Category Archives: Continents
Video: Riding Underwater Scooters in Oahu, Hawai’i
Since we had already jumped out of a plane in Oahu, we decided to go the opposite direction this time. We found out about riding around in the ocean on submersible scooters through Groupon, and couldn’t resist. Even my 73-year-old father was down to go. Check out the video above to see how it all went at Island Watersports, Hawaii.
PDF 
Musings: When In Hawai’i, Why Not Jump Out of A Plane?
A very long time ago — nearly a decade, I’d reckon — Meena and I were really bored in Switzerland, so we decided to jump out of a plane, much to our parents’ intercontinental horror. (We made the mistake of telling them before we actually took the plunge, and had them stressing via phone for hours.)
I’d like to say that this was a youthful indiscretion, a move made by an earlier, younger and perhaps stupider incarnation of myself. But I can’t. Because a few days ago, I took a similar leap of faith — and this is despite the fact that I have a toddler and no life insurance.
I’d like to blame it all on my brother. See, during our two-week Hawai’i adventure, he was celebrating his 28th birthday. And to take stock, he decided to put his life on the line and jump out of a plane at 12,000 feet. After all, what better place is there to do that than Hawai’i? Veteran skydiver Navdeep, who’d jumped twenty-plus times during his days in the Army, said he’d join him. So how could I resist reviving the latent dare devil in me. It’s been a while since she was roused, but I couldn’t help it. I just couldn’t let them go without me.
This time, though, we played it smarter. Knowing the flack and outright resistance we’d get from our parents, who were on the trip with us, we decided to leave them out of the loop until after the fact. So we told them we were off to Chinatown for a morning food tour, knowing full well no one else on the trip would be interested in such an outing.
I have to confess, I’d given a sleeping Kavi about a zillion kisses before I left.
At 7 a.m. on the morning of the 26th, the day after Christmas, we jumped on a shuttle which took us to Skydive Hawaii, some forty minutes away in the North Shore area of Oahu. As we signed our lives away on Skydive Hawai’i's incredibly thorough waiver form — the footer on each page boldly reminding us that skydiving could lead to injury or death — oddly, none of us were nervous. Just excited. That waned a little bit as we waited more than four hours to jump, but in the end, as we donned our gear and our small but sturdy Cessna aircraft climbed to 12,000-plus feet above the Pacific ocean, it was so worth it.
We flew for a good 15 minutes, the fresh Pacific breeze washing over us through the open door of the air craft. I didn’t know it before I climbed in, but I’d be the first to jump. And I wasn’t even anxious. My tandem diver Lyle and my photographer Rod and their pals were cracking jokes and rough-housing, and when I wasn’t busy gaping at the incredible view, I would turn back to look at Navdeep and Tarun, who were not far behind me.
Then it was time to make the leap. I had done this once before — in the Alps, no less — but if you’re gonna jump out of a plane at 12,000 feet and 120 miles per hour, Hawai’i is the way to go. You can’t beat this view — the ocean roaring before you, Diamond Head and the other Oahu mountains in the backdrop, the outline of the Earth clearly visible. It’s moving. It’s amazing. It’s literally breathtaking.
Checkout the video!
Video: Sona and Navdeep Jump Out of a Plane in Hawaii
We got a bit bored of hanging out by the shops in Waikiki, and it was Tarun’s birthday (my brother-in-law), so we all thought the best option was for all three of us to jump out of a plane. No, that is not a metaphor.
Going Local: An Insider’s Guide to Pakistan and India’s Film Industry
The Woods, they are a confusing place. Bollywood is just a player in India’s massive cinema scene. Get the low down on Bollywood, Mollywood, Tollywood, and yes, even Kollywood. I am also including Lollywood (you heard me right) even though it is based in Pakistan, because there is nothing that can beat the old school Punjabi classics coming out of there.
