America- Down Town LA

I started the Weekend morning with a healthy breakfast. This may not look much fancy but there are not much choices here either. I have options of fruits or Oats or muffins or Oat bars or eggs. So, I mix them and keep rotating them just to avoid the repetition.  On one day, I just have oats with milk whereas at times, I add a boiled egg to take care of the protein intake. Sometimes, I throw in a muffin to get a sugar shot to start the day on high. I try changing the variety of egg as boiled or half-fried or full-fried or scrambled. At times, when I get bored of Oats, I just avoid them altogether and have some leftovers from last night dinner. But as it was Saturday, So, I just included everything in, Oats with Milk, Apple, Orange, Egg and some Olive-oil fried Kettle style potato chips. And as I needed calories to make through the miles of walking that was ahead of me, I didn't mind the extra calories served here.

As I haven't been lucky enough to get any group or a person whom I can even remotely place in a category of friends or even on the fringes of friendship, I haven't seen much around yet. So, I was advised by my little friend and my boss which also happens to be my 3 year old daughter that I should get out of hotel and roam a bit. She simply said, Baba Ghoom aao na bahar!!!!

When I set my foot out this morning, I was heading towards Hollywood but an unexpected fear of some spoiler was already looming in my head, I found out the usual metro bus service which was my only hope to take me to my destination runs only Monday to Friday and if I have to catch it, I would have to walk a few miles, so I decided to skip it.
Rather, I went ahead and boarded a bus that runs up to Downtown LA. Once I reached in the proximity of Downtown, my Google maps ditched me and started asking me to walk in opposite direction of downtown to reach downtown. For first few minutes, I followed it religiously but then ended in a shady area with lots of filth strayed on the street and people calling names to each other. I felt like abusing Google Maps but then it's not Google fault if there are no signals. I switched off my phone and started walking as per my own instincts and with in 10 minutes reached the downtown. There were more than I can count buildings with more than I can count floors and that's it. Downtown must be more than this and will have much to offer but with my phone not helping me out and with no directions whatsoever, I explored around 2 hours on my own and when I felt a bit hungry, I couldn't find a vegetarian option. So, I boarded the bus back to my place and alighted at a place which serves a-close-to-authentic Indian food. Annapurna serves a full Indian buffet and the food quality is good if not the best in the world.
Many of my American team mates ask me to rate the Indian restaurants that we visit, I rate most of them B+ or B and they say, wow are these restaurants that good? Haven't you tasted better Indian food than these. And I Say, they are good because I don't compare them with the stuff served back home and for that matter of fact, I don't compare anything here with anything there.
That's a different world altogether with it's own good and bad sides and I am sure this applies to this part as well. So, if I tell you that the Samosa which you are eating is no-good and I come from a land where the best samosas of the world are made, there is no point in bragging all these.
There is an interesting Chinese team mate, who just loves Gulab Jamuns and feels sad when most of the Indian restaurants here serves bad Gulab Jamuns. But I say hey, I cannot get Japanese Ramen back there or the Vietnamese-Chey or the great greek food that you get here. So, it evens out finally.

I will try to take pictures next time if I manage to visit a place which is worth clicking any pictures. The Downtown is just about Sky Scrappers, may be if I visit Universal studio or Hollywood Hills or Rodeo Drive or the Promenade, I will catch up with you guys to share my experiences!! Till Then Byee , Take care and do whatever you want to do man!!


  

America- First Take

No one in this world can either praise or criticize any place or for that matter, any country in its entirety. Today, as I get some time to reflect upon the events that took place over past few months, I have very mixed feelings and when I pick a slice of one feeling at a time and dwell on that feeling for long, my mind goes into a specific frame which I simply refer to as mood. So, my mood swings an entire 360 degrees on any given day. And only I or my best (as terming her better would be of a mild degree here) half, Sapna can relate to it.

Keeping aside my insignificant mood and its equally more inconsequential swings, let me share with you, my very first experience of being in this new country, America!!

First of all, I never had any fantasies of visiting America, I had dreamed about visiting England since I don't know when but yes I was very excited about going to UK and travel through Europe. I fortunately got the chance to visit and stay in Europe for some years and I still love the place. But, I never desired to visit USA and never ever rued the fact that I couldn't visit this magnificent country, till now. 

However, now as I have arrived here, I am still absorbing the culture and the american way of doing things and there is not a single irritating thing I have noticed now. So, I can say, there is no reason to not Love America!!

The only people who have avoided eye contact and a simple hello with me have been my beloved countrymen and those are also very few. Others have always presented themselves with a wide smile and a greeting. Natives have explained the things to me patiently and helped me in moving around as well. 

The place itself is friendly with its bright and sunny weather and I am lucky to land on west coast  and that too in a big city such as Los Angeles else I would have been facing a very different and may be a wrong side of this country in terms of weather at least.

Till now, I haven't explored much other than my office and home route and a dozen of new restaurants. So, in a two week's period, I have gorged on Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Vietnamese, Greek and of course Indian food and I am loving all of them even when I am just checking on vegetarian options.

So, stay connected as I share more about travel, food and my other experiences of America!!