Monthly Archives: July 2019

Travel

Beaches, pneumonia, having fun while suffering, restroom socialization, and pizza. Just pizza.

Day 2 cont.

There we were, my dad and I eating yogurt with forks. The height of improvisation if you ask me.

You know, it was funny seeing all of us together in such a conspicuous area, a Safeway parking lot. But you know, ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Sure we were making a big mess in the process, I don’t think anyone cared all that much. Himani and Sanjay attempted to blend into the backs seats(or see if they could get swallowed by it) by sitting in the very back part of their car while eating their boxes of chicken. I tried to coax them out, but as expected, they refused to come out. They said they didn’t want to eat meat in front of the rest of us, who are vegan or vegetarian.

I personally appreciated the thought, but really, we’re not allergic to meat, so they didn’t have to fold themselves away like that. And yet they did, so, um word of advice for those of you out there who do eat meat:

Vegans and vegetarians(I sound like I’m writing the Declaration of Independence, yeah I’m following in the footsteps of my boy Thomas Jefferson)DO NOT CARE. We aren’t gonna shun you or anything, I mean we can’t judge you for your preference in food. There’s no need. That’s just the way you satisfy yourself and that’s perfectly okay! No judgment homies.

Anyway, we all cleaned up a bit and went to our respective cars, with our tummies now able to withstand a couple more hours. Sekar Peryiappa suggested we go to a beach that was a little ways away. Saying it was one they visited when they went a while before. I was pretty excited because I love going to beaches and playing in the sand and dipping my feet in the cool water. And it would be nice to get the fresh sea-like air, especially after sitting in a car and driving around so much. But I’ve never been to the beaches in Lake Tahoe, but I have been to Emerald Bay, but I thinks it’s technically not part of the Lake Tahoe area. But maybe it is, I don’t know.

The internet has betrayed me friends.
(ง’̀-‘́)ง 

 

So Sand Harbor was the first beach we went to, and it was really quite nice. The sun, the breeze, the water, and the fresh air.

Well, to be honest, at first it wasn’t.

So there was a lot of sand, and it was really difficult to walk in since there were so many little dunes; due to many people having walked on the beaches. And my feet are really small, like really small. Like, I-can-fit-in-my-eight-year-old-brother’s-shoes-without-actually-struggling, small. And in my head I’m thinking:

“Well,

This is a problem.”

Babu peryiappa and my dad were walking ahead so I followed them, and it was seriously a struggle with my stubby legs and  incredibly useless feet. Basically, while my dad and Babu peryiappa were peacefully walking along the beach, without a care in the world, walking with absolutely no hassle, probably talking about natural botanicals and how to associate them with your everyday diet or something. Or having a silent brotherly walk along the beach, reminiscence on past memories(and making fun of each other). And there I was,  a couple feet behind them;

Fighting for my  L I F E.

And

AND

It was really really windy too. My hair was flying everywhere so I probably looked like a witch that lost her broom(I wish I had a broom considering the situation)and it was really uncomfortable and it was chilly and there was sand getting in my shoes. The whole walking by the beach while contemplating life really wasn’t the look that nature was going to give me. The two men finally stopped walking and sat down; the sand dipped slightly downwards and into the waters. Soaking up the crystalline of the lake and into the sand.

The rest of our family caught up with us and maneuvered about. Himani, Sanjay, and Surya were off near a group of logs and fallen trees that were near the other entrance/exit. I decided to dip my feet in the water. I rolled up my jeans so the went a little above my ankles and walked out into the edges of the water. What I thought was going to be a nice relaxing soak in the water, ended up with me thinking I was gonna get pneumonia if I didn’t get my feet out of the tortuously freezing water. But after a while I started getting used to the feeling of the blood flow in my feet slowly declining. (I’m kidding)

The water felt refreshing and I wanted to stand there for much longer but I realized that if I didn’t get out soon, I wouldn’t be able to feel my feet for much longer after that. And I wasn’t planning on getting amputated any time soon; so I sat down next to my mom and dug my feet into the sand so they would warm up a bit, the sand stuck in between my toes, and the wind lapped in my hair. The water was clear and a gorgeous turquoise, and the sand was fine and grainy. And man it was just nice to feel the cool breeze and watch the the sun setting against the water. It felt good to stretch out and relax after a long day of just driving around the place.

But then, my dad piped up and said, “Whoever can keep there feet in the water for 30 seconds or more, will get five dollars.”  

My dad couldn’t have made a bigger mistake than that, because when you’ve got a couple kids and teenagers together, that all have a bit of a competitive streak; and there’s money involved, well you’ve either got a peaceful play-by-play between loving cousins, or a nuclear war on your hands..  And thinking back to it now, I’m surprised someone didn’t wage a war, or ended up with pneumonia. The only reason I walked back and dipped my feet in the water again was only really because I wanted to see if I could beat the rest of my cousins.

Sanjay and Himani kinda stood on the sidelines watching us, while Saran, Surya, Vaikunth, Madhvan and I stood in the water. Saran and I both had our phones out, which we set to a stop watch so we could keep track. My brother was the first one to get out(my cousins were keen on who kept still and who didn’t, uh they took it way to seriously geez)It honestly wasn’t really a big deal, until our parents started freaking out that we were in the water for too long. But the younger group of us were being stubborn and refusing to come out. I went back out into the with steady reluctance. It took me a while  to get my feet to function properly again, and I’m pretty sure that my cousin’s feet had turned purple. Finally most of us got out, except Saran and Vaikunth, who, for the sake of having a “winner” I guess.

I’m not a very sporty person, but the last time I checked,

I clearly remember knowing that not a lot of sports will have you sick in bed with pneumonia but your dignity still intact.

Everyone started getting frantic and Himani most of all, chiding her brother for not getting out quickly enough. Babu peryiappa watched on with a smile on his face, all of the women were fussing at the two boys who were still in the water(who looked strangely calm, like dang guys, are you warm blooded or not)I was also getting kind of concerned, because Surya had turned out of the water only a few moments before and his feet were an sickly purple colour. Himani pointed it out and looked like she was close to screaming at her brother, and I’m really surprised she didn’t.

Finally, with clear hesitancy and detestation, the two boys reluctantly removed themselves from there’s wet and sandy prison, while going to their respective mothers and burying their feet in the sand like everyone else who got our of the water. And just as we were dusting of our pants and getting ready to leave, my dad had an idea(which thankfully didn’t involve money), which consisted of all of us squinting our eyes harshly against the bright sunlight, and us ladies trying to keep our hair in one place as my dad attempted to snap photos of our group. My cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling for so long. And it was probably gonna take me an hour to two just to get the tangles out of my hair, thanks to the ruthless wind.

