Gautama Buddha

Some of the fundamentals of the teachings of Gautama Buddha are:

• The Four Noble Truths:
  

1. Suffering is an inherent part of existence
2. The origin of suffering is ignorance
   
3. The main symptoms of that ignorance are attachment and craving
4. Attachment and craving can be ceased

• Following the Noble Eightfold Path will lead to the cessation of attachment and craving and therefore suffering.

1. Right understanding
2. Right thought
3. Right speech
4. Right action
5. Right livelihood
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right concentration.

• Dependent origination: that any phenomenon 'exists' only because of the ‘existence’ of other phenomena in a complex web of cause and effect covering time past, present and future. Because all things are thus conditioned and transient (anicca), they have no real independent identity (anatta).

• Rejection of the infallibility of accepted scripture: Teachings should not be accepted unless they are borne out by our experience and are praised by the wise.

• Anicca (Sanskrit: anitya): That all things are impermanent.

• Anatta (Sanskrit: anātman): That the perception of a constant "self" is an illusion.

• Dukkha (Sanskrit: duḥkha): That all beings suffer from all situations due to unclear mind.

America - True leadership

Well I think America is truly a world leader for mankind. I am a very patriotic Indian at heart and deeply attached to India, its soil, air, water , and its people, its values and its way of life and in fact everything Indian.

Now when I live in Fremont, California and see America as a pedestrian and lay person, I admire so many things .

1. The most green Land

Where ever I go, I witness the intelligent thinking behind preservation and nurturing of fabulous natural wealth, It is trees, trees and more tall old trees and rows upon rows of young well tended trees . Trees fed with wood shavings derived from trees. Green grass everywhere. Large expanses of land protected as woods, parks, natural preserves. Roadsides lined with trees. Roses , tulips, daffodils and many other colourful blossom cover the roadside , hill slopes, and are everywhere. There are vast expanses of green grass in huge parks, roadsides

This vast natural resource is surely America's heritage sure to benefit mankind. It is like a whole nation out to nurture nature.

The state and national parks are reservoirs of more trees, lakes, birds, animals, rivers, mountains

Love for nature is thus implanted into the very core of American existence.

2. Development of basic infrastructure

America can boast of fabulous infrastructures which include :

• The nation-wide network of transport - roads, airways, railways.
• Computerization of all dealings - almost 100% accounting of most of the money movements - the concept of black money - unaccounted money transaction is not common in day-to-day life.
• Taking advantage of internet - All American businesses have a web site catering to their business needs. Any information one is looking for is surely there on the internet. All government related information is there on the internet. The use of internet is so prevalent that it is almost like living with you as the most useful partner. One uses the net to shop, look up real estate information, job searches, travel info, booking tickets....
• The entire country is covered by GPS. You can drive to new places comfortably with the help of the GPS guiding you. This is 95% efficient. Rarely in some places the GPS will not work.
• 911 and Emergency paramedic services : The wonder telephone number 911 is for any emergency help - accident, heart attack, robbery, riot, breakdown, any situation where one needs immediate help. America rushes to rescue with a nationwide developed network of emergency services.
  

Automation of most tasks - watering by Sprinklers

• Automation of several manual tasks lead to greater productivity, safety and control - like there are so many sprinklers everywhere - in gardens, lawns on the road, in fields so the tough task of manual watering is not there and every piece of grass on the roadside is well cared for. Gates and doors close/open with remote controls or automatically - like in a bus no one is issuing tickets. There is a machine to do that..

Best Road Network in the world

3. The American business mentality

The Americans are excellent businessmen. Every successful business has its own USP that made it a brand. The aim is to make money flow into the business from the consumer.

Chains:

Every successful business model is multiplied by chains. This means if an American starts a business and it succeeds, then he/she starts several branches/franchisee/stores with the same success model. So we have Walmart and all other malls like Sears, Costco, Macy, etc, Walgreen, Safeway ( food items like veg, friuts etc.. ) , Long (Drug store... ) , Danny (Food), jack in the Box, ColdStone(Ice cream... ) etc..etc..

