Seaplane & Government House

Yesterday I travelled to the city of Victoria the capital of British Colombia. Although I was in Victoria many times, this was the first time that I travelled via a Seaplane.
I regard myself as a seasoned traveller, however, departing from the water surface compared to departing from steady mother earth are two different things. At first I was a bit apprehensive, especially as it was raining when we left, but when we took off I was in awe with the waves, made by the small aircraft, and forgot about my ‘fear’. The flight took us over Vancouver and it was an amazing view from the Sky.
An invitation to make a presentation at the Annual meeting of the Royal Commonwealth Society took me to Victoria. The program included a visit to Government House where we were invited to join the Honorable Steven L Point, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, for lunch. We formed a receiving line and each of us was introduced to the Lieutenant Governor as we arrived at the door.


Government House contains the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, the representative of Her Majesty the Queen of Canada. The house has an aura of royalty decorated with pictures of the Queen and her family complemented by beautiful flower arrangements. I took time to ‘drink it in’. Our scrumptious three course lunch was served using the finest china .Each course was complemented with an excellent wine. Unfortunately we did not have time to visit the gardens, which I am told, are beautiful!


My visit to Victoria reminded me (again) how fortunate and blessed I am. As this Blog is my way of informing my beloved family of my travels, be assured that I am immensely appreciative of your love and support.

Chrysopylae," ........"golden gate”.

The last week of March I had the privilege to visit Fort Baker, CA when I attended a meeting of the William &and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Fort Baker is rich in history and a former US army base located in the Marin Headlands. I have visited some of the wonders of the world such as the Taj Mahal, The Great wall in China and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, but every time when I travel I am in awe with the many “other wonders “in this world. I always wish to have my loved ones with me to share my experiences, it is unfortunately not possible. However, this time I invited my husband to join me on this journey. We had a blast in between the meetings, and I am so happy that he could join me We stayed in the Cavallo Point Lodge which is a scenic place with a view of the historic Golden Gate Bridge We arrived late at night in San Francisco and took the Air porter Bus to Sausalito from where we were picked up by the Cavallo Lodge shuttle. The days were beautiful. As we were coming from Vancouver where it was still cold, the weather in Fort Baker was a feast, to say the least and we could spoil ourselves to a lovely breakfast on the veranda of the hotel restaurant. True to ourselves to make the best of a beautiful day, we set the day out to hike and explore the Golden Gate Bridge. It was easier said than done, but it was a hike worth doing, the pictures speak for itself The first name of the Golden Gate bridge was Chrysopylae," meaning "golden gate”. The Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world for many years. It is 1.7 miles and you can walk or cycle the entire bridge. After hiking uphill and cognizant of the fact that we had to walk down and all the way to Fort Baker, we decided not the walk the entire bridge. The bridge was completed on May 28, 1937 Joseph P. Strauss who was the Chief Engineer wrote the following: At last the mighty task is done; Resplendent in the western sun The Bridge looms mountain high; its titan piers grip ocean floor, its great steel arms link shore with shore, its towers pierce the sky. High overhead its lights shall gleam, Far, far below life’s restless stream, Unceasingly shall flow; For this was spun its lithe fine form, To fear not war, nor time, nor storm, For fate had meant it so.

Queen of the Arabic Sea

It has been a while since I have written about my travels. Although it happened a few months ago, my travel to India in November 2010 is worth sharing .
When I arrived in Delhi I was pleasantly surprised by the new look of the Indira Gandhi International Airport.
The artwork left me breathless and the service at the arrivals counters was first class.I attended a workshop in Delhi at the Habitat center and enjoyed the hospitality of the Indian people and the wonderful Indian cuisine.
From Delhi I travelled to the South West Coast of the Indian Peninsula to the State of Kerala also known as the Queen of the Arabic Sea where I attended the 6th Pan Commonwealth Forum with more than 600 participants from across the globe.The conference was held in Kochi, which is referred to as the Gateway to Kerala, in the beautiful Le Meridien hotel. I enjoyed my morning boat rides to the conference venue as it was a wonderful way to start the day while enjoying the scenic beauty around the hotel. Unfortunately I could not stay on a while after the conference to explore the Queen of the Arabic Sea, and I hope to return to Kerala one day.