I mean I respect nature and everything, like I won’t abuse anything I see in my path just as long as loving mother nature doesn’t make like a waterfall and drench me with her ever so powerful, well, everything. And I love rain and cold weather. But the sun was directly in our eyes, the wind was coming at us like a tsunami built up nitrogen and oxygen. Sorry Gaea but, I’d prefer if I had my line of vision and my hair intact, thank you very much. My dad took quite a few pictures, and one selfie, which weren’t really that bad considering that weather was clearly against us.

But, a few days after we came back from Lake Tahoe, I was looking at one of the pictures, but as I was observing one of them from the series of photos,  I zoomed in on my face and Himani’s. And you could barely even see our faces, but instead my hair and hers blowing wickedly in front of our eyes and mouths, which made us look more like the Lestrange Sisters come to life rather than perfectly normal people just posing for a picture(I haven’t dared to text her that picture yet, and I don’t think I ever will).

When we went to exit and drive back, we hung around as we waited for some of our party to finish up in the restroom. I turned around and both Surya and Sanjay came to join us. Surya had launched into a story, while Sanjay look positively embarrassed, we were all quite curious as to why my college student cousin, would be so flustered in a matter of a couple minutes.

According to my cousin, Sanjay had opened the door to one of the lavatory stalls, obviously expecting to be empty; but instead found some dude in there trying to do his business. And it must’ve been really awkward, I mean it’s not like you can make small talk with some random stranger that forgot to lock the door to a bathroom stall. You can’t just start a conversation right of the bat like,

“Yo, wassup bro, this beach is sick right?”

And I understand that in some cases, people might actually do that. But I can think of much better ways to socialize, rather than in a public restroom.

Anyway, Sanjay said that it was kind of awkward and that he apologized, and the guy inside was chill and said it was okay. See, that’s one example of how males and females can be slightly different. If two women were in the situation, there’s a likely chance that one of three things will happen:

A) Both women courteously apologize before trying to forget the situation even happened.

B) One, or both of them start screaming bloody murder.

C) The lady inside starts cursing out the other lady.

Trust me, with the ladies, there aren’t gonna be any “Heys,” or “What’s up bros.”

When Surya and Sanjay finished telling there priceless story, it took a while for us to calm down, everyone was laughing and my cheeks hurt from all of it. Sanjay seemed to be a little red in the face and Surya was smirking. The three brosketeers let our roars of laughter that filled the little gazebo like deck.

But if I’m to be completely honest, looking at everyone just smiling and laughing in a circle, was just a really surreal moment for me to see unfold. You see, us three families don’t get to see each other quite as often as one would want. It’s out of our control, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t enjoy the precious moments we have together, before we go one about our usual lives; with work and school, homework and classes, practices and grocery shopping,  and whatever else that usually consumes our time. Nonetheless, just standing around laughing together can make up for all the time that wasn’t there.

As we headed out, Sekar peryiappa said there was another beach that was nearby, that he would take us all to. I forgot the name of the beach that he took us to, but it also was really nice, though we did have to make sure no one decided to take one of the motorboats and go one a lil’ adventure by themselves. There was one bench, and a couple of those plastic beach chairs that you would see in Stock photos(that is literally how I associated common yet subtle things, with Stock photos)My dad said that had a headache, so he went farther back, near this bar style restaurant and sat himself down in a seating area with umbrellas attached to the themselves.

Himani and I kept conversation with Babu peryiappa, who seemed quite interested in what Himani has been wanting to pursue as her career in the future. I’ve known for a while that she’s been wanting to be a doctor for a while. She told me that it interested her because so many other people in our family have or had a variety of diseases. And it made her curious and want to learn more about these inflammations.

The conversation went on until we were talking about how we thought of ourselves philosophically. Himani and I both agreed that we will always be dreamers.

Babu peryiappa said that he’s lazy.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

After watching the sun set for a bit, we started driving back to the house we were staying. And apparently, just out of the blue, someone decided that we should get pizza for dinner. Himani and I were riding with Babu peryiappa, Surya and Saran, and my dad. So we took a little detour and went through a different route, probably to see if there were any pizza parlors or anything like that nearby. However, as we drove, I couldn’t help but feel like we were driving through an actual town or city. There were fancy looking hotels and restaurants, shops and stores selling skiing gear, clothing stores, and a ton of other stuff. I spent the rest of the ride just looking out the window, until the little shops and buildings were obscured by the trees.

We all made it back to the house without fuss, Sekar peryiappa and Surya announcing they would grab the pizza later for dinner. They headed out and I decided to read for a little bit in the extremely squishy couch-that I almost suffocated in-and reading Sherlock Holmes. It was a little bit cold inside too so I grabbed one of the blankets on the sofa and wrapped myself up like a roll of colored pencils and just walked around the house, popping up behind random people. I also nearly manage to make one or two people pass out by accident, butletsnottalkaboutthat. But hey, everyone wants to be a magicarp once an a while.

Surya and Sekar peryiappa came back with the pizza and we all ate. Before going to our respective sleeping areas and sleeping.

(Sorry I kept this post really short because I want to stretch the time we arrived and the time we left Lake Tahoe as much as possible. So the content may be short but the amount of posts will keep adding on.)

 

 

Travel

Space doughnuts, the three brosketeers, itty bitty islands of doom, and grocery shopping gone wrong.

Part 2

I woke up with the sheets bunched up near my feet, and my little sisters little body curled up on the other side of the uncomfortably warm bed. The night was mostly spent with me tossing and turning in bed, trying to find a comfortable position without adding on even more heat emanating from the heater that was linked to the other rooms.My skin felt unnaturally feverish due to all the high temperature from the room and bed. Which didn’t really give me the sense to have a good mood that morning.

I slowly got out of the bed, checking the time on my phone, before lazily making my merry way downstairs, also tempted to ask my mom why the second floor felt like an industrial microwave that wanted to turned me into burnt curry before even brushing my teeth.  Course that was an unlikely output of the situation, but my groggy, sleepy state, would’ve said otherwise. My mom was already busy in the kitchen, as anyone would’ve expected, after I brushed my teeth, I had was having awful cramps(ladies you probably know why)so I had no intention in moving from the spot where I was being devoured by the couch and body pillows. And even if I did move, I probably would’ve been suffocated from the dense factor of that couch.

Surya and my dad had just left to buy donuts for everyone, probably from a nearby shop, my brother and my little cousin went on to take beanbags and start throwing them up and down the stairs, letting them scatter everyone too, which led me to being the one to make sure that nothing that wrecked while they played. Which also resulted with me becoming a target for them to throw bean bags at me as well. Which wasn’t that bad until I got poked in the eye. I blinked my eyes rapidly while they watered profusely and went back upstairs with my crippling pain(haha no I’m just a wimp) and hung out with Himani for a bit, just talking and laughing until our stomachs hurt.

