Week 3 ~ Sep 4th 2006

One of my clients used to mention that Lake Tahoe and Yosemite are the apples of a californian's eyes. He vividly described the beauty and diversity of these places that I had then decided to visit them when I get a chance. Now, Lake Tahoe was 5 hours from San Francisco and a day is not enough to cover whereas I found from the bay area guide that there are day tours to yosemite (though it is a 4 hour drive from San Francisco). So it is Yosemite on labour day then!

The Yosemite tour starts from B at 7:00 AM which meant that I had to get up by 5:00 and go through the motions. Sleep eluded me for a larger part due to the constant worry that I would be up late. Fortunately I was up by 5:00 and had reached Hyatt Regency by 6:45 AM. We were told the tour starts from hotel Hilton and I was quite happy with that. The last time I took Tower Tours, the tour had departed from their office in Ghiradelli square. There was a long queue to use the rest rooms which made one squirm. Fortunately the Hilton had bigger and cleaner rest rooms. I spotted a couple of indians waiting for the boarding call. One guy looked like a south indian but cannot say for sure. I engaged in a pep talk with the other guys but gave up after their reticence.

"Ganesan". The name echoed during the boarding name call. There were multiple calls for Ganesan but he was not to be found only to emerge later. The south indian guy was Ganesan. Cool! a co-tamilian travelling in the same bus. Once we were aboard (I took the last seat and Ganesan sat just across from me), I confronted Ganesan. He was working with HCL on a project assignment to Austin, Texas. He revealed that his name was Illaya Perumal but preferred to be called by his last name. He was visiting California for the long weekend. Perumal (as I started calling him) was seated near a genial Aussie tourist who kept engaging us throughout the tour. Our driver was a flamboyant african-american Wolfgang who had a trace of british accent (I guess). As usual I fell asleep as soon as we had crossed San Francisco.

On the way we passed the San Joaquin valley. Wolfgang explained to us that the San Joaquin valley was the costliest real estate in the whole of california. The reason being that the valley was fertile with almonds, raisins and peach farms. We saw row upon row of almond farms. Most of these farms were equipped with sprinklers that would water the almond trees (these trees are water guzzling). Wolfgang pointed out to levies on the way and explained the irrigation system prevalent in the San Joaquin valley. We had a stop over at a small town on the way for breakfast and coffee. On our way further we saw dried grass outgrowth all along the Yosemite highway which Wolfgang explained was the cause for many bush fires in california. A small bush fire when spread across can cause huge damage to the environment in this area as it is studded with miles upon miles of wild growth. We also saw parched grass scorched by the blazing fires. Wolfgang also pointed the fact that most of farms and ranches along the way had electric fences for security. We could also see remnants of a rail road along the hills. Wolfgang explained that the rail road tracks were laid during the gold rush days but are not operational now. As we approached Yosemite we saw the giant man made lake that was at the foothills. The lake was so big that it left us wondering how many years it would have taken to form them. The winding roads to Yosemite was scenic with parched wild grass all along. Wolfgang explained that there are 2 approach roads to Yosemite and the one we were travelling was opened to large motor coaches (nay tour buses) only last week after protracted lobbying. The roads were well maintained and one of the best, so mused Wolfgang. As we enterred the Yosemite national park, we were taken in by the redwoods all along. Wolfgang explained that these were not redwoods but deciduous conifers. There were quite a few stunted trees which we were told were affected by lightning strikes. Wolfgang mentioned that the stunted and broken trees were left to rot rather than use as timber to preserve the biological value chain (there were maggots and moths feeding on these trees). The redwoods grow to an average height of 80 feet and some grow taller than that. We also noticed a waterfall with "Tea spoonful" water (as put by Wolfgang). Our first stop was at the inspiration point where we stopped to take in the stunning views of the peaks. After helping Perumal click pics with his new high definition Sony handycam, we hurried out to the waiting bus. We reached the visitor centre around 1:30 PM and asked to get back by 4:00 PM. Wolfgang revealed that there is a free yosemite shuttle that goes around a few spots including the inspiration point and lasts for an hour. In addition, we were told there was a paid park ranger guided tour which lasts 2 hours, the details of which can be obtained at the visitor center. I decided to opt for the 2 hour tour. At the visitor center I was told that the next tour starts at 2:00 PM which meant that I can safely return to the bus in time. Perumal also wanted to take the 2 hour tour. Waiting for the guided tour in the lobby of the visitor center, I engaged in a chit chat with Perumal to learn that he was born and brought up in Delhi but working in Bangalore. He hated Bangalore and wanted to return to Delhi citing reasons like a lacklusture lifestyle and traffic.

