Tuesday, September 17, 2024

London-Bombay

Namaste Bombay! It’s Truly Great to Be Back Home Again!

It was just past 11.00 am when we arrived in Bombay to a day of bright and glorious sunshine. Of course, there always has to be some kind of glitch when you are flying halfway around the globe. At Bombay Airport, we were met by airline personnel who informed us that two of our bags had been left behind at Heathrow Airport and would be arriving in Bombay tomorrow morning. They would be delivered directly to our apartment in Bandra. This was something of a relief to us as we could safely take just one cab from the airport to our home. With all the baggage we had in total, had we all our baggage to take home, we might have had to take two cabs.

We made our way to the Pre-Paid Taxi counter at Bombay airport, gave our address, made payment and were led to a driver who then loaded our baggage for us and whisked us off to our home. We did not hit much traffic and were home by about 1.00 pm by which point, we were both ready to crash.

Sadly, our apartment was filled with dust (despite all the windows being closed) after six weeks and I had a sneezing fit (dust allergy) as soon as I entered the place. We opened up all the doors and windows and immediately changed our bed linen and went to sleep. We would spend the next week slowly cleaning each room and bringing our home back to snuff.

So there you have it. A really amazing five weeks crammed with the most memorable travel experiences in North America (the USA and Canada), bookended by two gorgeous weddings, filled with heartwarming encounters with relatives and close friends, punctuated everywhere by the sampling of the most delicious food and drink and sightseeing that left us breathless, came to a glorious close.

To all those of you who have followed me on this trip, through this blog, I thank you from the bottom of my heart, for being such faithful and loyal readers of it and for making me feel as if I have an audience and am not just pouring my words out uselessly into the wild blue yonder. Until the next trip and my next set of travels, I wish you Au Revoir and hope you will have many wonderful journeys yourself. Bye for now…

Goodbye North America! We Had a Truly Brilliant Time!

Monday, September 16, 2024

New Jersey-New York-London-Bombay

Goodbye North America! We Had a Truly Brilliant Time!

We awoke for the last time in the USA, on this trip, at 2.00 am. Although we had said goodbye and thank-you to our hosts, the Masuds, both Imran and Ghazala had set their alarms too and were awake when we were leaving their home, to see us off safely. We dressed super quickly and, on schedule, at 2.30 am, we drove out into the pitch-darkness of the night with Llew at the wheel.

Arrival at JFK Airport and a Disaster:

We didn’t really have much difficulty getting to JFK airport as we used our GPS and there was very light traffic on the highways—although a large number of trucks. I guess at that hour of the night, it is mainly truckers who use the highways. We did have a near-disaster, however, just after we arrived at our Terminal for our British Airways flight back to Bombay (via London). Our flight was departing at 8.00 am and so we scheduled our arrival at the check-in counter for 5.00 am (3 hours before a departing international flight). Our plan was to drive our rented car to the terminal, unload our baggage, I would stay with all of it while Llew drove to the Budget Car Rental place at Federal Circle to return the car. He would then take the Air Train and come back to the terminal at which point, we would both check-in together.

Well, when we arrived at the Terminal, we unloaded our baggage together and he went to the end of the terminal to pick up two Smart Carts to allow us to take our baggage into the Terminal. I stepped out of our rented car and was standing right beside it on the pavement alongside our baggage. In just a few minutes, Llew returned bringing both Smart Carts back with him. My back was turned and I did not realize that a tow truck had arrived and, almost within seconds, had just about hooked our rented car to its rear in order to tow it away. It was only Llew’s presence of mind that enabled him to spot what had happened. He then spent the next twenty minutes arguing with the driver that we had not left our car “unattended”—that his wife (I) was standing right beside it as we had only just unloaded our baggage from the car. We explained that it was a rented car and that as soon as the baggage was loaded on to the Smart Carts, he would be leaving me inside the Terminal while he drove the car to the Rental office to return it.

Meanwhile, as this nightmare was unfolding outside, I was storming heaven hoping our car would not be towed away. Imagine the sort of catastrophe we’d have been in if our car had been towed away! I do not even want to imagine what the repercussions would have been. Just as I was praying, I noticed that the tow truck drove away and I saw Llew get into our car and drive off to the rental place. It took him a good half hour to return to where I was standing—so that instead of reaching the check-in counter (as we had expected) at 5.00 am, it was almost 6.00 am by the time we were ready to deposit our baggage, get our boarding passes and breathe easy. Later, Llew told me that he paid the driver $50 which, no doubt, went straight into his pocket, as there was no receipt given and the driver had informed him that $50 was the charge he’d have had to pay to release the car from the towing company (had it been towed away).