It was nice spending so much time with Himani, we don’t get to see each other as often as we would’ve liked because she and her family live and hour or two away, and both of us and our families can be really busy throughout the year with our own things. So the fact that we could spend time with each other was really a precious thing.

And sure, the time gap between the last time we saw each other, and the present is there, but that doesn’t make us any less entitled to be just as comfortable with each other as we usually would be. No matter how much we grow up. Sure, we don’t necessarily have an obsession with Rapunzel and The Little Mermaid, but we still seek out what interests the other, what’s quintessential for us individually, and honour it, without any interference; without shaming it. Like a silent oath of respect or something. Kinda like those things guys have, like a “bro code”, but deeper I guess. So call us cousins, but I like the term surrogate sisters better.

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ ✧ﾟ･: *ヽ(◕ヮ◕ヽ)

I went back downstairs since all the showers were taken, and I grabbed a doughnut from the box that Surya and my dad had brought. And the doughnut was this weird, stretched out, hexagon shape. I didn’t know if it was a Lake Tahoe thing to make doughnuts in every shape except a plump circle, or the people who made the doughnuts were an intelligent species from an inter-dimensional galaxy; that wanted to share their breakthrough with the basic structure associated with an edible item that is meant to be eaten with relish. Also, it was a maple doughnut that was too big for me to finish on my own, so I  hung out in the kitchen and ate my interstellar doughnut, before wrapping it up in a napkin for my mum to eat if she wanted it.

By nine or ten in the morning, everyone was just chilling out, and the house looked nicer with the natural sunlight filtering through the windows and the glass sliding door that led out to the small deck in the back.while watching my mom scramble around the place like a cat. Opening bags, taking pans, filling plates; she’s probably one of the only people that I know who can successfully multitask and actually get things done.

And she went all out with the packing too. Like she brought bits of almost everything we have in the kitchen, including ingredients for pancakes, to make from scratch, dosa batter, and every kitchen utensil you could possibly need to make any meal. And sure, I think my mom was just a tad bit extra, but that tad bit of extra can go a long way in this case. My mom had even made tomato chutney and was making dosas on the heavy pan she had brought along, while fixing up different breakfasts for each person who had a preference. And at that moment, I knew she was basically the head of cooking for everyone that moment on, and to the day we leave.

For that day however, we were planning on driving around Lake Tahoe(literally and figuratively)and maybe hitting some spots at on the way, like the beaches or the viewing points around the lake. Himani and I talked about it on the deck in the back, before our dads, and Babu peryiappa joined us out back as well and launched a conversation with the two of us. Babu peryiappa was giving me ideas on how to escalate from beyond writing my blog, and introducing new ways to do that. And I wanted to follow up on some of his ideas too, they were intriguing and I couldn’t deny that.

My mom was bringing hot plates of food out, and it was so nice, to be eating homemade food in a place that technically isn’t home. We sat around eating and talking, my dad deliberately taunting and messing with Babu peryiappa(they’re brothers what do you expect)while I laughed at them.

That sounded way better in my head.

Sorry peryiappa. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

By the time everyone had eaten, showered, and were ready to go, it was probably 12ish in the afternoon.

And just getting all fourteen people in three separate cars?

(¬‿¬) hahaha no. *cries*

The three younger boys wanted to sit together, Thulasi had her own toddler preferences;plus her car seat was something to think about. The three broskateers(that’s gonna be the code name from my two uncles and my dad, you know, like the three musketeers, but bros)were the ones driving, so they don’t have a mandatory preference, my mom would go wherever my sister went, and I had a strange suspicion that Sanjay and Surya would go wherever the little kids weren’t.

And it’s not like I could blame them, I mean usually, driving with children can end up with constant retching(that from gastrointestinal sensitivity, or the fact that the dang kid just wants to get on your nerves)it can be loud, there will be lots of conspicuous giggling(that hopefully isn’t about you). Silence is almost nonexistent, and talking seems to be a constant must on the “How to get on people’s nerves list.” Constant babbling will come from the baby, and mimics of the babbling from said baby, are usually done by the younger boys; who think it’s absolutely hilarious that a human being with a brain could talk such gibberish. And there are also many moments where you wish that the song “Baby Shark” didn’t exist.

Lake Ta-hoe do do do do do do

Lots of dri-ving do do do do do do

So much fun do do do do do do

LAKE TA-HOE  *jazz hands*

Anyway, Himani an I were cool with going in any car, just as long as we could still sit together. Seemingly unlike the rest of our profoundly standing group. The two of us were basically like a pair of extremely well trained cats, that you could place anywhere and they won’t complain unless properly fed.

See, we’re angel children, we’ll do anything you bid us to do.

*cough* yeah right *cough* 

Long story short, everyone was finally seated somewhere inside one of the three cars, but the time it took us to do that had already docked us some time for our sightseeing extravaganza.  I was in a car with my mom, my sister, brother, two little cousin Saran and Vaikunth, Sanjay(with much complaint once he saw the bunch seated inside)and Himani; with her dad driving. Himani, my mom, and I were watching the windows, and pointing things out to each other.

“Wow, look at that house!”

“Ooh the colour on that one is so pretty!”

“The windows are so big in that one!”

“Hey check out the little garden in that house!”

“Look it’s a Hobbit house!”

Guess who said the last one.

Seeing everything in the daylight was so much more overwhelming, because I could finally see how much stuff is in Lake Tahoe. I mean way more than I expected. I just assumed it would like Yosemite, where the nearest store is a couple miles off,  probably one you’ve never heard of in your life. But Lake Tahoe is basically the polar opposite when it comes down to common urban circumstances.

At least from my personal experience, everyone nature reserved area doesn’t have many stores or other extra amenities like that. But I guess since Lake Tahoe is such a popular tourist destination internationally, it’s opened up to having more than one or two stores here and there. And a portion of the money earned most likely goes to the organization(s)that make sure Lake Tahoe is kept thriving.

Here are some facts(that aren’t mine)that I found on rvlove.com.

” The amount of water in Lake Tahoe (39 trillion gallons) is enough to supply each person in the U.S. with 50 gallons of water per day for 5 years.

The amount of water that evaporates from the Lake each day (330 million gallons) could supply a city the size of Los Angeles for 5 years.

The water is 99.994% pure, making it one of the purest large lakes in the world. For comparison, commercially distilled water is 99.998% pure. Lake Tahoe is over 2 million years old. Tahoe is considered an ancient lake and is counted among the 20 oldest lakes in the world.

Year-round resident population is 53,000. Total population can reach 300,000 on peak days. About three million people visit Lake Tahoe each year. This is comparable to the numbers of visitors to Grand Canyon National Park (3.2 million) and Yellowstone National Park (2.7 million). “

We were driving for quite a bit of time before we had stopped at a lookout spot where it was facing the southern part of Lake Tahoe, which meant we could also see the itty bitty little island with itty bitty little boats. Okay, it wasn’t that small, but compared to the rest of the lake, it was puny.