Generous Deals:

Most of the business try to move the goods as fast as possible out of their shops by offering attractive discount deals - known as Clearance. It is not that clearance means sub standard old stock. Every business tries to optimize their money inflow by making their offer attractive and profitable for you - the customer to spend. Like when Mother's Day was nearing prices on flowers were lowered so you would feel like buying. Price of a bunch was reduced from 20$ to 16$ so you may think "Wow - it seems low now.. " as you were used to seeing the price as 20$ all these days. I compared this to the Indian model where during Valentines day a rose could cost Rs. 40 to 100 while normally the price of such a rose was 1 rupee. Generally the customer gets "Value for money spent". Coldstone - the icecream chain store offers six type of toppings free

Genuine Deals

Respect for Customer:

The customer any where is always treated like a special person , welcomed warmly and greeted . Even if you do not buy anything no one looks down upon you. Goods bought can always be returned and you get cash back. A promise on a product has to be true else the consumer can take the business to court. The American law protects the consumer first. With that fear generally labels on all products reflect truth.

Quality first:

America attracts products from all over the world - made in China, India, Bangla desh, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Thailand, Mexico, Pakistan - you name a country and mostly there is some product on display from that country. But all products must pass stringent quality standards. So while back in India "Made in China" means cheap sub standard things, it is not so here. Most of the goods sold are of good quality. The concept of cheating on quality to make a fast buck is missing in the American business model.

America sells itself to its people in many ways . Every city, state have any number of lakes, parks, entertainment zones, zoos, botanical gardens, beaches etc. There may be entry fee, toll on the way, paid parking lots. All the places generally have basic facilities free like restrooms, parking zones, barbecue stands, picnic benches etc.. Maps are always available. Hospitality is very visible. Mostly there are nice eating places. Many places may have free bus rides around the parks. All this makes an average American and visitors and tourists happy to come and spend hard earned money happily on his family.

4. Self-Discipline - American Culture

There is lot of discipline built into the fabric of American society . I observed that this reflects in so many ways

1. Soft-spoken - They talk in low voices and generally very kind.

2. Traffic discipline - Everyone obeys traffic rules naturally - drivers, pedestrians- If someone is crossing the road, the driver will always stop to let that person pass first.

3. Clean - There is no garbage thrown randomly every where

4. High standards of work ethics - people work sincerely and to the best of their ability

5.Law-abiding nation: Strict enforcement of the law of the land - if caught for traffic violation one is given tickets and expected to pay or go to jail. Police are feared by criminals. Fines are levied so heavily that one would rather prevent than commit an offense and pay them.

5. Embracing all nations of the world

America is truly a land of freedom and equal opportunities. People from all parts of the world have made a success of their life and settled in USA making it their home. Respect for hard work, merit, entrepreneurship - all these qualities are recognized and rewarded. So a non American can get work, earn, own property, even citizenship. This kind of a broad mixture of various kinds of population makes America a true great leader - unafraid to be kind, caring to non-Americans for mutual benefit. I do not think any other nation can boast of such a fantastic home ground for people of all nationalities. I cannot imagine a Chinese or an Afghan or a Thai or a Japanese or a Mexican or a Philippa or a Iranian or a Pakistani or a French or a Brit or an Australian to be my neighbor or running a business in India but in America it is a reality.

American universities house meritorious students from the rest of the world offering an educational standard hard to find elsewhere in the world. Eventually most of these creme brains of the world make America their home and invest their brains in their careers in America.

Stanford University

The economy of the world is plugged to the American economy. Why? America sells what the rest of the world makes lke goods from China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Italy, France - it is truly amazing. In turn the rest of the world buys technology from America - most of the software the world uses comes from American Companies. That is why the world watches the American economy very closely.

These are some of the most "World-uses and enjoys products" from America

• Microsoft Operating system, Office tools, Development tools
• Google search Engine, mail, youtube, so many other products
• Wikipedia - the most trusted knowledge source
• Oracle - the most trusted database management tools
• Hollywood movies

I cannot imagine life without the most loved Google and Wikipedia and Windows and Hollywood movies.

After thoughts:

Well so many reasons - I as a visitor to this country perceive the greatness of a world leadership nurtured over years to make life more comfortable. In admiring all these qualities, I want my country to be as great in making life of every Indian as caring and as comfortable.

But America has its grave problems too which we in India do not face. The very culture of independence and freedom has social repercussions - like loneliness, loose relationships and so many complicated psychological issues. Like so many divorced men and women struggle with children and job and more partners in their life, aged men and women live alone, many unmarried men and women do horrible things to kill loneliness, teenagers living in such a permissive society struggle to find deeper meaning in relationships, hire-and fire work culture stresses out the mediocre , maintaining a high standard of living has lead to a very materialistic culture and horrible debt traps.

