Honda City Automatic

Recently we had a chance to buy a new car ‘Honda City’ with automatic gear shifting. Thanks to my wife who taught me first time the art of driving and executing the first gear on the road. Honestly I learned driving very late in my life almost close to 30 and I am glad that I can drive now in all three continents Europe, America and Asia with driving licenses from three countries. Initially I thought owning a car is a luxury but once you experience of driving it, I realize how it can improve the quality of living on a day to day basis. Driving in Indian traffic is no doubt the biggest challenge when compared to other countries and I hope this automatic gear shifting will ease the driving. Hyundai Santro happens to be the first car which I gifted to my parents, Skoda Fabia Combi in Germany, Volkswagen Passat in US, VW Jetta for Anita in US and we finally ended up in ‘Honda City’in Chennai. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Tiger Caves, Mahabalipuram

Recently we had a chance to visit Tiger Caves which is situated before 5 KMs from Mahabalipuram. Honestly I never expected this place to be so nice and charming when I was bypassing it many times. It has got lush Green Park where one can have family picnic and most importantly great clean crowd less beach nearby. The intensity of the waves and the high tides from these beaches (Bay of Bengal) is simply stupendous and can never be compared with the North Sea, Baltic Sea and Atlantics where the tides don't even supersede your legs and most importantly one can drench in these waters throughout the year. Anish thoroughly enjoys building castles with the beach mud and for people who wants to avoid city traffic and want to go to the beach from Tambaram area, Tiger Caves is a place for the weekend. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Mesmerize - Music Concert

Recently I had a chance to attend the music outdoor event ‘Mesmerize’ conducted by our firm in Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium along with my wife. Various celebrities like Sid Sriram, Karthick, RJ Balaji made the event glamourous and it was real fun attending this event. Not to forget the awesome dinner hosted in this event from a five star hotel Royal Meridian. I saw many events conducted in this indoor stadium in television and it was a great experience to visit this stadium for the first time. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Team Outing in Esthell Village Resort

Recently we had a chance to go to team outing in Esthell Village Resorts situated in the outskirts of the city. We performed a team building exercise with real fun outdoor activities for an hour.  Had a chance to experience Zorbing for the first time and honest it didn’t impress me that much. We played Cricket with the tennis ball in the real pitch and it was a nice picturesque ground in the resort. The lunch buffet was really delicious with wide varieties. Then we drenched ourselves in the swimming pool in the hot weather and we played virtual beach volley ball in the waters. We also had a chance to watch a movie ‘Fast and Furious 5’ in the home theatre inside the resort. All in all it was a day to remember and a good outing with the team members.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Mom's first death anniversary

It has been already one year since my mom passed away, time really flies away. It was one of the turbulent, disappointing, depressive year of my life without any doubt. You wake up in the middle of the night and you realize you don’t have your mom anymore. On the first anniversary day on October 2nd, Appa and I did blood donation. Appa in spite of being 60 plus still accepted my offer to do the blood donation. Then we went to Sivananda Gurukulam, an orphanage situated in Kattankulathur, outskirts of the city to offer a small donation. Had a chance to meet the young children and old age people. I was totally disturbed after the visit and realized how blessed we are with whatever God has given to us. Thanks to my family, friends, relatives, colleagues who helped me to come out of this phase. For sure, time is the best heal for many things. Miss you Amma! May your soul rest in peace.

Sathish Kumar S

Home Sweet Home :)

Recently we had a chance to buy a new home in Selaiyur, Chennai near Bharath University. I liked this home for three reasons. Firstly, it’s close to our office. Secondly, it’s near to Anish School. Thirdly, it’s near to Anita’s parents’ home. It would have been so lovely if mom would have lived along with us in this house but life takes its twists and turns. It was always mom’s wish that I should return back to Chennai and that’s what finally happened. Thanks to Swastic Homes for the good modern architecture and hearty thanks to each and everybody who helped me in the path of my life to be at this home.

Swastic Homes URL

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Yercaud Hills, TN

Recently we had a chance to conduct the ear boring ceremony of Anish in our family Deities in Anumanpalli, Erode. Normally this ceremony is conducted along with the tonsuring ceremony during the 11 month of the baby. Unfortunately, we missed this ceremony during that time and it was a long pending event on our end to complete it. There was a yearly celebration in the temple where people from different corners visit the temple for this procession. 

We had a chance to go to Yercaud hills, located in the Shevaroys range of hills in the Eastern Ghats. It was nostalgic to remember the trip in 2001 when our school friends joined together and had a great time visiting Yercaud from Chennai and it has been nearly 15 years, time really flies away. Ladies seat, Gents seat, Pakoda point, Kiliyur falls are the important spots one shouldn’t miss out in Yercaud. We had a boating in Yercaud Lake and it was a pleasant experience. Driving from Salem to Yercaud with numerous hair pin bends is a good driving experience. We stayed in Grand Estancia, Salem and I would truly recommend this place to stay in Salem with great amenities. 