We all stepped out of the car(we were parked right next to a portable lavatory, which was unfortunate)Babu peryiappa had parked somewhere nearby, but my dad was going around in circles trying(and failing)to find a parking spot. And we watched and waited, up until we saw him just take a u-turn and go back onto the road and up, where he seemed to be trying to find a parking spot there. Before leaving, he dropped off the group that was driving with him to the side of the road we were standing on and skedaddled outta there so he could park somewhere else. So there was a cluster of us walking towards the look out area, where we could see the itsy bitsy teeny weeny island.

I found out later on, that it’s called Fannette Island, and it’s said to be haunted. *gasp* More details on that later, but anyway, a light wind was blowing and there were quite a few people looking out at the lake and taking pictures. Now that we had a clear view of the lake, I could finally see its unique blue colour, and how big it actually is. And now that we were closer we could see that there was this small stone castle thing. My mom pointed it out and I was completely convinced that the woodland creatures had built it on their own. But, I did my research after the trip, and it was actually a tea house that a wealthy women had used many many decades before.

My dad finally stalked his way towards wear we were standing, my mom and I were trying to tame the kids, who seemed to have found there way onto a large flat surface rock, and started messing around. We stayed for a little longer, took a couple pictures, before deciding to leave. I say deciding, because we all only shuffled along a few steps before my little cousins skidded and skinned his knees on the rough ground. Blood glistened on the scrapes and threaten to drip down, but Sekar peryiappa was quick to ask for bandages and Neosporin, which my mom whipped out from her backpack.

The three adults fussed over him, while he chided them all with “I’m fines” and “It’s okays” But the serious scrapes on his knees said otherwise. Himani let herself have her own share of scolding her little brother as we started back to the cars. And we all hoped the hasty bandaging would be enough to last through most of the day. And he didn’t seem faltered by that either, and I kind of wanted to pat him on the back and give him chocolate or something because he was pretty chill considering what had just ensued.

Other than that, we were all pretty much happy campers, my sister was giggling most of the time with the boys, Himani and I messed with the filter apps that were on our phones and made funny pictures of each other for a little bit. We were driving for quite some time however, so everyone was getting a little jittery, and the thought of food made me hungrier by the minute. I guess the three brosketeers were feeling it too(or they just had spidey-senses)because, soon we all had pulled up into the parking lot of a Safeway, which looked like a regular old Safeway you would see in city or town, and not some knockoff with off brand items that basically taste worse than the amount you paid for them.

I knew we would have to make exceptions when it came to food, since there were so many of us traveling together. But I found it hilarious that we ended up having to go to a Safeway, in Lake Tahoe. I’m so used to having to rely on whatever my mom brought when we go on road-trips, since there usually aren’t any nearby stores in establishments like natural parks. So I didn’t expect to end up going to a Safeway, with everyone to boot. And I found it utterly hilarious that we had to go to Safeway in order to survive for half the day without passing out from undernourishment. Everyone decided it would be a great idea for all of us to go into the store together and grab food and snacks.

That was horrid idea.

Himani and I maneuvered around, and whisper-hissed-screamed at our brothers to stop going to different aisles without us. But their our brothers, and who in their right mind would decide to listen to their older sisters, even if whatever they’re telling us most likely just them making sure we’re safe. Pfft, why even? I salute all of you out there who listen to their older siblings; and if you don’t. Well, I don’t think ya’ll want a lecture right now, because little siblings seem to underestimate the power of a hard lecture from their older sibling.

The majority of the time, it was me and Himani chasing after our brothers, and then our mothers calling out to us to chase after our brothers; it was just an endless cycle of:

“Can these perfectly capable girls manage to track down their brothers in a store that has more than a dozen aisles in one place?”

Himani and I finally got our brothers and handed them of to the adults, who were still looking for food items that were anything besides chips and cookies. Himani and I decided to do our part and wandered along to the yogurt section, I grabbed the first thing that I saw that looked familiarly edible, which was orange creamsicle flavoured Yoplait. I grabbed four or five and we wandered back to the cash register, where everyone else was crowded. Our purchases we really hasty;

  • A mixed box of bagged chips

  • Yogurt(Provided by Himani and Yours truly)

  • Cookies

  • Pizza flavoured Pringles(that I wasn’t gonna touch)

  • Ice cream(that melted a couple moments later, woops)

  • Baby Carrots

  • Oranges

  • Macaroni Salad

  • Bananas

Not the heartiest things you could eat, but we managed.

We walked back to the parking lot, where everyone hung out and opened the food we bought. I grabbed the yogurt and gave one to my dad, who supposedly decided to pat me on the back for deciding to get something other than chips and cookies. But there weren’t any spoons so we had to compromise with forks.

Eating yogurt with forks, on a sunny day in Lake Tahoe.

Yippee.

 

Stories, why not?

Abnormal Day in the Life of an Unsuspecting blockhead(me).

I know I said that I would be posting the next bit of our trip to Lake Tahoe, but some things took an unexpected turn. So instead of wallowing in my own self pity and shame, I’ll write why I wasn’t able to post that installment.

“What are you saying Kanmani, aren’t you going to write half a page about how sorry you are and how busy you are even though you probably weren’t and than shower us with a bunch of empty apologies?”

Okay, first of all, my apologies aren’t empty, second of all, no blogger is always consistent and perfectly coordinated with everything. And finally, I’m not going to spend a perfectly good post apologizing, that isn’t gonna do anything now is it? No! Not today, because instead of going along with what I originally planned, we’re gonna splurge a little and take a detour. What is this post gonna consist  of you ask?

Harry Potter, Dumbo, Packages, Banks, Power Tools, and Trolleys of Mass Destruction!

Confused? Yeah well you won’t be for long. Trust me.

9:00 am July 13 (Today)

I woke up tangled in my fuzzy grey bed sheets, the sun streaming through the window, I was struggling to keep my eyes open for more than a few seconds, since I had gone to sleep so late the other night due to some late night Harry Potter binge reading. I curled up into a fetal position. tempted to throw something at whatever decided to cross the imaginary boundary between my bedroom and the open hallway. But then my mom poked her head through my bedroom doorway, technically crossing that “boundary” but I can’t throw pillows at my mom, because, she’s my mom. 

Then she said something along the lines of “wake up” and “book sale.” I was exactly paying attention due to my sleepy stupor but the words book sale caught my attention and I immediately started  up and out of my bed. You see, for the past few days, I had been looking forward to the next premium book sale that our library was having, and since I had gotten a five dollar certificate to use in said book sales, and I was completely intent on using them. So I reluctantly got up, untangled myself from the sheets, and started towards the bathroom to brush my teeth and take a shower.