I walk in beautiful long pathways and green grass and flower beds and pretty walkways inside our housing complex but often do not meet a single soul. It is a lonely journey here. It is silent. No one talks normally to anyone. It is "Hi how are you??" and "Take care. Have a good day" , and "you too" - beginning and end. No one knows or cares who lives next door.

Because of so many divorces and remarriages children discuss step mothers and step fathers and step brothers and step sisters and grand step parents !! The trauma and insecurity of a child after facing a divorce(s) of parents is not common in my country but here it is the culture - children are used to dating parents.

I feel we in India lead a much happier and interesting social life and we as a society co-exist more happily together due to our ingrained qualities of tolerance, contentment, mutual love and respect for everyone and stable relationships. The shopkeepers in our area know me and my family so well, when I walk on the road I meet so many smiling and friendly faces with genuine concerns - there is an air of friendly generosity around - Indians give themselves to other human beings - collective human spirit.

This is what makes India so great and every Indian living anywhere in the world yearns to come back to his country to live forever with his people in spite of all that noise and crowd and visible poverty and nosy aunts, uncles, neighbors, corrupt politicians to deal with .

Yes India has that greatness - living in India adds that interesting spice and color to my life - like PEPPER and RAINBOW .

Yosemite National Park

Entrance to Yosemite has a natural rock arch

Saturday Apr 18th - visit to Yosemite National Park CA


Link to more photos is here

Not Yosamight!!
I had a major problem with spelling this - u have to pronounce it yo-se-me-tee but spell it like this - so I either pronounce it yo-sa-mi-te (like might) or spell it yusomiti both of which irritated vivek and he constantly kept correcting me.

Yosemite National park:
In USA national parks have been created to preserve and improve natural wealth. Yosemite is one of the best. In India we have not yet created this concept of national park though we do have vast natural resources that are conserved and preserved by the govt.

Well it is the greatest place on earth to experience ( ofcourse out of the handful of places I have visited in my life). The time we went was also ideal as the snow was just melting, it was a hot sunny spring day. It had everything - snow meadows, towering challenging snow covered mountain peaks , several cascading water falls , thousands of very very tall old trees, a U shaped valley amidst mountains, a pretty river flowing right thro'. It was nature at its best.

Sun, snow, water, rocks
It was the first really bright sunny hot day of the season. Earlier if u had come u would have experienced snow but not the water fall, later if we had gone we would have experienced may be the water fall but not the snow, and much later in summer no water falls, no snow but more greenery

Well we were lucky that we happened to visit on this ideal week-end.

Vivek and myself set off on Saturday morning around 8:30. He had rented a car as he was not sure if his old old Camery would stand by him faithfully the hilly drive. So we drove in a brand new (almost..) Pontiac .

Brand new Pontiac

We drove straight to Yosemite non stop for about 3 hours or so . On the way we stopped by for gas and vivek told me there would not be much food available . I had already carried some bread and cheese spread and some apples. Now I bought one bread and some chips ( cheese and potato) and one small cold drink bottle from the gas station and we drove off.

Scenic Route

Winding hilly roads and dense jungle
The roads became more and more hilly and winding and twisting amidst dense jungle with tall trees and more trees. Constantly you have to turn left or right uphill on a steep winding road with so many blind turns.

Driving thro' winding uphill roads amidst tall trees

Snow covered Peaks:
As we drove thro Yosemite Vivek was too excited to see and point out to me the snow capped peaks. Some part of Yosemite are at such high altitude that there is lot of snow.

Snow covered Peaks and water falls

Snow meadows at Crane Flat:
The first scenic place we drove thro' was Crane Flat which had very very tall trees ( sequoia..) covered with snow at their roots lo, snow covered meadows that stretched so far . It felt so exciting to see the snow - so so white .

Meadows of Crane Flat

I declared to Vivek "This is the best place in Yosemite" . He said "Wait till u see other places". He kept warning me "Be careful - look out for wet ice they are very slippery.. "

We drove thro' tunnels, and rows and rows of very very tall trees. We came upon vantage points where we got down to see the view of the towering mountains and cascading water falls. The river Marced flows right thro' Yosemite . In some places it is fierce tumbling thro' huge rocks and full of dangerous rapids, some places it is like a lake - so calm like a sheet of clear glass. The sound of water is an accompaniment right thro' the park.

