Here is sharing with u my second time USA visit experience
Photo Link to Mission Peak and Google Campus is here
14th March 2009
A red letter day in my life I have landed for the 2nd time in USA but this time it is San Fransisco California ( last time it was Chicago )
Korean airways
The flight by Korean airways was not commendable at all , crammed seats, crowded and jam packed look, waiting at the toilet ques, awaiting for something to be served. The only saving grace was the bevy of pretty air hostesses and their absolutely charming warm smiles and fine skin.
Seoul Incheon airport
The sprawling Seoul airport was state-of-art stopover and was very impressive - huge duty free shops and more than 100 gates for landing and takeoff, spic and span look, pretty young charming girls in the shops, plants, sofas, free internet terminals, everything was of the highest std.
Incheon AIRPORT
I just checked out some items at the shops one neck piece was 300+ USD and I told the girl at the counter mine cost just 3 $ in India. She immediately called her colleague and shared that with awe. A bag was 500$ the same one in shopper's stop Pune I had seen for 10 to 20$
Pakistani Co-traveller
The gentleman sitting next to me was huge in size and filled the whole seat and half of mine too - like his hands and legs filled everywhere. In the end turned out to be a nice person offered me his window seat while landing and also his share of the free takeaway pair of socks and a tooth brush the KE so generously gave us ( I suppose that was instead of the food they did not serve - like wear a socks , brush ur teeth and be satisfied - ha ha ha ) He just strengthened my belief that all nice people across the world are same.
The sad story
The young looking lady sitting on the other side had a shocking story to tell - she had just lost her husband y'day !! and she was travelling alone and imagine no one even came to the airport to pick her up. He had lost his job , could not pay rent, borrowed a lot on credit card, and might have even committed suicide she is not sure .. his body was discovered after 15 days locked in the apartment. She had no children and so many problems !! I gave her a shoulder to cry that is all I could do and some comforting words. May she get the strength to live a happy life from now on. Suddenly I felt my life was so rich with such loving people around me - my 2 sons their wives, my sisters and their family, my parents, my brother and his family, so many friends and relatives to heal and console us in our time of need..
First look at San Fransisco
First picture of San Fransisco
The aircraft was flying low over sea ( called San Fransisco Bay) I thought it would touch the water and Lo and behold ! It hit the runway - that means the bay was touching runway !! I wonder how the water does not enter the roads when it is almost at the same level..
Touch down - The craft flies so low almost touching the bay
My entry into USA was indeed so pleasant as the immigration and custom clearance took hardly 10 minutes. The baggage was out as I came out and there was no waiting anywhere. No one asked any questions and I was out in 15 min. flat. This is the kind of system I want to see in place in my country back home in IndiaVivek's home
My first look of vivek's home was indeed pleasant the house is very tastefully done up with so many artefacts and there was a certain warm Indianness about it.
Vivek & Vidya live in this house now
It is a rented 2 BHK apartment but so comfortable as there were so many closets everywhere - this is one thing I always miss at home. Vidya was preparing for a very tough certification exam on Mon 16th Mar. and was worried as the passing percentage was 85%.
Pretty walkways outside vivek's house
Weather
It was chilly for me at 10 degrees C and I was jet lagged too not having slept for the last 24 hours.
Visit to WalMart
Attended a first birthday party of Avneesh vivek's nieghbour at Udipi Palace Hotel with their Indian friends - The day ended so nicely with a visit to the Walmart . I am still dazed at the massive size of the store with so many deals and offers.
Sun 15th March - Mission Peak and Google campus
It was a bright sunny day with a chill in the air and we drove to Mission Peak and around. vivek says these are very expensive residential areas with houses overlooking the hill range. we climbed part of the way and promised ourselves we will be back to complete the climb. Lots of pretty photos taken here.
Mission Peak Hills
I read warning of "encounter with Mountain Lions face to face "- It said try to appear larger, talk in a loud voice, look straight into the eye, retreat slowly giving it time to escape and if attacked fight HARD.. I just prayed that we don't get a chance to try all this !!google - Here I come
Vivek drove me to google campus. I was surprised by the number of buildings and the vast area across which the google campus was spread. Very well maintained greenery too. I had imagined one glassed building. Here it was like telco in Pune on a vast land area.
vivek@Google
It was so beautiful and vivek took me inside one of the buildings where he works. There were so many cafeteria - coffee bars, fruit outlets, lots and lots of sofa sets to lounge around, Massage chairs ( I sat in one it was fantastic and a tickling experience) , books.
Massage chairs and sofa sets
I was so proud of vivek - How it is to work in such a nice energizing atmosphere. There was an air of extremely intelligent management at work here. There was also beauty everywhere.
I just loved the place. I repeatedly asked him " Can I get a job here?? " He asked me " for what u want to work here? " I said "for food and massage and toilet" Ya the toilet was state of art with a control panel for rear wash, front wash, seat warming, temperature control, drying etc.. .The door had a paper pasted with some Coding hints !! This means as u r sitting in the toilet u can be reading some useful professional stuff - that much for efficiency.
Vivek printed out a Visitor's pass sticker for me and told me to paste it to my dress - what a way to do away with employing a security personnel group - Compare this with how we enter a big co. in India - we write in a register and we are issued a visitor pass. There is a group of security personnel employed for this purpose at least 3 persons at any given time
The availability of food was the best part of working in Google ( ofcourse that is purely my opinion ) I ate 2 seedless sweet oranges, one crunchy apple and drank a cup of coffee. I felt I deserved them as my son was working for nothing less than 16 hours a day for this great Co.
I saw for the first time in my little life "Chewing-gum Dispensor"
We drove a lot across Mountain View , shopped at indian stores and came home tired and hungry.
Love you all Take care.
No comments:
Post a Comment