10 day you challenge: 6 places

I know I am terribly late with this post. I also know that my 3 comrades have finished writing their posts on time. It wasn’t that I was extremely busy over the weekend, but I just didn’t write it. By the time I realized that I hadn’t, the weekend had waived goodbye. Anyway, here’s my post: better late, than never.

6 places for me are 6 places where I have been and liked. If I were to die, I would ask my loved ones to scatter my ashes at these 6 places. Sounds too cheesy, eh? Without much further ado, here they are:

1. Mumbai meri jaan: Yes, Mumbai is truly a jaan (life) for everyone who has spent a better part of their life in it. I had never left Mumbai for a good 27 years of my life. I was born in Mumbai. I did my schooling, college education, graduation, first jobs all in Mumbai. My favorite place in the whole world is my parent’s house in Mahim where I and my brother grew up. As I write this post, I wish I had a remote control which would take me to my mom anytime I feel like, and let me enjoy “maa ke haath ka khana”:)
   I love Mumbai with its noise, pollution, crowd, competition, festivals, train rides. I love the fact that people from so many different castes, religions, backgrounds, cultures gel and stay in Mumbai. I love the enthusiasm of Mumbaikars.
   My heart breaks every time I hear of a terrorist attack on Mumbai. What option does the average Mumbaikar have other than carrying on with their “spirit”? I hope and pray that these stupid terrorists attack stop and that Mumbai is left with peace and harmony.
2. Mulund, Mumbai: “Home is where the heart is”. Even if we are in the US, and happy where we are, a part of heart is in Mulund where we live.
   My aunt lived in Mulund. My earliest memories of Mulund are associated with summer vacations when I and my cousins visited my aunt. We used to stand in her balcony, call out to strangers, and then duck down when they looked up. It sounds so silly now. However, it gave us endless joy at that age. Mulund reminds me of convincing my aunt to give us Re.1, so that the four of us could eat pepsi colas. It reminds me of watching Ajooba, eating chips at 2am, and having stupid fights with my cousins.
   Luckily, we bought a house in Mulund. It is in Mulund that we started our married life together. We learnt to set up our house, take responsibilities, pay bills, buy groceries, and start a family. We are blessed with wonderful neighbors and a superb group in our complex.  We celebrate all festivals with zeal and have a wonderful time together.
3. Kanyakumari, Tamilnadu: I strongly believe in destiny and also that if you truly wish something, it will come true. I had attended a family function, just two weeks before my HSC board exam. As I was hurrying up my lunch and wondering how I would complete the pending studies, the lady sitting next to me mentioned about a camp to Kanyakumari. I had always wanted to visit the southernmost tip of India. My ears perked up and I gathered all the information. Soon, after my exams, I attended a 10-day camp to Kanyakumari by Vivekanand Kendra. It has been more than a decade since I attended that camp. However, what I learnt there, our daily schedule, the places we visited, the talks I shared with my friends, are forever itched in my memory.
   We had a hectic schedule which included getting up at 4am; doing yogasanas; completing chores such as cleaning the library, serving food, cleaning the mess; maintain absolute silence for half an hour; lectures on life and time management by the Kendra people; and indoor and outdoor games. We learnt valuable lessons and interacted with a lot of people. I remember waking up at an obscene hour to see the sunrise. We saw the first rays of sun, saw the sand from three different oceans; and watched in absolute awe and wonder. I want to visit Kanyakumari again, and I want to take my daughter with me.
4. Kodaikanal, Tamilnadu: We went for our honeymoon to Kodai and fell in love with the place. I find it hard to believe that it was five years ago. After much deliberation and wondering if we could afford or whether we should afford a five-star, we booked our stay in Carlton: a five-star resort by K Raheja. It was one of our best decisions ever. The hotel, the food, the weather: everything was just so perfect.
   Ours is a love marriage. So we didn’t go through the whole “getting to know each other” phase on our honeymoon. We are foodies and thoroughly enjoyed the hotel’s buffet. We cycled around the lake. My husband had just finished a photography course and he made me stand clutching pine trees, while he spent 15 minutes adjusting brightness, composure, focus, and what not. Of course, I would have several spectators, wondering what I was talking to a tree, when in fact, I was telling my husband to hurry up. Those are our best memories ever. We took boat rides in all types of boats: paddle boat, motor boat, and the shikara, which made us feel like we were in Kashmir. How I wish I could turn back the clock and relive all those golden moments.
5. Louisville, KY: The first place where I spent major time outside Mumbai. Came to Louisville in Sep’06. Spent a year-and-a-half discovering that I could remain sane without a job. Yes, I was on H4 on my last trip here. Louisville is a quaint, small city in Kentucky, just an hour from Cincinnati. There are lots of Indians in Louisville, which is why; at times it becomes difficult to believe that we are in US.
    My trip to Louisville gave me the opportunity to spend quality time with my husband, start this blog, discover my love for cooking, learn cake decoration, learn how to make bead jewelry, make and nurture friendships, and realize that there are a whole lot of things to do without a job.
   This is our second trip to Louisville. This time Louisville let me realize one of my dreams: work in US.
   I think I would have been lost in a bigger city like Chicago or New York. Louisville is a great place to be.
6. Las Vegas, Nevada: We took this trip in Dec’07 and it has been one of our best trips ever. The first time I saw the strip, my mouth fell open just seeing all the lights. My God, I had never seen so many lights in my life. I loved Vegas with all its grandeur, glamour, and shine. All the casinos are beautiful. I have so many memories associated with Vegas. The Bellagio falls, the gondola ride in Venetian, seeing Phantom of the Opera in Venetian, I would definitely love to visit Vegas again. Now, when I see any movie filmed in Vegas, I smile and feel happy that I got to visit Las Vegas.

I realized after writing my list that out of six, two of my favorite 6 places are in Mumbai, the other two in Tamil Nadu, and the last two in US. I am sure that if I visit Europe or Egypt, I will add them to this list.
Hope you enjoy reading this post, as much as I enjoyed recollecting my memories. See you this weekend with my list of 5 foods. Boy, five is a very, very small number:)