USA Trip 2023 - Reflections - Part 4

The plan for the weekend for simple – meet my friend and drive around. We shifted my luggage to his apartment and started off for a long drive. We planned to visit Big Sur and the 17 mile drive – my dream for a very long time. Although my friend had visited them quite a few times, he was generous enough to do the trip once more with me, and it was special. We started driving at around 8:30 AM and stopped at ‘The Butter House’ for a quick charge – both for his car and for us, a delicious brunch. The restaurant had a wait time of around 45 minutes, but the food was totally worth the wait. All along the way, we had great conversation on pretty much every topic under the sun – economy, technology, jobs, life, relationships and what not.

The next phase of the journey to Big Sur was an extremely amazing drive – to put it in simple words. In fact, no amount of words can describe the feeling I experienced while driving along the road. Ocean on one side, beautiful winding roads ahead of you with occasional tall trees covering the sky and the creeks along side, it was a drive that has to be experienced in person. And as our luck would have it, the weather on that day was very pleasant with mild showers and cool breeze, making the drive even more relaxed and enjoyable. How can you make such drive even better? Play your favorite songs and sing along with your buddy! We stopped at a few points to catch the glimpse of the ocean next to us and the scenery was simply breath taking. Watching the ocean beneath us, I could see the pristine waves washing the sands and hitting the rocks. The pale cyan color near the shores and the dark blue waters in the distance provided a perfect amalgamation of blue shades. I was speechless at the sight of this beautiful nature and couldn’t thank enough to the God for providing me this opportunity to experience this beauty.

On the way back, it was my chance to drive along this beautiful route. I drove along the winding roads with ease and the whole journey of around 30 miles passed away in a breeze. All the while, my friend was enjoying the views, sitting in the passenger seat – which he hadn’t done ever since he got his car. I was glad I could help him experience that joy. The drive itself reminded me of the video games – just rotate your steering wheel to navigate the twists and turns along the way. After a long drive, we stopped at Starbucks for a quick coffee break and my friend surprised me with a gift – a special Starbucks ‘Been There’ series mug! This drive was just getting better! After this, we headed to the big destination – the 17 mile drive.

Now, the 17 mile drive is basically a drive along the coast of a region called Monterey that is occupied by some of the wealthiest people in the USA. This area was full of golf courses, tennis courts and beautiful mansions just a few steps away from the coast. Along the 17 miles of the drive through that region, we visited a lot of scenic places such as the Spanish Bay, Bird Rock, the lone Cypress tree, ghost trees, etc. Once again, we got onto the beach and played with the water which was freezing cold. The gentle waves touching my feet in that pristine weather was the perfect relaxation I needed. In that moment, as I stood there with my feet in the sand and gaze in the sky – I became one with the nature. I once again thanked the God for bringing me to this place – 13,000 Kms away from my home – and providing me such amazing experiences. Once we completed all the sight seeing points in the 17 mile drive, we headed over to our next destination – Carmel by the sea.

Carmel is a small town located close to the 17 mile drive that is adorned with beautiful European architecture. Here, you would find small buildings housing some cozy shops for art and memorabilia. Walking along the streets, I was reminded of my time in Germany and Italy. There were lanes, and then there were inner lanes through the buildings connecting the main lanes. After spending an hour or so on the streets, we headed over for dinner at a cozy little Italian restaurant called ‘La Napoli’. What better way to end your day with some warm Italian food and great music! We had the perfect vegetable soup for the cool and drizzling weather, followed by a very special pasta – the Cascadelli with basil pesto sauce adorned with nuts! Followed by an amazing vegetable pizza and to close it off, a perfect Tiramisu! What a perfect way to end the evening! After a sumptuous dinner, we headed back to the city. Along the way, we stopped at the Tesla super chargers for a quick charge. We reached home by 9:30 PM and called it a day.