World Famous Granite rocks
Yosemite is world famous for its granite rocky mountains and some of its peaks like El Capitan, Half Dome have been scaled by brave men and women. The faces of these mountains look so highly slippery and absolutely vertical that I kept wondering how could one climb here. We were constantly on the lookout for climbers. In the night on our drive back we could spot some.

Silent Water Falls
As you drive thro Yosemite you can see many waterfalls cascading silently from great heights amidst the rocks. But if you go near the entire scenery changes. You witness nature's force and fury firsthand.

Silent cascading water falls at a distance from a Vantage point

Bridalveil waterfall
We saw some huge water falls that came cascading down such great heights and with such force that when the water hit the rocks it rose like huge cloud. The ice cold splash of the water hits you from a great distance. The noise is defeaning. The fury of the rushing water then flows in terrific rapids swirling and hitting rocks to pieces and uprooting huge trees enroute.

We saw the Bridalveil fall up and close. Here the trail leading to the fall is a short one and easy to go. The water cascades down from such great height and with such force that the cloud of water rises up and looks like a bridal veil .

Bridalveil Waterfall

There is so much of water spray that everyone gets totally drenched and delighted with that. But it was awfully chilly too. Why does falling water make us all so happy? All were giggling and laughing happily.

But at the same time this place is dangerous due to the tremendous force of the falling water and the slippery rocks that warning signs were put up. No one dared to go closer to try to life the bridal veil!! There were railings to hold on to.

Picnic by the beach
We sat in a scenic picnic spot by the beach ( lot of fine sand..) of the Marced river where the water is absolutely calm and there were huge trees with seating tables and benches and barbecue stands. It is dangerous to carry food within the park as bears are known to attack people for food. These picnic spots have been specially created for eating. We spread our food ( bread with cream cheese spread.. ) ate and I slept on the ground for a while.

We then drove off to another picnic spot. There is a hanging bridge on the river and a water fall is visible at a distance. The water of the river is so crystal clear here that the rocks at the bottom of the river bed is visible. Lot of visitors were there - families with small children, old couples.

The kid in the sand island in Marced river

The kid actually cycled across the river to this sand island and posed for a photograph as his family watched. That speaks for American upbringing of kids with trust and the spirit of fearless adventure they inculcate in kids.

Free Bus rides within the park
There are many free bus rides available to many points. One can park the car at one place and go in the bus to some walking trail and come back to the same spot later. This is ideal as it reduces the movement of cars also. Where ever we went the parking lots were generally full. There were lot of people cycling . Cycles could also be hired at some places. I saw young and old Americans , families riding bikes.

Free Bus Rides

We watched the fiery rapids of the Marced river at one place where a small bridge has been constructed . I was too exhausted by then. So Vivek and I rested on a huge rock by the river for sometime

Resting on a rock by the river

and it was absolutely heavenly - in the lap of nature - surrounded by huge trees, rocky mountains, silent water falls at great distance, sound and fury of the gushing river water, the hot bright sun and the chill in the air . Yosemite is pure heaven for nature lovers. Gods live here.

Walking Trail to the base of the Yosemite Water Fall
After this good rest we took the bus to go on a walking trail to Yosemite water falls. You have to walk a lot. ( 3 to 4 Miles?? may be more) We saw ice, water, rocks, lots and lots of tall trees, some uprooted too. I even stood inside a giant sequoia tree and got photographed by Vivek

Standing inside a giant Sequoia Tree

When we were almost too tired to walk further, We came upon the Yosemite water falls. The site of the magnificent water falls and the cloud of water spray it caused drove away all my exhaustion. The chilly spray with the fierce wind blowing on our face simply lifted our spirits. We were laughing like kids just enjoying this force of nature. There is a small bridge over the fierce rapids caused by the water fall. There were many uprooted trees, huge rocks rounded or broken. One can see the fury of natural forces at work. No words can describe the beauty of this place. The sound of the water fall is deafening.

At the Base of Yosemite Water Fall
Wet Drenched Cold and Happy

I just did not feel like leaving this place. But we had walked a lot and we had to walk back equal distance. On top of that we had to also take the bus. So leaving my heart and soul to Yosemite fall, I walked with vivek back.

Ahwahnee Hotel
We then went to Ahwahnee Hotel which is a luxury 6 storied hotel considered a historic structure inaugurated in 1927. We ate some lovely frozen vegetables with some thing like chapati, I just loved that.

