A Secret!My upcoming book- America Deconstructed

I have been MIA for a while and have been hiding a secret! The past few months and years have been spent traveling places trying to hear stories- stories of people who moved and made America their home. I have been writing for years now- blogging and freelancing as a writer. My friends have always urged me to write a book, yet I always shrugged it off. In 2013, I decided to begin my writing journey into becoming an author.

While I have continued to write, I haven’t been blogging as much because I was busy  working the publishing maze. After four years since that first story, I finally had a publishing contract. In 2017, I finally signed my first book contract with Motivational Press. While my book is far from being released, I just reached a major milestone and a dream come true for any author- my book cover with my name on it.

Everyone who has followed me blog through the years have supported my journey as a writer by liking my posts, commenting on my pictures, etc. As a thank you for this endless support, here’s the first look of my book cover which will be released in 2018. Please continue to support my writing journey, and follow us on our social media for updates on the book, release date, event tours etc.

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Tweets by America_Deconst

 

Thank You!

FALLING IN LOVE WITH ARENAL, COSTA RICA

Almost eight years ago, I stood at the airport nervous about my first international flight ride to Costa Rica. The last time I took an international flight, I was immigrating to America from India. The trip was special because it was our official honeymoon. After making a list of destinations that included Bora Bora, Seychelles and the likes, we narrowed in on Costa Rica for financial reasons. I did not know then that it would be the beginning of a love affair with international destinations. After a long flight, we reached San Jose, Costa Rica. We spent the night there and were whisked off in a car to Arenal, our first destination in Costa Rica.

As our car cruised through the lush greenery of Costa Rica’s windy roads, I was reminded of Kerala, India. After few hours of traveling, we approached our hotel in Arenal area, about 6km from downtown La Fortuna. Tourism is one of the major industries in Costa Rica, especially the Arenal area which is known for the Arenal Volcano. The Arenal Volcano was one of the most active volcanoes in the area for 43 years. As we checked into our hotel, we could see the Arenal volcano from our backyard. The hotels in Costa Rica had us bowled over. The theme for our first hotel was rain forest which was evident all through our villa. Besides the volcano, Arenal attracts thousands of visitors each year because of the many adventure sports available. All around the area one sees signs for zip lining, ATVing, bungee jumping besides several other adrenaline activities.

We stayed in Arenal for ten days during which we took a night Safari to the Arenal Volcano. The stillness of the night against the erupting volcano made it one of the most memorable activities. We also hiked to the magnificent La Fortuna Waterfall. With several steep steps, the waterfall challenged us physically but the waterfall at the end made the trip worthwhile. I had never zip lined before in my life, and neither had I been on an aerial tram before. We took a sky tram to the ziplining area. I could feel adrenaline pumping through my body as I was petrified and excited at the same time. I have major fear of heights and ziplining meant putting all my height demons to rest. I quivered with fear as I did my first zipline and then the second. By the third one, I was enjoying the feeling although I have to admit I did not look around to enjoy the landscape or picturesque views.  At the end of the eight long ziplines, I felt accomplished.

Arenal in Costa Rica converted a coy Indian girl into an adrenaline junkie. Since that trip, I have traveled to many places and done several crazy adventures. Costa Rica will always be special for several reasons besides it being our honeymoon- I fell in love with international travel in Costa Rica and for that I will forever be grateful.

My Journey as a writer and America Deconstructed

As an immigrant in America, journeys have always fascinated me. As I have written about my various travels, I have always tried to make it more about my journey than the destination. I have strived to make my blog more than a travel guide. It has been my scrapbook that I have from time to time re-read and relived every moment. Today’s blog posting is personal because it is about my journey as a writer.

 

September 29, 1995 is my writer birthday. I remember sitting in front of my dad’s body and wondering how I was going to move on. I kissed him for the last time ever and felt the stillness of his body. His warmth that was my blanket on cold nights no longer existed. I was daddy’s little girl and I followed him around like a puppy. As I sat there contemplating the changes in my life little did I know I was becoming a writer. Few days later I wrote my first poem. I was still a closet writer and my poems were my deepest thoughts.

