Travel is expanding phenomenally and with the needs and demands of travelers who vouch for convienience and suitability, the designs too are changing. This is a short review of the product 'CrossKix 2.0 Atlantic'. I haven’t extensively used them yet but have had taken a little walk to the Marina to get a general idea on how it works. So let’s watch this 3 minute vlog first where I tell you in detail what the product is about:




 Now Crosskix has come up with what they say is an all purpose shoe which can be used for hiking, sports with grip as well as is waterproof. Design wise, they have a very good range of color combinations and plenty to choose from - both muted soft color combinations and vivid color combinations. I had chosen Atlantic 2.0 because I wanted something bright for me.

 For the short while that I used the product, I felt the shoes were comfortable, I liked the adjustable pin fastener to tighten up in different holes and also the grip was good. It’s made of prastic-y material so its waterproof and the water gets away from the holes and the vents. However, if you are hiking, probably socks would go well with the shoes to provide extra cushion over the heel pad, and for me size 6 was a good fit. Note that these shoes are well suited for folks who do not wish to carry multiple shoes for different purposes. It's very lightweight, moldable and completely water submersible.


 Due to so many vents in the shoes, water does slip out really fast. I have tried it on the Marina, and I liked the fact that the water flows out very fast. It also surprisingly doesn't get so dirty. Another major plus of this one is, since it has got a sole, you can hike with these. It looks exactly like a shoe from the sides..

                                 

They come in two designs - 2.0 and APX both of which doesn't make you tie laces making it a very convenient footwear specially when traveling . It's a quick go-grab shoes and lightweight so can be easily kept in your bag without having to add on to much weight. Since they come in so many color combinations, you can team up with your dress or your cargo pants, and they would still look nice. All in all , a product worth trying. So guys, have you tried Crosskix before?

The Moment You Doubt Whether You Can Fly, 

You Cease Forever To Be Able To Do It - Peter Pan 

 How often have we survived on what is called the trauma tactics - we can’t travel now because we have babies, we can’t do this because we are not good writers, we can’t do that because we are introverts, or we can’t do whatever because of what so ever reason we create in our heads.

But for people, I met on road in the past 4 years, may have had their own battles, but that’s not what makes them today. What makes them today and what makes them forever, is their intense passion to drive them forward come what may. They are not abla naaris but able naaris , they are not tired men but men with dreams. What drives them today is hope they create in limited souls. What drives them today is their own sunshine.

In spite of their achievements, they are humble, grounded, loving and supportive and see the world as a team where they are their own competition. Surprisingly for all those negative minds, who think their life may not be sorted out due to their way forward which is different than how regular people live their life, let me tell you, they have mastered balance that makes them stand out.

They have earned every recognition they are applauded for by readers or by people and there's no easy way to do it. But so can you.  

Today, I acknowledge them, and say how great all of you have been, without which, my life would have been just ordinary as everyone else’s. This is not a list of Top bloggers in India but this is something I always wanted to write about like a testimonial to them and this is a list of people I have intimately known and fell in love with, thankfully due to their blogs or sometimes otherwise:

1) Nisha Jha, Travel Blogger at Lemonicks 



 Me and Nisha met on the first FAM trip to Spain and again second FAM trip to Suryagarh and we instantly clicked. Ever since, we have only connected over phone, that too sometimes. She is someone who doesn’t give up even with Bandages. She is someone who is like me but better - she laughs off and shrugs off even if she’s hurt - not obsessed about social media but living it up to the fullest. She is someone who you would feel a child wrapped in a women frivolously voicing her opinion when needed and living in Hostels, Backpacking and Volunteering when she feels like and not to rant to the world , but to gain her own experience. Like me, she despises negativity and we had a whole evening online chat when we discussed on how negative people can get. She is not scared but she doesn’t flaunt. She is Nisha and I admire her for when we met, till when we meet again.

2) Sonia Nazareth, Anthropologist and Writer 


I met Sonia on my trip to Scotland. Sonia is like an every guy’s dream. She’s intelligent, beautiful and forthright. She is very sweet to talk to, and she is a very sweet person. She knows how to have limitless fun too. She is a person who doesn’t need multiple impressions, her first impression stays. She travels 9 months a year and many travel of her is for great causes. She is someone I didn’t connected post my trip because I didn't had her contact number or anything, but I truly admired her till when we were there.