LOLLYWOOD
Lollywood is arguably the most underrated film industry in this part of the world. There has never been the sleekness, sex-appeal, string of “super-hits,” or the budget that Bollywood has had over the decades. But then again, it wasn’t funded by the Indian mafia either. During the 1960s, Indian entertainment in almost all forms were heavily censored, and in many cases, banned. This inevitably gave rise to blackmarket dvds, and radio programs playing bollywood dance numbers based out of Sri Lanka. These days, most Pakistanis (and Indians), as well as Desis the world over, get their hit of movies from Bollywood. But in its heyday, Lollywood made a string of the most awesome Punjabi films. Now Punjabi films are relegated to Sikhs from outside India, so you have a handful of Punjabi films with the same weepy storyline and the hero is a Punjabi singer with zero acting ability who is funding the production.
CHECK OUT:
Maula Jatt, which launched the careers of Sultan Rahi (the hero) and Mustafa Qureshi who plays the villain, Noori Natt. The storyline is simple. Maula Jatt is the hero. Noori Natt is the villain. He steals his woman. Maula Jatt kicks ass while wearing a loongi, carrying a gandasa, and gets his woman back with a lot of dishoon-dishoon, and some of the most awesome zingers in the world. There is also a lot of mustache tweaking. Here is the best fight scene you have ever seen:
Travel Tip: In Hawai’i, Save Big by Renting a House Instead of a Hotel Room
Most folks traveling to Hawai’i plan on staying at one of those posh beach-front resorts. But not us. For one thing: snorathon! For another, with eight adults and a toddler traveling, our hotel costs would add up super-fast.
That’s why I decided to research renting houses instead of multiple squishy hotel rooms. I’d first looked into this when trying to find a place on the beach for us this summer in San Diego, checking out sites like TripAdvisor.com and VRBO.com. Alas, everything was booked up then because we ended up traveling during Comic Con (but not actually going to the crazy event). But with a good six months lead time on our Hawai’i adventure, I figured it might just work out for us there. And it did.
The rationale was simple.
-First, this is supposed to be a family trip. If everyone traipses off to his or her respective hotel room after our daily outings, it really takes the family time out of the whole experience. Renting a house offers you that shared common space, a living room or maybe a lanai (that’s Hawaiian for deck or terrace), a place that everyone can chill out together.
-Secondly, a house or multiple rooms in a home rental mean a cheaper deal over all, especially when you divide it eight ways! Plus, people owning these homes are frequently paying a mortgage, so they need the rental income — and will make it worth your while.
-Thirdly, renting a house or apartment means you get access to a kitchen. With a big, fussy bunch like ours, that will no doubt be a life saver. We can cut costs by making some meals at home — breakfast at the least, but likely some lunches and dinners here and there, too — and everyone can eat what they like when they like. It just makes mealtimes easier all around.
So keeping these things in mind, I set about house-hunting in Hawai’i. (And anyone who knows me knows just how much I LOVE house-hunting.) While we’re staying in a two-bedroom suite at the Wyndham resort in Waikiki (which comes complete with a kitchen), I found a fabulous house with a huge terrace (with peekaboo ocean views!) in a little town called Pai’a, off the beaten path in Maui. And I found an equally fabulous house with fireplace and back-deck jacuzzi in Volcano on the Big Island.
It remains to be seen how the Charaipotra-Dhillon clan reacts to my master plan, but for now, I’m really excited to hit the hay in our second home(s) in Hawai’i.
Photo Courtesy Ohia Plantation House
Travelogue Hawaii: Deciding to Go (Navdeep)
When Sona’s mother asked me if I had ever been to Hawaii, my instinctive reaction was to scoff, then launch into an involuntary grimace, and finally to speak. A definitive “No.” The incredulity and disdain in my response either needed more work, or it was promptly ignored. “Navdeep said he has never been to Hawaii either,” was what my mother-in-law took from that exchange, and before I knew it, me and Sona were in charge of organizing a big ole family winter trip to Hawaii.
I don’t have anything against pretty places, or even of lounging about and having a relaxing holiday with no exploring involved. But I did that once in the Dominican Republic for our “BabyMoon” because our other option was to sit at home. So, my quota for that is sorted. Hawaii just is not a place I would go on my own volition. To put this in perspective: tickets to Hawaii cost about the same as a ticket to any country in Asia or Africa (right now prices are in the $1,000 range), prices for pretty much anything in Hawaii are going to be expensive, and you need a car to get around. So, yes, I would much rather be going to China or Japan or Zimbabwe for Christmas.