So, our final departure from the USA was far from pleasant. It was only once we had the boarding passes in our hands and were making our way towards the gate, past all the duty free shops, that the chill in my stomach abated and I felt the lump of anxiety ease.

With just two hours ahead of us to clear Security and Immigration, we did not have much time to do any fun stuff such as duty free shopping or anything. We just got straight to our gate and sat down, calmly, to await the boarding announcement. And so we said goodbye to the USA as we were airborne into a still-dark sky at 6.00 am en route to London.

Two Comfortable Flights--To London and Then to Bombay:

As it was daylight, it was not long before breakfast (an FEB—Full English Breakfast) was served on our flight. We were both starving by them and did it justice. Both of us tried to get a bit of a nap and I think we did. When we awoke, I watched a full movie (‘A Quiet Place’ with John Krazinsky and Emily Blunt) by the time we were ready to land at Heathrow Airport in London. It was 7.45 pm London time when we touched down. We had less than a two hour layover in London on this flight pattern (as opposed to the seven hour layover we’d had on our way in). This left us with just a little time to buy a couple of duty free items at Boots (Rimmel lipstick) and at W.H. Smith (souvenir tins of British biscuits) before we had to race off to our gate for our connecting flight to Bombay.

This flight departed on schedule at 9.15 pm. There was nothing much to see outside our window and so we were off. Drinks and dinner were served and we were quite happy to bed down for the night after what had been a really hectic six weeks. Yes, there was a Harvest Moon in the sky outside and it followed us throughout our flight all the way across Europe. I watched two more films: ‘The Lesson’ with Richard E. Grant, and was almost done with ‘Freud’s Last Session’ with Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode, by which time our landing announcement was being made. We were served a light breakfast/snack before we landed.

We realized, as we touched down, that it was already Tuesday, September 17, 2024, in Bombay. We had been airborne for more than 24 hours and were really happy to be back on Indian terra firma again.

Until tomorrow…cheerio.

A Fabulous Post-Wedding Brunch and a Fabulous High Tea End Our Fabulous Travels in North America

Sunday, September 15, 2024

Red Bank and Bridgewater, New Jersey

A Fabulous Post-Wedding Brunch and a Fabulous High Tea End Our Fabulous Travels in North America

Finally! The day had dawned—our last full day in the USA! Phase Five of our travels in North America would come to an end early tomorrow morning when we would board our flight to return to India (via London). And yet, even this last day was simply crammed with activity.

We had gone to bed last night in the happy knowledge that we would meet our friends again on the morrow. Well, the morrow had dawned and although we had a long-ish lie-in, it seemed as if we hadn’t slept at all. We showered quickly and had a quick cup of coffee with our hosts—but we did not eat anything as we knew we’d have a hearty brunch ahead of us. My body had already expanded like a balloon after six weeks of gorging without limit on everything that was edible and my clothes had become too snug for my comfort—both physical and mental.

The brunch was at 12.00 am in Red Bank, New Jersey, at the Molly Pitcher Inn. We left our place at 11.00 but were stuck in traffic and reached later than we had hoped. The venue was just lovely. The Moly Pitcher Inn is a water-front property with a gracious Federal-era feel. Its white clapboard sides, dark shutters and cupola at the top spelled New England. When we entered, we found it to be a sprawling hotel with vast banquet halls plus comfortable rooms. No doubt, for overnight visitors.

Our friends had a lovely large room that included a deck that overlooked the water. It was a glorious late summer’s day and there was not a cloud in the ink-blue skies. So it was the perfect setting for a relaxed post-wedding brunch when Out-Of-Townies could spend some quality time with the Bridal Couple before leaving and returning to their respective locations.

As we had arrived late, we joined our friend Ian at his table and wasted no time filling our plates with food. I had my very last waffles with strawberry compote, maple syrup and whipped cream and bacon of the trip and Llew opted for an omelet with sausages. I also enjoyed a mimosa and followed it up with a decaff coffee. Throughout the time we were at our table, we chatted with Ian’s Australian relatives as well as Jenny’s Louisiana ones. It was fantastic to catch up with all of them as well as with Ian and Jenny as we’d not had much time with them on this trip—what with their involvement in their daughter’s wedding. Later, we all trooped outside on the deck to take pictures—real fun family groups that included a bunch of kids. Then, when that was done, we were back again inside and raiding the Desserts Table as a whole variety of sweet treats were available for our grazing pleasure. I chose my favorites from this range too: mini pecan pies, tiny brownies, the littlest eclairs, chocolate-dipped strawberries. We truly had the best time.