Our tour was on a open topped carriage way. Myself and Perumal seated ourself in the front row right in front of our genial park ranger guide Sara Dunham. Our driver was Ben who was celebrating his birthday. We had to endure the blazing sun for the next 2 hours. Sara started the tour by quoting incidents from her life when she first learnt the beauty and diversity of Yosemite. Our first stop was Inspiration point again. Myself and Perumal skipped the photo-op as we had already seen the place. At this time, Ben bought a water container with plastic cups for us. The water was ice cold and we had bounty. Ben seemed to be a Mannah! On the way to our next stop we saw 3 brothers. The 3 brothers are 3 cliffs shaped like 3 fingers of the hand. We also passed the ELCAPITAN. The ELCAPITAN is the largest cliff in Yosemite and was very steep. Sara informed us that people who come to Yosemite camp and climb ELCAPITAN. The longest recorded climb was for 42 days. These days people climb ELCAPITAN in a day. I wondered how people could camp on a bare mountain cliff. Sara's response was that these cliffs had fissures which ran wide and deep that (it cannot be seen by naked eye from where we were) can be used for camping. We stopped on the way to take in the sight of some mountainers climbing one of the peaks. These guys appeared like a patch on the screen and it was difficult for us to spot them when Ben with his seasoned mountainering skills and years of experience as a ranger came out with a pair of binoculars to point the spot to us. We were exasperated to learn from Sara that it is especially hard to climb under a blazing sun. Sara then went on to explain the beauty of Yosemite in that the forest itself was born out of natural phenomenon like glaciers. Million of years ago during the ice age glaciers had piled upon each other to form a mountain pile. When these glaciers melted, they gave away to rocks which formed these cliffs. We were also told that there were differing opinions on the formation of the Yosemite cliffs. John Muir (the renowned conservationist) believed that they were formed by Earthquakes when the north american and pacific plates collided and energy released from them formed the cliffs.

We stopped at a stream for a photo-op. The stream had water flowing to ankle length. Sara informed that the stream was flush with water after the rains. Infact there is a signboard which mentions that the place was flooded upto 12 feet in december 1997. Another signboard says that there was snow upto 6 feet that filled the parkway last year. During the recess, myself and Perumal engaged in a chat with Sara. Sara was not a full time ranger. She was doing an intern for her summer holidays. She was doing her masters in Geology and had 2 years to graduate. She mentioned that she was from Alabama but had been coming to Yosemite ever since her childhood. She also mentioned that getting a full time job as a park ranger was difficult due to the competiton

We travelled along the redwood trails where Sara recounted the history of the native Indians and how they had conserved these redwoods. We were told that Indians resorted to a controlled fire which helped new growth (the redwood seeds cannot reach the surface due to the leaves which when shed form a protective layer all around the ground. When the inferno blazes, the leaves are burnt making way for the seeds to reach the ground). The park authorities resort to this method at times. We were also told the story about a guy in 1800s whose wife had died due to pneumonia and doctors had diagnosed him with the same disease. The doctors had given him an year to live. The guy had wanted to visit Yosemite but had been postponing the visit. Since he believed his end was near, he decided to undertake the visit finally. He came to Yosemite, established friendly relations with the native Indians and learnt their conservation skills. He went to live till the age of 93 years, his pneuomina mysteriously cured.

In the 1940s there was a restaurant atop one of the cliffs catering to the tourists. One day the owner wanted to dispose the charcoal that was used to burn his stove and resorted to sweeping them off the clif. The people who witnessed the event thought the idea of falling charcoal under a night sky so fascinating that the restaurant owner started the "Fly Fire" event which was the practice of pushing red hot charcoal down the cliff under the night sky. The event turned out to be so popular that people started thronging Yosemite just to witness "Fly Fire". But this practice was subsequently disallowed by the authorities as they felt it affected the biological diversity of the forest (To make the event, huge chunks of figs and wood had to be collected which meant disturbing the life of the organisms feeding on these)

We also saw the camping spots and various trails around Yosemite. Since it was a long weekend, there was quite a number of campers. Some of them had brought their bikes (cycles as we call them) for a ride around the trails. As the tour was ending near, Sara made a impassioned plea for understanding and preserving these natural resources in whatever forms we could contribute. Having bade a goodbye to Sara and wishing her all the success in graduating, we hurried to our bus

Once aboard, Wolfgang informed us he went for a swim and took a nap to beat the time. We started the descent back to San Francisco. On the way there was a huge traffic jam that extended for miles in the other side. We saw police cars with sirens flashing and smoke billowing. There were sounds of fire engines rushing past. Later at a stop for refreshing, we learnt from Wolfgang that a guy had accidentally started a fire when his vehicle broke down. Wolfgang was sure that the guy would be fined heftily as authorities clamped down on anyone who starts a bush fire but pitied him as the fire was not his fault. The aussie tourist who had given us good company revealed that he had come back from a tour of Grand Canyon and Las Vegas and egged us to visit Grand Canyon (He had taken a helicopter ride from las Vegas)

Since the Bay bridge was closed for the labour day weekend we took a detour via the San Mateo bridge and had to go around Dublin Pleasanton. (I saw the Regal cinema IMAX near the BART station. I wanted to visit the cinema one day). Perumal was the first to get down at Dublin and I wished him a safe trip back. By the time we arrived in San Francisco, it was already 9:00 PM. Wolfgang was gracious enough to drop me at Embarcadero BART. Overall the trip was great and I vowed to get back to Yosemite soon..

Week 3 ~ Sep 3rd 2006

"Iam going to explore San Francisco's museums". This was the vow I had in mind when I went to bed the previous day after a grinding trip to Sacramento. Sometime back I was browsing the net and chanced upon a website which described how a family spent their vacation in San Francisco. I had made a mental note then to visit the Palace of fine arts, the Palace of legion of honour, the Cable Car museum and the California academy of sciences. I jotted down the bus routes and schedules for all these places before I went to bed. I woke up pretty late considering the ground that I had to walk the prvious day (but I had factored the time when I charted my plan for the day).

