After a six-year hiatus, we made a trip back to Kenya this past August for a two-week holiday to visit Hitesh’s family in Mombasa, Kenya. In previous years they visited us here in California, and now it was our turn to go see them.
Many times when I tell friends and family I am going to Kenya, the first question I am asked is, “Is it safe to go to Kenya?” The other questions I get asked are “Where is Kenya vis-à-vis the rest of Africa?” “What is the weather like?” “When is the best time to go?” “What is the political climate like?” So I thought I would take this opportunity to answer a few of these questions before telling you about my trip this past summer to Kenya and all the wonderful places we visited. Continue reading Visit to Kenya. A Jewel in East Africa→
Love dark chocolate? Ever wonder how that delicious dark chocolate goes from bean to bar? When we visited Boston, Massachusetts back in July, one of the excursions was to the Taza Chocolate Factory in Sommerville, Massachusetts.
I heard this past week of the sad news that veteran actor Gene Wilder passed away at the age of 83. I’ve seen a few of his movies such as Stir Crazy,Blazing Saddles, and Young Frankenstein, all of which were great comedies, family friendly movies. But what Gene Wilder is most famous for is his role as Mr. Willie Wonka in the movie Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. What a classic this movie is. Based on the popular children’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, this movie is a must see for kids of all ages. A great story about greed and selfishnes and how in the end love, generosity, and kindness towards others triumphs all misfortunes is a story that resonates even in today’s fast-paced world.
Antique shopping in Philadelphia and the surrounding neighborhoods is truly a unique East Coast experience. In fact, in the Philadelphia area, antique shopping is like going wine tasting in the Bay Area. There are countless numbers of antique shops in the Philadelphia area. There are even towns whose claim to fame is that their entire town is dedicated to just antique shopping. There are also antique flea markets where vendors from far and wide come and set up tents to sell their wares. Continue reading Antique Shopping in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania & Lambertville, New Jersey→
I visited my sister Banu in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania over the July 4th holiday. When you are a family of 4 siblings, organizing a family get together is next to impossible. Coordinating a timeframe that works for my siblings and I, along with our spouses and all our kids is a major feat. Which means we are lucky if we can all meet together every 2 years. This year all of us got together over the July 4th holiday! Continue reading Visit to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Off the Beaten Path.→
Why drive all the way to Napa, when you can drive fifteen minutes up into the Santa Cruz Mountains and find some great wineries right here in the South Bay? On a whim one Saturday afternoon, Hitesh and I decided to go wine tasting and made a quick trip to David Bruce Winery. David Bruce is a small winery that specializes in a hand full of wines – mostly Pinot Noir, some Chardonnay, and Sangiovese. In a secluded location off Bear Creek Road in the Santa Cruz Mountains, David Bruce is a low-key winery that has solid good wine. Continue reading David Bruce Winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains→
Those who know me well know how much I love hand-made pottery of all kinds from all parts of the world, and most of all from right here in California. Which brings me to how I got to visit potter Bob Pool in Berkeley, CA.
When we met our friends William and his wife Stella for dinner one day, William who works at Google offered to give us a tour of the Google campus. Of course we were interested! So we arranged a date and the twins and I got to visit and tour Googleplex – Google Headquarters in Mountain View, California.
