Trip to California - 2008

Summer of 2008
During the Summer of 2008 I went to California. Here I visited Las Vegas and San Francisco. However, this post I am going to talk about the highlight of the whole trip which was Las Vegas and to specify even more the Stratosphere.

Insanity - Stratosphere

We head to the top of the Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower to find out. Jutting 1,149 feet into the Vegas skyline, the iconic Stratosphere Tower which is the tallest freestanding observation tower in the United States and one of the most exciting attractions among Las Vegas resorts. The exceptional Vegas resort hotel offers one-of-a-kind thrills you can’t find anywhere else in Las Vegas, including the world’s highest thrill rides. So, if you’re an adrenaline junky, a thrill seeker, or a daredevil – the Vegas resort tower is the place for you. Just like it was for me!!

I had just turned 11 when I experienced one of the most breath-taking experiences of my life. I decided to try out the 'Insanity' ride on the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas - which is said to be the scariest ride in the World!

Luckily! My Dad took a video of me on the ride (So I can share it with you!). My brother was too much of a wimp to go on so I ended up sitting there on my own next to a stranger! (But we both screamed our hearts out together). Meanwhile, my Mum was too scared to even look (she thought I was too young and small and that I was going to fall out!). But I insisted that I wanted to go on and now looking back on it, I am bloody happy I did. Always take a risk and grab opportunities! (my rather cliché motto!). I uploaded two videos my Dad took whilst I was on the ride (I am sitting next the guy with the huge muscles!! :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The video above shows the ride taking off.

Paris to Barcelona - 2011

Journey from Paris to Barcelona - TrainHotel (12 hours)

The Journey
There's something deeply reassuring about a sleeper cabin on an overnight train. Close the door and your travel experience becomes entirely private - unless, like me, you open your cabin curtains at 7am on the outskirts of Barcelona and encounter a platform of commuters staring straight back in. And you're dressed only in underwear !!

This startling moment comes after a surprisingly restful night on the Elipsos Trenhotel, or Train Hotel. Surprising because sleep on rails is often tricky - small beds, rocking trains, loud carriages.  However, I seemed to sleep rather soundly and when I woke up I looked out of the teeny windows and there gleaming back to me was the 'Sunny City of Barcelona'

Cable Car
As soon as we got off the sleeper train we went on the famous cable car.  Where we enjoyed the amazing views of Barcelona from 100 meters in this 1300 meters-long trip in an historical cable car, where we saw the most important buildings of the city from a bird-eye's view.

 

At the end of the 12 hour train ride from Paris to Barcelona and all the sightseeing shown above I was greeted with a Seafood Paella.  Which in case you don't know is my favourite dish !!!

About Me...

One of the zodiac's enigmas. It is fair to say that I myself am a bundle of contradictions. Compassionate and caring with friends, family and lovers. Endearingly eccentric on one hand, and on the other, insecure about how others see me. You could compare me to the moon: Just as the Moon goes through many changes as it moves from its new to full phases,I too go through many new and full phases of experience.

Trip to the Vatican Rome - 2012

Summer 2012

Last Summer, my Family and I went on a trip to Southern Italy and we visited many Historical Sites. When visiting the City of Rome on our voyage throughout the South of Italy we ended our trip with a visit to one of the most famous landmarks of the World - The Vatican. Not one thing on my whole trip throughout Italy overtook the beauty of the Vatican (not even the ice cream!!).

Whether you're Roman Catholic or not, this is an amazing place to visit. Just standing in it and trying to imagine how it was constructed those many years ago is amazing in and of itself. The feeling you get in there, the closeness to God, is priceless. I recall walking through and seeing tears down people's faces probably due to the sanctity being overwhelming!

Climbing St. Peter's Basilica

Whatever I say about the interior and the exterior of the basilica won't be enough. Just go and see it with your eyes. The emphasis for me was climbing the Dome of the Basilica. It was rather scary and the stairs were tiny and at some points you had to slant and bend under little obstacles. In some spots, the “staircase” is so narrow there’s no room for railings, so there’s a rope that runs down the middle for you to hold on to. And sometimes, it’s both narrow and incredibly slanted. Not good for claustrophobics! However, we were warned about this when starting the climb and once you get to the top the views are breath-taking.  Below are some attached photos.

 

A Thousand Splendid Suns

Plot:

Mariam is only fifteen when she is sent to Kabul to marry Rasheed. Nearly two decades later, a friendship grows between Mariam and a local teenager, Laila, as strong as the ties between mother and daughter. When the Taliban take over, life becomes a desperate struggle against starvation, brutality and fear. Yet love can move a person to act in unexpected ways, and lead them to overcome the most daunting obstacles with a startling heroism.

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My Thoughts:
This book moved me to tears, it is truly a remarkable and beautifully crafted novel. At times Hosseini paints harrowing and brutal scenes but always retains, through the characters of Mariam and Laila, humanity, spirit and above all love. There were chapters in this novel through which I literally held my breath, wishing with all my heart that what was unfolding would not and could not happen !. It is very easy for those of us lucky enough to live in safety to visualise Afghanistan as a brutal, forsaken place, but this novel shows us something more. It forces the reader to acknowledge and recognise not only the suffering of people in our war torn world but something else, the human capacity for survival, forgiveness and love. Truly a wonderful book and one I would urge others to read. The best novel I have read in a long time and one that will stay with me for a long time to come.  I have now ordered the 'Kite Runner' as this novel has inspired me so much :))

 

Book Review: Life of Pi

I've just finished reading the "Life of Pi". I enjoyed it very much, it explores a number of themes including religion, philosophy and human survival.  The story tells of how humans can triumph in the face of true adversity, it is a testament to us as a race. It inspires and captivates the imagination.  Particularly, the beginning when the author describes his own life in italics and how he discovered the idea of the whole novel plot from a little authentic village in India.  For me the beginning of the book was the best part as it was really interesting how 'Pi' discovered his inner self.  I loved how Martel described the way in which Mr Patel derived his name it made me laugh!

 

However, I was disappointed about the ending and I didn't think it made sense. Furthermore, contrary to the author's claim, I feel it could be seen as undermining a belief in God.

It didn't make sense to me because hundreds of pages in the book describe in fine detail the interesting survival in the boat. Then in the twist at the end there's a suggestion this was mostly a fantasy covering up an alternative story which he tells in about 3 pages.

I think his argument undermines belief in God because, although his apparent fantasy story has helped to save him at sea, is he suggesting that in all circumstances - non-emergency as well as emergency - we should tell and believe what we know to be fantasy stories in order to live, rather than deal with reality? That seems a rather a hollow basis for belief and one which many religious people would probably find patronising in respect of their own motivation.