20

Ah.

I didn't mention that we had a plan for the weekend, that took form while we were in Delarosa, eating. We were going to pick Mrin up, and then go to Point Reyes to meet Angadh.

We actually got up early, picked up Mrin from Palo Alto - the residential areas of which are ultra pretty, it's a beautifully green place! While we waited for Mrin, we did crazy things like dance on the road, and pretend-played basketball at a ring outside a random house. If anyone had been watching us..... :D

We headed off to Point Reyes. We made a pit stop to pick up junky snacks and then Gapa drove all the way to Point Reyes. We met Angadh, his dog Mani and his roomie Srihari (Hari) at the Point Reyes station. First thing we did was walk around a bit, took some pictures, and then got some food to eat on the drive toa particular beach in Point Reyes that we'd zeroed in on going to. The town was very pretty!

Beach.

Sas drove us to the beach and we all stayed there for a long time, taking more photos and chilling out. Mani was frolicking in the water and then coming back and rolling around in the sand. :D It got Angadh cribbing about having to clean his car later :) Mrin and I did cartwheels in the sand, Sas followed and shot some birds, Gapa, Angadh and Mani were playing in the water with Mani, and through it all, a whole lot of pictures were taken. It was all, as you can imagine from my description, a LOT of fun! :) Mani is super cute :) I missed Pepper!!

Lots of driving.

Once we got tired of being at the beach and running around, we went looking for dog friendly trails to hike along. There were none. And so we decided to go to lighthouse. A looooong drive later, when we hadn't yet found the lighthouse and thought we might've missed it, we decided to stop for a bit. We chilled out at parking lot for a bit and that's when we all finally really talked. While we all talked, Sas chased after birds. :) It was so much fun talking to Angadh! He is really, really funny. :D We talked about embarrassing "get married beta" situations that our parents had put us in. And then Angadh spoke about how he had worked hard to maintain his Bangalore cultured accent, and was making a statement to the Americans, demanding that they understand him when he talks like an Indian :) He talks EXACTLY the same way still! :) Funny stuff.

Lighthouse.

Eventually, we decided to go to lighthouse since we'd already driven this far anyway. We stopped when we saw an owl on the way!! Mrin drove for a bit, and through a breathtaking view. An elk ran across the road, and then fog rolled onto the road out of nowhere. We decided to stop, and walk into the fog. And voila, it revealed a small wooden stairway, that ended at a fence that was the edge of a cliff. Through the fog, whatever we could see of it was so unbelievably beautiful!!! It was really cold, but it was soooooo beautiful! There were big rocks far below, with the sea crashing around them, forming circular frothy patterns far below. In the distance, we could hear Sea Lions.

Mrin had gone back to the car because she was wearing shorts and feeling really cold. We all trooped back. Mrin drove the car from there all the way to the lighthouse, following Angadh. When we got there, the lighthouse was closed but we were still welcomed by a most beautiful view while walking up to the lighthouse itself. We saw Elks, walked around the hills and then checked out the lighthouse. Stayed there while the foghorn sounded.

And then we figured it was time to go. We said our sad goodbyes to Angadh, Mani and Hari. I hope I can meet Angadh again before I leave. I drove all the way back, following Angadh's car for a certain distance, until we parted at a fork that pointed us in the direction of San Francisco. Mrin and I said bye to the folks in the other car... even though they were not going to hear us. We sang in the car all along the way, Mrin, Gapa, Sas and I. :) Fun drive.

Loris Diner.

We came back to hotel, freshened up quickly, and then headed out for dinner. We ate at Lories Diner, a 50s American themed restaurant. It was so cool - it had those music boxes or whatever, through which you could request songs, just like in Back to the Future when Michael J Fox goes back in time to his parents' generation. :D There was a big car in there too, and lots of stuff from the 50s like the pinball games, and all the waiters dressed like the typical 50s American Diners. I liked it a LOT! :) After dinner, Mrin and I dropped Sas and Gapa to Gapa's place. Mrin and I parked the car and then bought a parking token with some difficulty. We went back and slept like there was going to be no tomorrow.