Historic Ahwahnee Hotel

vivek also took me to another hotel and some shopping area where I picked up just one sticker magnet as a sovenior. One does not need sovenior when memories are such treasures.

End of the day
We drove thro' the mountain peaks Half dome and El Capitan which shone in the setting sun. We parked our car to check out climbers . We could spot one or two. Happy with that we left for Mariposa which is about 45 min. drive for our night halt.

Half dome in sunset

We used the GPS for this drive. This route is very treacherous with steep downhill winding curves. I kept looking at the GPS and telling vivek left, right repeatedly for turns ahead. It was pitch dark. The turns were not merely turns they always were winding up/down . Quite a scary drive this. At one place near a bridge we were made to wait to clear the traffic from the opposite direction. The sign board said " Can take upto 15 min" I was wondering "Is there a railway track here? " I was thinking of the railway level crossing in India. But even there 15min. is a long time. But we did not wait that long anyway.

We reached Mariposa by 10 p.m. and checked into a very comfortable Mariposa lodge and went to sleep like logs . My head was full of peaks, granite vertical faces of the mountains, deafening sound of water.

Mariposa Lodge

Sunday April 19th 2009
Sunday dawned even more bright and sunny than saturday and we left Mariposa by 9 a.m. I was very eager to see the route as the night we had not seen at all where we were driving.

Most scenic Drive from Mariposa to Yosemite
I was in for such a delightful surprise. Mariposa to Yosemite drive is one of the most ( for me the most) scenic drives. The Marced river river flows right thro on one side and there are green hills on the other. The river was so beautiful in the bright sunny morning. At some places there were very dangerous rapids where the river flows with terrible force over rocks . Now we were climbing up to Yosemite.

Marced river flows along the entire route from Mariposa to Yosemite

We stopped at a very pictureque hotel called Cedar Lodge where we had a sumptuous breakfast of pancakes with Maple syrup ( vivek) and bagel with cream cheese and some fried potato dish with loads of sauce (myself) . We filled our selves for the day .

Landslide
I was eager to see the bridge that we had stopped by last night. Now during day time it became clear to us that there had been a landslide , the road was actually cut off, this bridge is a temporay one that joined the two ends of the road on either side of the landslide. Imagine being able to get such a bridge up and functional and handling such huge vehicular traffic. Americans are really great at crisis management. Being temporary it could not take the 2 way traffic and hence the wait. I admired all this efficiency and saw the landslide

Hotter day means more snow melts and causes more dangerous rapids in the river. Sunday was warmer than Saturday which meant more ice had melted and the water falls and the river both were in more furiuos form than saturday.

Vernal Fall Trail
We wanted to do one walking trail first as we were both feeling fresh and well fed. Vivek gave me a choice - "vernal fall or lake of mist?? " I chose vernal fall . So we both took the bus to the head of the trail and started off. With my little experience of the previous day I carried sweater, shawl, scarf, rain wear, some food and water. But now when I think of what a foolish thing it was to carry food , my heart freezes. The bears can attack u for the smell of food and the places we were going to walk was absolutely vergin forest. Anyway the fact that I am writing all this is proof that nothing happened to us.

Part I walk to the bridge at the base of Vernal fall
Well this trail has 2 parts - around 1.5 to 2 miles to a small bridge and then another 1.5 miles to the top of Vernal fall. It is Venral fall which is the source of the Marced river. We set off on this trail- it was like climbing Himalayas for me - steep uphill. There were huge rock boulders on one side, the Marced river rapids deep deep down scaring u on the other side. The entire area is surrounded by granite rocky mountains which were smooth and shining in the sun. The faces of these rocks were absolutely vertical. The scene is pictureque and scary.

I saw many families with small kids had also ventured on this trek as also many elderly people (American I presumed) . We walked for about an hour and half to reach the first base point. Here the magnificent Vernal fall is visible - looks like a rectangular solid block of water silently falling at a distance. The deafening sound is that of the water of the river hitting the rocks and causing swirling rapids.