And then, sadly, it was time for us to say our goodbyes to the lovely Bridal Couple, Ryan and Kristen, who had changed into much more casual clothing and were full of newly-wedded radiance! We also bid all our friends goodbye after making sure we took a lot of pictures with all of them. In every way that I can imagine, I could not help but be thrilled that Llew and I had made the decision to include this wedding in our travel itinerary. With the afternoon having become really hot, we made our way into our car and left Red Bank (which we discovered to be a really cute town) and drove back to Somerset. En route, I stopped to buy myself some pantyhose from CVS as I wanted to take a few pairs back to India with me.

Back at home, we merely greeted our hosts and told them that we needed a long nap as we’d had hardly any sleep the previous night. And so, we disappeared into our basement apartment and had a nice long nap.

A Grand High Tea at our Friends’ Place in Bridgewater:

When we awoke and went upstairs, our friends Imran and Ghazala, informed us that they would like to take us over to their son Kashif’s place in Bridgewater as he had invited us over for Tea. We had seen quite a lot of their daughter, Kiran, who lived at home with her parents—but as Kashif lived about a half hour away, we had not met him yet. We were eager to go and see him and his family.

And so, we got dressed again and left in Imran’s car for the drive to Kashif’s. We discovered that they have a humongous and very beautiful home—perfect for their four children (three sons and a daughter). Our reunion with Kashif and his wife, Mehru, was very affectionate. They are extremely warm and lovely people and we have known Kashif since he was a child. Mehru was busy preparing a spread as Tea turned out to be High Tea with a vast variety of filling foods such as sandwiches, chole, fruit chaat, pound cake, samosas and cookies. As we all sat around the table in their kitchen, we had a very companionable evening. But, all too soon, it was time for us to say Goodbye and leave. And with that , our very last full day in the USA ended. Honestly, it could not have been more fun or fulfilling.

Final Packing Touches to our Suitcases:

The only thing left to do when we arrived home at the Masuds was to return again to our suitcases to take stock of our baggage situation. For the next half hour, we used some very creative packing measures to ensure that no bag exceeded it weight limit and when we realized that there was no more we could do, we left it, locked our bags and sat down to have bowls of dark chocolate ice-cream with our friends. We relaxed over the next half hour in their company, fully grateful that they had been so kind and hospitable to us during our few days with them and had gone out of their way to make certain that all our needs were met.

We said our goodbyes and thanks-yous to them and by 9.00 pm, we went downstairs to our basement apartment as we had to set our alarms for 2.00 pm so that we could leave for JFK Airport and get there in time for our 6.00 am flight to India.

And that was exactly what we did. So, with that descent into our room downstairs, our stay in New Jersey came to an end. We set our alarms and went to bed, giving thanks to God for a wonderfully safe and enjoyable trip, amazing travel experiences, the warmth, comfort and generosity of friends and relatives everywhere and the knowledge that we had made the most of every second.

Until tomorrow…cheerio.

A Grand Wedding in New Jersey Spells the Grand Finale of our North American Travels.

Saturday, September 14, 2024

Ocean, New Jersey

A Grand Wedding in New Jersey Spells the Grand Finale of our North American Travels.

The only reason we extended our stay in North America this long on this trip was because we wanted to be in New Jersey for the wedding of Kristen, daughter of our friends, Ian and Jenny-Lou, to Ryan. We had insider information about the date of the wedding long before it was revealed to most people because Kristen had told us, when we were leaving the US from her parents’ home in New Jersey, on Thanksgiving Day in November 2022 to relocate to India, that she would be getting married in September 2024 and she hoped very much that we would be able to make it. Naturally, we pulled out all the stops to be present—even spending ten days in Canada in order to prolong our stay in North America.

So, as the day of the wedding finally dawned, we had a hearty breakfast at the Masuds’ knowing that it would be a long while before we would sit down to eat a good meal again. Then, our preparations for the wedding began. While Llew would be wearing his tux all day, I was wearing an Andrienne Papelli navy-blue silk suit for the nuptials (with a matching fascinator, being the confirmed Anglophile I am) and a very different cocktail length black silk dress for the reception. This involved carrying my dress and matching jeweled accessories with me in the hope of finding a restroom somewhere in which I could change. We had no idea how the day would pan out. What we knew was that a bunch of our very old friends would be present and we knew we could join them in hanging out in the time between the nuptials and the reception.

So after showering, we got dressed for the nuptials which were at 1.00 pm at the Church of St. Anselm which is close to our friends’ home in Ocean in South Jersey. Our GPS told us that it would take us an hour to get there from Somerset. We intended to leave at 11.45 but, as things turned out, we actually left at 12 noon, which meant that we would be just about reach in time for the nuptials with no time to spare. Llew was behind the wheel and off we went.

