Mystery Solved!

So the mystery has been solved. The CIO (Chief Investigating Officer) of blogs-ville Mr Ricky Singh has after all performed his duty...and that too, very well. After spending long hours...yes...didn't u notice he has been kinda absent from the blog world last few days? No? He has been seen everywhere? Oh well, that's Ricky for you...he seems to have more than 24hrs a day in his hand, isn't it? Anyway....where was I? Ah yes....so, after spending long hours for the sole purpose to quench the curiosity of the masses and to uncover the truth of The Case of The Missing PM, Ricky has come up with this report. But, being a true blogger at heart, his report reflects the writer that he is deep within. Here is his 55 report

Everyone was in conference room. Mannu approached Kofi Annan and asked, "May I go to the toilet, Sir?"
So, off he went...la la. Came back, no one was in the room! He saw Bush running towards the photo lounge. He realised..."Oh Shit, it's picture time". He ran but alas!! It had already flashed...

There maybe some who might not believe this report to be true. To prove it, we have confirmed reports as to why Mr. Bush was running towards the photo lounge. He too, like our PM, had to go. (Maybe it was something they served for breakfast that morning?) Only, Mr Bush's timing was just right and he managed to get back just in time for the photo session. Here, take a read:
The Rush

Where is he?

This picture was taken during the recent 60th United Nations General Assembly, the 2005 World Summit held in the United Nations Head Quarters, New York. This was the biggest ever meeting of world leaders in all times bringing together more than 170 Heads of State and Government. Our PM, Dr. Manmohan Singh attended as the representative of India, but he seems to be missing from the picture. Can you find him? Where was he? Is he the one who took the picture?

Seven Things

First of all..as most of you know, the nomination of the first ever Bloggerratti (Anz or Saba)is out. Surprisingly, I have been nominated for the Best Travelogue category. Yipppeee!!! :-)

I was tagged by Rakesh first....and then again by Divya....here goes...

Seven Things you want to do before you die:

1. Marry V and live happily ever after

2. Go on a world tour

3. Go on a cruise trip

4. Do hand-gliding, sight seeing tour on a coptor, hot air balloon ride, jet ski, ski

5. Sky-dive, river raft, kayak and paraglide - again

6. Learn to swim

7. Learn everything about my rituals and customs

Seven Things you can do:

1. Sleep for more than 12 hrs at a stretch

2. Pat my head and rub my tummy simultaneously

3. Bug people with my PJs

4. Listen

5. Blabber a lot when I am sleepy

6. Watch crappy movies till the end

7. Ride the scariest of roller coaster rides

Seven Things you say most:

1. V

2. Hmmm

3. Whatever

4. haan kya?

5. I am so bored

6. Am i smart or am i smart?

7. Shucks!

Seven Things you can't do:

1. Reach the highest shelf of my kitchen closet without the help of a step ladder or chair

2. Own a snake - or for that matter any reptile - as a pet

3. Make my two elbows join, behind my back

4. Raise only one eyebrow

5. Wiggle my ears

6. Write fiction

7. Not be in touch with V for more than 4 hours at a stretch (except while sleeping)

Seven Things that attract you to the opposite sex:

1. Eyes

2. Smile

3. Hair style

4. Sense of humour

5. Ability to involve me in an intelligent conversation

6. Fashion sense

7. Drives a dashing sports car ;-)

Seven Celebrity crushes:

1. Wentworth Miller (The guy in the new series Prison Break. He also appears in Mariah carey's video We belong together)

2. Johny Depp

3. Brad Pitt

4. Ashton Kutcher

5. Mark Feehily (of Westlife)

6. Tom Cruise

7. Keanu Reeves

8. Richard Gere

9. Jude Law

(ok, i went a bit over board with this. Couldnt help it!)

Seven People you want to tag:

1. Ricky

2. Wise Donkey

3. Moonie

4. RS

5. Nupur

6. Anks

7. Nitty

Tagged!

Last week I was bombarded with tags...OK not bombarded, but two in a week is pretty much too! :P Though Rakesh tagged me first and I ought to do his first, but I have been getting too much pressure to do Nupur's tag. So Rakesh, pls don't mind. Next post will be your tag for sure!

Well, Nupur's tag put me in a fix. As per her I had to come up with a story and that too just 55 words long! That sounded tough and for me it was tough! To come up with a story was something I thought I wouldn't be able to do..and guess what, I couldn't! So I am back to what I can do...i.e. relate bits and pieces of my life. So here goes...the following is a true incident:

Lying on the grass under a tree, I had almost dozed off when I felt something smooth slide across my legs. Looking around I panicked to see four-five snakes around me! Far away I saw V walking towards me...I screamed to warn him, but...found myself on my bed. It was just a dream.