My first stop was Palace of fine arts or exploratorium as it is called. This museum is located near the golden gate bridge and I had to take a bus from near the montgomery BART station (at the intersection of Sutter and Kearney). Bus#45 took me to Lyon and Greenwich from where the Palace of fine arts was a few blocks away. The museum was shaped like a doom and was erected to commemorate the opening of the panama canal. Contrary to its name, the museum is a science exhibition (like the Birla planetorium in chennai which I had never visited). It had plenty of "how things work" exhibits. There were plenty of kids hovering around each of these exhibits watching with an intensity and interest that reminded me of our rare school visit to a laboratory in KV IIT. The exhibits were fascinating and "try me" experiments educates on so many things that we come across in our day to day life but for which we give a damn. I was glued to an exhibit on how motor cars work. It was surreal. The section on lights and colors was fascinating

Next was the Palace of Legion of Honor. I had to catch bus#28 to park presidio blvd from near the Palace of fine arts. It was here that I fumbled again. I took the bus which went the wrong way only to end up in a god forsaken place. (ironically this was the same place where I had landed a month back when myself and a colleague made the same mistake of taking a bus the wrong way). Luckily the place happened to be the last stop for bus#28 and the same bus returned quickly to make the return trip. I got down at Park presidio and Geary, walked a few blocks and caught bus#38 to get down at 42nd avenue and clement. The San Francisco trip planner website (www.511.org) stated that the museum lied closer to the bus stop but I couldn't spot the place. On futher inquiries I was pointed to the museum up the 32nd avenue (there was a stop there as a matter of fact). The hardest part was a steep hike to reach the museum. I was absolutely panting when I reached the top. The Palace of Legion is atop a hill and is surrounded by lush greenery and a view of the bay. The place was so idyllic and scenic to the hilt. There was a marriage photo op on the lush lawns. But to my surprise there was a huge queue in front of the museum waiting to purchase tickets. The crowd moved slowly and I was losing patience by the minute. This was so untypical of the places that I had visited in the US in the sense that there was just too much crowd. I was also wondering aloud why the hell does purchasing a ticket take 2 hours and that too in a country like the US. I remember vividly the fact that one can go and purchase tickets to Taj Mahal within a matter of minutes.

After an agonising 2 hours I managed to finally purchase a ticket (The time was inching closer to 4:00 PM when the museum was supposed to close. We were continually assured by a museum staff that there were still 300 tickets left for the day). The ticket included a visit to the Monet (the french art gallery) and was dicounted for public transport riders (I was one of the beneficiaries). Once inside the museum, I was not prepared for what I saw. It was a art museum whereas I had imagined the Palace of Legion to be a muesum dedicated to war/war memorial. I had also read in the internet that there was a jewish holocaust museum inside the legion but saw no such signs. The paintings were impressive though and I got to see Mr.Rembrandt in full splendor. Some of the exhibits run back to 300 years. I have never been an art enthusiast and was impatient to move out after a cursory look. I hopped back to the Monet exhibition only to find a huge queue waiting to enter. It looked like the legion is not a place to visit in hurry. I skipped Monet. None of the museum staff I spoke to had any clue on the jewish holocaust museum. I left the legion disappointed. I wandered around the glass pyramid on the front porch of the museum to reach the enterance and take in a view of the scenic settings. That was when I noticed a inscription on a wall nearby which said jewish memorial. Somehow I was mistaken and presumed the words memorial to museum all along. There was never a jewish museum, it was only a memorial. The memorial encompassed a wall with a figurine of 5 men lying face down with blood splattered around. It was a grim reminder of the human tragedy that shook the world. After paying my due repects to those poor souls I moved on to my next stop. I still had 2 places to visit. The California academy of sciences and the Cable car museum. Both were situated in the financial district but I had to choose one among them as 5:00 PM was fast approaching (most museums in San Francisco close by 5:00). I decided to go to the cable car museum as that sounded exciting.

I went to the 32nd avenue and california street and waited for bus#1 that would take me to Mason street. I called the Muni (Municipal transport) office and checked the bus timings. I was well on time to catch the bus. Once at Mason, one could easily spot the Cable car museum. The museum has a free entry and has 2 floors. The basement has huge wheels churnings ropes.From the exhibits and the videos, I learnt that San Francisco was abounding with cable cars (as many as 26 cable car companies had operated in the late 1800s). Cable cars were the mode of transport in San Francisco due to the steep hills and winding roads. The horse carriages used those days proved ineffective as the horses wouldn't mount the hills with a heavier load (also horse shit was turning to be a nightmare for waste disposal). The first cable car was introduced in 1881 and cable cars was the most popular medium of transport till the great earthquake in 1906 shook the hell out of San Francisco. All the cable cars were destroyed and the tracks plucked out of their bearings. It was only in the 1960s that cable car tracks were restored and the cars started plying in San Francisco (all due to the efforts of a woman who spearheaded a movement to restore the historic cable cars). The museum has an exhibit of a restored cable car in all its historic demeanor. The videos recounted the aftermath of the great earthquake and the relief efforts. I watched the huge wheels turning the ropes and understood from the many exhibits on the engineering marvel. The cable cars are operated by giant ropes that move underneath the tracks. There are 2 hubs that operate the ropes (one was inside the museum and the other elsewhere) and it runs all through the night. The maintenace of these cars cost the city a fortune but they have become a symbol of San Francisco that the city is determined to operate them. Needless to say tourism is the biggest industry in San Francisco

Week 3 ~ Sep 2nd 2006

The long weekend was fast approaching and I had my thoughts full on what to do for the 3 days. With most people out on these 3 days, it sure looks lot crowded in places like LA and Las Vegas. There was no point in going there as ticket prices had soured by then. So what am I going to do to beat the 3 days...