3) Sankara Subramanian, Travel Blogger on Beontheroad



I would tell you guys a story. Sankara and me met on a flight to Malaysia. We started connecting as two bloggers and then he asked if he can sit with me on the seat which was empty next to me. He talks nonstop. He talks things that are interesting and he knows how to earn through his blog. He has got his own team. For people who complain that one cannot make a profession must have to have a word with him. A part of him is all about his plans and his team and a part of him on how he connects in his long term stay at every part of the world. He’s got real life stories that would make you listen to him, in fact the moment he’d leave you, you might even miss his voice. Incredibly romantic in an old fashion way to possibly people he loves, he is a great good friend. A part of him speaks Bhojhpuri Hindi when he is not speaking English and that’s the part of him, is so different from his business sense in real world.

4) Siddharth Joshi, Travel Blogger at Sid The Wanderer 



When I first met Sid on my trip to Suryagarh, I didn’t know much about him, except that we clicked well. There are very few people, I can be outspoken with comfortably, and he is one of them. He is one of those guys, who is incredibly genuine and sweet and really nice to talk to you, not just to you but to people surrounding him. He is a very good people person - he by far doesn't judge anyone - very very down to earth person. And every time, when you’d talk you’d know he’s beyond his lustrous hair locks. He is got a depth in his character and dedication in his soul for causes he believes in. Whether its catching dreams of people for 365 days, or missing the jeep when talking to a priest at the temple or clicking pictures with perfection, he is got his life tied up beautifully and he is incredibly sweet person. It's difficult to not fall in love with what work he does.

5) Namita Gupta, Deccan Chronicle 



To be humble and to be graceful is what Namita is all about. She is energy abounds. I first met Namita at Avirate where we won the real women contest and me and she were a team for the rest of the evening because in between the loudness the ambience had, she was an escape. She is a very no nonsense, go getting person. We did a trip together to Turkey, and I wouldn’t have had found a better partner, we even gate crashed a local jazz pub for free! She looks half her age, and talks with a energy of a kid who flirts and giggles and laughs and lives life and she’s got a drive within her, that can sparkle anyplace anywhere. I still remember she got cookies for me, her daughter made. Namita you are a perfectionist and sweet as sugar. If I have to choose one travel partner, who I can truly be myself with, It would be you.

6) Mridula Dwivedi, Travel Blogger at  Travel Tales From India




I haven’t travelled with Mridula, but by the few moments I spent with her at Dilli Hat Delhi, I knew we have a connection. Our Dads were in railways which I got to know when I first met her and we could talk a lot of Sarkari stuff, and how we grew up. Apart from that, she is got a zeal in her smile, and an energy you get inspired from. She really does know how to take care and help. And I hope that in future we get to travel together sometime. I do follow her blog and she is the only blogger I follow a lot..I just happen to bump into her blog quite often - just to see where her daughter is trekking with her sometimes. I love to watch her kids grow and how adventurous they are becoming.. For folks who always think kids are a hindrance to travel or otherwise or age is, must and must read her blog. She has her smile you wouldn’t be able to compete with. She is blogging for quite a while now, probably 10 years or so, making her one of the oldest in the field, but she is what she is, because you would know when you meet her.

7) Lakshmi Sharath, Travel Blogger at Lakshmi Sharath



 I met Lakshmi on my trip to Punjab. I wonder how Lakshmi manages time , she is always doing the right thing at the right time. Even when we were there, she was writing freelance articles. She was also very put together with her words on the interview. She has media experience and she is incredibly fun to be had with. She is always encouraging and she has explored a lot of places in India and abroad and that perfectly sums up her beautiful Instagram frequent updates.

8) Neelima Vallangi , Travel Blogger at Travel With Neelima


I met Neelima on my trip to Switzerland and I always wanted to meet her because I have had heard about her and because she is all about trekking and hiking and doing super crazy stuff. But Neelima is a vulnerable sweet lady and you’ve got to spend couple of hours or (get drunk) to really know her. Because she is someone who believes that everyone could do it, if she can. She knows her weaknesses and her strength and talks about both, and that's the beauty of her.