I had the above nightmare just yesterday! Argh! I hate snakes...always have had nightmares about them!

Now, I nominate the following to continue the tradition

Ricky (he has been bugging me like forever to tag him) His 55

Rakesh (buhahaha...sweet revenge)

Gaya Her 55

Silky Moon (noticed she hasnt been tagged yet! How can that be?) Her 55s

Anyone else who hasn't been tagged yet!

US Open 2005

After having watched the US Formula 1 Grand Prix race live thrice already, I seem to have been hooked on live events. So few months ago when my dear friend Rashmi proposed watching the US Open Tennis Championship live, me and V immediately agreed. We agreed on watching the women's final coz that was on a Saturday leaving Sunday free for travel plans back home. So, other friends were asked and tickets were booked and all necessary arrangements were made. Little did I know that time that I would actually be in New York and acting as 'host' to my friends.

Come Saturday morning, and V along with 2 more friends arrived at my 'home' in New Jersey after a night long 12 hrs drive. My dear friend and landlady had already prepared food for them in spite of her hectic schedule to pick up her husband getting discharged from the hospital the same morning and having to drop her son to his classes.

V and my friends enjoyed a hearty South Indian luncheon after which we left for the hotel for them to freshen up. While the guys were getting ready, I watched the men's semi-finals between Agassi and Ginepri on TV. This was my crash course to tennis. Yes, I have never watched a single match completely and didnt exactly know how the points were given. We soon left and by then Rashmi and her hubby too were on their way to the stadium where we were all supposed to meet.

Meeting Rash again after a few months times felt great. We were worried that the Ashe Stadium being so huge, we wouldn't have a good view of the court and hence the game. As we entered, we got the US Open 2005 caps as freebie :-). Initially we felt the crowd turnout wasn't great and thought Maria Sharapova not being in the finals as the reason for it. But soon the court filled up pretty well.

Being a novice in the game, I wouldn't be able to say much about it. As the inauguration function was going on, I was more interested in spotting a celebrity through the bino. I was rewarded and saw Donald Trump sitting right opposite to us! V also showed me John McEnroe which he told me is one the greatest players ever. See, how awful my GK is about tennis! The view was great and watching the entire match live was pretty cool. The match started and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It went on well and soon I was getting really involved in it. However, at that point Mary Pierce's play started declining and it was soon obvious who the winner is gonna be. Sadly the game continued for just 2 sets and got over in almost an hour!

It was touching to see how Kim Clijsters, as soon as she beat Mary Pierce, ran up through the crowd to hug her family members. That was so sweet. The funny incident happened during the boring speech given by the CEO of JP Morgan Chase during the prize giving ceremony. I guess the man has attended too many company merger functions or something like that, coz in his speech he referred to the two finalists as "two wonderful firms". He realised his mistake and immediately corrected it. But by then it was too late and the crowd started booing him! LOL!

So overall, it was a fun event. Something to add to my 'Been there, Done that' list. Of course getting to meet V again added whole lotta flavor to it. Now I need to do something about 'Watch a live Rock show' in my to-do list.

Colors of the Mountains - Part 3

UPDATE: Photos of Day 3 has been added. Please click on the pic below to see more!

On Monday morning, after breakfast we started towards the Rocky Mountain National Park. The national park is supposed to showcase the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains. It is also known for various wild animals spotting. First stop was Estes Park which is small valley town lying next to a beautiful lake and surrounded by the majestic mountains. On the way, we saw cute and fluffy version of llamas. Later we came to know these animals are call Alpacas and are cross between llamas and sheep. Though we didnt get to take pics of the animals, I downloaded one from the internet just so to give you an idea.

We decided to take two trails, one to the Bear Lake and other that goes all the way around, the Trail Ridge Road. We first headed towards the Bear Lake. About 1/2 hr before the Bear lake is the Sprague Lake. We stopped there planning to take horse ride to the Bear Lake. But we came to know we had to handle the huge horses ourselves! The guide would be at the lead but we wont be attached to the guide! That made me back off though V and another friend still wanted to go ahead. In the end we chucked off the idea and instead drove to the Bear lake. Oh the lake was soo beautiful! We spent some time there enjoying the nature and cliking numerous pictures.