I was watching a local television channel called KQED one day. There was a programme on a tour around the Stanford mansion. Who was Stanford? Stanford was once the governor of california who had founded the famous Stanford university (the B-school here is world renowned). The TV guide gave the viewers a grand tour around the mansion explaining the significance of the various collections/artifacts there. The mansion was so grand (considering that they were recreated to reflect the original settings of 1800s) that I vowed to visit the place one day. The museum was situated in Sacramento, the state capital of california.

I was going through various websites in search of information on Sacramento where I hit upon the tourism department of Sacramento. I called the toll free number and the operator offered to send me a brochure with a complete set of guides. He also informed that during the labour day weekend Sacramento shall be transformed into the old Sacramento of yore with scenes from gold rush days enacted. That sounded interesting. The brochure arrived promptly the next day and I was mighty impressed with the details. So Sacramento it is for the 1st day of the long weekend....

My predicament was all the more confounded by the fact that I didn't drive a car. That makes public transportation my only option. How about Amtrak?? I checked the Amtrak website www.amtrak.com and confirmed that there were trains available to Sacramento from near San Francisco. There were stops at Emeryville, Berkley and Richmond from where the train can be boarded. I opted for Richmond as it was just 7 minutes from my place. I reached Richmond at 7:30 to take the 720 Capitol Corridor train (scheduled to arrive in Richmond at 7:42). I had previously called Capitol Corridor customer service (Amtrak and Capitol Corridor have some sort of understanding though they are different) and ascertained that one can buy the tickets by internet or at the station or still better in the train itself. But the fact was that if the ticket was purchased in the train from the conductor it costs a few bucks more. I waited at the station turning my iPOD on. In the vicinity there was a man with a huge backpack inquiring about the train timings and ticket counter. A elderly chinese lady directed him to the station downstairs for the ticket. Having overheard the conversation i decided to follow the man to see where he gets his ticket from. We could see a ticket telling machine just by the corner (that I had missed while walking into the station). I waited till he got his ticket out to try my luck. It was a nice little touch screen machine which prompted me for the trip details. Initially I started with the round trip (choosing the 5:40 return from Sacramento) but was completely lost by the time I had to choose payment options. I cancelled the whole thing and started afresh by selecting the one-way trip. Behind me a small crowd had started gathering waiting impatiently. I could hear the jabbers as time wore on and I still could not figure how to pay the tickets. I was getting stuck at one point where I had to enter the PIN number of my visa card and I just couldn't figure where to enter them. The lady behind me was getting impatinet and fidgetty and was heard suggesting to her companions that they go ahead and wait in the station while she collected the tickets. Enough was enough, so I thought and quietly asked the lady behind if she could help me. She had no hesitation in pointing to the small key pad at the side where I could enter the PIN. I thanked the lady and collected my tickets (Man! these machines always expose me). Our train arrived at 7:42 prompt (there was a train at the other side which had Sacramento written all over and we were all fooled as the train was arriving from Sacramento. Can't they improve these sign boards?) and I inquired with the ticket conductor where the unreserved car was. He pointed to me to the cars with a wave of his hand and said these are all yours... The train was neat and comfortable and I went to the top deck. It wasn't crowded and that left me wondering why Americans didn't appreciate public transport much as my countrymen do. Why ride a car for hours together when you can sit and relax in the cool interiors of an Amtrak..

The view from Richmond to Sacramento was great uptill Martinez when the tracks ran parallel to the bay. We reached Sacramento at 9:15 AM and my first stop was the California Rail Road museum. I lost my way to the museum taking a detour. I was confronted by a friendly museum guide who politely educated me on the significance of the museum and the lay out. There were plenty of wagons on display starting with the Union pacific and South pacific railroad cars. A manequin of Leland Stanford flagging a steam engine greets us at the entrance. There were plenty of other cars over various years interspersed with ticket booths, railway quarters, display of tools etc....I was fascinated by the spike that was on display. This spike (Lost spike as it is called) was one of the original 2 spikes that was made to commemorate the launch of the first railroad network in california. While the original spike was donated to the Stanford museum (called the last spike), the other spike was lost and was subsequently traced to the family of the engineer that built the rail road. This spike was called the lost spike which was subsequently donated to the museum the previous week. I never knew time buzz but when I looked at my watch, I realised that I had spent around 2 hours there..

I walked out in the warm climes of Sacramento to my next stop The Discovery museum. This museum lies close to the rail road museum but faces the old sacramento street that had been transformed into a set from the gold rush days. There was a country fair, horses drawn carriages, men in coats and hats, women in corsets and long skirts. The shops resembled a setting from a old cowboy movie. The museum itself had artifacts from gold rush days including excavations from the attic of a house which once stood in the same place as that of the present day museum. An exhibit honouring the Pony Express was interesting. It was a horse saddle. Pony Express was the first stagecoach which carried mail during the 1800s. The company was formed out of a novel idea by a wealthy businessman who found communicating between the coasts difficult. The company was in operation for less than 10 years and went broke. I was engrossed in the chinese section (looking at exhibits on the life of the chinese people who had come all the way from china to work on the railroads and gold fields) when an elderly volunteer offered to explain to me the theme behind the exhibit. She explained the hardship and discrimination the chinese had to endure to make their mark in american society. The japanese section was also captivating and the exhibits reflected the hardship the japanese had to face in the aftermath of the pearl harbour bombing when they were isolated and kept in labour camps

Next was the Wells Fargo museum. There was a stagecoach outside the museum with offers for a free photo op. I shunned the photo and jumped headon into the exhibits. Wells Fargo as we know is a major bank in the US but it once operated mail service in 1800s. The exhibits depicted the service between various US cities and how money was transported between the collection agents and the bank teller. This museum was small and I spent little time in finishing the tour quicker than anticipated. I still had 2 hours (it was already 3
:00 PM and most museums close by 5:00 PM). Lying just across the dusty street was the California Military Museum. During the 1800s california had its own military league (it was shunned later only to be revived) and the museum had exhibits from the military league. In addition there were sections devoted to WWII, Vietnam, Korea and Bosnian wars (Surprisingly there were no exhibits from the gulf war). One exhibit which caught my attention most was the glistening Harley Davidson military motor cycle with its distinct green colour and insignia. The museum had 3 floors and I was running out of time...

