Home Sweet Home!

I have just returned from a trip home to India. Boy, what a trip that was! For starters, there were two additions of our family: one, my two-year-old nephew who was born just after I returned from India last time, and two, my newly born niece. It was a long time sine I was home last time, and frankly, it is a shame that I haven't seen my little nephew and niece. Not to mention, my mom was asking me every other day about my plans to visit home.

So, I did. I went home for about 10 days. since I wasn't home for two years, my plan was to just stay home and NOT go anywhere. No aunts, no uncles, no friends, no acquaintances. My 10-day trip was too short to miss out on spending time with my mother and the two little ones. Plus, 10 days is too little to gobble up all my favorite home-cooked food. My trip went something like this: Airport in the USA - Airport in India - Drive home - STAY AT HOME - Drive back to airport - Airport in India - Airport in USA. That's all - airport to airport to home!

I returned back to the 'States after a well-deserved and well-enjoyed vacation with my lovely family and FANTASTIC food.

Hello from Tuscany!

I'm in Tuscany for the weekend! What a beautiful place this is! I must say that this place definitely stands up to its reputation as a beautiful place with its maginificent landscape, along with its hills and villas and plazas and piazzas and fountains. I took a high-speed train from Rome to Pisa in Tuscany. I had always wanted to see the Leaning Tower since my childhood. So naturally, I was quite excited to get a glimpse of it. I didn't climb the tower itself as the maddening crowds of the summer season were lining up. Besides, I was enjoying it more from the outside. I walked around the Tower, and the adjacent Duomo (Dome/Cathedral). I later grabbed a sandwich and sat down for a mini picnic in the shade of the tower.

A few hours later, I boarded the train to head to Florence. My! What an incredible town it is! On the way to my hotel from the train station, I walked past the humongous Florence Duomo, admiring the mind-blowing scale of both the cathedral dome and the tower. After a quick rest, I headed to see the town. As it is very common in Italy, every single street, piazza, and river bank is incredibly beautiful!

As I made my way through the city, I saw Michelangelo's David, the famous Florence Uffizzi museum, etc., etc. But ladies and gentlemen, the best panoramic view I saw in my life is at the Piazzale Michelangelo (Read about it on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piazzale_Michelangelo). You must see the sunset from here and I tell you, it is one of the most romantic spots you'd ever see. In terms of "romantic-ness", this place will certainly beat out the likes of the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal, or the Golden Gate Bridge. Here's a picture of Piazzale Michelangelo and you'll see what I'm getting at:


Check out more pictures here:

Florence: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2453269&id=5734033&l=36fb3b46ea

Pisa: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2443381&id=5734033&l=651d1053d3

Recent Travels: Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Tucson

Las Vegas.

I attended the annual Association of American Geographers' conference in Vegas. While I was mostly at the conference during the day, nighttime was an entirely different deal. I had a chance to walk the famed Las Vegas strip many, many times and enjoy the glitz and glamor of Las Vegas' nightscape. Leisurely walking along the strip with my camera and tripod, I had a nice chance to capture the eye-dazzling Las Vegas lights. I had posted some of these photos to my Facebook; As always, here's the link to my Facebook album:

View Photos: Glitz: Las Vegas at Night

The Grand Canyon.

Well, what can I say about the Grand Canyon. This is one of the places that I have always wanted to visit even before coming to America. I have long been waiting to go visit the Grand Canyon, and I finally had a chance last month. We drove from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon and stayed overnight, so that we can catch the Sunset and enjoy the canyon during the morning time. the Grand Canyon amazed me with it's sheer expanse and awe-striking views - like the view of the Canyon at the sunset, when the red shades of the canyon are brought out by the setting sun. Another memorable experience was the night sky at the Canyon - it was the brightest sky I have ever seen! I have never really seen so many bright stars in the sky! When back from the Canyon, the brightness of the stars was so striking that I pulled over to enjoy a quick moment looking at the sky. Well, overall, it was such a great experience! For my next trip, I would like to stay longer and hike the Canyon.