We then drove back to Estes Park for lunch. As we were strolling through the town, we saw another Nepali restaurant, Nepal's Restaurant. Due to the previous day's experience, I was sceptical about going there, but my friends insisted. Once again we ordered chicken momos apart from other indian dishes. The guy, probably the owner's son, was pretty cute. When I spoke to him in Nepali, he started grinning from ear to ear :P. The momos were awesome, just the kinds we get back home - juicy and hot. Even the tomato chutney had til in it. The rest of the dishes were also equally yummy. We all stuffed ourselves to the full. The guy kept hovering around our table looking at me and giving me a huge smile. He even put on Nepali music. Of course, my friends immediately pounced on me and started teasing me. V joined in with them too!

After food I chatted with the guy generally asking him how long they had been there and so on. Later his father also spoke to me, asking me all kinds of questions like where I am from, if I am studying or working etc. Finally he asked me if I am single! LOL! That was enough to get my friends really started. They were pretty sure the next thing the old man is gonna do was ask me if I would like to marry his son!

As we were all too stuffed to start on the 2nd trail which was more than 2 hrs of driving, we decided to go to the top of a small mountian on a cable car and come back refreshed. This ride too was good which gave us a breath taking view of the valley town. On returning from the ride, we moved on to the 2nd part of the trail. If I had thought the drive from Denver to Estes Park was beautiful, then this drive was simply out of the way - the winding road, the looming mountains so close by, the chilly wind... On the way we even managed to spot some elks...not once, but twice! We were so excited and felt ourselves to be very lucky.

Reaching an elevation of over 12,000 feet above sea level, Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuous highway in the US. All through the trail, there are many points where you can step out of the car and enjoy panaromic views of the different parts of the mountain range and various glaciers. By the time we completed the trail, it had become dark and we were all dead tired. We had to drive back to Denver as I had to catch my flight back. It was 11 pm when we reached the hotel. I got ready in a hurry and they dropped me at the airport. My flight was at 12.40am and I reached New York at 8.30am tuesday morning....straight to work!

So thats was the end of another wonderful trip. Hope you all liked the travelogue and the pictures. Will upload the pictures of the Day 3 tomorrow.

The Bear Lake
Originally uploaded by Pukuli Colors.

Colors of the Mountains - Part 2

I woke up to a bright and sunny Sunday morning. Previous night itself we had decided on the bathroom schedule, so there was no tussle in the morning. By 8:00 am we were off to Pike's Peak. As the name suggests, it is a mountain peak, and is at 14,110 feet above the sea level. They had cute little red trains to take you to the top. The train ride was nice and breezy, but I had started having a slight headache so couldn't enjoy as much. The slope was steep and at some points the gradient was 25%. Dunno if we are supposed to be excited about it, but the enthusiasm with which the guide announced it, I thought might as well mention it here. The ride could have been better if we had a guide with more clearer voice. We had an old man and his voice over the mike was so dull, we could hardly make out what he was saying. Have heard the ride is supposed to be pretty interesting and fun.

As we approached the peak, the view became more and more spectacular. When we started the train journey, there was greenery all around...but as we moved up the vegetation became sparse and suddenly, it was dry and rocky. The Tundra Region had started! The view from the top was breath taking, the mountains, the small lake below, the alpine trees, the clouds...all these on one hand, and dry, arid rocky background on the other. They offered a stark contrast which gave a stunning visual effect. We even managed to view some long horned mountain goats.

After Pike's Peak, we went to the Cliff Dwellings. This is the ancient dwellings of native Indians. Again a lovely view. It was interesting to go through their stuffs in the museum and learn how they used to live, build their houses etc. The fun part was the Indian dance. Two native Indians in their dresses performed some of their ancient native dances on their native beats. One guy did this amazing dance with five hoops. It was kind of a juggling cum dance with fast moves. We even clicked pictures with the dancers :-)

After that we moved on the town of Boulder. Its a small college town north of Denver. By the time we reached, it was early evening. After freshening up, we went to explore the downtown. Nice surprises awaited us. The downtown was a cute little place with the road paved with red bricks which gave it a nice village look. It was beautifully decorated with water fountains and flower gardens. Soon we noticed a crowd collected in the centre. On approaching the crowd, we saw a street performer. He was doing some balance act which was pretty cool. Once his show was done, another started. Now this was awesome. A couple performed the New Zealand's Maori fire dance. The acts they performed were gasp inducing and spell binding. There were a few other more street performances which were equally entertaining.