There was alumni function from 1991 pass outs of Government College of Engineering, Salem in Grand Estancia and could see everywhere the group pictures with family, friends, children. Must be really truly rewarding experience when one meets their fellow friends from Engineering and having a get together after 25 years. I need to return from Erode to Chennai to catch the flight to Korea at 1 AM in Chennai. We started at 2 PM from Anumanpalli, Erode and we reached our home at 8 PM in Chennai. Had to hurry blurrily pack all the things and left the house by 10 PM and checked in the last minute. The highways from the Southern Districts to Chennai have improved a lot in the last 10 years. All in all, a great experience in Yercaud, nice ear boring ceremony of Anish clubbed with yearly temple procession.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Seoul, South Korea

Recently I got a chance to travel to South Korea on a business trip. I was no way involved in that project and the project team members didn’t get visa on time, I was asked to travel as stop gap option since I had German passport and I don’t need a visa to travel to South Korea. Had a chance to fly in Cathay Pacific for the first time and had a transit flight in Hong Kong to a city called Incheon in South Korea which is around 100 KMs from Seoul. Hong Kong airport is in classical location with mountain ranges and seashore nearby which is indeed a rare sight. 

It was indeed a great experience of interacting with the clients, gathering their requirements, visiting the site in Daejeon. We all had a great socializing event of BBQ and drinks with various stake holders in the evening. Had a chance to visit Seoul during the weekend and definitely one of the picturesque cities in the world. N Seoul Tower was a thrilling experience to go to the top and one gets a panoramic view of the city of Seoul. Kyung bok gung is a huge palace showcasing the cultural and architectural aspects of Koreans. Language might be an issue in Korea where only few of them can speak English but the sign boards and symbols are very informative that one doesn’t need to ask anybody. 

The food in Korea was really awesome with wide variety of Noodles, Sea Food, Rice and Soups. I thoroughly enjoyed their cuisine since I don’t have any restrictions on the food. South Koreas is definitely a developed nation in Asia with grand infrastructure, sky scrapers, transportation etc. When it comes to Electronics and Automobile, they definitely lead the way with LG, Samsung, Hyundai etc. Their denomination is very high and around 1000 Korean Won is 1$. Thanks to my colleague Varadha who did a great job in organizing each and every aspect of this trip since it was a last minute plan. Definitely this Business trip will linger in my mind for long time and it was an awesome experience. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Bad Saeckingen, Germany

Recently I had a chance to visit good old Germany on a Business trip to a city called Bad Saeckingen which is located in the very south west of Germany next to the Swiss border on the river Rhine. The city lies on the southern edge of the Black Forest area. There are two bridges which connects Bad Saeckingen in Germany with Stein in Switzerland: one vehicular (Fridolinsbruecke) and the other, the Holzbruecke pedestrian bridge and it’s definitely one of the picturesque view with river Rhine dividing the two countries.

It’s really hassle free to cross this bridge without any border checks from Germany to Switzerland and imagining if India Pakistan border could be like this and how both the countries could flourish to a greater extent. I stayed in a hotel called Goldener Knopf on German side and it simply offers fascinating views of the river Rhine from the balconies. Bad Saeckingen’s architecture and buildings were similar to Lueneburg and it brought some reminiscent of good old memories. All in all it was a great experience to remember.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Greenfields Resort, Avadi

Recently we had a chance to go to Greenfields resort situated at around 3 kms from Avadi. It has got an excellent Swimming pool well maintained by the resort. Anish loves swimming and we had a chance to drench out from the hot sunny weather of Chennai. They also have a good Chinese restaurant in the resort and a good way to appetize after a good work out of swimming. Definitely a place to be during the weekends. Whether it’s a stay over the weekend or simply an evening filled with activities, Greenfields has options for all.   

Thirumala Tirupati Worship

Recently we had a chance to go to Tirumala with the family located in Sapthagiri hills to worship Lord Venkateswara. It’s always been so special to visit this temple especially by driving a car in the hair pin bends with climbing up/down the mountain. After nearly a decade, I tonsured my head along with Appa and Anish and we all had a nice Darshan. The laddus from this temple is known for its quality and awesome tastiness. The temple is located on the seventh peak of the Tirupati Hills and is also known as the ‘Temple of Seven Hills’ and is one of the famous and richest temple in India. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Anish real 1st Birthday - Leap year kid :)

Anish celebrated his first actual birthday on 29 Feb 2016 even though he is four years old since he happens to be a leap year kid. Time really flies away and it happened like yesterday that I cut the umbilical cord and hold him with both my hands. Taking in to consideration of the tough pregnancy Anita had, I am so glad that Anish is healthy, happy baby now and wishing him the best in the years to come. Thanks to German medical and insurance system which gave us the biggest gift of our life. He is presently enjoying his Upper Kinder Garden (UKG) in Chennai. Anish will be exactly 20 years old if he virtually completes 80 years old :) God Bless Him. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S 