By the time I was out of the California Military Museum I had barely half an hour. I still had the Leland Stanford mansion and California Governor's mansion to visit. I was in a dilema as to which one to choose. Both will be closed in half an hour and I had to settle for one. Though I would have loved to visit Leland Stanford museum, it was quite a distance for me to cover within the time that was available. I had to settle for the governor's mansion and besides you never know when Arnold Schwaznegger (The hollywood muscle man turned california governor) might bump into you. It was then that I lost my way again taking a detour around the lovely sacramento river. By the time I made inquiries to find my way, I had barely 10 minutes left to make it to the mansion. I walked fast towards downtown Sacramento taking in view the mamoth structure ahead. By the time I made my way to the mansion, it just closed down for the day. I could not hide my exasperation and glotted over my folly in not inquiring someone (when I first sensed that I was getting lost). The mansion was huge and had beautiful manicured lawns where there was a marriage party going on. I rested in the park for a while and started the slow tredge back to Amtrak station. There was a train to Richmond leaving Sacramento at 5:40 and I had twenty minutes left. The tredge turned to fast walk and subsequently a jog as I lost my way for the 3rd time. This time I was racing against time and a merciless sun to cope. I was just in time when I reached the ticket counter where the ticket teller comforted me that there was still 3 minutes left. I heaved a huge sigh of relief when I was finally seated for good.

Overall the trip was good but I rue the fact that I could have moved on faster in these museums. I wish I had a car which would have ensured that I reach the governor's mansion well in time. Hopefully I will drive one soon.....

Week 2 ~ Aug 27th 2006

One of our client's business partner once mentioned to me that there 2 areas in San Francisco that are a must see. One is Golden gate and the other Sausalito. I already knew about Golden gate but what about Sausalito. "Oh" he said "It has great restaurants and a wonderful neighbourhood". Now I don't care about restaurants as I eat very little outside restricting myself to chinese (for the noodles) or Indian restaurants. What is this stuff about a great neighbourhood? I decided to take a Sausalito tour. I checked the bay area guide to find a Muir wood/Sausalito tour. Muir wood was touted as the best redwood forest in the bay area. Iam no nature lover but decided to check the redwoods for the heck of it. There were 2 tour timings available. I opted for the afternoon tour. The afternoon tour starts at 2:00 PM from Ghiradelli square and takes 3.30 hours including tea at Sausalito.

This time we had a smaller bus and I was crammed into the last seat. I fell asleep immediately even as our driver was explaining our itineary. Our first stop was at Muir woods. This area lies in the marin county and is an area covered with redwood trees. The road to Muir woods is a winding hill with many bends. Since our tour package included the ticket to the park, we were allowed straight in. (It surprised me to note that there were absolutely no rangers in sight to check the tickets). Once inside there were plenty of trails to hike. I decided to take a trail that most people were walking. This trail has landmarks covered with small bridges. Muir woods as we learnt from a guide was founded by a philanthropist/businessman/conservationist William Kent and named after his friend John Muir. John Muir was one of the well known conservationist of 1900s and was instrumental in laying the foundation for many national parks/state parks notably Yosemite and Muir woods. There was a plaque inside the woods which was laid in honour of a UN gathering in 1945 when world leaders met in San Francisco to announce the formation of the League of Nations as it was then called. The leaders had travelled to Muir woods for a relaxing trip and photo op. hmm.. relaxing under the cool woods would have done lot of goos to these leaders considering the turmoil that the world had just witnessed. The redwoods appeared to be like coniferous forests. Later I learnt that redwoods and conifers are not the same. There were giant trees all along. But surprisingly there was little noise that usually abound a forest. No chirping sounds either. As I started walking further along, I noticed that the number of hikers had thinned and beyond a point there was no one in sight. I hiked till bridge 4 and tried a steeper climb. We were given only 1 hour and 2o minutes and I was already falling well short. I decided to return walking faster so that I would not be late. Surprisingly I arrived much earlier than most others. The return journey was fantastic with clear views of the Muir beach appearing over the horizon.There were a group of tourists from Canada which included an eldelrly lady who had a croaking voice. She was surprised that Muir woods did not sound like a forest being completely tranquil. I was surprised to learn that they had been touring all along the US for nearly 3 weeks visting the coast end to end.

