I finally got my wish. When we returned to Mumbai we experienced heavy rains and several days of flooding. During the short breaks in rain, we ran errands in Mumbai, finished our shopping and visited Nadia’s extended family.

After a lot of conversation and some soul searching, we decided to return to California to prepare for our next adventure: Russian lessons and volunteering in Kazakhstan.

We spent a little over a month in California studying Russian, packing and hanging out with friends and family. Highlights include time in the ocean kayaking and surfing, spending time with friends and family in San Diego and LA, BBQ on the beach, 75 cent rides at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, nightlife in San Francisco and family reunions.

We are excited for the opportunity. More from Kazakhstan to come soon…

We spent some time walking around Hyannis (home of the Kennedy compound) and then driving all the way up to the edge of the Cape at Princeville. We liked Princeville, it is a really cute beachy New England town, and we walked around and ate fudge, which along with salt water taffy is a staple in every New England tourist destination. Aaron was really excited by the Pirate Museum but there was a sign saying the grand opening was May 2 (the next day.) We drove out to the Atlantic coast (Princeville is a tiny town in between the Atlantic and the Bay) and tried to take a walk out on the breakers but were prevented from walking by a sign stating there was contaminated shellfish and it wasn’t safe. Foiled again! Nevertheless we enjoyed Princeville and would like to visit sometime again.

The next day we picked up Sam from Boston and headed out of the city again, this time to Marblehead, which is a tiny town on the outskirts of the city and is rich in New England maritime history. We were lucky enough to get a private tour of the Old Town Hall and even a trip up to see the belltower. We heard lots of great stories from our host and were charmed by the city’s history.

In Boston, we enjoyed great cuisine by chef/host Gendreau who is opening a restaurant in Boston (Circle) in the next few months. Thanks for the french toast!

The weather was pretty rainy for most of our visit, but we still managed to walk around parts of the Freedom Trail, including a memorable visit to Old Ironsides (the U.S.S. Constitution, an old navy warship) and the accompanying museum. We had never heard of the Barbary War before. We also hung out in Copley, and went out to Harvard Square, where we had brunch with friends Simonetta and Jan. Afterwards we went to an art show with Rabi, Dang and Chris and finished off the day with more great food courtesy of Gendreau (this time, it was duck.) The final day of our visit I took Aaron on a tour of my alma mater BU and we had lunch with Jeff, Aaron’s college roommate who is now getting his graduate degree at BU.

Thanks so much to Dang for the early ride to the airport! We had a great time in Boston and can’t wait to visit again soon.

We spent our last few days frenetically packing and trying to spend time with family and friends. Aaron’s brother David and his friend James came up to visit on Sunday, April 27, which happened to be an incredibly hot day. We headed to La Jolla and Pacific Beach to cool down at the coast.

In the late afternoon we went to Little Italy, in the downtown area, to catch an art show and ended the day with a great Italian dinner with family and friends David, James, Shireen, Sophia, and Henry.

The above title is in tribute to our dear friend Martin who is also leaving San Francisco. Martin is returning to Stockholm after several years in the Bay Area and we were glad to spend some time with him and other friends before our own journey.

We spent last Thursday in San Francisco wrapping up visa logistics and doctors appointments. After our adventures at both the Indian consulate and the place they outsourced visas to we had a chance to relax. We found it hilarious that the Indian government is now outsourcing to the U.S!

We took some time to enjoy a last burrito in the Mission for old time’s sake and hang out in Dolores Park.

Aaron spent the late afternoon at a wine tasting event with his childhood friend John while I went shopping in Union Square. In the evening we met up with friends at Bliss Bar in Noe Valley. It was great to see everyone and get a chance to say goodbye!

After a long day, we were happy to relax over some wine with Matt and Raish in Novato. I appreciated spending a night in my old bed, which is now housed in their guest room. Aaron had a hard time making me get up the next morning!

Last Sunday, April 20 (our three month anniversary!) we drove up to Carmel and Monterey, which is about an hour from Scotts Valley. We drove the 17 mile drive, which takes you up the coast with stops along the way, such as the Lone Cypress, a tree embedded in an ocean cliff that has survived for 200 years. The Lone Cypress is a classic symbol of the region and is also the logo for the Pebble Beach resort.

After enjoying the beautiful scenery on this clear and sunny day, we made a stop at Pebble Beach, the famous golf resort nestled on the edge of the Pacific ocean.

Afterwards, we strolled around Carmel. Carmel was started as an artists colony, which is apparent from the plentitude of galleries that still line the streets of this small town. The town is very picturesque, and also very expensive! We ended the day with a great seafood dinner at the wharf in Monterey. While we enjoyed our clam chowder, we watched a mother otter teaching her baby to float by herself.

For the last several days Aaron has been busy packing and preparing for the trip, while I have been relaxing, reading, and looking at Aaron’s baby pictures with Deidre, much to his discomfort. I am sure the tables will be turned once we are in San Diego!

We also visited Amanda’s lab and learned more about the day-to-day role of research scientists. Amanda’s company specializes in working with Bromine and is doing some very cool work in creating alternative energy sources. We weren’t allowed to take pictures of ourselves in the lab, but please enjoy this picture of Amanda in her lab coat.

Gaucho is usually used to refer to people living in the grasslands of South America, similar to a cowboy in the U.S. In Santa Barbara, the Gaucho is the mascot of the University of California campus and the students are the driving force behind the social scene and local economy.

It seems that many tourist attractions these days have a biggest, largest, tallest something, but these giant sequoias are truly spectacular. It was amazing to think that the largest living thing was standing in front of us and its roots were spread along the topsoil under our feet.

While visiting Sequoia National Park, we also toured around the museum and trekked along snow covered paths to learn about the habitat and history of Sequoia trees. One awesome thing about visiting at this time of year is that the park was virtually empty of humans and we saw plenty of wildlife, including a coyote hanging out by the road.

3) Susie’s house is located on the side of a mountain with an incredible view of Kings Canyon. Her house is surrounded with decks and the wall facing the view is almost entirely made of windows!

2) Kaweah River runs through the town. The North, South and East forks of the Kaweah merge into one river, which is where Three Rivers gets its name. The rivers’ presence creates waterfalls and lakes in the area, providing a number of very scenic hikes and opportunities for fun in the water. The most prominent noise from Susie’s deck is the soothing sound of the river rushing past in the valley below.

1) Susie and Terran have such wonderful friends and are very generous hosts! We had so much fun hanging out with the locals and especially enjoyed Terran’s baseball game on Tuesday night. It was a real nail biter. Go Diamondbacks!

After delicious Thai food at a funky rock n’roll joint in Hollywood, we caught up over hookah and drinks at a pizza joint/Middle Eastern lounge with our friend Bindi. It was gorgeous weather, must have been in the 70’s that night. Perfect for relaxing outdoors. Aaron particularly enjoyed the music selection, which included such classic artists as Coolio and other masterpieces from the hip hop of the early to mid nineties. Ahh…high school. Or in my case, middle school, but who’s counting?

We also met up over coffee with Aaron’s brother David and later in the day, Fishy/Jen, who filled us on her new career as a middle school teacher. During the day we relaxed at the beach in Malibu…this is the life!