We lingered on the bridge and the surrounding woods. Should we go up the next trek to the top of the Vernal falls - that was another 1.5 to 2 km up - The path here was more narrow, more dangerous, more steep. But I wanted to do it. Vivek tried to stop me as my knee was in no healthy condition. I was already suffereing from a painful knee problem(Arthritis?? )

Trek to Vernal Fall Part II
But it was too tempting not to try. So we both set off again on this more difficult trek. Slowly I realised every step was an effort. Poor Vivek - he held my hand so tightly for fear of my falling - he often said "If u fall u will pull me also with u" The path was very narrow with the furious river forcing its way deep down in the vally. The sound of the water fall slowly turned deafening.

Vernal Fall Trek - steep uphill

The trek was now like steps of rocks just big enough to hold one or two persons. At some places it was wet and slippery. Vivek kept on saying "Come let us go back " Actually without me poor fellow would have enjoyed the trek - he could climb so easily . It is my problem knee that was the cause of concern for him. He was worried that I will slip and fall anytime.

Climbing up Rocky steps

When we were almost there like another 20 to 30 steps would have taken us to the top, I could walk no more and we decided to return. The Vernal water fall here is so huge and come down with such noise and force that i felt a fear in my heart. I could not even look up at the water. Vivek said there is a rainbow look - but I was so scared. The huge size and massive height of the fall , the depth of the valley , the devish force of the water hitting the rocks down, the deafening noise, the force of the spray of ice cold water.. .

Almost there - Vernal Fall

It is an experience of lifetime. In retrospect I repent not having gone right up to the top atleast for Vivek's sake. Given my knee condition, Would I be able to ever try again?

Actually after Vernal fall the trek continues more uphill to Nevada fall and further to some more points. People do make it and enjoy. You have to be adventurous and fit to try out these treks which can take upto 7 days.

Coming down vernal fall trek - more difficult than going up
Regretting my knee issue , we started to come down. I was absolutely horrified that coming down was the more difficult part not going up. Every step for me became a tremendous effort. My left knee started hurting so much that I had to hop and struggle. Poor vivek - he has loads of patience and was so helpful though constantly telling me "That was a wrong decision ma" .

Cushioned Earth
Anyway with some divine rest on the way ( did u know that sleeping on the bare ground in a jungle can be really comfortable - the ground felt like a nice cool cushioned mattress soft and plush - layers and layers of fallen and softened leaves and the wet earth and the soft soil do that-the towering trees above with the twittering of birds, the fresh green leaves above , a nice fresh herbal fragrance - all made an unforgettable bedroom.

I somehow managed to reach the road. It was almost 4 O'clock by now and we wanted to leave Yosemite by 5:30. We drove around a bit and I told Viek "Let us see Bridalveil fall once again.. " So we drove there. I could hardly walk. This was our second vist to Bridalveil fall .

My Daffodils - Rainbows across Bridalveil Fall in the glittering sun
Covering myself in a waterproof jacket we went to see this magnificent fall. Today the water was even more forceful ( as it was a very hot day and lot of snow was melting... ) , there were even bigger clouds of the water spray ( veil ) , there was bright sun, there were two absolutely magnificent huge rainbows stretching right across the land and the water fall -I tell u the beauty we experienced cannot be described in words - I will always cherish this feeling of pure joy in our hearts. I was reminded of Wordsworth's daffodils - Bridalveil fall rainbow will be my daffodil .

Our camera battery had got used up and we could not capture this in many photos

5:30 we left Yosemite bidding "Good buy " to those jetting granite peaks of Half dome, El Capitan - their polished granite faces glittering in the sun, the waterfalls that cascade serene and silent at a distance, the tall tall pine, oak and sequoia trees that seem to say "Come again" .

My heart was so full - I felt a sense of gratitude to my son Vivek who so cheerfully takes me to see places, to the great Americans who preserve and cherish nature and make these visits so comfortable and interesting for its people and most of all to mother nature who gifts us so much of beauty.

Standing at Yosemite Waterfall

Unforgettable drive to Pebble beach at Carmel CA

Saturday Apr 11 2009

Photos are here

Vivek said "Come let us drive to Carmel" . Carmel is a pretty beach town community about an hour and a half drive from Fremont. It was a bright sunny day . We set off in his car by 10:30 am.


Driving thro' scenic Santa Cruz mountains

We drove through a very scenic route thro' the Santa Cruz mountains (ghats) amidst dense jungle. The entire route is lined with trees and the spring season was so evident with lush colorful flowers blooming everywhere. I was repeatedly telling vivek excitedly "hey look at the flowers". Poor fellow he must have wondered "what is that??" being so impervious to all that flowery scenery and ofcourse focussing on his driving. The weather promised to be great bright and sunny.