Nuptials at St. Anselm’s Church:

As expected, the ride (with some percentage of traffic) took us just over an hour. When we reached the church parking lot, we found it to be really full. But luckily, we joined a couple of other cars parked on the lawns and raced to the church entrance to find no one there! I was very disappointed in thinking we were really late and would have to sit right at the back of the church, having missed the entrance of the Bridal Party.

However, when we entered the foyer and found the littlest members of the Bridal Party (the flower girls and the page boy) still being kept under control by Tanya, one of Ian’s nieces from Sydney, Australia, I realized that the Bridal Party had not arrived yet and that we were far from late. We greeted Tanya and made out way inside and were actually quite delighted to spot our friends almost immediately: Nisha and Mickey, Richard and Venetia, Ashok and Mariette and Susan—they were all seated in a single row and, fortunately, there were two seats for the two of us in a row right in front of them. And so, that’s why we made ourselves really comfortable in church amidst our closest friends. They were all very surprised to see us as none of them had any idea that we would be at the wedding (as they all knew we had relocated to India). But they soon realized that we had stayed on in the USA after Chriselle’s wedding, long enough to attend this one too.

Soon, the imminent entrance of the Bridal Party was announced. Meanwhile, we had spotted other relatives of the Bride Kristen, who are all known to us, in the front of the church and we waved out to all of them to let them know we were present. Indeed, the entrance of the wedding party followed and I managed to get a couple of pictures. Everyone looked suitably radiant and happy and it promised to be a very nice ceremony. As it turned out, it was one of the nicest ones I can remember as the Priest was a jolly old soul and gave one of the most amusing homilies I have ever heard. He kept all of us laughing or at least smiling and added to the happy mood all around us. The choir was lovely and the vows that the couple, Kristen and Ryan, wrote for each other (in addition to the official Catholic Church marriage rites and oaths) were really lovely to hear. So, overall, it was a very nice ceremony indeed. Followed by Communion and then the final blessing, we spent a lot of time inside the church taking pictures with the many friends milling around who were all greeting each other heartily as so many were meeting after the passage of several years.

Outside, in the church yard, we awaited the arrival of the Bridal Couple as they emerged from the church. We congratulated Kristen’s parents (who are our friends) as well as her aunts and uncles (from Louisiana and Bombay) whom we also know. We were also able to congratulate the Bridal Couple who were simply bursting with happiness. Meanwhile, I discovered that one of our friends, Susan, would be spending the night at the Hilton Hotel and that she would be checking in at 3.00 pm. The entire group of friends would be spending the intervening time between the nuptials and the reception in the Hilton Hotel with her—well, in the lobby, as all she would have was a small room.

So, for the next hour, we sat down in the lobby and shot the breeze. It was the perfect spot in which to gab and catch up and take pictures and laugh. In turn, most of the ladies went up to the room that Susan checked into, so that we could change into our reception clothes. It was the perfect arrangement and we were really happy to have that facility. We were also able to help ourselves to coffee and tea in the hotel lobby. And so, over coffee, we whiled away the time on a really lovely day and looked forward to the reception that was to come.

As the cocktail hour at the Eagle Oaks Country Club was to begin at 6.00 pm, we left the hotel by 5.30pm, saying goodbye to each other and knowing that we would meet again at the Club. It was a half hour ride to the venue and with Llew behind the wheel once again, we arrived at the lovely Country Club, left our car with the valet at the entrance and made our way inside. We found that all our friends were just ahead or behind us—so we all reached there at pretty much the same time.

A Really Lovely Reception at the Eagle Oaks Country Club:

Our friends, Ian and Jenny, were at the entrance, greeting their guests when we made our way inside. There were waiters with trays of cocktails waiting for those who badly needed to wet their whistles. There were also two signature cocktails available at the adjoining bar—a gin one that was Kristen’s choice and a rum one that was Ryan’s. I picked out a glass of champagne as I love bubbles—and with that we entered the Cocktail Hall where people were milling around, glasses in hand and filling their plates with the delectable eats piled high on the center tables. Everyone was clearly hungry by then and the food was quickly devoured. Again, we were delighted to find that our friends had found a table which still had some chairs around them. We joined that table and for the rest of the evening, we mingled and met so many folks we hadn’t seen in ages. It was all quite wonderful. Ian and Jenny were busy looking after all their guests, but they did make the time to exchange a few warm words with us and make sure we were all being well looked after.