9) Shivya Nath, Travel Blogger at The Shooting Star

She is just a girl who travels but she is just a girl who travels a lot lot. She does responsible travel and she meets and stays with locals. When I first met her at the Delhi Travel Massive Meet years ago, she was quiet , probably by then we didn’t even know each other, I was newbie in blogging(5 months old). I love her blog and her writing style and her stories, they really make one think to head to an offbeat place right away. It gives you ample hope that as shooting stars, wishes do come true if you happen to make them and follow through it.

 She has a knack for discovering new things, offbeat places and not giving up. She is a very bold lady who makes her choices in life and speaks about it openly on her blog or through her updates on social media. I have been following her journey, and I wish her all the best. She is one of the best known travel bloggers in India, and for all the great reasons. She writes well, she is unintimated by life experiences and she keeps on experimenting with new stuff.

10) Rutavi ,  Travel Blogger at Photokatha

I have never met Rutavi, but we have connected and talked on phone but she is got an aura that very few can create. She is ideas in plenty. She is like a mastermind. She is well with people and she looks forward to things with no restrictions whatsoever in mind. She is a go getter, and do things than talk about it. She is incredibly brave and have done things that has got many publications and channels featuring her. She is strong and she knows what she is doing. When we first connected, I was a little overwhelmed,  however, I realize that’s her, she wants everyone to connect as a collective and work together and that’s such a beautiful thing in a competitive world.

11) Shrinidhi , Travel Blogger at enidhi 



Shrinidhi has got a very basic template on his blog and it stays and it works. And it does because that’s precisely him. He is purity. Whether its talking about coconuts in an international country, or comparing two things honestly, he is honesty. I have seen and read his blog posts, that I felt I could rely on with my eyes closed only because he doesn’t need creamy words to lace an article or heavily edited photos to get readers. His research, his honesty is more than enough. A lover of animals and simple things, this is the guy you got to meet.

12) Aanchal Khurrana, Skydiver 


Aanchal was my manager at Skydiving team but I always felt she was more than a friend. A manager at a very young age, she has her own story to tell. However, she is very brave, and very very caring. So caring that you wonder how come Delhi hasn’t spoiled her. She takes care of all her crew as friends, she is stern when she needs to, but she is someone who’d never leave you alone or if you give her a call she’ll make a reason to not help you. She’s a good business women because she’s practical and she expects the world to be generally nice, and that’s the beauty of her.

13) Archana Sardana, Skydiver and Base Jumper

I haven’t met Archana. We connected on mails long back. She is India’s First women Base Jumper / Skydiver and if you go by her Facebook , she is not only just a Skydiver but her whole family seems to be in top something or the other including her kids who recently got the appreciation for the youngest Scuba Diver. Her drive towards her passion is impeccable. In the past few years, she emerged as a Model, Skydiver, Scuba diver, Base Jumper and had opened her own diving center. She is a flawless, married with two kids, perfect women.

14) Avi & Anita Malik, Templepilots 

An ex Air force officer meets his lady love and opens a paragliding school. I have stayed with Avi and Anita in Talegaon Pune and they are the humblest people I have ever met. Why? Because..they inspire you with what they do - what recently seems like they are paragliding throughout the world. When you talk to them, you wouldn’t feel an air of pride. They are very humble people and they have got a dog on field which sometimes travels with them too. I really love them.

15) Supriya Sehgal, Lonely Planet 

Me and my hubby both met Supriya just once when we went to Coorg and Surpriya is a handful. She writes for Lonely Planet and knows thereby a lot about India. When you see those guidebooks on places, she is many times a contributor. She is very enthusiastic always, tomboyish and a real happy heppy trekky person.