 

In 2001, I moved to America from India. In spite of being in college, I had lots of free time in comparison to my life in India which was filled with friends, school, basketball and studies. I began writing website content and other creative content in my spare time. Eventually I started freelancing as a writer which paid me pocket money. At that instant I was still focussed on becoming an engineer, which I eventually accomplished. Somewhere along the writer in me wanted more. My passion to travel the world collided with my writing thus giving birth to this blog.
In 2014, I wanted more and thus began my journey to be a novel writer. I have had the opportunity to meet amazing people who left their home for America in the 15 years that I have lived here. They shared their dreams, their embarrassments with mundane everyday tasks, their loneliness being away from family, and their endless desire to survive. Together with my friend I decided to write a book about sixteen amazing people who were willing to share their stories with us. There is humor, dreams, sacrifices, embarrassment and real experiences of people who made America home. Thus was born our little venture titled America Deconstructed. We are in process of getting our book published and we hope each and every one of you will support us in this endeavour. In the weeks and months leading to the release of our book, I will share snippets of our book. So if you are curious on what America Deconstructed is, stay tuned. America Deconstructed has romance, emotions, war, Taliban, prison, marriage, children and everything in between. Please follow the blog https://americadeconstructedblog.wordpress.com/

INDIA GATE

Taj Mahal stands tall being the face of India to the world but to Indian’s living in India no monument holds higher than the India Gate. Each year on January 26th as India celebrates her Republic Day, Indians watched the parade pass through the India Gate on our television sets. As a young girl growing up in India, India Gate was synonymous with everything India. It always evoked a sense of patriotism in my mind every time I watched the magnificent monument stand tall amidst the throngs of people at the parade. On a very warm June afternoon, we visited the India gate monument. 
Our trip to Delhi was on a very strict agenda to complete our daughter’s adoption process. In between all the madness and her being sick, we managed squeeze in few monuments with India Gate being the first one. I remember as our car made its way through the streets of Delhi to our airport, India Gate loomed large. I was determined to see the monument that was staple to my growing years. 
India Gate is a war monument to several soldiers who died during the First World War. The names of the soldiers are inscribed on the monument. The backdrop of India Gate includes the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the residence of the President of India. As I stood there marveling at the monument with Rashtrapati Bhavan, I felt immense pride. The inscriptions on the India Gate evoked national pride in me. There was chaos all around with people selling merchandise, children trying to sell handicrafts and later begging for food, but as I stood there at the foot of the monument I grew up watching on television, the noise drowned out as I stood there sensing a strange calmness in me. The dichotomy of India was so evident as I stood there at India Gate as I experienced calmness in the chaos. 

The red sandstone marvel- Agra Fort or Red Fort of India.

While Taj Mahal looms large across Agra, another amazingly magnificent but less known monument is the Agra Fort or Red Fort. While it doesn’t have a romantic story like the Taj, the Red Fort or Agra Fort plays a prominent role in Indian history. Made out of red sandstone, the Red fort of Agra includes several palaces such as Jahangir’s Palace, Khas Mahal, two mosques and Diwan-i- Khas, an audience hall. On a humid Agra evening, we visited the fort amidst thousands of people.

 

The magnificence of the fort lies in its history. Contrary to what I believed that the fort was built by the Mughals when they were in India, the Red Fort existed since the 11th century. It was initially made of brick. The red sandstone for that currently exists was built by the Mughals, particularly Akbar. Akbar the great Mughal ruler realized the advantages of the central location of the fort and made it his capital. The height of the fort allows to monitor any invasions and the walkway entrance of the fort is designed such that it is at a slope. In the event of an invasion, big rock boulders were rolled down the walkway to hurt the enemy army. Shah Jahan, the grandson of Akbar is credited for making the Agra Fort what it is today. History says Shah Jahan was imprisoned at the fort during the end of his life and he died watching the Taj Mahal from the Fort. As we stood in the room where Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son with a direct view of the Taj, I was taken back to the days I spent studying about this at school. I was no longer a tourist visiting a monument but one among the many children in India who is introduced to the abundance of history that India as a country represents.

