Working on weekends, traffic, movies, cooking, cleaning, Friday night pokers, every day movies… suddenly we realized it was quite long time since me & Raaz had any trips after Catalina Island. And it was almost a year ago. Every weekend I will have work or we will be too tired for the trip or there will be a get together with friends, so we were kind of too occupied for any trip.
It was during Deepavali weekend, I felt very home sick and mentally was very tired of my daily chores and life-in-abroad. Raaz then decided to take me to a trip and he silently decided the place, book for accommodation and kept as secret until that Friday.
As any normal gal, I love surprises and as any normal gal, I kept on nagging Raaz whether we were going out on that weekend and where we were going… and he had to disclose the place . The place was in a scenic route and a castle was there which I wanted to visit for a long time because it is the only historical architectural piece that I knew of here. So I was so happy and excited.
We started around 1 pm on that Saturday in my Bug and it was the first long trip for both me & my Bunny – the car. As usual Raaz was driving and me enjoying the scenic route. It was a pleasant noon with moderate sun & wind. At one side, I could see the sea glittering in the after noon sun, the waves were golden & silver, reflecting the mood of the sky. I wanted to hear some good music but unfortunately system was not working in my cute bunny and didn’t want to risk Raaz’s driving my voice. So we were chit chatting the whole journey and believe me it was more fun.
When it was 100 miles to reach the destination, Raaz wanted me to drive and I never drove in any hilly path before. Initially it was not that difficult for me as the road was a wide enough to make careless turns but as we go nearer, the road was too curvy and narrow [well ...Well… not for those who knows everything about driving]. Those who had travelled with me in India knew well how sick I will be especially on a hilly route - I would get severe head ache and never even once had I enjoyed the beauty of the hills. As we go nearer to the destination, the path became too bendy & too narrow. At one stage more than 3 cars were lined up behind me as I was driving too cautiously and obviously slow. Raaz woke up after a while and started alarming me as usual . A lovely
Ride has become a night mare and finally we reached the place. The Inn was just across the shore, with accompanied restaurant, gift shop & a fast food shop. I liked the ambience immediately. We got ocean view and the room was so good.
We booked our dinner, went back to room, refreshed and were roaming around the place for a while. Raaz went to take the camera that was supposed to be in the car and came back empty handed saying that we might have forgotten to bring. I was a bit disappointed but then immediately realized, we were there to relax & enjoy not for a photo shoot. Also therez phone in handy just to click it when we need it. Then we went near the shore and were roaming around. It was not that cold, and just about the time for sunset. It was so refreshing to see the dark ocean getting mixed up with sky in orange shades. We were watching it until itz dinner time and of course taking snaps through phoIt was a lovely evening that I had ever spent with him. We went to the little restaurant attached to the resort and had a proper American dinner. I didn’t bother about calories and stuffs just enjoyed a good meal with my sweat heart. That was all mattered that time. It was too cold for us to roam around again after dinner so we went back to sleep.
Morning I woke up early to watch sunshine, while Raj was sleeping, I made coffee [Thank God, they had creamer ;)], went to the patio and enjoyed the ocean view. Gentle morning breeze, lovely bamboo chair, rising sun, golden waves and hot coffee…What else would I need on a morning like that? A tiny bird was there with a blue tail; it was constantly pecking something and was looking around for every peck. It was so cute to watch and it was kind of mesmerizing and I donno how long I was watching it. I was in a different world until I was awakened by the sudden flight of that bird coz someone was walking on its way. I came back to reality and it was time to pack.
I got ready & woke up Raj. Then we packed and had our breakfast nearby fast food and hit the road by mid morning. Our plan was to visit a castle which is a famous tourist spot.
Itz name is Hearst Castle and was built in 1900’s and known for itz architectural beauty. We took a basic tour package suited for beginners. It included guest house, pool area, entertainment rooms & dining area of that almost 90K sq ft castle. Initially the tour was amazing to view those amazing architectural design and richness in every square foot. Also the guide was telling the personal life of the owner which made the tour more interesting. So three hours went just like that it was like time travelling imagining how those days would have been.
When we were returning I was telling Raaz, the building was amazing but given the timeline it was built and the technology used, it was nothing in front of the thanjavur temple or the Gangai Konda Chola puram temple. Why wouldn’t world know about these amazing marvels? It is a shame that world doesn’t know much about these as much as they knew about Tajmahal. What is lacking? I was heavy hearted when I was sharing these views with Raaz. I felt guilty that I too was one among the crowd who just feel but won’t act.
In spite of this little hiccup, it was an amazing, pleasant trip that eased my heavy heart due to homesickness. Sometimes I think as every other gal would, that my hubby is not that expressive but it is such beautiful memories remind me how much he cares for me and how much I owe him.