As we were strolling through the streets, we came across The Himalaya Restaurant. It was a Nepali restaurant!! My first! I was so excited. Actually Boulder has a very heavy Nepali and Buddhism influence. They even have a monastery, which unfortunately we didn't have time to explore. The town is dotted with shops with Buddhist theme. There was even a shop named Cat-Man-Do!

We went to have dinner in the restaurant. They had decorated with various pics and stuffs from Nepal. Even the girl serving us was wearing our traditional Chaubandi Cholo and Sari. Like I had expected their menu had mostly Indian food (well, that's what we eat normally) with a few Nepali dishes. My fav Momos were also listed. I excitedly ordered Chicken Momos with tamatar chutney. I also ordered Alu ko Achar. But when the food arrived, it was such a big dissappointment. They got Spinach Momo instead. I mean spinach momo? What the heck is that? I didn't like it one bit but few of my frens trying momos for the first time liked it. Even the Alu ko Achar was nothing like what we make at home. When I pointed out the mistake he got chicken momos too, but by then we had almost finished our dinner so that didnt taste as great either. After the dinner, we strolled around the downtown a bit and then headed back to the hotel.

Coming up next...Rocky Mountain National Park and Marriage Proposal? In the mean while, do click below and check out the pics. Your comments would be highly appreciated!

The Train
Originally uploaded by Pukuli Colors.

Colors of the Mountains - Part 1

My trip unofficially started with me waking up to my cell phone's beep early Saturday morning at 4am, courtesy Ricky. After snoozing for a while, I got ready and called for the cab to go to the bus stop. Apart from the initial anxiety of missing the bus, the entire journey went through pretty well. I even watched Madagascar on the plane. On reaching Denver, I came to know four friends had already reached while three were yet to arrive. We ate and waited and once they arrived had to wait a bit more for their missing baggage and the car rental.

By the time we moved on it was afternoon. We tumbled into two SUVs and finally our vacation officially started! Colorado is a beautiful state. Though most of the part is barren, at least that's how it looked from the airplane, it is also the home to the world's longest mountain range, The Rocky Mountains. The places we visited were amazingly beautiful and spectacular. The mountains surrounding the valleys, the cool climate, the winding roads..they all reminded me of my home so much. They were so many things that were comparable to Sikkim. Of course, The Himalayas look more stunning and majestic than The Rocky Mountains anytime. But on the other hand, the vastness of the area....miles and miles of open space with mountains stretching till far away in the horizon, cannot be found in the cramped space of Sikkim, Nepal and the surrounding areas.

Our first stop was Colorado Springs. Colorado Springs is a beautiful town a little bit south of Denver, about 2 hours away. As the name suggests, it is filled with natural hot springs all over. Unfortunately for us, we couldn't see a single one as those that were easily accessible were within resorts (and hence expensive) and those that were inexpensive were not that easily accessible.

So, we went to another tourist attraction, The Garden of the Gods park. This is a natural park formed by red sandstone rocks. The huge towering rocks against the backdrop of bright blue sky and green mountains is indeed breath taking and spectacular. Some of these rocks were named as per their formation. Like Kissing Camels which looked like two camels kissing. Then there were the Siamese Twins and the Balanced Rock. My words wouldn't do justice to the beauty of the place, so please go ahead and check out the pictures that i have uploaded.

We were lucky to catch a marriage party there. The entire gang in their tuxedos and gowns looked so pretty and so much in contrast to the surrounding. We also caught glimpse of quite a few rock climbers.

We then moved on to The Cave of the Winds (yup! same name as in the Niagara). As the name suggest this is basically cave formations in the mountainous region. Since half of us had already had enough of caves, we decided to wait in the lobby which again had a spectacular view of the mountains, while the rest went ahead into the caves. For people going in the caves for the first time, it is a nice experience. You get to see another amazing aspect of nature and can check out from the smallest to the tallest stalactites and stalagmites formations. However, I have been to similar caves twice already and two visits are really more than enough...you tend to get bored.:-)

At the end of the day, the Cave of the Winds people put up some laser beam show. After indulging in so much of natural beauty all day long, the hi-tech show was not as appealing. We decided to call it a day and moved on to the hotel to rest the night. Each of us were so tired coz of the long day, everyone fell asleep almost immediately, blissfully unaware of each others snoring (guys basically) :-)

Garden of Gods
Originally uploaded by Pukuli Colors.

Coming up next, Pike's Peak, Native Indian Dance and Nepali Food!!