 

As we walked through the exit gates of the Fort, I remembered the scenes from the movie Jodha Akbar that were shot at the Fort. With every foot step, I was in my own way reliving those images and the images I formed in my head as I memorized my history as a teenager. The distance and miles I had traveled to America, having lived here for fifteen years could not erase those lessons I learned as a child of the Akbar and Shah Jahan. In my own little way, visiting Agra Fort and Taj Mahal was my version of disneyland. I was living my fantasy world from my childhood.

 

 

Scintillating and Mesmerizing Taj Mahal

There are few things that are synonymous with India than the scintillating Taj Mahal.  Growing up in India as a child, Taj Mahal was in all my history books and we were often fed an overdose of the Taj. Yet, I never thought I would see the Taj Mahal in person. Having grown up on a staple of Indian movies where several romantic numbers in the 90’s were shot at the Taj Mahal, I always felt I had seen the monument in person. On a cloudy and humid July day, my husband, new daughter and I made our way to Taj Mahal. We were in New Delhi to finish the adoption formalities, and had the weekend when we decided to visit the magnificient Taj Mahal.

I will always remember seeing the Taj Mahal across the Yamuna River banks and our cab driver telling us there is the Taj. The distance did not diminish the beauty or the magnificence of the Taj. As we walked through security, I felt a sense of overwhelming uneasiness at the presence of such magnificence. While it looked just like in the movies, the enormousness of the monument was undeniable. As we walked through the pathway amidst thousands of people, some tourists and many locals, we were briefed about the history of the Taj Mahal by our tour guide. Every word echoed the years I spent in school in India reading and marveling at the romance behind the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan, a Mughal emperor for his most beautiful wife Mumtaz Mahal to profess his love for her. He wanted to build a monument that was as beautiful as her. It was built to house her tomb which along with Shah Jahan’s is still seen in the Taj. It took twenty one years and several thousands of people to build the monument. Upon building the monument, it is told he cut off their arms so they would not replicate the Taj. The art inside the Taj is made of real gem stones from different parts of the world and the white marble is unique to Agra where the Taj resides. The marble glows on a full moon night which was demonstrated when we took a tour of how the art is created.
As I walked through Taj in my booties, I marveled at the architecture of the monument. Amidst thousands of people thronging through the doors of Taj, I felt a strange serenity. The monument echoed the love between a man and a woman, and as a girl who grew up on Bollywood romances of the 90’s I could only wonder how someone could love another person so much that they built the iconic Taj Mahal in her honor. The Taj Mahal is beyond a monument. It is the symbol of love that is often seen hidden in the pages of a romance novel. I am proud that I belong to the land of the Taj Mahal, a symbol of love even more than I ever was.

On the Beaches of Praslin Island, Seychelles

Praslin in Seychelles is a small island with exquisite beaches that are often featured on the best beaches of the world. In addition to the Coco de Mer in Valle de Mai, the beaches in Praslin often bring tourists to the islands. When we decided on Seychelles, we were looking for an island to relax on and with no temptations of crazy hikes. Praslin won the lottery for those reasons.

After two days of walking, we decided to spend the rest of our week exploring beaches in Praslin. While we chose public transportation for some of our exploration, it required planning since the buses went to our hotel every hour or so. We decided to rent a car to explore the beaches so we wouldn’t have to time our beach day. On a bright and warm Seychelles morning, we began our beach exploration with the Anse Lazio beach. Anse Lazio is one of the best beaches situated in the northwest of Praslin. After parking our car, we trekked our way to the beach.  Fairly secluded, the road made way to beautiful expanse of blue water against white sand.  I cannot swim and when people hear I am going to the islands, they wonder what I could be doing at the beach. While I get my feet wet, and being Indian I don’t really need to sunbathe for a tan, I enjoy the beauty ahead of me. I try to capture God’s creation through my lens and in through my eyes. I make a snapshot of the beauty in my heart and head forever. Anse Lazio was my muse and I captured every corner of the beach through my lens. We ended our day at PK restaurant where we had the best Creole food.