Food-wise, there were many delicious stations and such a bewildering v

ariety of cheeses and dips, fruit, crackers, charcuterie, cold cuts, olives, salads, pickled mushrooms and the like. Meanwhile, around the periphery of the room, there were roast beef stations, cold ham, a seafood station from where I picked up clams casino, stuffed mushrooms, blue cheese, crab cakes (all of my favorite things to eat) and settled down with the gin cocktail which I picked up from the bar. Soon, it was announced that we were to take our seats in the adjoining room where the actual reception would occur.

For the next two to three hours, we had the best time and I often kept telling myself how wise it had been to stay in the US for the wedding. Not only did we have a lot of time with our close friends as most of us were seated at the same table, but we were able to meet and socialize with old friends (such as Cheri-Ann and Raghu and Ronette and Frank) whom we had not seen in ages. Of course, all the ‘entertainment’ that accompanies a typical wedding reception was a lot of fun: the speeches that are amusing and entertaining and tell us so much about the couple that we do not really know; the speeches from their parents which are touching and heart-warming, the Dancing of the closest relatives that are always well-rehearsed and that of the Bridal Couple itself which, in recent times, are growing more and more informal and fun.

But, I have to say, that of all the ‘centerpiece’ dances of the evening, the very best one was the Father-Daughter Dance with Ian and Kristen. Later on, I heard the Mother of the Groom in the Ladies’ Room, comment to someone that she was so glad her dance with her son, Ryan, was before Kristen and Ian’s! Indeed, their’s would have been an impossible act to follow as it was superbly choreographed and executed. Later on, again, we discovered that they had merely two rehearsals before they hit the floor in such a professional manner with all the aplomb of a dancing duo that had been at it forever! It was unbelievable! As if this were not enough, Ian was really the Man of the Moment as his toast to the couple was also deeply moving and filled with his heart-felt emotions.

As we filled in the hours between the speeches, we were plied with really nice food served table-side. There was a salad and, of course, the main dish: both Llew and I chose the steak and a dessert as well as a platter of petit-fours and a slice of the wedding cake. So, over all, we were certainly not deprived of food the whole evening.

Music-wise too, we had a blast at the beginning when we were on the floor, joining vast throngs in a really packed space to move to some of the oldies’ hits. Later on, the music changed to cater to the large number of young people present—many from Purdue University as both Kristen and Ryan had met on campus and had graduated together from there. They were truly swinging on the floor particularly towards the end of the evening. By this time, we were much too tired and were ready to call it a night.

As we were leaving, we noticed that hot pretzels with mustard were available for those who wanted one last morsel for the road! We said goodbye to all our friends, to the Bridal Couple and our friends, Ian and Jenny, and then made our way to the entrance where the valet brought us our car. I believe it was at about 1.00 pm that we reached Somerset, after another hour’s drive, to hit our beds.

It had been a wedding to remember and, although we were quite exhausted by the time we crashed, we had enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. Plus, we knew we had the Post-Wedding Brunch for Out-Of-Townies to attend tomorrow, when we would meet a bunch of our friends again. It was with this good thought that we fell asleep.

Until tomorrow…cheerio.

Another Relaxing Day Spent Shopping and Pan-Asian Dinner with Relatives in New Jersey

Friday, September 13, 2024

Somerset New Jersey

Another Relaxing Day Spent Shopping and Pan-Asian Dinner with Relatives in New Jersey

As the days are inching closer to our departure from the US and our return to India, we are making sure we are ticking off all the items on our To-Do List. These tend to be added to—but with caution—as we are well aware that we do not have very much weight allowance left for us to add on anything too significant.

Still, after a hearty breakfast (staying with our friends, the Masuds, we are doing nothing but hearty eating as they are the most hospitable of hosts), we decided to go out shopping to finish buying the last items on our list. We headed first to Best Buy to inquire about registering for the new Iphone for Llew. And we did. But while there, I managed to twist Llew’s arm to buy himself an I-Pad (his first one ever) as the price was excellent. He did end up buying one. This meant that he had to buy a good, sturdy case for it; but since one was not available on the floor, we realized we needed to buy it online. It was a good time for me to buy a new case for mine as it was old and in very poor shape. I also needed to buy parchment paper for my baking needs. Ghazala suggested we try the Dollar Tree for the cheapest possible options. And so we headed there next. It was amazing how convenient it was to have someone who could and was free to drive us around wherever and whenever we wanted. She also knew the entire shopping landscape in her neighborhood (where to go for what and which place offered most economical prices). Indeed, Ghazala is the perfect shopping companion.