When it comes to book sales, I usually don’t have my lazy, go-with-the-flow-whatever-idk demeanor. Instead, I’m alert and everything takes a turn to commando, I get ready faster than you can say “Les Miserables” Most people would think that’s selfish, but really I’m just stuck on the fact that I could get almost all the books I could want, for just a couple dollars(depending on the amount of books I intend on buying)and I wouldn’t have to spend a ridiculous amount of money in a popular and expensive book store.

10:00 am

I was dressed and ready to go, sitting on the couch with a tote bag, my wallet, and my phone in my pocket. My dad looked at me and said “Aren’t you coming to the gym?”

what.

I wasn’t aware of this information mind you, so I gave my dad my classic poker face; which led him to go off on me about how he had told me this morning that we would go to the gym and then go to the book sale. I furrowed my eyebrows and was tempted to pout and stomp my foot like a conceited brat. So I did the mature thing(haha yeah right)and retorted right back, which led to my father staring me down like he wanted to the couch to spontaneously combust into a million bits. But he eventually managed to wave it off like it was nothing.

See, in the morning, like the moment I wake, I’m not the best person to hold a conversation with. Unless of course you let me sleep in, barging in at seven or eight in the morning  and then try to get chummy with me is going to result with someone complaining that they got hit in the face with a pillow. I’m not a morning person, and you can’t expect me of all people not to misinterpret anything, absolutely anything the moment I wake up. You could tell me that an orca just became the prime minister of Switzerland and I would go back to bed and start dreaming about killer whales in formal attire eating a platter of assorted cheese.

Moral of the story, if you’re one of those people who think “Sleep is for the weak” and all that foolish expression, than you might as well count me as the weak cause, sleep and I have a pretty good friendship thank you very much.

11:30 am

My dad and I buckled our seat belts in the car and drove to the library. Upon entering, my dad stayed back to read something posted near the library entrance and willed me to go ahead. I obliged wholeheartedly and started towards the back of the library, where a lot of the children and teens books were.

I started looking for a book for my brother before looking for some books for me. There were a lot of books for toddlers and ranged up to teenagers, but I needed to find something in between since my brother is only eight years old. Then a thick red book embossed large gold font caught my eye. And I couldn’t believe my luck, because it just so happened to be “The Dangerous Book for Boys” I plucked it off it’s respectable display and tucked it into my tote bag.

I looked around some more, for a book or two that would serve my tastes. I looked around some more, before I found that there weren’t really any “teen” books that I hadn’t already read or took a liking to. But then I found a Harry Potter book tucked away, to be more specific, it was the last one in the entire series.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is one of my favorite books out of the whole series, besides The Goblet of Fire, or The Half Blood Prince.  Sure it was a book I already had read loads of times, I tucked that into my bag of books waiting to be purchased. I honestly didn’t really regret that decision, mostly because that book itself has a lot of nostalgia behind it for me, and it was high time I had at least one Harry Potter book in our household.

Afterwards, I headed outside, where the had adult fiction, mysteries, biographies, and loads of other books. My dad and I weaved through the number of categories, I settled on a book on how to give good presentations like Steve Jobs. Since I intend to improve on my presentation skills, and Steve Jobs  is one of my inspirations, I could see nothing wrong in educating myself, so why not. My main goal was to find a Japanese basics language book, with like vocab and stuff, for basic conversation. I’ve learned a few words and phrases so far, but I wanna be able to speak it fluently, more or less. Or at least know at least the same amount of Japanese as I do Spanish.

I searched up and down the small bi literacy section, I found French, Tagalog, and Spanish, but alas, no Japanese. I was a little disappointed, but it’d didn’t get the better of me, since there are plenty of options online with just as much quality and variety. I walked back towards the inside of the library, but instead, I found a shady corner with a table set up with three boxes, which were large sets of books for different subjects, I was interested with the box in the center, which held all kinds of books about space exploration, the universe, and a vast array of the space sciences, which is my favorite branch of scientific study. I tugged my dad over to the little area and showed it to him, though I was a little bit hesitant and I kinda of losing interest quickly, since my dad was giving me the look, before asking “Where you gonna put it?”

My mind went point blank, I didn’t think about where I would put such a massive quantity of books. My interest started degrading so I tried telling my dad, multiple times that he didn’t have to be it. And since it was so quiet outside with so little people, I seriously didn’t  want other people thinking there was a daddy-daughter brawl going on in the middle of a peaceful little book sale. This ended with my dad misinterpreting my intentions, purchasing the books for ten dollars(which actually wasn’t too bad considering the amount of books in the box)and then ridiculing me later on in the evening when we are home. But we’ll get to that later.

Don’t think I’ll forget, dad.

11: something o’clock because I can’t keep track of time.

My dad said we had to run a few errands and go to a couple stores, so I assumed we probably wouldn’t be home for one or two hours.

BUT I DIDN’T THINK WE WOULD BE GOING TO SEVEN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS IN THAT TIME SPAN DAD.

But we did, so here we go:

First: Red box

We went to pick a the movie Dumbo so we could watch it later at home, so that was done. Not much excitement there, sorry fam.

Second: UPS

My dad had to return a package or something(I forge the details cause I don’t even know the details)so that wasn’t a pending errand anymore.

Third: Chase Bank

My dad had some business to take care of in the bank, which consisted of him an I standing around a little screen while my dad touched the screen and printed a thing and then put in a thing and I don’t even know, he was doing adult things that I probably would get confused asking about in the first place.

Fourth: Harbor Freights Tools

So my dad had to get some tools from this tool shop because we need to fix some things up in the house. Now I personally haven’t gone to many tool stores or anything, but my policy is all the same.

N O   T O U C H Y 

When I go to tool stores or something I get bored sometimes, but I also chide myself because when it comes to being at least two feet near power tools, I’d rather be bored than get my fingers clocked off. My dad pointed things out to me that were really cool, like lifts for cars when you have to replace or fix tires. I also saw really, odd things. Like drill bits in every colour of the rainbow, or a dust collector the size of a baby panda, or a concrete mixer that could be the best bird bath ever for any winged creature.

We also passed by this aisle that literally was just a wall with axes, sledgehammers, and other items that smelled of mortal destruction. And it didn’t help my jitteriness every time my dad would point out these insane “tools” that looked weaponry forged by a tame dragon. But it was still cool to see so many robust things that are used normally by construction workers, designers, or just regular ol’ joes who wanna improve their own homes.

My interest however was also quickly deteriorating, seeing as there was nothing I could really explore, without getting some part of my body sawed off, scratched, or worse. And running my hands on every non-sharp object in sight could only do so much to amuse me.

Eventually, my dad and I finally stalked off to the cashier to purchase whatever my dad had decided to buy, and then we headed back to the car and our next destination.