Our next stop was Sausalito. We were dropped off at the sea front and given 2 hours for shopping and dining. I walked to the ferry center to watch the ferries. There was a huge crowd waiting to catch the next ferry to San Francisco. (The next ferry was to arrive 1 hour later). The canadians wanted to take the ferry to San Fr and ancisco and so we bade goodbye to each other. I walked along the sea front to watch people fishing and surfing. With a scoop of chocolate ice cream on one hand, I found a great spot to watch the calm sea, the surfers, couples enjoying a nice stroll and children playing along the paved path all along the sea front. By the time I finished my ice cream, it was already late and I had to hurry back. The canadians wer back. Apparently the ferry service could not accept them as they did not have a reservation. They showed me some great photographs of Alcatraz islands that they had purchased from a souveneir shop. I was interested when they told me that the same book cost atleast 10$ more in San Francisco. We took a round trip around the Sausalito neighbourhood to watch houses facing the sea front (most houses here have windows facing the sea). We also had a glimpse of the house boats which was a fad those days. The sea front houses we were told cost anything between 10 to 15 million dollars. Robbin Williams has a house here so do other hollywood stars but we didn't get to see them.

We returned via Golden gate bridge and the crookedest street. I didnt quite hit it off with this driver. Once in Sausalito he was taking down the spots where we wanted to get off. I told him I wanted to get off near a BART station to which he retorted "Excuse me Sir! I don't run a taxi service". It was so brusque to a poor tourist. But I was pleasantly surprised when he dropped me near a BART station. Now why did he make that remark and why did he renege? I don't have a clue

Week 2 ~ Aug 26th 2006

I once went to an aquarium in Fisherman's Wharf (the aquarium of the bay) but was disappointed by its small size and not so great collection of sea creatures. I was remarking this to my acquaintance at the bus stop who suggested that I take a look at the aquarium in Monterey bay which he said was by far the largest aquarium in california and more importantly it housed sharks. Now who would miss the oppertunity to see a shark. I checked the bay guide and spotted a tour that offered visit to Monterey and carmel bays in a day

The tour was supposed to start from the same Hyatt residency (From where I had boarded the bus the previous week to NAPA) at around the same time. During the last trip to NAPA, I was the only tourist who was single and companionless but this time I could spot many others. Our driver was a heavily accented latino called Sylvio. We started the tour with a latino joke and travelled along highway 1. This is the most scenic route I have ever seen. It has mountains on one side and the ocean on the other with people surfing/fishing all along (who would want to surf/swim in such cold weather). Slyvio passed us photos of the elephant seals and gave us an insight on their attraction. The elephant seals have a trunk like an elephant and usually arrive at the bay during december to march for mating. They are harmless creatures. There is a light house by the bay which has since been abandoned. The elephant seals use the light house as their house

We arrived in Monterey around noon. The tour includes the optional aquarium visit and many decided to skip it. The aquarium had 2 decks and plenty to offer. I started with the jelly fish collections. The jelly fish are so amazing creatures in that they are too poisonous with regards to their shape and size. There were many collections on display and I was particularly fascinated with the transparent ones. Next was the shark section. I had a glimpse of the stinger rays and other ray sharks. The museum guide informed us that they had a white shark domesticated in display but had to release it as the shark began to show hunting instincts. The aquarium was indeed large and had plenty to offer. I never realised that I had been in for 2 hours

Our next stop was at the pebble beach and the famous 17 mile drive. Pebble beach in carmel is famous for daunting golf courses and picturesque houses. The residents are millionaires who had formed their own private property but have been gracious enough to allow tourists a peep. There are 3 main golf courses that are beautifully manicured. We stopped at the largest course to take snaps and stroll around the carmel bay. We also stopped over at the lone cypress over the bay. This tree is so lonely that you think of associating yourself with it. After all life is lonely.... I wanted to have a snap taken with the tree in the background and I asked a couple to help me. The man quipped "You want to take a photo with my wife?". We both lauged as his wife was blushing. He graciously clicked a few snaps.

At Carmel, one has to walk a long way to the beach as buses are not allowed along the trail. The beach was breathtaking with beautiful vistas of the moutains. I saw down in the cool sand and watched children play (How I missed the Beasant nagar beach in chennai. Those beach chats with my good friend Raam when we used to discuss anything and everything). After spending a few minutes, I trekked back. The climb was really punishing (The beach was down a cliff). I had to catch my breath and needed a chai latte to get my energy back.

We stopped at Gilroy on the way back. Slyvio informed us that Gilroy was famous for garlic and had garlic mixed in all its food. They even had garlic mixed in cakes. Our stop was at a farmer's market which had stacks of fresh fruits and garlic mixed eatables. Though I was curious, I stopped short of buying anything. Sylvio's accent was difficult to comprehend at times and I did wonder what language he was speaking. Slyvio took us through the Silicon valley and San jose on our return journey. He pointed out each major IT company (those we dream about working), its innards and the number of employees. He remarked he had learnt about them as he used to work there previously (as a charter bus driver for many of these companies). from IBM to Google to Yahoo and Oracle it was a gorgeous landscape. We arrived in San Francisco around 8:00 PM and I was too exhausted but content that I had a great day

Week 1 ~ Aug 20th 2006

I decided to explore San Francisco after one of my colleagues had a simple question when I informed him that I intend to go to the wine county. He quipped, "Have you gone around San Francisco yet?". That ticked me as to why not go around San Francisco. Again the bay area guide came to the rescue. There was an advertisement about an earthquake tour which caught my attention. I had heard about the great earthquake that wiped much of San Francisco in 1906. Infact this is the 100th year (I watched the clippings over and over on TV). So what does an earthquake tour mean?

My office is situated near a cable car stop (By the way San Francisco abounds with old cable cars. I have heard that Kolkatta in India has trams and I was curious to know the difference between a tram and a cable car and why do San Franciscans tout that theirs is the only city in the world that has cable cars still in operation when Kolkatta has one too). I had wanted to travel by a cable car but one of my colleagues downplayed the idea by suggesting that they were too slow and crowded.