16) Nilu Yuleena Thapa, Fashion Blogger at Big Hair Loud Mouth

 I have met her just once in Splash Event and she is very fluid and very very down to earth person unlike other fashion bloggers I have met and felt had an air about, Nilu makes you at ease. What magically transforms her , is how she creates perfect ensembles when she wears them. She is bold and doesn’t mind experimenting. In fact, her clothes, her style and her change of hair often is what I love the most. Inspite of being the biggest in Fashion Blog, she doesn’t have that air of wasteful pride in her. She believes in doing her best, and that’s what she is doing currently.

17) Alicia Souza, Illustrator and Entrepreneur 

She is young and she is happiness.  I have met her twice once on my trip to Chikmagalur and another on a Tanishq Event. As cute as she is when she smiles or talk, she uses her cuteness for creativity and today is a businesswomen with her own enterprise as an illustrator. I love her doodles, whether on Tshirts or cards or her own Facebook page, she is optimistic always as seen, radiant to some extent. She loves her dogs and her doodles are always about her real life stories in very humorous ways - something we notice but sometimes we miss ! It makes me think of childhood thoughts we once had that she beautifully portrays.

18) Vikram Karve, Academic and Creative Writer at KarveDiat

An ex-navy officer journals his ordeal in the armed forces. I used to read his blog a lot, sometimes as inspiration and sometimes as how things work from relationships to services couple of years back. Whatever is penned down, is penned down with humour. I love it because real life stories are told, and I love it because it feels like a diary of sorts. And I also love it because there is no negativity in his blog. He could be a therapist to many. We have briefly interacted on comments, and hardly known each other, but Sir, your writings are loved. Whenever I am down, I reach onto them. Even today. Very nicely written, like someone’s telling you his own life experience with a lot of rolfl and lol.

19) Arvind Passey, Fictional Writer at Passey

When I started reading his blog, it felt like how could a man so aged be so enthusiastic. He’s got a zeal to learn. From Biking on rough terrains, to creating doodles to telling us stories, to introducing us to his wife on the blog, one cannot determine his age. A gentleman cadet from IMA to today head of corporate communication who has worked with major media homes, and today a writer, he is bundles of hope. Often when I used to write for contests and would view his piece, I would feel I lack so much and that’s why he has won so many contests. His words flow. And his age isn’t what makes him. Applauds.

20) Madhvi Vij, Was with Canada Tourism

 Often professional differs from personal. Often people keep them separate. I have worked with Madhvi on Canada, and I felt she was so easy. So easy to talk to, so easy to break the ice between professional and personal and so caring. You could feel like a momma bear protecting her kids with Madhvi and that’s what I love about her is, conversations with her never end on an end of engagement, her or mine. It could extend to discussion on lifestyle topics or this and that and blah blah, she blends so well, and she cares so deep, that you instantly feel the love for her as long as she’s there. Between she was a model once.

Bharath from Flameback Chickmagalur, was another great person who I met on road and he travels a lot. And he is not a blogger. 14 years back he drove on a bike across the country. After which he worked on cruise ships and wildlife lodges and today he works for Flameback and takes care of resort and the environment around and nearby areas, and rescue snakes and takes part in offroading contests. He is very humble to talk to and a very nice person.

And there are few others that I haven't interacted with fully, or had a chance to spend time with them although I have met them are Hrish Thota, Nivedith Ganapathy who are social media tycoons - they are doing so so well in social media and traveling too.

So guys what I have learnt from these people are 

1)The best time to travel is above 40+ when your life is settled and when you are looking forward to your dreams.

2)The best time to pursue your dreams and quit your job is anytime if you are that passionate and sure. It contradicts point 1 right? I know it does. And both of them are true, depending on what preferences in life you have. If you don't want to have a family, or your partner is your traveling partner, then by all means travel early and the whole life. But if you have a family who you want to spend time with, and have other priorities then early 20's and late 40's looks like a good blanket.

I remember I got a query from a fresh new school pass out, if she can pursue travel blogging without having to go to college right away and earn, and I said, no don't fall for those dreams, until you are stable enough. All of us, have had a bit of experience to be able to take a risk. So these queries do terrify me, everyone looks at travel blogging like a fantasy, because they don't know that earning through blog needs a lot of hard work and patience, and they only see free travel, which only a bit of experience can bring in internally or externally. You must be ready enough to be planning earning is what I mean.

