No Rhyme, No Reason. US Bound - 1

Last April I packed my bags and went off to the US.

It was not a destination I quite expected to go to, previously perceiving it as a cold, expensive place that an obvious foreigner might have no business traipsing.

But traipse I did. And how.

If the US visa might have been an issue, it wasn't. I had needlessly stressed. And by the time I returned home, I had a more enthusiastic view of the country.

I did go at an awkward time for most of my friends and family - school was still on, and it wasn't quite summer. But I love the cold, like someone who knows the heat year round. And with a borrowed everything, I rambled through.

Sharing some pictures as they are the only things that will adequately express that journey.

And big hugs to the friends and family who hosted me, took me around and made it all a wonderful experience.

These are pictures from my stay in Washington DC.

At the National Museum of African American History and Culture. I deleted many photographs to create space in my phone and these are what's left. A must-visit museum. Among other details of African-American history and culture, it tracks their obsession over colouring -- a trait they share with Indians.

For instance, the paper bag test - are you fairer or darker than a brown paper bag. I saw Fair & Lovely, the fairness cream, exhibited there. An obsession with fairness products. Most distressing were the lot of the slaves and the civil rights movement. Zero rights, a life of oppression.
The Point of Pines Cabin is an entire log cabin transported and exhibited at the Museum. There are doorways and no doors and masters could enter at will. Imagine your home with no doors, and open to all sorts of tyranny.
(Pictures: A. Peter)

This is Ben's Chilli Bowl. My friend told me it appeared in many movies and serials and she hoped there was someone famous about. We looked carefully at the walls - of framed photos of celebrities who visited or had a meal there. And we met the owner, the delightful Virginia Ali, who with her husband Ben started the place. It's right next to the Lincoln Theatre.
When she realised I was visiting from Mumbai, she was excited. Her husband was an Indian from a village that is now in Pakistan. She said she had visited India many times and even told us about her sons. Imagine a mixed-race couple in the late 1950s on the brink of the civil rights movement. She has lots of fans in DC. One of them took this photo.
(Pictures: A. Peter)

National Mall. The Presidential helicopter. We didn't know it then but French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife were visiting President Donald Trump. We hung around, but didn't see the President.
With the boundary around the White House extended outwards, I didn't attempt to see the White House. Besides, getting a ticket takes months. For Indians, it means applying through your embassy months in advance. Locals can make a request, for their visiting friends, through their representatives. My friend felt her application to let me visit the WH was rejected because she was a Democrat. But apparently it's quid pro quo even if a Democrat is ruling. I found it all hilarious. Maybe another time. Maybe with a Democrat in place.
(Pictures: A. Peter)

The Washington Monument in the distance, taken from the Lincoln Memorial. If you stand closer to Washington Monument, you'll see three colours in its brickwork. Apparently the structure was built over three phases and something about not having the same kinds of bricks.
The Korean War Memorial at bottom right.
(Pictures: A. Peter)

Breakfast at Ted's Bulletin. People shared meals here. One thing I realised about the US, portions are enormous. Best to travel as a twosome. Later in my trip I started asking for child portions. But what you want to eat doesn't come in child portions. Only ice creams.
The milkshake was thick and massive and was accompanied by an even larger metal glass. After a long time I had to ask the waiter what it was. He said that it was the rest of my milkshake. Most of the guys/ladies serving at all the restaurants were so good.
I tried a food truck only once, in New York, and I was not happy. I had hoped to eat Arab food but didn't. I hoped for shawarma but settled for felafel that tasted like nothing I'd ever eaten before. My tastebuds felt messed around with. Gyro is not the original felafel!!!!
Why this obsession with Arab food you may ask. I lived in Kuwait as a child and now live in Mumbai. Even the Arab food festivals here can't get the taste right.
(Pictures: A. Peter)

Washington DC. Street scenes. (Pictures: A. Peter)

Newseum. It details the evolution of news. And the earliest newspapers displayed there dated back to the early 1600s... or earlier. It was interesting, especially for an ex journalist. The colourful wall is part of the Berlin Wall. The broken bust is Lenin's headless torso. (Pictures: A. Peter)

The red portions on the world map show how muzzled the world's press is. Green indicates free press. Yellow indicates partial freedom. The large board contains photographs of murdered journalists. Frightening.
The last two photos are of the photojournalist Bill Riggart who was first on the scene of 9/11. He didn't survive. (Pictures: A. Peter)

At Paul's, a trendy French restaurant in DC.
By the end of my trip I yearned for Indian cutting chai and normal instant coffee. And now I truly understand what jetlag is.
(Pictures: A. Peter)

Arlington Cemetery. When people die together on a mission, they share a grave because their remains can't be identified. There were so many of these graves at AC. All someone's loved ones.
Top left are the graves of JFK and his family. I don't understand why people tossed coins on their graves.
Why do people throw coins on graves? I didn't see coins on other AC graves.
People throw coins at water bodies too. They missed - going by the coins sitting on the sides of the jetty leading up to the ferries on Liberty Island.
(Pictures: A. Peter)

The very pretty town of Alexandria. George Washington lived here in his early years. It's now a very upmarket residential area.
I bought souvenirs from The Old Town Shop, which sells locally-sourced crockery, essential products, tea, honey, paintings, etc.
(Pictures: A. Peter)

Excellent food here. Tried tapas and paella. The paella was better than I thought it would be. I've seen it prepared on TV and my worry was a fishy taste coming through. The Sangria is the best I've tried so far.
(Pictures: A. Peter)

The Supreme Court. Do attend the lecture. Very illuminating. I hoped to run into Anthony Kennedy. No luck.
(Pictures: A. Peter)

Top left, the train station. United States Capitol. And the US Library of Congress.
Since I had a passport on me, we were able to attend a Senate vote meeting. What an incredible experience. Saw Senators I'd only previously seen on TV.
(Pictures: A. Peter)

An interesting mix of pulses, cereals and greens from a restaurant at the train station in DC.
I found I like ginger ale. This one is a pomegranate ginger ale. Full of sugar, I was told. I know.
I got a crash course on how to give harried commuters right of way on an escalator. Just like Mumbaikers, DC commuters run on them. I stepped on one woman's foot during peak hour. I imagine she didn't swear at me out of politeness, my profuse apologies and because, clearly, I was a tourist. All three perhaps.
In New Jersey my friends took me past a street in a hamlet called Edison (thanks for this info, Varsha) which they said had Pakistanis on one side of the road and Indians on the other. Indians and Pakistanis will know what this means. And my friends desperately wanted to eat Indian food. So we stopped at a South Indian restaurant. Most of the names on the menu seemed alien, the food looked familiar - like Tamilian marries Kannada food. Whatever it was, it was good. I couldn't recognise the vegetables in the katoris. And to finish it off, we had kapi, good old South Indian filter coffee. At this point the owner rushed out to ask how the food was and rushed back in again. Looked like the South Indian restaurants in Mumbai, except for the tables. It's usually sunmica on top in India.
(Pictures: A. Peter)