Tag: photography

Bordertown of San Diego-Best of both the worlds

Being a California resident , we had been to San Diego for vacations many times in the past .

San Diego is a boutique city ,where everything is in moderation as compared to other big cities .Its high rises and sky scrapers ,its malls ,its congestion . It is famed for its numerous beautiful beaches ,crisp clear air and yearlong sunshine and hence a very popular tourist destination

It also shares its border with Mexico ,with the closest big city being Tijuana on Mexican side .On the US side ,San Ysidro is the last post and this time , it was my short term work location ,

San Ysidro is not exactly a sister city of Tijuana but the free flow of residents on both sides of the border seem to make the boundaries invisible .

San Ysidro boasts of being the fourth busiest land border crossing in the world and most of my coworkers lived in Tijuana and crossed the border every day for work . They all have to start really early from home to beat the congestion at the border which might last more than 2 hours at a time but , job opportunity and economic incentive , is worth the effort .Electronic items and branded goods are reliable and cheaper on the US side ,as well.

It is not a one way street and there is a reverse traffic too for medical tourism and other services .Prohibitive medical costs in the US have them flock to Tijuana specially for aesthetic surgeries and medication refills .Most of them have SIMNSA ,Sistemas Medicos Nacionales , a health care plan ,that works for them , on both sides of the border .

Spanish is the default spoken language everywhere in San Ysidro . General ambience is of warmth and even strangers would wish you Buen Provecho ” , meaning enjoy in spanish when they meet you at the diners .

Food trucks with fresh hot delicacies are omnipresent in the parking lots of Grocery stores or gas stations ,with a little sit in area for people to enjoy the food .Most of these trucks are being driven across the border everyday.

The quiet mornings with sea gulls gliding over head ,blinding sun shine ,joggers on the beaches beguiles you .But as the day progresses impromptu traffic jams ,heterogenous traffic of heavy duty vehicles with cyclists or skate boarders or pedestrians could make navigation difficult in the area .Space is always a premium and the same street could have a rail road crossing , a tram station and a high school .Parking spaces are difficult to find and road side parking on both sides is a common site .

.We had our share of wild fires too .Long period of dryness make these areas very fire prone .They were not as impressive or long lasting as LA fires , but the work place had to issue a “possible evacuation “order .Helicopters were doing sorties round the clock and within a couple of weeks fire was under control without any loss of life or property damage .Across the border ,Mexico was experiencing similar fires .

The border town of San Ysidro turned out to be an interesting melting pot where both sides of the border were accepting the best and discarding the worst and getting to keep what’s amiss in their lives .

Hoping to talk to you soon

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Festival of Colors with Strangers

After a long time , I could be in india ,New Delhi , for the spring festival of Holi . Festivals are jubilant times and the fun element is the most important aspect of it when family and friends try to gather under one roof . Besides , catching up on life events ,we feast ,pray and make beautiful memories

This time , our family decided to spend it at a close by resort ,Mango tree resort, in Western UP .Western UP shares its borders with New Delhi and these bordering states are sharing the population load of the capital .

For Delhi wallas , spending time with nature is a huge attraction and a 3 hour drive is not too much to ask for for .

Noida and Western UP was once considered the “The Wild West “but under the present government ,it has received a miraculous make over . The well connected and maintained highways , flanked by foliage and shrubbery with low density traffic is really a respite from highly congested ,New Delhi . Our 3 hour ride through the Eastern peripheral high way and NH9 was uneventful though the toll tax booths , seem to appear ,a little too early .

This was a new style resort ,where they had converted a Mango orchard into thirty plus cottages with modern amenities ,indoor activity area ,outdoor badminton court, well manicured lawns , tiled walkways along side the mango trees .There was simian presence on those trees ,but mostly they kept to themselves except for chewing away the badminton rackets and shuttle cocks

The pleasant March weather brought every one outside for tea and snacks and gradually the ice was breaking amongst guests .Some guests included us in the tambola game and we had an enjoyable time till the DJ floor and cocktails were announced .Unfortunately rain god decided to play bummers and the evening activity was cut short

Next morning , the air was thick with the exotic fragrance of mango bloom ,stillness was only interrupted by cuckoo calls ,tiled pathways were carpeted by the florets of mango tree .All in all , it was heavenly

Faces were now more familiar in the restaurant for morning breakfast after last evening and every body was wishing each other “Happy Holi” .The morning Holi festivities started with DJ music , dancing ,thandai , kanji ,chat pakodis . Though it was supposed to be Holi only with flower petals but the kids were unstoppable with their water pistols and water balloons Joy and enthusiasm was writ on everyone’s face as they were being smeared with dry color ,gulal

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Popularity of these festival packages are gaining traction in India as they help to take away the stress of planning , executing and hosting guests and then each member of the household has an equal share in the fun quotient of the festivities .

Connecting virtually with strangers is the present day norm ,then why not create some magical moments with them and add them to our memory kitty !

Hope to connect with you all soon

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