3) The best time to start your business is today, it doesn't need prior experience probably good ideas, and planning. Probably what you love the most, and going forward with how you can capitalize it is what matters most.

 4) When you fail, get up. Nothing comes easy. No profession is as good or as bad or fearful it may look from the outside, or as people say it, just go forward.

5) It's important to take care. And by my own experience, blogging is not the start and end of the world, I had put in a lot of effort in last 4 years, but I miss the quality time I used to spend on initial days of my marriage, I juggle a lot between the two and its a struggle. I actually sleep just 5 hours. So my new goal in life is to take care of my health. Consistent travel takes up a lot of energy, so you need to be in good health, so that you could travel better and so that you can write about them.

6) It's important to Balance: I miss being real in the real world when my passion solely goes into one thing and that's why I picked up volunteering and now I am starting to define my work time and not going beyond it. It was sometime back that I used to get up and the first thing I would do is check Twitter or Facebook and its actually a pathetic habit. My hubby is making me let go of that habit. Probably I'll start biking when I'll change city.

I also get so many mails, that I tend to lose a lot of time, on first sorting them and then replying to them. Mail management has been my biggest challenge in the past one year. I keep on getting mails and I keep on starring them with amusement :)

It's very easy to fall into addiction of travel because lets face it, if travel comes free, who wouldn't want to travel? But it looks like free, and isn't so. Its work. You go to a place and work in exchange. But its good work, you learn a lot.

7) It's okay to return back to a job after you quit: After my dwindling income that blogging does provide (Its a lot of effort than a regular job),  I feel no shame, that I am wanting to work again in a proper travel industry if travel is my passion, and that will only happen when my visa gets changed. So, I have already told my hubby, that I now want to share costs, surprisingly I still have savings from Blogging, but I want something consistent so that he doesn't feel that he needs to take care alone or the unpredictability blog earning brings is something I don't want to rely on anymore. I need to get out and interact with real people any profession provides than be stagnant and rely on occasional people when I travel.

8) Know your priorities: I realized I am not one of those who is going to sacrifice the joy of marriage, or babies( if we have any in future) to travel. I ain't even a social media addict. Yes, I love travel but I love my hubby too and I don't want to get old without either/or of them. I can't be anymore traveling 12 months a year like last to last year, because I have other obligation too. But that doesn't mean that I wouldn't travel. I have goals and in time, each of them would be fulfilled, without having to sacrifice one to another. I don't make long term plans, but small little small little plans. There are few countries that I wish to go, one is Iceland, New Zealand, Africa and Japan. And apart from that, since I am already in a different country than mine, I can sit and explore different sides to it.

9) Get real: Yes, the world is huge, but so is love and life passing everyday. To be online, we can't miss offline. And that's where when I look at Archana or Mridula or Lakshmi or Nisha, comes into picture - they know how to balance their personal vs professional. Or when I look at Sid or Shrinidhi, because they work and they travel too. If you are downright adventurous and free - spirited look at Shivya, she writes freelance from anywhere around the world or look at Sonia, she's got a profession that makes her travel. It's important to have that balance of what you are passionate about and what love and passion means to you.

10) Stop procrastinating and work: Still, I guess 40+ or the early 20's is the right time for it! You can build up in your 30's slowly and steadily at your pace, but understand that life is not a race and not all of us want to die one day and say 'we blogged'. Some of us just want to have a simple life, be loved, but want to explore the excitement that new places brings.

But look above to the list, and get inspired on how everyone is doing it, so one has no reason to complain why they cannot and there are several many ways to follow passion or your dreams.

Remember always age is just a number. Stop complaining, relying on destiny and start working on it. Don't believe in whatever is meant to be, will come. Because whatever comes, is often outcome of your effort. What you give in, comes out!

Bears do not pee. The Bear body produces urea and instead of getting washed out in the urine gets transported in their blood stream. If you find it strange - there’s crazy Bear stuff I would reveal in this post. Welcome to our journey to Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park located in Upper Peninsula Michigan - where we have the highest Bear density in all of Michigan and about 90 waterfalls. 