Soon we hit the Pacific Coast road which runs along the Pacific Ocean and is also very scenic. The blue crystalline ocean is visible on this drive. Here vivek was very excited and kept pointing to me the ocean whenever it came into view. He loves the ocean I guess. We were heading towards a town called Monterey.

The ocean is visible at a distance

Monterey
We touched Monterey at 12:30 and we were both very hungrey. We parked the car at a very pretty looking hotel (inn??) . It had huge pots over flowing with flowers (real not artificial) , benches, water fountain , a large sit out facing the ocean.

Huge flower pots

Pretty Coffee bar by the sea

Pots over flowing with flowers

But we were in for a disappointment. It was a coffee bar only. So we walked on the road along the ocean looking for a place to eat something.

Monterey is such a beautiful town and on this particular sunny day was decked up in flowers flowers everywhere that one can spend days just walking here. The ocean appeared pure blue and Vivek said it is so deep here that whales and dolphins have been spotted. There is a boat ride to do just that but we did not take that for want of time.

We saw groups of very young and not so young people preparing for scuba diving. Though it was sunny and bright it was also very cold and windy. This chilly wind is a characteristic feature along the pacific coast.

We located a small pizza joint called "Pelican Pizza" having just 2 small tables and 8 chairs. We ordered Pizza and sat in this small quaint Pizza joint. When the Pizza arrived in a large aluminium plate it was hot ( back home we would consider it very poor to eat in this type of aluminium thali) , huge ( half of a 12" diameter circle pizza) cut into 4 slices, covered with nice green veggies, jalapinoes( spicy green chiily - I just love that). Vivek enjoyed the Pizza so much that he kept on saying " THIS is the tastiest pizza I have ever eaten" - Note the emphasis on THIS here. He must know with his vast experience of living on Pizzas in his early student days at UIUC. I have never been a Pizza person but I really enjoyed this one. The whole thing costs as little as 7$ for both of us. We were so full and happy. We thanked the owner .

American salesmanship
In America I observed that most of the eateries are owned and run by one person with may be one or two more help. They are very warm and nice to guests at their hotels. This kind of salesmanship is very obvious wherever we go. We will never come across a grumpy sales person. I think they may be trained for that. We Indians need to master this attitude. Ofcourse I have experienced the same warmth in all the marwadi ( hailing for the state of Rajathan ) owned shops in Nidgi.

We then went to "Baskin Robins" a chain store selling ice-creams. They really have so many varieties.I selected a small size Pista icecream with roasted almonds and Vivek picked up 2 large scoops of "Strawberry cheese cake" icecream for himself. Eating our icecreams we leisurely strolled on the pathway on the road along the beach. At many places you could go down to the beach but I dreaded the ice cold water. It was spring time and the beauty of colorful flowers on the road was so thrilling. I was so engrossed with all this that I missed my balance and came crashing on the road with my icecream.

Monterey has a very huge and world famous aquarium of marine animals but we did not go there as Vivek said there is so much to see and so little time.

We got into the car and drove to Pebble beach.

17 Mile Drive
We did the popular 17 mile Drive 17-Mile Drive at Pebble Beach.
Most of this place is privately owned by a company called Pebble Beach Company ( 1,600 employees) which owns The Lodge at Pebble Beach, The Inn at Spanish Bay, Casa Palmero, The Spa at Pebble Beach, Pebble Beach Golf Links, The Links at Spanish Bay, Spyglass Hill Golf Course and Del Monte Golf Course. These resorts and golf courses are world famous.

There is an entry fee. ( I think it was 10$) In this circular route, there are 4 famous golf courses by the sea, many vantage points for scenic views of the Pacific ocean and the drive itself is very beautiful amidst dense woods with houses here and there. Vivek said if u own a house here, it proves u have arrived in life.

The golf courses were vast green expanses on hilly terrains in some places.



Golf course by the sea - Sprinklers at work here

Golf courses on hilly terrain along the Pacific Ocean

The ocean is visible thro out and there are many beaches on the way. At one place the ocean is called Restless Sea as the waves here clash in different directions with great force and the sea appears restless. It is a dangerous spot.

The spring season was very evident with flowers covering the whole landscape and painting it in such pretty stunning shades of bright colors.