Perhaps my impression of Hawaii is skewed: it’s almost all based on cheesy commercials for romantic holidays, and middle-age American tourists wearing loud Hawaiian shirts, with garlands around their necks, and flowers in their hair.
But, at the same time, this is the perfect opportunity to go to Hawaii. Kavya will be in good hands with both sets of grandparents, her massi (Sona’s sister) and possibly mamu (Sona’s brother). While we’ve traveled with Kavya since she was under 3 months old, most of the longer trips have usually been in familliar settings, such as with my parents in California. Last year, we took her to San Diego for about four days – just the three of us,– which was lots of bus travel and a nominal amount of roughing it. Our Hawaii trip will be a couple of weeks long and Kavya is much more mobile now.
It’s also going to be interesting traveling with so many people because our traveling styles are completely different, and there are a whole range of personalities that drama is probably going to be inevitable. Unfortunately, beach camping will probably not be an option because nobody in Sona’s family, from what I’ve seen, is exactly a beach person. Or a camping person. Or the sort to rough it on purpose. This is also the first trip where me and Sona don’t have the option to wing it. We actually have to read our Lonely Planet before we get there, pre-book places, and most importantly, make sure nobody is going to be a grumpy pants because they don’t like the activities in a particular place. Alright, that last bit is probably going to be inevitable, but hey, that’s what a family holiday is all about: Being grumpy. Getting drunk. And bonding!
Enough faffing about, I have a Lonely Planet to read.
Travelogue Hawaii: Deciding to Go (Sona)
Hawaii was never at the top of travel list. In fact, I don’t think it even made the top ten. Or the top twenty. I think the same holds true for Navdeep. So why are we headed there for two weeks of our hard-earned winter break?
Here’s the thing: every break, we pretty much plan to go to California. Since Kavya was born, and even before then, really, we wanted to make sure we got to spend some quality time with Navdeep’s parents and sister in California — especially as the family expanded to include little Seerit and Joshvir. But this curtails our ability to travel elsewhere. So we had the brilliant idea that we should go somewhere else — and that Navdeep’s parents should simply meet us there.
At first we thought Alaska. But given the Winter scheduling of the trip, it didn’t seem like it would be all that fun to go there right now. So then we said, let’s pick somewhere warm and exotic and closer to California, somewhere that would allow us to explore and enjoy each other’s company without over-stressing or renewing our (missing or expired) passports even. Somewhere where Kavya could have quality time with her grandparents in a leisurely fashion. Somewhere, after all of those requirements, that wouldn’t be boring.
And none of us had ever been to Hawaii, so that became an option. It was big, it was warm, it was technically American soil, it had beaches and culture and even active volcanos. Initially, we booked just four days in Waikiki Beach via a time share. THen my mom decided she’d join us. And paying $1100 a ticket for four days on the beach didn’t make sense, so we decided to add an island or two. This is a BIG family trip. Over the course of six months of planning, we added ten days, two more islands, four additional family members and a whole lot of adventure. In the end, it was 14 days on three islands with eight adults and one toddler.
Essentially, it’s a big bonding experience for us all. Not a single one of us have ever been to Hawaii. None of us have ever seen an active volcano, either, so that should be a big highlight of the trip, too. There’s plenty of adventure on the agenda: the windy and beautiful Road to Hana, underwater helmet-diving in Waikiki, a five a.m. lava boat tour. But another big highlight should be just chilling on the beach and enjoying each other’s company. Because we need that family time. My family of five — my parents, my brother, my sister and I — haven’t been on a trip all together since we went to Mexico a decade ago when I was in college. Navdeep’s parents and mine have never traveled together — Kavya’s going to be overwhelmed with grandparental love and hugs, not to mention kisses and cuddles from Tarun Mamu and Meena Masi.
All in all, Hawaii is a family adventure I’m really looking forward to — as much as it surprises me to say it. This time around, though, it’s not so much the place as it is the people I’ll be traveling with that make the trip worthwhile.
Neither of us are strangers to travel, but we are very different travelers. Navdeep can brush aside a cockroach from his food and continue eating. Sona flies into hysterics at any creepy-crawlies (real or imagined) within a ten mile radius. 
Facebook
Twitter
Youtube