Fifth: Costco

We made it to the entrance of Costco and my dad pushed a cart into my hands, and I instantly knew that this shopping trip was going to be a struggle on my end. You see, from my height and stature, the shopping carts are twice as wide as me, and the handles almost . reach above my sternum. And for obvious reasons, it will get more difficult to steer once it has a number of different items stowed into it.  And it didn’t help that my dad was walking twice as fast as he usually would, and I was wearing sandals that were a little loose on me.

My mom said we had to get fruits, popsicles, bread, a few vegetables, and string cheese. And I knew that the crowded store wouldn’t be in my favor since it was a Saturday and eeeeeveryone thinks it’s a great idea to shop on a Saturday. By the time we reached the fruit area, we already had a majority of the cart filled, with me being the person pushing said cart.

On multiple occasions before we went to the fruits area, I would find myself pushing the cart as fast as I could so I was able to catch up with my dad who would usually be, I don’t know, about two aisles away, give or take. And mind you those Costco aisles, equal to like, two to four of a regular aisle in any other store.

I was extremely tempted to send him a quick little text message on the spot, something along the lines of, “Please take into consideration my tiny legs and the massive cart that I am pushing which is heavy with a considerable amount of produce items, and also the fact that there are at least eight or nine other people with equally large carts, in which I am in the midst of. It would be greatly appreciated if your walking speed was at a slower velocity, than it is currently. ”

I stood waiting, with the cart in my grasp, as my dad bent down to pick and examine a watermelon, when an older man and my father started talking.

About watermelons.

Now I don’t know how these two men launched into Watermelon Philosophy 101, but I’m pretty sure that fateful encounter had made my dad a watermelon enthusiast.  But I had my own chance meeting just as my dad and Mr. Watermelon Man were talking about direct lighting on watermelons.

An elderly women was pushing a cart, while a Costco employee was helping direct her to wherever she needed to go, I made my best attempt to fold myself and the cart against the watermelon crates so they could pass through, and when the did, the guy who was helping the women took a glance at my watch and said

“Man, I love that watch, it’s beautiful!”

I was wearing a Timex watch that my dad had just gotten me a few months before, it had a retro kinda style to it, and its got a clean, professional look to it, so I wear it alot. So when he said that I was taken aback, because I didn’t expect a compliment launched at my watch at such an unexpected time. But it made me really happy, nonetheless, I thanked him as he turned around and walked away, the elderly women giving me a sweet smile which I returned, before she turned around too.

I turned back around, continuing to wait for my dad, but now with a smile on my face. I told my dad once his watermelon philosophy lesson was over and we were walking towards the kiwis an grapes my encounter. And he just said with a a little bit of hubris “See, my tastes are being appreciated.”

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Well, that’s my dad for you, but that didn’t do anything to dampen or pursuit for fruits and vegetables.

After we had payed for all our items, we waited in line to exit, and I was trying to slowly so I wouldn’t run over someone in front of me. But all the odds were against, and I felt a faint bump from the front of the trolley.

Sweet cheese and crackers I’m screwed.

I immediately stopped and a horrified feeling washed over me as I saw my dad glare at me with a murderous look on his face, and a really tall guy in front of me looking slightly uncomfortable. You see, I couldn’t see over the trolley I was pushing, due to my impractical height(or the fact that I’m blind and stupid)and even with such a slow pace, I still managed to minorly injure someone in the process. I said sorry multiple times and I felt my face burn with embarrassment as the guy waved me off and said it was okay. I really didn’t mean to and I felt really really bad.

But I couldn’t do much about it anyway, except deal with my dad’s lecture about how I should be less reckless(which I wasn’t)and listen to him(which I was).

Sixth: Food Maxx

My dad said we had to make a quick run to Food Maxx to get banana leaves, since we would be having guests the next day. Finding the banana leaves wasn’t a problem, purchasing them however, well, I think this daddy-daughter duo needed a lil’ help.

My dad went to those self check-out machine things and things were going smoothly, all was well, the banana leaves had already accepted it’s fate as a soon-to-be-used disposable utensil. But then, when my dad slid his card onto the monitor-machine-whatever it is, it didn’t accept it, or it kept denying him, saying it couldn’t be purchased or something. My dad tried again and again, until he gave up and slid in a couple bucks into the monitor and it finally accepted it.

For me personally, it was slightly amusing to see my dad like that, all upset and stuff, even though it wasn’t his fault, because I find myself in situations like that all the time, my little Costco experience was a good example of my little oopsies going a little too far. So to see my dad going through that situation made me realize that everyone one of us goes through those little everyday mistakes and obstacles, that frustrate us, or they’re just flat out embarrassing. But in all senses, experiences like that are also fun to account later, and it’s just hilarious to share with other people.

Just as long as you don’t have a serious grudge against self check-out machines or produce trolleys. Yeah I think you’ll be fine.

Welp, this is the short replacement to what I was supposed to be posting on Saturday, but wasn’t able to, due to

A L L  O F  T H I S

But, after staying with my dad for the majority of that day, I realized just how much he does in one day, that including a couple hours of work doing his actual job. I was exhausted after going to everyone one of those places, but he does that most of the time, after work, plus goes to tennis and the gym with ~ yours truly ~ and I’m coming to appreciate him even more. Plus it was fun being dragged to different spots all over the place and hang out with my dad.

Travel

Sun, sand, and Safeway. (Don’t ask. I’ll have to explain it anyway.)

I’ve decided that I’m going to turn my excerpt of my trip to Lake Tahoe, into three separate intervals. Representing each day we were there. Then it’ll be easier for me to release content. And for you guys to take a breather between posts so it doesn’t feel like you’re being hit in the face by all the alpine glory of Lake Tahoe.

So.

Lake Tahoe anyone?

Yeah I know, me neither.

(Just so we’re clear. This post is not sponsored by Safeway.

Or the sun.

Or every sand particle in existence.)

Fair warning, this post has a lot going on in one place, so you’ll have to be reading really carefully if ya wanna catch all the details before you go on to the next paragraph. I suggest you read with a timid pace. Also, you’ll seriously get confused if you just skim the whole thing(and probably question why I have access to a computer) . With this post, even I’ll start stumbling on a lot of details, because honestly, I think I’ve had too much human interaction for the past month.

Last month, my uncle and his family decided to visit the United States for a couple weeks. My uncle seemed to have some business that he needed to take care of for his company, mostly meetings and stuff. And it had been four years since the four of them had decided to come to the U.S. again, which really hyped up the whole thing for everyone. And I was pretty excited myself, because spending time with my uncle with all of us together as a big group, also meant that a lot of unexpected adventures were going to happen, and he did not disappoint.

Course that also meant a lot of preparation on our line of there trip, since they would be alternating between our house and my other uncle’s house. My mom and I got more blanket and pillows from the garage, took out the crib in the master bedroom so there would be more space. And since my brother was getting a bunk bed anyway(#notfair#why#Idontevenusehashtangs#what)the sleep situation wasn’t an issue in his room.

