Leaving New York City

It took me a while but I think I have finally come to terms with the fact that I have moved out of New York City and the United States altogether. It wasn't easy for obvious reasons; I've spent most of my adult life in New York and it is the place where I was most comfortable and energized yet most confused, anxious and restless. It has shaped me into the person I am today. In India, when people ask me where I came from I’d reply “Malaysia” but at the back of my mind I’d say “New York City”.

Sappiness aside, I had three months in the USA to pack up my things and play tourist in my “own” city. Here are some highlights of my last trip to NYC and the rest of USA.

Californian Horse Ranch

“A”’s uncle and his wife own this ranch that's about an hours drive from San Francisco. It was amazing observing these creatures. They were so huge, proud and intelligent. One of them unlatched the door using its massive teeth, so it can come nearer to me for some extra horse-y snacks I had in my palm.

(My first) Camping Trip in the Redwoods

Many, many thanks to Mr. + Mrs. Shadley who graciously drove us to the Redwoods and showed me everything I needed to know about camping - "modern" camping, that is. Needless to say, I was dirty by the end of the weekend, but I had a blast exploring the quiet forest surrounded by nothing but these giant ancient trees. Why would anyone put a hole in a 2400 year old tree?

An Indian Wedding in Kentucky

Congratulations Nisha & Rob!

Roadtrip from the Midwest to the East Coast

Here's the scenery from our drive in Charleston, West Virginia.

Washington, DC

The Washington Monument, standing so very proudly.

Half-day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with Jassy


Cheese! She was so excited when "A" and I picked her up from her school, she couldn't stop bouncing. She wore her favorite tutu and the necklace and Indian bangles I gave her. We had a great time learning about mummies, pyramids and Christian art, thanks to Uncle A(l)mit.

September 11, Ten Years Later


Pretty mesmerizing. Brought back memories of what happened on the actual day.

Ice-skating at Wollman Rink, Central Park

This is how excited my sister got when she finally tore herself away from her clingy kids and skated for like five minutes.

Halloween - Kiddy Style

I haven’t been to anywhere else in the world where people celebrated Halloween as seriously as the New Yorkers do.

Thanksgiving Once More

Two full days of cooking with my sister and one of the best dinners we've made together. We were too exhausted to eat during dinner time, but it was worth every achy feet. Possibly my last one in the USA because it’ll be strange to celebrate Thanksgiving in India, no?

My Farewell Party

One of the many in the past few years. This one organized by a very good friend, N.

Saying goodbyes were never easy for me. If I had a choice, I’d give up goodbyes eternally. I recalled being surprisingly calm when I shut the door for the very last time to my little 100-year-old tenement apartment on Mott Street, which I’ve lived independently for more than 3 years.


The living room window which is often blocked by my 18" flatscreen TV. Right outside the window is a tired-looking fire escape, weakly attached to the building walls which has a signboard that says something along the line of “if you get caught standing here, you’ll be fined $5”.


My unforgettable kitchen, dining and bathroom.

When it was time to say goodbye, I recalled it being a bit tough to hug everyone while putting on a fake "I'm alright" smile and holding back sobs. I was told life goes on, and you just have to go with it. I’m looking forward to my new home (it should be ready any day now...) and a new chapter but needless to say, I’ll be missing New York, especially the people in it.

Jules, the latest edition to my family.

A Muslim Wedding in Ooty

I can safely say that I have attended more Indian weddings than any other types of weddings. If the last Indian wedding I went to in Goa was way too hot, this Indian wedding in Ooty was slightly too cold. Nonetheless, it was beautiful and a lot of fun, despite catching a bad cold. It was a good excuse not to drink shots.

Ooty, where the air is crisp and the skies are (occasionally) blue.

Day 1: The Sangeet

A nicely choreographed Bollywood-style dance by the bride's good friends.



Day 2: The Brunch & The Manjha Ceremony

At brunch.


Bride in a beautiful white saree.


Live band at brunch. This is "A"'s dad singing a Louis Armstrong song.


Manjha ceremony area. Manjha ceremony is when the bride is smeared all over with haldi (turmeric) paste usually provided by the groom's family. I think this is also when the bride gets all the wonderful gifts from him and his family.

Day 3: The Nikah (Wedding Ceremony)

The bride and her entourage.


Traditionally, the women and men are to be seated separately, but we didn't do that at this wedding. The bride has to stay under the veil until her husband unveils her.


Bride taking a peek from under her veil, for a group photo.


And finally, the happy newly weds.

For more photographs on the wedding, click here.

Note: To drive from Bangalore to Ooty, if you leave by 6 a.m, it will take about seven hours. Any later than that, with the bad traffic, your journey, like ours, will be an additional two hours or more. If you are prone to car sickness, like me, you should take a motion sickness pill before the start of your journey. Or if time is not an issue, I highly recommend you stop and spend a night at one of the resorts in Masinagudi (a forest reserve in Tamil Nadu). If you're lucky, you might spot a wild animal or two.


A wild elephant at Masinagudi


Jungle Retreat at Masinagudi. Click here for their website.

Ladakh: Lamayuru

(Here's another overdue post)

"A"'s parents and brother had gone back to Bangalore and it was only the two of us left on this majestic mountain range. We spent a couple of days doing absolutely nothing in Leh except slowly inhaling the insufficient mountain oxygen and reading. On our third day, we decided to go towards the West, to Lamayuru.

Lamayuru is about 125 km from Leh, 8 hours by car. Legend has it that this place was once the bottom of a deep lake but a Buddhist scholar prayed and caused the lake to drain. He then built a monastery here which housed the oldest gompa in Ladakh. Sounds like a fairy tale, but it's not all untrue. This place does look as if a lake has vanished and left a bizarre moonscape of rock formations.


The legend carved in stone.


The vanished lake and moonscape of Lamayuru.


Trekking on the moonscape. It's just as you thought it'd be; the surface under our feet was like semi-solid sand cakes. I was so certain there was going to be a landslide or I would step into quicksand because occasionally, I'd come across a hole in the ground and when I'd peep into it, all I would see was darkness.


Moonscape up close. Looks like a dried-up mixture of powdered sand and mud.


Inside the Lamayuru monastery.


An elderly lady who was hanging out at the monastery busily spinning a prayer wheel.


Sunset at Lamayuru.


Blackbirds chilling out on the top of the ancient gompa.


"A" exploring the moonscape caves. Some of these caves are manmade and are homes to the locals.


A tiny door to a sturdy home.


Doors that lead to no where.

The many colors of the Himalaya.

The scary yet amazing view on our drive.


Apart from trekking, you could also do some stone-carving at the "shop" attached to the monastery's guesthouse. "A" had the great idea of carving our names in Tibetan, on a slab of stone, but that stone remains unfinished to this day and is now collecting dust somewhere in my closet. There were some curious young monks around.

There are not too many choices for accommodation. We stayed at the guesthouse run by the monastery that has basic amenities, hot water and pretty good food. We requested the room that's on the terrace and our view was simply amazing.

"A" doing the moonwalk in front of the moonscape.

Click here for more pictures of Lamayuru.