappaRoti

Plenty more delicious food was had! Scroll through the pics below to see for yourself 🤤

Crispy Chikun Burger (vegan!) ⭐ MeeT in Gastown

Butter Chik’n Poutine (vegan and spicy!) ⭐ MeeT in Yaletown

Vegan Mint Chip & Sugar Cookie Cardamom ⭐ Earnest Ice Cream

SAFETY
I felt comfortable and safe in Vancouver, throughout my stay. Yes, I will admit that I may have a slight advantage having lived in LA…since I lived in -between South Central and DTLA in my first two years of graduate school, I wasn’t too intimidated by Canada!

I relied on walking for most of my trip, and felt super comfortable. Of course, I took general precautions and did not stay out very late or in dark, isolated areas, but besides taking general precautions, Vancouver (in my opinion) is a friendly destination for the female solo traveler.

Safe to walk across Burrard Bridge at night.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS

✰Vancouver is a city of bridges, I just couldn’t avoid them 🙂 !✰

Cambie Bridge Crossing w/ views of Downtown

✰Fudge is just as popular—if not more—than maple syrup!✰

Mouth-watering fudge at Granville Island Market!

✰Vancouver is a city meant for people who like the outdoors and to be active!✰

✰ The night views are epic. ✰

✰ Tim Horton’s: a Canadian symbol, but not worth the hype. ✰

A simple egg & cheese muffin sandwich w/ black coffee. Sandwich was so dry ><

THE NOT SO GREAT

Honestly, there wasn’t much to complain about in my opinion! Sure, there was no break from the cold, but what do you expect at the end of November in Canada? Funnily enough, it was raining and cloudy in LA during the days I was in Vancouver, and despite being in the low-mid 30s F, the sun was out on most days!

The people are friendly, the neighborhoods are safe, and the views are incredible. I’d say the city is too laidback for me to call it home (lol) but it is the perfect city for a novice female solo traveler to spread her wings and not worry too much 🙂

FOR THE FEMALE WHO…

Loves convenient public transit

Loves to daydream

Loves wildlife

So, if your starting out as a female solo traveler and need an easy-peasy (but beautiful) place to explore, Vancouver is an excellent choice!

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Have you ever visited Vancouver?