A Planned Joyride.

Being a new parent is overwhelming enough, and taking a trip tops the list of testing patience. I have no tips or agenda to share, but yes would love to share my experience from our first road trip.

It wasn’t an ordinary 2 way trip, back and forth from a destination; it had its twists and plenty of turns. We decided to take our 1 year old on a road trip for 9 days, and cover the coveted natural marvels of southwestern US.  I was so scared on how my lil one will react to an extended car seat ride. So we started taking him for long drives before our trip. Even experimented feeding and entertaining him to observe his moods and reactions. I was elated to see he took all those trips really well.

The grooming was worth it and with only few brief stops, which actually occurred on drivers discretion for regular intake of caffeine, the 8-9 hours stretch were a piece of cake. I noticed if he is well fed and well attended with kids’ humor and talks he was an excellent rider.

For hotel I carried his favorite toys to play with, and as he recently started to walk I frequently made him wander around the aisle, which kept him calm and even made him sleep soundly after.

I have always kept kids food handy and my son is use to it for the same reason. Hence to feed him was never a fuss. I even took rice cooker along for few home recipes. Keep the kid hydrated, it keeps them calm.

Take lots of milk bottles along. I was never worried incase my son wishes to drink only milk, and if I have no way of cleaning them on the go.

Carry zip locks along, they come handy with wet clothes and plenty other things. We took all the possible over the counter medication for a 1yr old along. And even made list of all the departmental stores and hospitals near the places we went. It’s good to be prepared.

As per clothing, just keep them comfortable and warm (in my case). I took all his PJs along especially for the ride.

It was an amazing trip and my son loved it, he climbed the rocky patches of the Monument Valley and played in the sandy swirls of the Antelope.

Don’t be scared kids are stronger and more fun than we credit them for.:-)

To the Heaven we went: Mount Shasta

Mt. Shasta, CA

“When I first caught sight of Mount Shasta over the braided folds of the Sacramento Valley, my blood turned to wine, and I have not been weary since.”
— John Muir, 1874

So true, citing this stunning mountain from 100 miles away justified our decision to take this vacation. Mount Shasta is a unique experience. This place has sense of its own unique soul that will touch you instantly with is view. I can't imagine the bond that the locals share with its magnificent existence.
I'm not a spiritual person yet, but I know I want to be touched by the feeling of oneness, and visiting this place brought me closer to this feeling.
Mount Shasta is not connected to any nearby mountain and dominates the northern California landscape. It rises abruptly and stands nearly 10,000 feet (3,000 m) above the surrounding terrain. On a clear day, Mount Shasta can be seen from 150 miles away. The mountain has attracted the attention of poets, authors, and presidents.
From Sunnyvale,CA it took us around 6 hours to reach Mount Shasta valley, but surprisingly none of us was tired. The journey was smooth and was a delite in itself. My glorious moment of the trip was to site Mount Shasta from 100 miles. you can feel the rush of adrenaline when you see such a grandeur. You will cross the great Lake Shasta before reaching the town Mount Shasta. The lake is huge and is one of the destination of private sailors, kayakers etc. The famous Caverns have their home through this Lake. It is one of the must visit destinations. You can explore these extraordinary natural caves and understand the anatomy of our earth. The guided tour takes around 3 hours and is pretty inexpensive.
Mount Shasta itself have many scenic lakes, Lake Siskiyoui being the biggest. The lake is surrounded by many camp sites and walking trails. There's also Castle lake, Heart Lake and Mini Castle Lake to upbeat your urge of adventure.
Some of the finest waterfalls are too located in near vicinity to Mount Shasta. A trip to Burney Falls, the famous trip of Mc Cloud falls and the lost Mosbare falls is sublime. There aren't any GPS coordinates for these elusive places, just update your local information and drive into these mini heavens.
Many climbers attempt the summit of Mount Shasta. The summer climbing season runs from late April until October,although many attempts are made in the winter. The most popular route is Avalanche Gulch, also known as the John Muir Route.

Accomadation and Food:There are plenty of little Motels and Comfy Inns in the this small town. The best of all are Mount Shasta Resort and Best Western Tree House. We Stayed at the Mount Shasta Resort to enjoy the abode of nature. The resort have 3-4 options for different Chalets as per the requirement and people. Few with a feel of your own living room and Kitchen. Room service was pretty good. 3-4 Night Stay might cost you around $400-500 (all inclusive), but you can ask for their weekly discounts while booking. It works!!
There are couple of super markets to help you with all your basic needs, my personal favorite ' Ray's Place' as it opens early and close late at night around 11pm. You can find regular eateries with the likes of Subway and Round Table Pizaa, and some great locla joint like Lily's for American food. Indian's like me..book a chalet with kitchen and get few Indian snacks and food along.
Go explore this spiritual abode, it is a getaway glorious in every season. Just pick your favorite and bag pack this marvel with an open mind.

Understanding Buddhism..

The word comes from 'budhi', 'to awaken'. It has its origins about 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gotama, known as the Buddha, was himself awakened (enlightened) at the age of 35. He was not God, nor did he claim to be. He was a man who taught a path to enlightenment from his own experience. Buddhism explains a purpose to life, it explains apparent injustice and inequality around the world, and it provides a code of practice or way of life that leads to true happiness.

The first good reason is Buddhism has answers to many of the problems in modern materialistic societies. It also includes (for those who are interested) a deep understanding of the human mind (and natural therapies) which prominent psychologists around the world are now discovering to be both very advanced and effective.

One of the Buddhist teachings is that wealth does not guarantee happiness and also wealth is impermanent. The people of every country suffer whether rich or poor, but those who understand Buddhist teachings can find true happiness.

Real Buddhism is very tolerant and not concerned with labels like 'Christian', 'Muslim', 'Hindu' or 'Buddhist'; that is why there have never been any wars fought in the name of Buddhism. That is why Buddhists do not preach and try to convert, only explain if an explanation is sought.

Science is knowledge which can be made into a system, which depends upon seeing and testing facts and stating general natural laws. The core of Buddhism fit into this definition, because the Four Noble truths can be tested and proven by anyone in fact the Buddha himself asked his followers to test the teaching rather than accept his word as true. Buddhism depends more on understanding than faith.

The Four irrefutable facts that cannot be denied. The first truth is that life is suffering i.e., life includes pain, getting old, disease, and ultimately death. We also endure psychological suffering like loneliness frustration, fear, embarrassment, disappointment and anger. Buddhism explains how suffering can be avoided and how we can be truly happy.

The second truth is that suffering is caused by craving and aversion. We will suffer if we expect other people to conform to our expectation, if we want others to like us, if we do not get something we want,etc.

The third truth is that suffering can be overcome and happiness can be attained, if we give up useless craving and learn to live each day at a time (not dwelling in the past or the imagined future) then we can become happy and free. We then have more time and energy to help others. This is Nirvana.

The fourth truth is that the Noble 8-fold Path is the path which leads to the end of suffering.

The Noble 8-fold Path is being moral (through what we say, do and our livelihood), focussing the mind on being fully aware of our thoughts and actions, and developing wisdom by understanding the Four Noble Truths and by developing compassion for others.

The moral code within Buddhism is the precepts, of which the main five are: not to take the life of anything living, not to take anything not freely given, to abstain from sexual misconduct and sensual overindulgence, to refrain from untrue speech, and to avoid intoxication, that is, losing mindfulness.