View Photos: Grand Canyon's South Rim

Tucson, AZ

After the pleasant stays in Vegas and the Grand Canyon village, I drove to Tucson to meet my UNI friends Masha and Val. The last time I met Masha was in Russia; I still remember that bitter color November day! Masha gave me a beautiful tour of the Peter-Paul Cathedral - even as she was freezing! Anyhow, it was wonderful to see her and her hubby, my friend Val in the warm and sunny Tucson. I loved the landscape and the environs of Tucson. We visited the University of Arizona campus and then headed off to see the Desert Museum. We spent a day and half in Tucson, when we had to (grudgingly) drive back to Las Vegas to catch the flights back to Washington. For a moment, I just wanted to stay back in Tucson - the sun, the desert, the town...all seemed to be so different and attractive that I just didn't feel like coming back at all! : )

View Photos: Tucson, AZ

AAG 2009 Conference

I was in Las Vegas for the annual Association of American Geographers' conference. Boy, the conference was great; I learned quite a bit from the conference. However, the sheer number of presentations in this conference makes it impossible to attend all the interesting presentations. Also, I really dislike (yes, dislike) Las Vegas as a conference venue. Whoever thought that we can walk through smoke-filled casinos with drunks and their margarita bongs, and proceed to the conference halls for intellectual conversations!!

I participated in a panel discussion on Open Source GIS and I also gave a presentation about the research I am working on. I just found today that somebody took our picture while at the panel discussion. Here it is...


Anyhow, post-conference, we drove to the Grand Canyon's South Rim. Boy, was it wonderful or WHAT! I will reserve that topic for another blog post. We also traveled to Tucson, AZ to see a couple of friends of mine. It was total fun.

Greetings from the fabulous Las Vegas!!

I'm in Vegas for a week for the annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers. The conference is great..and the city is OK too. Believe it or not, I'm not a big fan of Vegas! Since I've been here already last year, there is not a lot of excitement. But since I have a nice SLR camera, I'm having fun capturing the dizzying glitz of night-time Vegas. Photos will be available soon. :)

Vegas Calling....again!

This year's annual geography conference (AAG) will be in Vegas. That means I will be in Vegas for a week; I look forward to the conference, AND spending some time photographing the beautiful vegas at night time. Look out for photos and stories.

Photos from Orlando and Kennedy Space Center

Enjoy the photos from Orlando and Kennedy Space Center from my recent trip to Florida...

Orlando (Click here)




Kennedy Space Center (Click here)

Greetings from warm Miami, Florida!

I'm vacationing in Miami ...in the warm environs of Florida! Details and photos to follow...

Fall Colors in Madison

Madison, Wisconsin - the "Mad town"...the home of University of Wisconsin. What a beautiful little town it is!

I went to Madison in Wisconsin this past weekend, primarily to check out the town and to see the fall colors. What a treat it was to see the blazing fall colors - the yellows, the maroons, the reds, and the oranges. And the weather turned out to be just GREAT! It was a very warm day, perhaps even reminiscent of a nice sunny summer day. I really liked the town and the cool, calm university district, and especially the State street. Check out the photos and you will see what I mean!

This is the picture I took while sitting at a cafe, outdoors. With warm outdoors, a nice cup of cappuccino, golden fall foliage on the street, and a nice breeze - that's a nice and ideal day in Madison.

Here are the photos:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2326066&l=aabd0&id=5734033

In Washington, for a week.

I flew here to Washington, DC to be on campus for a week. It has been a while since I'm here and now, and now I'm back to my old, established life style here. I'm getting to finally sit in my office and work straight at my computer - no need to remote-connect to work! Also, I've been meeting my friends and having a great time. My schedule is pretty packed and full.... too much to do and too little time. Lunches and dinners, meetings and greeting, and those "hey-we-are-glad-you-are-back" shout-outs I hear from people.

In a way, it is great to be back here in Washington. After all, I have lived here for more than three years and I enjoyed things here a lot. I love the life here; It is filled with events, get-togethers, or taking walks at night near the monuments, or going to the museums. In another way, I have to move back again, pack stuff and just drop all my friends and life there in Iowa and come back here. It is the exact opposite of what I went through when I was moving to Iowa - a kind of feeling that I'm leaving home and going back to a placed I called home earlier. In any case I think too much of moving is not fun at all : )

But I'm glad I have these opportunities to be flexible in terms of work. If I will be moving back, I will be glad to be back here, but will definitely miss what is by now my established life in Iowa. And of course, I will miss those parties too! : )

In any case, I will keep you posted for sure!

Mt. Rainier National Park....a Piece of Paradise!

On my trip to Seattle, I also visited Mt. Rainier National Park. As you can see from the photos, it is a little piece of heaven! Great sights and stunningly beautiful scenery. While in the park, I saw the weather change quite rapidly - we saw rain, sun, and clouds. Clouds stayed around mostly, so I didn't get a chance to see Mt. Rainier itself. But the park itself is just a beauty. Enjoy the photos..

Mt. Rainier National Park Album

Seattle Sights...