Lunch at the Masuds:

We were delayed for lunch as our shopping took longer than we expected. But Imraan held the fort at home and, on hearing by phone that we were finally headed home, he got started by frying French fries for us and we enjoyed them for lunch with Bun Kebabs—deliciously soft round buns that were filled with the most delectable beef patties and jazzed up with coriander chutney. They went so well with the fries and made the perfect meal. We enjoyed lunch fully.

and Dealing With Packing Concerns:

After lunch, Llew went online to find two I-pad cases that would work for the two of us and which would be mailed in time for our departure in a few days’ time. We were fortunate enough to find something that worked and wasted no time ordering them right away.

That done, we returned to our suitcases to take stock of our volume and weight issues and found ourselves confronted with some concerns. Still, we had a few days to do some creative packing and decided not to worry until after we had attended our friends’ daughter’s wedding.

We then took a nice long nap in the coolness of our basement apartment and awoke for a very late cuppa.

Dinner with Llew’s Relatives:

The Masuds had told us that they would be taking us out for dinner and had chosen Meemah’s, a Pan-Asian Restaurant in Edison, New Jersey, that they particularly like. However, on hearing that we were in New Jersey, Llew’s niece Katherine and her wife, Sharon, asked if they could drop by at the Masuds’ to meet us. They Masuds then very graciously extended the invitation to dinner to Katherine and Sharon, who decided to meet us at the restaurant.

We ended up arriving about twenty minutes for they did, but we went ahead and ordered in the hope that since we were ordering and going to eat family style, they would find something they would enjoy eating in the vast variety of dishes we chose. However, Katherine insisted on ordering those items that she and Sharon regularly order in Asian restaurants (in addition to the order we had already placed). The end result was that we had so much food on the table and had to pack up and take so much of it home! We started off with Hot and Sour Soup (which the Masuds recommended as they said it was really good), then moved on to Ginger Prawns, Fried Rice, Prawn Keo Tso, Fish Fillets in Garlic Sauce and then later, on Katherine’s insistence, we ordered Chicken Curry (which turned out to be the least tasty or enticing dish and something no one else wanted to eat) and Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce (which was all that Sharon ate as she did not seem interested in anything else). The dinner was an opportunity for us to catch up with Katherine, find out how her job and other aspects of her life are going and listen to some of her recently-composed music that she also insisted we listen to in her presence, right there in the restaurant. Fortunately, by the time we were made to listen to her singing, most of the other patrons had left the restaurant and we had it pretty much to ourselves.

By the time we were ready to leave, the restaurant was ready to close! We made our way to the parking lot, where we took pictures and then said our goodbyes. When we arrived home, we tucked into the wonderful Dark Chocolate Ice-cream from Turkey Hill that Llew and I used to stock up on by the tubful and keep in our freezer downstairs.

So, it was a very late in the night when we finally said our goodnights to our hosts and went down to our basement to bed. It would be a very eventful day ahead of us as we had the big wedding of our friends’ daughter to attend and we were very much looking forward to enjoying it.

Until tomorrow…cheerio.

A Most Relaxing Day—Lunch with Friends, Afternoon Shopping for Foodie Buys

Thursday, September 12, 2024

Somerset, New Jersey

A Most Relaxing Day—Lunch with Friends, Afternoon Shopping for Foodie Buys

We took it super easy today. After the hectic itinerary of the past few weeks, it felt so good to do nothing but relax, chat with old friends, worry about excess baggage on our return to India and generally get ourselves into Return to India Mode.

We slept very well in our private basement apartment at our friends, the Masuds place. They are usually very late risers themselves (unlike us), but they seem to have made the effort to wake up early to get breakfast organized for us—super kind of them!

So, after a hearty brekkie with our friends’ (fried eggs with baked beans, buttered & toasted croissants and decaf coffee), Llew and I spent the morning packing our suitcases and taking stock of the amount of weight we still have at our disposal for our last-minute shopping. The things I had mail-ordered and had delivered to Ghazala’s place have also arrived (Ina Garten’s book, “Modern Comfort Food”; Grapefruit Cologne by Jo Malone—this after I purchased a bottle of Anais Anais Perfume by Cacharel from Toronto’s duty-free shop; a pair of Teva sandals in olive green—since I live in sandals in Bombay and love the pair I already own). They needed to be accommodated in our bags—not to mention the vast amount of food shopping we will do at the last-minute for cheese, smoked salmon, meringues, dark chocolate Florentines, etc. from Trader Joe’s. Llew is starting to sweat bullets about excess baggage!

Azra Joins Us for Lunch at the Masuds’:

Our friend, Azra, then came to see us and stayed for lunch. Ghazala and Imraan put on their regular hospitable hats and served us a feast. It was all just delicious Indian home-cooked cuisine: dal, kheema, chicken with spinach, stewed okra, roti, rice. We had a lovely time catching up together as we are all old friends who go back at least 35 years together to our first tentative immigrant steps in the USA when we all lived close together in Queens, New York. For dessert, we enjoyed vanilla ice-cream with lichees.