But, when they finally arrived at our house, I was kinda having an internal language crisis.

My brain got so wired to all the Tamil, mild Japanese, English, and Spanish, that it all started messing with my train of thought.

Two years worth of Spanish. English and Tamil for as long as I’ve been existing I guess. And the really light Japanese vocab that I’ve been trying to teach myself.

And it doesn’t make it any better than my Tamil isn’t all that great. A lot of my relatives know that. I mean I really wish I could just be able to say something lightning fast in Tamil and understand it at the same time. And if someone’s talking to me in Tamil, I wish I could just break it all down in my brain and then translate it myself “Oh here brain, what they just said all translates in English to (fill in the blank).”

Anyway, when my uncle and his family came, I was morally terrified and knew I was kinda screwed. But I tried my best to make sure I didn’t say gracias or arigatou gozaimasu. Anyone reading this would think I’m just trying to make a show of what I’m learning, but seriously, all the different vocabulary and such have totally messed up my brain. And it didn’t make it any better that I kept mixing my English with my Tamil, which just made me sound flat out stupid.

Usually, I don’t stutter, but when it comes to speaking Tamil, I have the same vocal coherency as a two year old spelling out the letters of the alphabet. And I didn’t want to give off the vibe that I’m an antisocial meal worm, but the language crisis didn’t help.

See, in India, it would’ve been different. Since I would in a setting that only has that language circulating with other people I can pick up new words and vocabulary that are used frequently by everyone else. And then incorporate it into my set of Magical Tamil Knowledge, and BAM I have attained the ability to communicate with other people in India with the very little and basic expertise I have. I can hold a steady conversation without as much stuttering as I would’ve if I was talking one on one with someone back here in California. But I’m still not to the oh-my-gosh-i’m-a-bilingual-god, level.

And don’t worry, I won’t reach that level of cockiness even if I do “master the art” of knowing another language on command.

Maybe.

Now besides the obvious stuff, I didn’t know where we would take road-trips to, I just knew that whatever peryiappa says, goes. That also meant that we would be taken meticulously to places we probably haven’t been to before. Therefore resulting in a circumstance that we would call “fun” but what professionals would call, “peril.” But you know, he’s my uncle, and ya gotta love the guy.

So, to my extent of knowledge(and eavesdropping on conversations conducted between my parents and my uncle on the phone.) We were going to Yosemite, along with my other uncle and his family who live in San Jose. We had everything planned, a hotel, what we would see, my mother was even getting everything packed and my bought stuff for the trip. It seemed like nothing was going to get in our wa-oh, oh wait.

Oh that’s right! I totally forgot!

 

We didn’t go.

YOU DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING DID YOU.

WELL ME NEITHER. NOW WE’RE BOTH ON THE SAME PAGE.

CONFUSED?

YEAH ME TOO.

So, since peryiappa didn’t tell us that he was coming to the United States until the very last minutes, my parents didn’t book three hotel rooms. You see, since we go to Yosemite almost every year, my parent just assumed that we were obviously gonna go this year without fail, at that time. But that was before we were informed that Babu peryiappa was gonna decide to mosey on over to the United States.

So the only thing my dad could really do was call the hotel that we were supposed to stay at, and ask if they had an extra room or two. The result?

They said no.

Multiple times.

At that point I think we all kinda knew that it wasn’t gonna work out since we’re such a big group, and there was only one room, and the fact that we wanted to go when it was the Memorial Day weekend made us realize that it would be easier to just go somewhere else.  So Lake Tahoe was basically the next best thing. Like president Yosemite was stepping down and Vice President Tahoe was takin’ the reigns of our summertime fun. (Advance apologies to every other national park in existence in California)

So, in total there was fourteen of us. My family which is five, peryiappa’s family which was four, and my other uncle in San Jose, was five. Peryiappa had rented a car recently after landing in California, so we had three cars in total. So transportation wouldn’t be a problem.

oR So We ThOuGhT.

THIS WHOLE THING IS JUST ONE BIG SHERLOCK HOLMES DEBACLE ISN’T IT?!

What I thought was going to end in a neat and organized fashion ended up with me wondering whether or not it would be easier if some of us older kids sat in the trunks of our respectable cars. Why?

Okay, let me back up a bit.

When we all decided Pip pip, cheerio, pack your bags everyone we’re going to circle an entire lake and you’re going to like it as it basks in it’s alpine glory. We all decided that we all should meet at my house, since it’s on the way to Lake Tahoe, it would be a quick breather for everyone before we got on the road. And everyone was there, except my uncle, aunt, and younger cousin from San Jose. My other two cousins were there, though. I asked my cousin why her parents weren’t with us, and she said that  her mother had work so they had to stay behind, but she said they would meet us in the house we were all staying at in South Lake Tahoe.

So that left us deprived of three people and a car.

But it was all okay since my peryiappa’s family plus my two cousins managed to all fit in the car peryiappa rented. And my family would be in our own car. So, no problem right?

We all started driving for a while before deciding we should take a break somewhere for a little bit. Now, this is is a major factor for me, mostly because;

I hate long car trips, with a burning passion.

Before all of you hardcore travelers out there attack with your passion for sitting in a hot, stuffy, uncomfortable, car for a prolonged period of time. I have my reasons:

  1. I have motion sickness. Nuff’ said.

  2. It’s bores me out of my mind.

  3. I can never find a comfortable sleeping position.

  4. T R A F F I C

Looking over this list, I’m just thinking to myself, “Wow, I sound like such a brat! What has my existence come to?” But, these are all my reasons for hating travel that involves staying in a mobile vehicle for an extended amount of time. And traffic is something I hate with a capital everything. And I’m sure a lot of you can relate.  I know you’re out there, and I feel you. And it’s not that I don’t like traveling. I adore seeing new places and experiencing new things, but when it comes down the form of travel and how long it takes to get to our location, well, I’d much rather stay home or just go to local places, like the library or a nearby store.

Anyway, we went and parked in the shade a parking lot in the center of a bunch of restaurants and stores. Babu peryiappa and the rest of our family came a couple minutes later, my dad pointing to a parking spot right next to our car. But peryiappa decided it would be funny to park in a spot that was one space away from where our car was, which resulted in my dad throwing his hands in the air like What the heck man? While everyone was getting out of the car, my cousin Surya said he would take the car and park it next to ours. After that statement was brought into the air, everyone in peryiappa’s car was rushing to get out. I had to hold back a snort because I mean, c’mon, the guy’s nineteen and has a license, it’s not like the car was going to blowup the minute he put his hands on the steering wheel spy-movie style.

At least I hope not.