In addition to Anse Lazio, we visited various beaches in Seychelles such as Cote D’Or. Sometimes it was a conscious decision to visit a specific beach, and sometimes we just stumbled upon an expanse of water that was too beautiful to resist. Seychelles provided several moments that were almost inexplicable. The islands have the best beaches I have ever seen in my life, and I am so glad I chose to end our couplehood with Seychelles before we began our journey into parenthood. Seychelles allowed me to relax with her sun and sand, amazing food and the warmth of the people.  I don’t know what Paradise if like, but Seychelles is the closest I have been to paradise on earth.

 

Praline Island, Seychelles & Coco De Mer

Seychelles, an island between Africa and India has always been on my top two travel destination barring Switzerland. When my husband and I decided to get married, Seychelles was one of the first destinations we looked at for our honeymoon. As new college grads, Seychelles was way more than we could afford. So in June 2016 when we decided to travel to India to pick up our new daughter, Seychelles was our vacation destination before we go from a family of three to four. On a warm June afternoon, we began our long journey to India. We would then take two more flights from India to Seychelles. We chose this route because it seemed more economical since it was cheaper to travel to Seychelles from India than from California.

 

Upon reaching Bangalore in India at 4:00AM, we realized someone mistook our baggage for theirs. In all the chaos and commotion, we missed our flight to Seychelles and spent 10 hours in Bangalore airport waiting for our next flight. The guy who took our luggage returned it at some point in the 10 hours making it totally worthwhile. We were on our way to Seychelles finally. Upon reaching Mahe in Seychelles, we had to take a ferry to Praslin, our island. I was thankful to my husband for insisting I take my motion sickness pill because that ferry ride was no joke. I sat there watching victim after victim fall to motion sickness, all the while praying I survive the ride. We finally arrived in Praslin amidst deep blue water and green lushness. I am not sure what Paradise looks like, but this was the closest I had ever been to one. The only other place I can think of that looked so beautiful was the Dominica islands.

 

We made our way to the Coco de Mer Black Parrot Suites hotel and were welcomed by a much needed drink. Thus began our expedition of Seychelles. We began our adventure by walking almost 2 hours to the city to buy some water and withdraw some Seychelles money. In spite of getting baked in the hot sun during our walk, the beauty around us made every step worthwhile. We returned back to our hotel, battled some major heat exhaustion for another day but it was the perfect beginning to our adventure.

 

Praslin Islands are home to the famous Coco de Mer which call the Valle De Mai Natural reserve home. Coco De Mer, sea coconut or double coconut is  funky looking coconut that was found at the bottom of the sea. Inherit to Seychelles and islands around there, Valle De Mai is the only reserve in the world that still has Coco de Mer trees. One can find tour guides in the reserve, and it is a good idea to take a tour as they explain how the coco de mer is fertilized and how pollination happens between the male and the female.  
The Praslin Island is a beautiful and pristine island with some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. In the coming weeks, I will write a blog posting about the several beaches we visited in Praslin, Seychelles.

Coco De Mer bowl

 

 

A New Journey Begins…!

Every relationship is the beginning of a new journey. At fourteen years of age, I wanted to begin a journey to adopt a baby. I knew then that it would be the greatest journeys I would embark on. I never did then, but the desire continued to grow with me until three years back when my husband and I signed on the dotted lines to begin our adoption journey. This past month I traveled to Seychelles and India with my husband for a month. This adventure signaled my life coming full circle. While adoption held my heart strings at fourteen, Seychelles tickled my imagination just as much. I remember watching Miss World/Universe on TV in India and seeing the amazing beauty of Seychelles. I knew then if there was one place on earth I could visit, I would choose Seychelles. It was a week in paradise and the perfect end to being just the two of us.

 

After a week in paradise, my husband and I traveled to India. India is and will always be home. There is a serenity and peace that India fills me with. No matter where I go or where my address might reside, India is home. But this trip was even more special. After years of wondering who she is, or what she might look like, we found our new travel buddy in our 11 month old daughter, M. She is feisty, adventurous and crazy just like us. And thus began a new journey. We are now a crazy travel foursome, my husband, Zed our puppy, M and I. Stay tuned for our adventures in Seychelles and India in the coming weeks.