Shopping for Last-Minute Buys:

After Azra left, Ghazala and I went shopping. We had sensibly decided to leave the bulk of our shopping for our last days in New Jersey. However, we did not strictly adhere to that resolution. As and when we found the things we wanted (no matter where we were—whether in New York, Connecticut or Canada), we had picked them up. This was a good thing as it gave us a great idea pf how much space and weight allowance we had left for more purchases. So we began at Trader Joe’s for the aforementioned foods, then moved on to Shop Rite for smoked salmon cream cheese, then on to CVS for Crest Whitening Strips, Marshall’s for Lazy Susans for my kitchen cabinets and that was it.

A Casual Dinner at Home:

We were home in time for dinner—another wonderful spread of Indian cuisine (a welcome change after all the Continental food we’ve been consuming). We had a long, catch-up chat as we had the pleasure of prolonged time with our friends after absolute ages. Our chat was fun as we talked about really old times, our kids, their lives, their partners, their pursuits—all this over bowls of Deep Dark Chocolate Ice-cream by Turkey Hill with which Llew and I used to cram our basement freezer whenever it went on sale!

What a lovely fun day! It was extraordinarily fulfilling as we can ticking off all the items on our To-Do List as well picking up all the items on our To-Buy List.

Until tomorrow… Cheerio.

Flight from Canada to the USA (NYC) and Settling Down in Somerset, New Jersey

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada-New York-Connecticut-New Jersey

Flight from Canada to the USA (NYC) and Settling Down in Somerset, New Jersey

Today was rather bizarre in more ways than one. When I had planned our itinerary, it had not occurred to me that we’d be flying on that dreaded day—9/11. Yet, here we were, awaking with the knowledge that we’d be airborne on the same day (and at the same time—yikes!) as those passengers who had lost their lives on that fateful day! No more to be said!

So, you can imagine that I was quite keyed up as we awoke in Sylvia’s place for the last time and had a quick breakfast before we gathered our backpacks together to get to Pearson International airport in Toronto for our flight to New York. Yes, Phase Four of our travels had come to a close and we were about to embark on Phase Five (the final phase) in the USA.

Accordingly, we called for an Uber to get us to the airport, said our goodbyes and thank-yous to Sylvia who had been an exemplary hostess at a time when she was herself dealing with a new challenge in her life as a ‘Singleton’ and were on our way. The ride to the airport from Woodbridge took us about an hour and, as we did not have to deal with the return of a rental car at the airport (as we had to do on two previous occasions), we simply went straight to our check-in counter and with loads of time to spare, made it to our gate.

Flight from Toronto to New York City:

We had a very comfortable flight on Delta from Toronto to New York City. Really clear, cloudless skies and bright sunshine, during a flight that left at 11.30 am, meant that we had beautiful views of downtown Toronto, the City Center and the Harbor Front as we skimmed out of Canada. I managed to get some really good footage of the receding city before Llew and I settled down for the short flight. We had a very nice stewardess to take care of us in-flight and she plied us with packets of almonds, much to our unexpected delight, before we disembarked.

As we approached New York, I could see the East River and then the Hudson come into view. I kept clicking pictures with my camera and then, before I knew it, we were approaching JKF while flying over the Tappan Zee Bridge first and then the Verrazano Bridge. At this point, I realized that we’d probably be able to see the Statue of Liberty (and we did—although it was in the far distance and not very distinct) and Governor’s Island (much clearer). It was not lost on me that had we made this descent on 9/11 in 2001, we’d still be able to see the Twin Towers standing proud and tall in Manhattan Harbor. Instead what we did see was the Freedom Tower as we flew eastwards and made our way to JKF. I did get some footage but we did not have a very clear day and so my footage is not so clear. However, we reached down safe and sound—and that was all that mattered, really.

And so it was that we arrived again in the USA via JFK again. This time, the two of us merely picked up our back packs and made our way towards the Air Train. We were on it in no time and getting off at Federal Circle (where the Car Rental offices are) and within minutes, we were at the Budget counter claiming our rental car which we had booked way back in advance. It was then about 1.00 pm and yes, we were hungry, but we wanted to get on with it as we needed to get to Connecticut first, to the home of our friends the Factoras, as we had left the bulk of our baggage in their garage. Once we picked it up, we’d be able to make our way to South Jersey to Somerset, where we’d be spending the next few days.