Once everyone had safely assumed that we indeed weren’t going to be run over; everyone gathered together as my mom passed out food. I kid you not when I say that she basically hauled the entire kitchen with her. I’m talking Costco sized bags(with that unit of measurement you know that’s a massive quantity)At that point, I’m surprised she hasn’t received a special request from Costco asking her to join their team of super elite packing people of honour who save the world from the horrors of improperly packed goods and accessorizes. And if they do have an actual team like that in Costco, then I honestly don’t even know if I should be amazed or dumb founded.

Anyway, my mom pulled out a bowl of rice, some spinach stew that you eat with the rice, sliced, seasoned, and cooked potatoes, plates, spoons, and more. Everyone who wanted to eat, stood around both cars and ate. I didn’t eat because I wasn’t really up to downing some food at the moment. But I did get to have some purpose with my hands, which was to hold a large glass bowl that held the spinach stew. But I think that was a deplorable decision on my parent’s part, because glass+me=complete disaster. If someone hands me something that’s glass, in my head there are sirens blaring, and it’s screaming

redcardredcardredcardredcardredcardredcardredcardredcard

REDCARD

If you have something that you value, something that has high importance, but is equally fragile

Don’t give it to me.

So I was neck deep in anxiety and was just about ready to put that bowl of stew into someone else’s unsure custody. Finally I was able to do that, and I put it down safely inside the trunk where it hopefully wouldn’t descend into the consolidated void of concrete. Afterwards, it remained uneventful, and when we were all packing up to get back on the road Himani and I made a sound discovery. Our cousin Surya, and Himani’s brother Sanjay, were not there. We looked around everywhere, and by everywhere I mean in and around the perimeter of our two cars. Obviously, Himani did the rational thing and decided to call Sanjay to ask where the two of them went. And of all places they managed to go to, they went to Panda Express. Just the thought of eating food before driving for another hour or two, made my stomach lurch. But no judgement here, food is always a top priority.

Anyways, we were back on the road, and I was obviously not enjoying staying in my seat for such a long time. But I managed not to projectile vomit the whole time, so that was definitely an accomplishment on my part. I don’t think I can say the same for my sister though.

Driving through the Lake Tahoe area and residency spaces is like driving into a completely different state. It felt more like a city with relatively more tree’s, rather than a national park at first. We passed by dozens of stores, shops, hotels, resorts, cinemas, massive houses, grocery stores, fast food restaurants and drive-ins, and basically every amenity you could possibly find in a modern-ish city setting like regular ol’ Sacramento. Except there’s comparatively more wooded area. Also did you guys know that they have an AIRPORT?!

Now that I think about it, it does make sure to have an airport in such a popular tourist destination, since many people come from all around the world to see the lake and to stay, or from out of the state. So that I practical to a certain extent.

Anyway, by the time we arrived at South Lake Tahoe it was around nine at night and pretty dark. We were driving a bit slowly on this dirt path that literally had no lights or anything except one or two street lights placed next to some houses. I couldn’t see much, with it being so late, but I did notice that each house that we passed had different and unique structures and designs. Like styles pillars and boards in the porches, or windows that take up an entire wall. I even saw a house that looked like something straight out of The Hobbit.

Thinking back, it was a little irking to see no one else roaming about, except us. And it didn’t make anyone feel any better that peryiappa’s car was no where to be seen. And didn’t help that he decided to rent a black car. So even if he was driving right beside us, or in front or behind, we wouldn’t have been able to see. The road look abandoned of any else except us, and in all honesty, I don’t think anyone of us knew where our location was.

It was dark(like I said fifty times before, thanks for noticing.)so looking at the numbers on the houses was just a tad bit difficult. But after some minor confusion, some of us almost tipping off into a road rage, and taking a u-turn or two; we finally managed to find where we’re staying, and peryiappa came just in time. Surya, Sanjay, and my dad all got out and looked for the key, and opened the door to the house before coming back out to unload both cars. I got out and looked at the massive house in front of me.

I was tired, I was a little hungry, my eyes were bleary, and I was sore from having my left side completely pressed against my little sister’s car seat. So I might’ve been a little delusional, and had the moral sanity of a plastic bag,  but I clearly remember thinking;

“Wow.”

“This looks like Minecraft!”

From afar, someone would’ve thought the house was a solid wooden block just hanging out in a little neighborhood. But up close, it’s just a big two-story cabin. But still,

It looked like Minecraft.

Anyway, I lugged my backpack and a couple other things inside and just plopped them near a glass coffee table. I looked around, to the left of the entryway, there was a small room that had no lights on, which was home to a black metal bunk bed, and red and white duvets and pillows that classes miraculously with glass(or plastic)art piece, that hung on the wall above, that reminded me of explicitly of microorganisms, or empty cells. I tried turning on the lights by flipping the switch, but even the satisfying click didn’t carry out the expected result.

AKA, the lights didn’t turn on.

I tried clicking it again, and then thrice. But it still didn’t turn on, and this being the first room I walked into, my first impression was

“aaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH”

My second thought-while internally screaming, was;

“Welllet’sskedaddleoutofherebeforethisroomdecidesit’snotaroomanymoreandinsteadbecomethegatewaytoTartarus.”

It wasn’t that the room had a hostile atmosphere to it, I mean it was small and looked welcoming, but the fact that it had no light and there was a sketchy looking door in the corner in the room didn’t help. But my curiosity got the better of me as I crept into the other side of the room, and twisted the knob and I opened the closet door-half expecting something to jump at me. Luckily nothing did, it seemed to just be another storage closet. Although I was still half convinced that I had just opened the toran to another inter dimensional galaxy,

The house itself had a peculiar floor plan, the living room, kitchen+bathroom, one bedroom, and one coat closet downstairs, along with a fireplace situated between the kitchen and living room. Upstairs there were three bedrooms, if I was to be a bit more accurate, one of the rooms was massive, and seemed to be an entertainment room that was doubly used as a bedroom.  There were three smaller rooms, one with a bunk bed, and one with a queen bed. There were also two bathrooms upstairs which seemed to be convenient seeing as there was so many of us.

I went back downstairs to see what was going on in the kitchen, merely to find that some of my family members were huddled around island, which was overflowing with bags and bags of food, utensils, pans and pots, and snacks. I snuck behind them all to the side where there were open bags of chips, and grabbed one, munching away as everyone fussed over the food. About an hour later, we had all eaten dinner and some of us stayed up to wait for my uncle, aunt, and cousin.

By the time they arrived, it was around eleven, my mother and peryiamma were fussing over my aunt and uncle and gave them some food. I was so tired  and tried my best to make good conversation for a bit before turning in to bed.

つ ◕_◕つ

Interesting Facts

  • Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in the United States

  • Lake Tahoe is 2/3 in California and 1/3 Nevada.

  • Lake Tahoe is 2 million years old

  • Because of it’s depth, Lake Tahoe never freezes

  • The lake has a volume of 41 trillion gallons of water

  • Lake Tahoe is the second deepest lake in the United States, with a depth of 1,645 feet.