The tour was supposed to start from Fisherman's Wharf at 2:00 PM. Fisherman's Wharf is a seafront which I was told had been formed out of landfill when San Franciscans were running short of real estate. It houses various piers (Pier 39 offers the famous bay cruise) and lots of restaurants by the bay. I started from my house at 12:45 and reached Embarcadero at 1:15 PM. I wanted to take the F line to Fisherman's Wahrf rather than walk 3 miles. I arrived in Fisherman's Wharf by 1:45 after waiting for the cable car for around 10 minutes. Contrary to what my friend told, the cable car was not too slow but it was crowded (Infact the cable car operator got into a fight with a co-passenger that reminded me of the buses that run in my hometown Chennai where fisticuffs and abuses are day to day affair). I located the tour booth and was pleasantly surprised to see a "cable car" waiting nearby. The tour operator pointed to the cable car and asked me to board it. The "cable car" itself was an open car with seats along the sides. Here is the catch, the "cable car" did not run on rails but on wheels like a bus. Our driver was a pleasant elderly lady who told us that the tour would go through the earth quake affected areas of San Francisco and would take 2 hours

We started at Fisherman's Wharf and went through North Beach. North Beach or Little Italy is a pre-dominantly italian neighbourhood with plenty of restauarants and a great cathedral (our operator informed us about the festive activities that took place here after italy won the soccer world cup). We saw the coit towers which is a light house. There is an interesting story about the coit towers. It is said that the tower was named after a woman who bequeathed her property for the fire department after she was taken in by their bravery and commitment (They had once saved her life). There are others who say she herself was a fire woman. We soon arrived in China town. San Francisco has one of the largest asian communities and chinese are the largest among them. Chinese came to San Francisco during the gold rush days back in 1880's and had assimilated themselves into californian culture through their hardwork and grit (They had laboured hard to develop some of california's famous rail road networks). China town transports you to china itself. The place, smell, look all have the trademark of authentic china. We arrived at washington square to see the chinese play a coin game. It was interesting to note groups of chinese bunched together playing the game while a larger group was intent on watching them. The next attraction was the pyramid towers. This is like any other office building but with a shape like that of a pyramid. We were informed that San Franciscans initially opposed the idea of a strange landmark dotting their skies but had accepted the plan to only see the place emerge as a major tourist attraction

We then travelled to presidio and had a glimpse of the crookedest street (This street has such a steep gradient that I wonder how will the guys who drive vehicles manage if their brakes fail!). This street has one of the worst traffic as drivers negotiate the gradient. Presidio is the old neighbourhood charm of San Francisco. It has some of the victorian houses which are fascinating to watch. our guide informed us that the houses cost anywhere between 30 to 50 million. Whew!!! She also revealed that Mrs.Doubtfire was filmed here (in one of the houses where we stopped to click a few snaps). Presidio was a US military base which has since been abandoned. It has lush green lawns and great buildings with red tiles. We proceeded to the Golden gate bridge. This is the landmark that comes to our mind at the mention of San Francisco. San Franciscans are so proud about their unique landmark. This bridge was constructed in 1936 and a year younger than its cousin the Bay bridge that I use to commute daily between my house in east bay to my office in the financial district of San Francisco. The bridge itself is painted orange (a unique colour which had stiff opposition initially from the city's residents) and has a span that is 7.5 miles long. It has few columns and is shaped like a suspension bridge. We were told that many people died while constructing the bridge due to the icy waters of the bay. There were plenty of people walking along the side walk though it was windy and cold. We got down to take a few snaps. We went around the road that goes to Sausalito which we were told was another great neighbourhood by the water front inhabited by musicians, artists and other people of power and prestige. We didn't go to Sausalito though and took a turn to travel along the same way back

Overall the tour was exciting (and cold too as San Francisco is too cold to travel by an open car with light clothing) and we had plenty of snippets from our guide. I wish I could spend more time travelling around this wonderful city that is so diverse and charming. May be I will travel the same routes one day when I get time....

After the 2 hour tour, I went to the Ripley's believe it or not museum in Fisherman's Wharf. This museum had fascinating things on display that were a result of Mr.Ripley's travel around the world in search of strange/weird/fascinating things. At the end of my tour, I was so fascinated that I bought a museum guide that had many new facts.

The next stop was at the Turbo ride in pier 39. The advertisment touted this ride as very scary. There were a total of 3 rides. I decided to take a combo package with 2 rides. Each ride lasts for 10 minutes. The first was a log ride which was a simulation of a log's travel around rain forests and mountains. These 3D rides are indeed amazing as they offer you the thrill of an adventure ride by just jostling you around. The second ride was less thrilling. It was about the rescue of dinosaurs (May be I had become immune after the first raid???).

