Usually when taking a weekend trip anywhere, cloudy weather isn’t ideal. But when climbing up a mountain when you’re essentially in the clouds, it makes the view from the summit that much more dramatic.
Our rise into the clouds was along the trail up Stony Man Summit in the Shenandoah Valley. At only 4,110 feet it’s not a severe incline, but the view from the top was still pretty cool. Continue reading “Stony Man Summit in the Shenandoah Valley”
With nothing else to do for the weekend, we grabbed one of Najwa’s friends and headed out to the mountains. But climbing one of the summits of the Blue Ridge Mountains would wait for tomorrow. The first goal was to go below in the Shenandoah Caverns. Continue reading “Going Below in the Shenandoah Caverns”
For our annual beach trip we returned to the Outer Banks. Continue reading “Back to the Outer Banks”
We returned from Kerala for the rest of the day in Chennai before having to head home. A week simply isn’t a lot of time to see everything that India has to offer. Barely enough time to see what Chennai itself has to offer, but that can wait for another day.
Since most of the team in Chennai work eastern standard timezone hours, we missed them the first time we stopped by the office. So, we waited around until the sun was just rising over our nation’s capital, or the afternoon in Chennai, to catch up with the rest of my people.
Continue reading “One Last Goodbye Before Leaving Chennai”
Nduku was feeling quite ambitious with our trip to India. Though we only had a week, she was intent on seeing as much of different parts as possible, and everyone had been suggesting Kerala. So, off we went to the other side of southern India to Kochi, locally known as Cochin, a major port city on the southwest coast of India. It’s the most densely populated city in Kerala. Continue reading “Chinese Fishing Nets, Backwaters and Kathikali in Kochi”
It. Was. Hot.
When I first mentioned to my people in India that we were coming in April, expecting them to sound excited, the first thing they all said was, “why?”
It wasn’t a why are we coming to visit. It was a why are we coming in April. This is when the temperatures start climbing and it can get unbearable. Had me trying to convince Nduku to change our itinerary to South America or Siberia. But we stuck to the plan and yes, it was hot.
But we braved the heat to check out Shore Temple and all the other landmarks in Mahabalipuram. Continue reading “Shore Temple, Five Rathas and Other UNESCO Sites in Mahabalipuram”
With only a week in India, we didn’t spend much time in Chennai that first day. One of my goals was to visit the Stone Temple in Mahabalipuram. When my boss heard I was going to India, he arranged for us to have a driver while in India, so we loaded up the car and headed south. It’s one of the reason why I’ve been with my company for over eight years and have no intentions of ever leaving.
We stayed at Ideal Beach Resort. Quaint. Probably not the highest rated, but it was a cool little spot to lay our heads. Continue reading “Heading South to Ideal Beach Resort”
For Najwa’s spring break, we decided to use the week to get out of the country. And we’re not talking about a hop down to an island off the coast of America. Nduku is always thinking big for these trips so she wanted to go somewhere on the other side of the planet. So, we chose India.
Most people’s itinerary when going to India would be to visit the Taj Mahal, Mumbai, New Delhi, something up north, maybe Goa, maybe Kolkata. But I was adamant that if we’re going to go to the subcontinent, we have to go see my friends in the south. So off to Chennai we went.
Continue reading “Arriving in Chennai”
The power of the internet. We planned a trip to New York. One of Najwa’s friends also planned a trip to York. So they made plans for all of us to meet up at Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Unbelievable. Continue reading “Meeting Up with Friends in New York”
It’s been a rough year for grandma, but she’s in high spirits. It was time to get her out the house to get some sun, so off to Virginia Beach we go. Continue reading “Taking Halmeoni to Virginia Beach”
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