Lake Hopatcong, NJ

During the Independence day long weekend, we had a chance to catch up with my MBA classmate from Germany: Andreas and his family in Lake Hopatcong, NJ which was quite near to our house. Andreas born to German mother, grew up in United States did his Bachelor’s and Master’s in Germany is a perfect mix of American- German culture. We had a nice barbeque near the lake and my dad who was in US during that time had a chance to experience American dinner and he thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Andreas and myself always shared a nice and long friendship for quite some time: Good old times during our student's life, attending his marriage in Hamburg, visiting him in Switzerland, holidays in Florida, now catching up in his home town. Thanks to his motivation that I even thought of exploring US. Anish and Victoria had a great time playing with each other. Andreas never disappointed me with his share of drinks right from our student days. Thanks to Gudrun, Myrna, Benjamin and Andreas who did all the preparations and made an evening to remember. 

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Belmar Beach, NJ

Recently we had a chance to go to Belmar Beach which is about an hour’s drive from our house. There are three beaches in the close vicinity: Belmar Beach, Avon by the sea and The Bradley beach. It is located in Monmouth County, New Jersey. New Jersey has got an excellent coast line and there are quite a number of beaches with good board walk and a good sight of Atlantic Ocean to be visited during summer: Sandy Hook, Point Pleasant, Belmar and Atlantic City. I would rate Point Pleasant as No.1, Sandy Hook the next followed by Belmar and Atlantic City as the last one. We tried our tent for the first time in Belmar Beach as an experiment and it worked out really well. The water was bit chilly and we couldn’t take bath. Thanks to Arun and Saranaya who accompanied us and Oviya and Anish had a nice time in the beach by building some castles and temples near the shore.

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Camping, Branchville, NJ

Recently we had a chance to do camping in Harmony Ridge in Branchville which is about 35 miles from our house. We were very skeptical about the insects, with kids inside the tent but honestly it turned out be wonderful adventure in the end. We could set up the tent before the sun set on Saturday evening and started the grilling, drinking activities. Thanks to the electrical socket nearby, this solved most of our necessary needs. Adding flavor to the evening was the campfire. Thanks to my wife who involved a lot in all the planning activities and was very instrumental for making it happen.

We played beach volley ball after a long time and it was really so much fun. Harmony Ridge camping ground was pretty decent with swimming pool, small lake, beach volleyball etc. The weather stayed absolutely fine and it was an adventurous weekend to remember for. We all had a chance to play Dumb charades as the last action before we winded up. Thanks to Siva’s, Arun’s family and Krishna who gave a great company and enlightened the event.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Guruvaayoorappan temple, Morganville, NJ

Recently we had a chance to go to Guruvaayoorappan temple in Morganville, NJ. Even though it’s called as Guruvaayoorappan temple, there are so many other deities in this temple. The Gopuram in this temple is a real striking pose and the architecture is phenomenal, just to give an idea of the amount of Indian diaspora in the state of New Jersey to build such a marvel in foreign land. There are so many temples in New Jersey and it just makes you feel so homely. It was a nice get together with Kamlesh, Rekha, Kamlesh’s father and mother and was a day to remember!

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Hot Air Balloon Festival, Phillipsburg, NJ

Recently we had a chance to go to Hot Air Balloon Festival in Phillipsburg, in Warren County of New Jersey. The event is two events in one – balloon festival and a country fair and a great adventure for the entire family. The launching of hot air balloons was really colorful and picturesque. Besides the hot air balloons, there were so many small rides for the kids and all the kids had a terrific time with those. The weather stayed absolutely fine for the whole day. All in all a day to remember. Thanks to Siva's and Arun's family for their presence and made it even more memorable.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Akshardham), Robbinsville, NJ

Recently we had a chance to go to Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Akshardham) in Robbinsville, NJ with the whole family. It is planned to be spread over 162 acres, making it the largest Hindu temple in the world in terms of acreage. The final construction is planned to be completed by 2017. The whole temple is constructed with white marbles and definitely a master piece for Indian art, culture, tradition in the area of NJ. Just to show the amount of Indian diaspora living in New Jersey to build such a shrine. Looking forward for the completion of this temple and I am sure it’s a definite place to be in New Jersey. I can be a real hero to my mom if I take her to temples :)

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S