Week 1 ~ Aug 19th 2006

The tour to NAPA was to begin at 8:45 AM and I had to be at the Hyatt Residency in Embarcadero by 8:10. The reason I picked this hotel (rather the tour operator's customer service agent) was its nearness to the BART (www.bart.gov). All I had to do was exit the market street and reach the corner of Drumm street. A matter of 3 minutes. I rose early and underwent the chores. Still unconvinced that I was about to travel all alone, I pondered all along till I reached the El Cerrito BART station. From El Cerrito to Embarcadero, it takes 25 minutes to travel with a transfer at Macarthur station. I chose the timings well enough to be at Embarcadero by 7:50. Not knowing where to wait (Was it at the west side of the hotel or the south side? Most important of all I had no clue as to which was the south and which north), I trode to Noah's for some fresh coffee. As I waited in the line to grab a tall chai, there were a couple of blue tourist buses with all its passengers sporting a badge and carrying blue backpacks (With the tour company's name emblazoned). I was excited all at once assuming that a nice little backpack was awaiting. Sipping tall chai, I called the agency to confirm the place of boarding. No sooner did I find the spot, there came the tour bus with the Tower Tours insignia. The bus was too small (like a mini van) and my spirits dipped instantaneously. The driver informed us that he would be picking other guests from nearby hotels and depositing us at the tour office in Ghiradelli square. Along the way he gave us a commentary on the history of the Ghiradelli square. The square once housed the famous Ghiradelli chocolate factory but much of the square has since been rented after the company went broke. The square still houses the famous Ghiradelli chocolate shop renowned for its ice creams. After completing the tour formalities, we were told to board a shiny plush green bus with comfortable upholstery. At 8:45 we set about on our tour to NAPA and Sonoma counties

What was it to drink a wine? I have never drunk wine before but had heard telltale stories of the drink being associated with anything french. Did it contain alcohol to give us a high or a "feremented" grape juice as our tour guide cum driver commented? I was scared to taste the drink and the thought of that churned my stomach as I was known to puke to anything alcoholic. Will my weakness betray again? No, I will skip the drink.. But what does it mean to embark on a wine tasting journey without tasting a wine? All these thoughts haunted me as we left behind San Francisco

Our first stop was at the Madonna winery run by an italian family. Our wine guide led us through the vineyards with fresh grapes (She told us not to taste them as they were nascent and might taste sour). After witnessing the vineyards, we were led inside for a view around the fermentation room with huge barrles stacked high up. Next it was time for tasting some wine. We were given a gobblet each and the winery staff opened the bottles. I was still pondering... Can I take it? Well, there was no going back. The screw had been uncorked and I had the gobblet. What the heck I'll try this. The first was the chardonay, a sweet white wine. It tasted good, no trace of alcohol. I drank a couple of rounds. Then came the cabaranet and Barbarosa. The red and white wines started flowing and I was wallowing under the little success against my weakness. Wine is not that bad afterall, ain't it?

Next stop was at the Sonoma county city hall. Our driver (Mr.Richard McGuire) a witty irish man with tongue in cheek liners informed us that the city hall had similar look at all the four entrances in all the directions as the city's shopkeepers could not quite agree which side the hall has to face (With the result that it is difficult to figure which side constitutes the main entrance). We were given 2 hours to shop and lunch. I was sceptical as the place was lined with grill, steak shops. No vegeterian dellis to be seen. I thought I had seen a Subway on the way. Didn't I or was it an illusion? I went in search of the shop in vain only to return to the city hall square and find an italian restaurant offerring pizzas. I ordered veggie pizzas and ceasar salad. After lunch, I wandered around the beautiful square with a garden like setting and didn't realise how late it was before it was time to leave

Our next stop was at the Viansa winery which was a drive through a curving road. We were greeted by cheery man who called himself David. David let us know that Viansa stood for Vicky and Sam who were from the Sebastiani family (I saw a theatre and a bus named Sebastiani on the way). This family had come from Italy and made a name for themselves in the wine business. These guys wanted to do something different and broke off from their family business to start Viansa. Viansa was different from other wineris in that they promoted italian brands rather than the french ones. We were told the winery did not market or sell these brands to retailers rather sold them to people who were interested in italian wines during their visit to the winery. We not only tasted italian winery but also italian cheese, honey, jams and other delicacies. The backyard of the winery was scenic with a view of the imposing mountain ranges and vineyards. After walloping for a few minutes, it was time to move

Next was the Cline winery. We were met by a subtle, soft speeking guide who took us around the winery. He told us that the winery was once a monastery founded by a franciscan monk who developed the vineyards. The vineyard subsequently was owned by Gen.Vallejo (the famous general who was instrumental in defeating the russians from taking the west coast) who bequeathed it to the county. Fred Cline's (the current owner) grandfather arrived from italy and purchased the land. The winery had housed hot water springs in the past and had constructed special baths for tourists. However with the 1906 earthquake which shook california, the hot springs were gone. The winery had a wine institute. Here we had a taste of 6 wines from the Oakley reds to pinot gregio. The wines continued flowing and the staff never stopped pouring. After 1 too many, it was time to move. It was our last stop and dusk had arrived

We left Sonoma back to San Francisco and I fell asleep immediately (Later one of my colleagues informed that wine puts one to sleep). I woke up to hear Richard plodding his guests to estimate the price of the houses we were going thorogh. We passed Presidio and the family homes there were enchanting in their victorian era architecture and splendour. The homes according to Richard cost anywhere between 10 to 60 millions!

Week 1 ~ Aug 14th 2006

After spending almost 5 months in the US and doing nothing but sleep and watch crappy movies in the serene lazy atmosphere of Pleasant hill and El Cerrito, it dawned on me one day in August that life was sucking! what a starting revelation?? That turned out to be the day of atonement and I decided to embark on an exploration that would be double pronged (kill my weekends and also something that I can learn from). Unfortunately I had a bunch of colleagues who were either married or had other worthy ideas of spending weekends that I could turn to no one to accompany me on my travails. After debating with my innerself and cursing my predicament, I decided to do it on my own. It was then that I laid my hands on a bay area guide that was safely ensconsed in my office bag. My eyes immediately chanced upon the NAPA tour. I called the tour agency (www.guideyou.com) and arranged for a tour to NAPA that saturday (Aug 19th)