 Porcupine Mountains also locally known as ‘Porkies’ were named by the native Ojibwa people supposedly because of their silhouette in the shape of a Porcupine. It was the site of Copper mining in the 19th century and today home to many Black bears. Here the copper Colored hues of waterfalls come from the Copper deposits in the riverbed and the gorges. This is also known as Circle tour of Lake Superior(largest of the great lakes in North America). And this place comes after the mighty Bond Falls if you are driving from Wisconsin ( in fact I would highly suggest doing Bond Falls and O Kun De Kun falls before arriving here). Its about 6 hours from Milwaukee / 8 from Chicago.


 Upper Peninsula Michigan is so raw, that every time you go there, whether fall or spring, you’d be surprised as to how much is there to see. Remember Northern Lights when we drove through upper Wisconsin and to Saxon Harbor from last time?

 I agree with Visit Michigan Tagline, it says ‘Pure Michigan’ and it is!

 What transported us back to the wilderness this time was an experience of staying in a Backcountry Yurt in the middle of a forest with trails leading to it, washed over due to heavy rain on the weekend of Memorial day. We were told to park a mile ahead and walk to the Yurt. We were also told that our Yurt is along with the little union river. As we started walking on the trail , after a while , we saw the water was flowing beneath our feet, and we wondered if we actually were walking on the river. But a long walk in the puddles of water, lead us to the washroom first and then the wooden logs for fire and then the Yurt. The rain had filled even the smallest of gaps in the trail with water. Thankfully our yurt and the surrounding areas weren't as wet!

So what is a Yurt?

yurt 
 a circular tent of felt or skins on a collapsible framework, used by nomads in Mongolia, Siberia, and Turkey. 

Unlike campsites, each Yurt had different location in the wilderness, and when we reached our own, it was just our own Yurt there. The visitor center closes at 6 pm and we had no choice but to be on our own post that.

 If you are in US, you must try Camping, RV’s , Backcountry in the state or national forests. It’s the closest you can get to nature. 

 Now before we begin with the circle tour around Lake Superior, here are some tips and tricks for the Porkies and lets watch my vlog:





 1) As soon as you reach, visit visitor center(opens till 6) and get acquainted with maps and events of the day.

 2) Porcupine Mountains is the rawest of raw. Cellphones don’t catch signals here.

 3) Get Bug Spray. There are many many bugs in the forests. And many people were also wearing Bug Hat but I would highly suggest Bug spray.

 4) Our Yurt was very nice but very basic, I believe that’s the idea. So it had no electricity or water for us. Though you can always carry power charging device for charging equipment if you wish to and get water from the river and boil in the wooden enclosure for cooking. There were candles in room so we did light them for a while. There are other options for stay too like cabins and campgrounds inside the park. Outside the park, you could stay in hotels such as American Lodge and Mountain View Lodge in Ontonagon county.







 5) It’s a huge park, so covering it in half a day was probably I wouldn’t advise to anyone. We could see 2 waterfalls in half a day. I would suggest staying overnight and living here for 2 days at least.


 6) The parking could be far from the Yurt, so ask before booking or be prepared to hike a little inside.

7) As said in my previous article on USA for first timers,  state park accommodations are not listed on aggregate sites such as hotels.com, booking.com so you'd have to call them and book.

 8) The best time to visit Porkies for waterfalls would be spring thats when ice has melted and the rains are still there and the roars of waterfalls could be heard.

9) Be prepared to drive on winding roads specially to waterfalls inside the porkies.

10) Some of the roads could touch Wisconsin in parts and there would be immediate time difference of an hour. Michigan is one hour ahead of Wisconsin. For example, the distances to some of the waterfalls is close to about an hour drive. When we drove from our yurt parking to Presque Isle waterfalls, it took us about 1 hour 15 minutes due to fog and winding roads and there was a time lag at some areas on roads where Wisconsin time was showing, so we really got confused, on if we are losing or gaining time.

11) The best part about wandering in these waterfalls of Porkies and Bond falls is that the trail goes along with the waterfalls, making us walk together with the flow age of the fall.


