Anands in America

I came into the United States of America on 7th October 2011 with my wife for a holiday. This is my second trip to the USA, the first was way back in 1999. It has been a wonderful trip so far filled with lot of travel, thrill, excitement and happiness. It has been a very special trip as I have taken a holiday with my wife after more than 20 years.

On 7th we celebrated the birthday of Sarasija (my wife's niece) by visiting the Iskcon Temple in Chandler, Arizona. It is a very quiet and nice temple. It was a perfect start to a long awaited holiday. We also felt the jet lag as the flight from Dubai to Atlanta was quite a long haul with 15 hours of flying time followed by a 5 hours flight from Atlanta to Phoenix.

The last two weeks were very hectic as we spent the first two days in Phoenix and then headed to New York. We were in New York for three days and visited the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Empire State Building, Ground Zero, Wall Street, Central Park and New York Opera House.

We spent the next two days in Niagara Falls. The "Cave of the Winds" and the "Maid of the Mist" was just fantastic and out of the world. The Maid of the Mist is basically a boat ride which takes you close to the Niagara Falls (the horse shoe shaped falls).

We went to Chicago and spent the next two days. We visited Navy Pier, Millennium Park, Chicago Art Institute, Shedd Aquarium, John Hancock Center, Macy's Shopping Center, Sky Deck on Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Towers), John Hancock Observatory, Devon Street (the little India and little Pakistan) and Lincoln Park Zoo. Chicago is a very big and beautiful city. The view from the Sky Deck and the John Hancock Observatory are both different and stunning. Devon Street is filled with Indian and Pakistani restaurants and shops and makes one feel as though it is the sub-continent and not the USA.

We returned to Phoenix from Chicago and the next day afternoon drove to Flagstaff. We visited the Lowell Observatory. The sky was very clear and we could see so many stars. It is the first time in my life that I have seen stars all around in the sky. We were also fortunate to see a space ship pass by in the sky. The "Milky Way" was very clearly visible. Despite the chillness it was a wonderful experience gazing at the sky and looking at the several thousands of stars.

The next day morning we drove to the "Grand Canyon". For the first time in my life I travelled in Helicopter and the view of the Grand Canyon on the helicopter ride was simply superb. We saw the view of the Grand Canyon from the South Rim and the East Rim after the helicopter ride. We also ventured and did some hiking. True to its name the Grand Canyon is grandeur at its best.

From Grand Canyon we drove to Las Vegas. When we were about 20 miles away from the Hotel we suddenly saw the city emerging in front of us on the Highway. It is a big city and fully lit up in the night. It is amazing to know that only 30 people lived in this city 100 years ago. Each building is unique and is modelled on different country and different architecture. We stayed in Hotel Luxor which is modelled on Egypt.

We visited the Stratosphere the next day. On the 102nd Floor you can get a wonderful view of the entire city of Las Vegas. They also have couple of dangerous looking rides which needs lot of mental strength and energy. They also have bungee jumping from the 102nd floor. The Hotels in Las Vegas are really huge and the lobby of each hotel is filled with gaming. I tried my luck on gambling and lost all the money that I bet. I guess that would be the fate of almost all the people who sit in front of those gaming machines.

The last two days went in a jiffy filled with visits to various shopping malls in Chandler, Phoenix.

It was an exciting and very fulfilling visit. The entire trip was enjoyable and comfortable as the tour arrangements were nicely made by Raghavan and Sarasija. We also enjoyed their hospitality, attention and care.

T.P.Anand,
Phoenix Airport, 9.30 a.m., 21st October 2011.