Spring in air

Once we completed the circular 17 Mile drive we headed to Pebble beach. The sand is pure white fine powder. It is difficult to walk on the beach sand as it is hilly and your feet sink deep with every step. It was difficult to go down to the beach and even more difficult to climb back for me with my knee pain. The Pacific coast is always chilly.

Pebble beach

Carmel-by-the-sea
We drove around the town of Carmel which is a beach community . Vivek explained that it is a rich man's abode. Many celebrities own property here and it is extremely expensive in the range of 100 million $ upwards.

Driving thro' the town of carmel

We saw a yellow Ferrari parked on the roadside and vivek was so excited to see that.
It is his dream to buy one I think.

Ferrari Close-up

After a fulfilling day of being so much at peace with nature, the sea , woods, hills and the flowers of the spring we drove back home once again along the scenic route via Santa Cruz mountains.

Visit to Stanford University

Standing in front of Memorial church

Arches and Pillars everywhere

March 29th 2009 Sunday First Visit to Stanford University

Photo links are here

Sunday evening around 5 p.m Vivek said let us drive to Stanford university which is about 20 miles from our house. We were going to only spend an hour or two. This is my preliminary visit and I am surely going to spend a day there. There is so much to see.

We drove to the university quadrangle thro' a picturesque drive famously known as "Palm drive" as the road is lined with palm trees on either side and does remind u of IIT Mumbai entrance.

One only dreams of Stanford. I could never imagine my dream will come true but it did. I wish I had studied here but I am consoling myself that atleast I am visiting this great place.

The sprawling lawns, rows and rows of huge trees, pillars and arches carved of yellow stones

I have collected these facts about this great univ. from their website

On Oct. 1, 1891, Stanford University opened its doors

Jane and Leland Stanford established the university in memory of their only child, Leland Jr., who died of typhoid fever at 15. Within weeks of his 1884 death, the Stanfords determined that, because they no longer could do anything for their own child, they would use their wealth to do something for “other people’s” children.

They donated more than 8000 acres of their farm land

Approximately 16000 to 17000 students + faculty strength

Stanford Univ. is mainly responsible for the birth and sustenance of the Silicon Valley. Most of the entrepreneurs (google for e.g.) are Stanford alumni. The alumni list is world famous personalities.

Appr. 36000 $ per year fee

Original research on issues that are of fundamental concern to human welfare and progress is the main objective of the university. Many path-breaking inventions and discoveries are credited to the research here

Many Faculty are noble prize winners

There are more than 4,500 externally sponsored projects throughout the university, with the total budget for sponsored projects at $1.060 billion during 2008-09

The university is a self-sustaining community with:

• With more than 49 miles of roads
• 49-megawatt power plant
• Two separate water systems
• Three dams and lakes
• 88 miles of water mains
• A central heating and cooling plant
• A high-voltage distribution system
  
• A post office
• Stanford also provides or contracts for its own fire, police and other services.
  
• Designated a Gold-Level “Bicycle Friendly Community,” Stanford boasts more than 12,000 racks for bikes and 11.7 miles of bike lanes.
• The award-winning transportation program includes the free, 39-bus, 13-route Marguerite system running on biodiesel; the 7,000-member Commute Club; free passes on Caltrain, VTA, Dumbarton Express and AC Transit’s Line U; Zipcar; commute planning; charter services; and a bicycle program.

There are more than 670 major buildings at Stanford that incorporate 13.1 million square feet.

Ninety-five percent of undergraduates live on campus, as do about 52 percent of graduate students and 30 percent of faculty members.

There are 850 owner-occupied housing units for faculty on campus,

628 rental units for faculty and staff.

Stanford is one of the most energy efficient institutions among California research universities.

• There are about 43,000 trees on the Stanford campus
• The Coast Live Oak the most common.
  
• Many of Stanford’s picturesque redwoods, cedars, Canary Island palms and eucalyptus trees have survived a century or more of drought, flood and change.
  
• There are more than 800 different species of plants on campus.
  
• The inner campus includes :

1. More than 1.4 million square feet of shrubs
2. 190,000 linear feet of groundcovers
3. 1.2 million square feet of lawns
4. 2,300 automatic irrigation valves.
5. There are 23 fountains.

Stanford has a 70-acre shopping complex with five major department stores and 140 retail stores. It is one of the nation’s leading super-regional centers in revenue and sales per square foot.

Well I am awe-inspired by all these massive figures and am looking forward to my next detailed visit.