It was May, 1996, 21 years ago. It was my first visit to the USA with my wife. I was at Ernakulam at that time. Until then I hadn't crossed the frontiers of our motherland. I hadn't yet retired from the services of a bank. It was Singapore Airlines. Passengers from various countries were there on the plane. It was from Chennai to Singapore, Hongkong & San Francisco. More than 24 hours flight. I had, Indian vegetarian food & breakfast on the flight. I had a number of naps. Day & night passed on it. It was only blue sky, or darkness. It was when I came across the famous Changi Airport. I flew over Pacific ocean. I crossed the dateline.
It was during this tour my sons were enthusiastic to show us great country USA. Where they didn't take us. We visited San Francisco, Los Angeles, Los vegas, Grand canyon , Yosemite, Denver, Chicago, Illinois, Phoenix, & what not. USA is not a country that could be easily & fully covered at all. We have visited it over a dozen times we have to cover a lot of it yet. I am 79 years old I am afraid whether I could make any more addition.
At that time I had no writing or reading habit. However, my sons took care that I am not bored they used to take me round in their vehicle to keep me in good humour whenever they had free time. There were no friends at all.Sometimes, I used to walk upto nearby Marina village. There was a mall there. Once in a way I used to have a coke there to quench my thirst. I used to play scrabble a lot and kill time. I enjoyed the wonders of nature, particularly sunset after 8 p.m. in summer & sunrise after 1 p.m. in winter.
Our apartment was facing the beach at Almeda. I used to spend a lot of time on the beach alone.There was not much rush of people as we find in Chowpatty, Juhu & Goa beaches. A distance glimpse of San Francisco city was attracting me, especially Transamerica Insurance & Bank pyramid. It was the hallmark of the city.
Almeda beach is an excellent urban beach that is configured for strolling, jogging, or for sun worshipping. Because the beach occurs well within the confines of the San Francisco Bay, it is always the case that the surf is minimal. Moreover, extending for about 100 feet into the Bay is a mudflat, exposed only at low tide.Because of the low surf & shallow water & clean sand,Almeda Beach is perfect for children and toddlers. Also, there are not any factories, heavy traffic, or businesses near Alameda Beach. Just beyond the splash line are sand dunes, stabilized by tall grasses, and beyond that, other types of plants that, when in season, have colorful flowers.
There are numerous picnic areas on the beach .There we can find picnic tables, barbecue pits and lots of lawn area for ball games.
American are more health conscious. We can see young ,old, man & woman all running, jogging, exercising in morning & evening in parks, roads & beaches.
As constructions of houses & apartments are wooden in USA one must be very careful even at a spark it may bring fire brigades at our doors. We Indians must note that locals won't like the smell of our species. A little noise in our apartments evokes complaints. These are some of the lessons I learnt. Upkeep of premises , surroundings & rest areas manners , & discipline were worth noting. In America horn is not prohibited but no one makes use of it. Further vehicles have to maintain & proceed on right hand side of roads.
Wherever we may go, we cannot forget our culture, our customs our food, our language we love them. Gandhiji has rightly said nothing can change the seeds sown by our ancestry. Of course, we are not rigid, we accept & welcome anything good that is found anywhere. We appreciate them too. In Almeda at that time there were no Indian groceries & restaurants. We used to go to nearby Fremont City for the purpose. American food burger, pizzas, cereals & noodles no doubt we relish, but what brings more saliva in our mouths is idly sambhar, masala dosa, bhel & other chats. What make we Indians blink their cost when converted into Indian rupees.
I recollect here our boating from Almeda to San Francisco in 1996 when we were at Shorepoint Court Apartments Almeda. Traffic on bay bridges are always heavy it is time consuming & driving of vehicles are strenuous day by day. San Francisco is one of the biggest cities in America. It is a beautiful city too. One can have a bird's view of Alcatraz, Treasure Island, & the Golden Gate bridge, etc. sitting relaxed in their well furnished, comfortable seats of the boat listening to relay commentary covering each place.It is stress free experience of ferry travel.It is a scenic, calming ride to locations across the Bay.
A man may change but not especially a place in U.S. for it's planned & developed .