California..I saw, I came, I conquered:)

After a lot of gudbud, I finally landed in sunny california:) and just like the place...it rocked!!! I had a lot of trouble putting up the pics...:X( Hate blogger for that. It would not let me put up any more:(( California: The land in the west. Unmatched. Incomparable. A state in its own. I used to defend my place whenever Thanu and Vikram sang praises about it. But sometimes, you need to experience things in order to believe in them. Although, it was a short stint..I believe no amount of time would do justice to explore the richness of the place. A place that is culturally diverse and that lacks a major ethnic group. In fact, on the streets as well as on the roads, one can find either an asian or a hispanic:)) The fast life, the zzoming cars....it scared me..especially known was the fact that San Francisco (SFO) had notorious traffic! My cousin lives in a place miless away from SFO in one direction and few miles away from nature! Explored beautiful scenic places. Beaches,sand, waterfall, ocean..Man! how serene!!! Another area of interest was the Golden Gate Bridge. A bridge that is spread over 8 miles and which took like 4 years to be constructed. They say one needs to be lucky to see the bridge clearly. As you can see in this pic, a thick coat of fog overshadows the bridge's top portion. Well, looks like I was unlucky..coz we went there twice and both the days were foggy! Then in the middle of the bay, there is this 'prison' which is quite famous and called as 'Alcatraz'. Again you can see that in this pic (in middle) again hard to see coz of the fog! We took this SFO tour bus which took us around the city. This one is the Fishermans Wharf. Live crabs :O and all sea-food delicacies..not of my interest:P SFO skyline! Tall buildings, greenary!! now thats something which does not make CA a concrete jungle:) The Pier 39. That offered live entertainment. This is what the real california is. Buzzing with people who look 'happy' and 'who enjoy life' More people!!! rocking to the rock band..Viks..missed you here:( The Pier again! No visit to california is complete if you do not visit Ghirardelli:) My age old desire to have Ghirardelli's warm Caramel Sundae:) Ummmmmmm..yummiee...so filling!!! And my visit would have been incomplete if I hadn't met Thanu. She already blogged about my visit here. She is one friend with whom I have connected marvellously. The first blog friend I met. She had made Masala dosa and sambar as promised. She lives in a beautiful apartment and the best part is I could totally relate the 'online'Thanu to the 'real-life'Thanu. I always 'knew'she was organized, careful and planner. It was different this time, coz I 'saw' her that way. Her home is spotless. A friend who was accompanying me said 'Her house is so clean that even if we walk, it would stain it':) All I know she is extremely warm and an equally adorable wife:) and that indeed was Thanu's Humble Abode:) Overall, I got to spend some exciting time with family. Made some beautiful memories precious enough to be shared:) Experienced California, the spirit of California. Celebrated Life!