European Endeavors -> American Adventures -> Sub Continent Flavours

Recently we moved as a family from NJ, USA to Chennai, India since my mom passed away, dad being alone and as a single son without brothers and sisters and I felt it’s high time we need to be with my dad for some time. Eventually I have renamed my blog to Sub Continent Flavors from American Adventures and previously it was European Endeavors. I am glad that I am returning to my city Chennai where I was born, grew up and lived for first 23 years of my life. It would have been so nice if my mom would have been there but unfortunately life doesn’t go as one expects. Looking forward to my second innings in my favorite home town and great south Indian city Chennai. I would like to continue my writing documenting the experiences which I have been doing it for the last 10+ years.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

San Francisco, California

After exploring Canyons, Vegas and the Disney’s we finally arrived at San Jose in Bay area to meet my school friend Saravanan and his family. It was so nostalgic to meet Sarvan after nearly 10.5 years and time really flies away. Sarvan had a daughter Sasha who is also of the same age like Anish and they both had a great time together. Golden gate bridge was always a picturesque scenic post which hangs in most of our houses during our childhood days and it was always my dream to explore this wonder one day and finally the dream came true. It is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate strait covering around 4.8 kms between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. 

It is one of the most internationally recognized symbols of San Francisco, California and the United States. It has been declared one of the Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. After exploring the Golden gate bridge we had a chance to go to Palace of Fine Arts which was very impressive and indeed a beautiful place. 

Next day we went to Mystery Spot which is a visual illusion based tourist attraction near Santa Cruz in California. The illusion experienced by visitors results from the oddly tilted environment as well as standing on a tilted floor. Inside the tilted room of the Mystery Spot, misperceptions of the height and orientation of objects occur. Then we went to Santa Cruz beach and Anish enjoyed playing in the beach sand and he built the sand castles with his mommy. It’s a nice beach to hang out on a sunny day. Thanks to Sarvan, his wife Anusha and his daughter Sasha who gave a great company for us, their hospitality and helped us to explore the great city of San Francisco and it was indeed a trip to remember in our lives. 

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Disneyland, California

Walt Disney World Resort, known as Walt Disney World or Disney World is an entertainment complex in Anaheim in California. Initially I had the plan of taking the scenic route of highway one between Los Angeles and San Francisco but many recommended to go to Disney Land skipping the scenic route mainly for Anish. I must say one day was not sufficient to explore Disney. There are two theme parks: Disneyland park and Disney California Adventure park and if you are the first timer and with time constraints, I would recommend to go to Disneyland park.

This iconic amusement park features around 8 themed lands with rides, shows and costumed characters and it requires minimum four days to five days to explore the whole of this great adventure park. Fireworks at around 8 o clock were definitely worth experiencing. Anish enjoyed most of the rides and it was certainly a day to remember. Thanks to my friend Krishna who accommodated us in his house for couple of nights and we had a great time with Krishna and his wife Jyotsna.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Las Vegas, USA

Las Vegas often known as simply Vegas is a city in United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada known primarily for gambling, shopping, fine dining and nightlife and is the leading financial, commercial and cultural center for Southern Nevada. The city bills itself as ‘The Entertainment Capital of the World’ and is famous for its mega casino hotels and associated entertainment. 

It's located in Mojave Desert and the temperatures were soaring high even in March. Most casinos in the downtown area are located on the Fremont Street Experience and Las Vegas Strip. Honestly Las Vegas didn’t impress me a lot probably because I went with my family and thank god we just stayed only for a night in Plaza Hotel. Vegas is OK for one time and didn’t live up to my expectations. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!!

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam is a concrete gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River on the border between the states of Nevada and Arizona. Its construction was the result of massive effort involving thousands of workers and cost over hundreds of lives. It’s on the way from Grand Canyon to Las Vegas and very close to Las Vegas around 30 miles. 

The gigantic bridge connecting the two states of Nevada and Arizona is really breath taking and gives the panoramic view of the Colorado river. It was really hot even during the month of March and just can’t imagine how it will be during the peak summer. Definitely worth watching if you are on the way to Las Vegas. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA

Grand Canyon is a steep sided canyon carved by the Colorado river in the state of Arizona in United States. We landed in Phoenix, AZ from NJ and stayed in our friend’s place for a night and we drove to south rim of the canyon. The south rim is open all year round weather permitting. The north Rim is generally open mid-May to mid-October. 

It was my childhood dream to visit the Canyons and we had a great time exploring it and the weather stayed fine all throughout the day. Thanks to Rajesh and his family for accommodating us for a night in Phoenix and celebrating Anish 4th birthday – the first real birthday since he happens to be a leap year kid. If you are in West Coast, Grand Canyon is a must see place. After exploring the Canyons, we stayed in Flagstaff for a night. There are lots of activities which can be done in Grand Canyon like rafting, hiking, museums, camping etc. There is also helicopter ride from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon which has some breath taking views. All in all it was a day to remember.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S