So, I finally made it to Seattle. It is one of those places that I've always wanted to visit. Finally, a friend of mine invited me so graciously that I had to go visit this great city. Well, what can I say how wonderful the trip was! The city of Seattle itself was great, and we also went to the Mt. Rainier National Park. It is a little piece of heaven sitting outside Seattle. If anybody is visiting Seattle, I really recommend visiting the Mt. Rainier NP. Though cloudy, it was very, very scenic. I couldn't get a glimpse of Mt. Rainier itself, but there are plentiful of other beauties you enjoy.

Here are the first set of photos from Seattle. Check them out:

• Seattle Sights

Pictures from Mt. Rainier will follow soon. Keep it here.

Toronto Photos...

Summer in Toronto looks amazing! Many festivals, art shows, street-side concerts - it is just amazing! This time around, we did a lot of multi-cultural things! We went to the Russian district, the Indian district, Chinatown, Korea town, Japanese village, etc. I loved this trip to Toronto. And oh, we also went to Niagara - just to check it out. The last few times I went there was freeeezing cold! It is refreshing to see Niagara Falls while it is warm outside.

Check out the photos here:

• Toronto in Summer

• More Toronto Summer Sights

I'm sure you will like these photos. And oh, I went to Seattle after returning from Toronto. Those photos from Seattle, Spokane, and Mt. Rainier National Park are coming. Stay tuned!

In Toronto...

I'm in Toronto again, this time for about a week. I'm having a great time here as always and enjoying the urban life that I so dearly miss in Iowa. And oh, I drove here from Iowa - a cool 13-hour drive. It was real fun driving here as I seemed to have picked a near-perfect day to drive - a beautiful sunny day and a bright moonlit night.

Anyhow, I will post some cool exciting photos once I'm back in the States!

St. Louis was fun!

I visited St. Louis the past weekend with a couple of my friends. I have been planning to visit St. Louis for a long time and see the famous Gateway Arch and the Anheuser Busch Brewery. We drove down there via Illinois and stopped along the way to check out the highway-side attractions. On the way back, we drove straight up from Missouri to Iowa. It was a great trip and a great weekend overall. Check out the photos!









More photos:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2275017&l=e578c&id=5734033

Now, back to some photos from Paris!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2260350&l=a339e&id=5734033

Here are some night-time photos from Paris. Hope you enjoy!

Photos from Rome...

Hello Folks, I am back from Europe and I must say that I had a WONDERFUL time in both Rome and Paris. Both cities are quite a treat to the eye in terms of art, architecture, and culture. While Rome has an ancient and (quite rightfully) historic feel, Paris had this glamorous and glitzy look.

Here are some low-res photos from Rome. I hope you like them. Don't forget to check out my Facebook album too! Photos from Paris are coming soon.

Facebook Album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2253074&l=1b2a6&id=5734033

Ciao!

Ciao from Rome!

I've come to Rome for a week on business. I'm currently working at the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization's (UN FAO) office. This huge office building is located just one block from the famous Circus Maximus, the Palantine Hill, the Colosseum, and all the other ancient Roman ruins. The views out of the office windows and cafeteria doors/terraces are just incredible! These people are so man lucky to be working in such a wonderful setting. I'm clearly jealous of these folks here!

Here is what I think about Rome: Awesome! I just can't explain how wonderful this city is! Every single street, plaza, piazza, monuments are just breath-taking. No matter where you walk, there is something great to look at. I tell you, if one can measure a place's beauty by how photogenic it is, Rome is photogenic almost every single inch of the city area. And I'm not kidding you.

As usual, I'm taking loads of photos and I will post them as soon as I return to the USA. Until then, as the Italians says, "ciao!"


PS: Here's an insider joke on UN FAO.

Me: "Wow! This [FAO] building seems ginormous! How many people work here?"

Them: "About 50% of the people"

: - )

Looking forward to ROME and PARIS!!

The Europe trip that I have been waiting for a long time is being materialized now! After being postponed since December, we found finally some time that is good for all parties. So...I will soon be heading out to Rome for about a week for work. I will be working at the UN Food and Agricultural Organziation (UN FAO) installing a system that I developed at UMD. I am very excited to go work there and work there. Of course, I am hoping that I will have enough time to check out Rome! I've already begun reading about Rome and place to visit around there ; )

Now, on the way back, I will be visiting Paaarrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiissssss! I'm so freaking excited about going there and FINALLY seeing Paris. I have a couple of very good friends there that I will be seeing. It should be just awesome!! I will post the details about the trip before I fly, and LOADS of photos after the trip.

Vegas Photos....

Here are the photos from and surrounding Vegas. Check them out:

• Vegas

• Red Rock Canyon and Hoover Dam