The Saga of Getting a Rental Car from Budget:

Picking up our car at JFK was pretty painless but getting out of JFK (always a maze) is a bit of a stresser). Still, we did get on to the Throg’s Neck Bridge and once on it, it was a piece of cake getting on to the Merritt Parkway and into Connecticut. The weather was nice—nothing to complain about. However, by the time we had left New York, it became evident to Llew that there was an error message on his dashboard that worried him. He asked me to call Budget to find out what could be done to fix it as we did not want to stay in a car for nearly a week that was not of optimal quality. The phone call to the Customer Service folks at Budget led us to being advised to take the car over to the nearest Budget office to have it seen by a mechanic. As we knew where the Budget office in Fairfield, Connecticut, was, we decided to just head there first. Isn’t it annoying, when time is at a premium and you are trying to get to someplace before night falls, that you have all these unexpected glitches to deal with? I began to feel really frustrated at this nonsense.

Anyway, we finally made it to Fairfield, Connecticut, after fighting endless traffic, and headed straight for the Budget office. We found a single attendant there who told us that he had no mechanic present and no spare car available to give us, other than a hybrid. We told him that we did not want a hybrid and wondered if we could pick up an alternate car from his Budget Office in nearby Westport. He said we could try, When we asked if he could call his office in Westport to request them to hold a vehicle for us, he said he could not reach them. He gave us the number and told us to call them. While I was in the process of calling them, Llew went off to use his rest room and a little later, I did too. When I returned, I found the attendant on the phone himself. I have no idea to whom he was talking or what was being said. But next thing we knew, he miraculously had an alternative car in the back that he told us we could use (that was not a hybrid)! It was not a compact or mid-size car, but a larger one (not our preferred choice) but since we had no option, we agreed to take it. It actually worked out well for us (so, in the end, all was well, as we had a lot of baggage to fit into the trunk and it helped to have the larger one). About an hour after first arriving at Budget in Fairfield, we were finally ready to drive on. However, this car proved to be a real curse to us. Wait until you hear what happened to us at JFK airport just before we returned the car to Budget on our flight back to India!

By this time, it was past 3.00 pm and we were both starving. Even before going to the Factoras, I told Llew that I needed to buy a few items from Stop N Shop at Fairfield (olives, essentially—not bottled ones) as I was not sure where in New Jersey I would find them. Getting to Stop and Shop meant that we had the opportunity to pick up some food. I bought Clam Clowder for me and a Chicken Wrap for Llew. We then called the Factoras to tell them that we were on our way to their garage to pick up our stuff. I also called my brother Roger to see if they would be at home so that we could pay them one last visit before we left Connecticut. Sadly, neither he nor his wife, Lalita, responded to my text as they were both busy at work. I left them a voice mail message and told them to call me if they could see us at about 5.00 pm. By the time, they did get back to me, we were already on the highway to New Jersey—so we lost the opportunity to see them one last time.

We ate our lunch in the Factoras’ driveway at about 5.00 pm—if you can believe it. As I said, it was a bizarre day! Then, having been given the code to their garage door, we opened it, got our bags loaded into the large trunk of our car, had a final look around to make sure we had left nothing behind and we were off. As we passed by our own home on Pequot Avenue, when heading to the I-95, we took one last look at it and waved it goodbye. Finally, we were on our way to New Jersey. We called our friends, Imraan and Ghazala and told them that our ETA was about 8.15 pm. as it was almost 5.45 pm by the time we left. Needless to say, we were right in the thick of traffic throughout our journey, but at least we were moving forward.

Dinner at the Masuds:

By the time we reached our friends, the Masuds’ home, in Somerset, darkness had well and truly fallen over New Jersey as it was almost 9.00 pm. Still, our friends had a superb dinner all laid out and ready for us. Ghazala had laid the table beautifully and the meal was just delicious. We had paneer with chicken, mutton carry, rice, salad, rotis and papads. So you can imagine that having subsisted on soup and a sandwich during a really annoying day, we were so happy to feel embraced by the company of loving, hospitable friends once again who would serve us nothing but the most delicious, home-cooked meals for the next few days. They showed us downstairs to our beautifully-appointed basement apartment which gave us full privacy while we would eat all our meals upstairs with them. It was really the best kind of arrangement and we felt very grateful for it. Just before our meal ended, we were joined by their daughter, Kiran, whom we were seeing after a very long time indeed.

It was at about 10.30 pm that we finally said Good Night to our friends and went down to bed at the start of our last few days in the USA. We had just a bit more shopping to do (while keeping the weight allowance uppermost in our minds) and a lovely wedding to look forward to as we settled down to bed.

Until tomorrow…cheerio.