 12) There are lot of Bears in Porkies, generally they don’t attack people because Bear hunting is allowed here and so Bear have natural fear of humans and that’s also to keep balance. Because when Bear gets habitual to people, they are not shy about coming to you for food, and that’s when nuisance or Bear attacks starts. But don’t keep food open anywhere. Also if you happen to encounter one in front of you, don’t run or turn back. Take a step back and walk back slowly. That’s what we were told at visitor center.

 13) Carry charcoal fuel for lighting wood and carry first aid kit just in case.

 14) Carry your medicines with you, and probably some food too. There were plenty of utensils in the yurts so no need to carry them.

 15) Wear proper shoes.















 There are plenty to do in Porkies. On the extreme western side , is the Presque Isle River which comprises of three or four waterfalls one after the other. The rapids are drops on the gorges and the waterfalls accessible and called Manabezho Falls, Manido Falls, Nawadaha Falls, they fall into Lake Superior. The sight from Lake of the clouds is also very beautiful, sadly for us, it was all fog, so there wasn’t much to us when we went there. Or you can also enroll in events that happen at the park like we did for the Bear Den.

Some of the programs at the park includes Astronomy ( at Lake of the Clouds Observation area, if you are lucky you can see meteors or even northern lights), Fire by Friction(creating Fire by primitive methods without matches or lighters), Arrows Away(learn the basics of bow and arrow), Wolf Hike(learn about wolves) and etc. You could get the information from the visitor center or you can check at this website.

So lets talk about how much fun we had in half a day:



 We joined them and got to know some really cool facts about Bears, I wouldn’t have had otherwise known. Unfortunately or fortunately it was drizzling by that time only to end up with outburst and heavy downpour during night, and we didn’t get to see any Bears on the trail. So, Bear make dens inside of a hill, inside of a tree, inside of a cave or underground. He said he has found Bear dens inside of a big hollowed out tree and there are some which are dug inside the hillside which mostly tells its a female who is going to give birth because she then excavates hole, the size of her body and fill the hole with plant material or put it back against the hole to seal it up so that her body temperature heats up.

 Because when the Bear cubs are born, they are size of the can of coke, very very small and weigh 80 ounces. They are totally reliant on their mother to keep them cozy and warm. An adult bear weighs 150-200 pounds.

 So, this den above is kind of hybrid - a Bear has dug it out when he knew there’s a tree known as yellow birch tree growing on top. Yellow Birch tree seeds germinate really well on old decayed wood. There was a stump here, the seeds fell out and the roots went off around the stump, which is common for yellow birch tree creating a nice opening like a pre-den. So the bear had to just dig out a little bit and during winters, when there is snow, the openings are covered in snow, and its well protected and insulated. This den would house 2 Bears.

Last winter there was a female Bear and a Cub. How was it found? So there was a lady who was Deer hunting in the area, and she didn’t see any Bear the whole day but she had a weird feeling that someone was watching over. So she told her hubby and next morning they followed the Bear and her cub which led them to this spot. Unfortunately, Bears don’t use anymore because the humans disturbed the area , however, its not common for Bear to change places. In fact, they do not use their dens more than once normally during the season then they move to the next den in the next season, because they create a new site so that wolfs do not smell them. Now let’s share some interesting facts about bear by looking at its skull, This is a 150 pound black Bear skull.



 1) Diet of Bears: When you look at the teeth, the back molars are flattened on top that means they are generally plant eaters. When you look at the dog skull / skull of wolf, they have pointy molars and so they are true meat eaters than plant eaters. Humans have flattened molars too so generally we are plant eaters.

 2) Eyes are Forward: So it tells us that its a predator. So predator is an animal with eyes protruding towards front because they hunt to stay alive and they need to have eyes like that so that they can pinpoint the exact point/prey. So if you think of a rabbit / deer the eyes are way out on the sides, they can’t see on front of their nose, but they can see a big sweeping circle. So if anyone is behind them, they can see a lot more. It’s said that, Eyes on the front, I like to hunt; Eyes on the side, I like to hide. Bears are very capable predators in reality. But they are extremely lazy. They spend very little time doing it, because they are very opportunistic, they eat whatever is easiest for them to eat. Majority of it (70-80%) is plant.

 3) Smell is more than Dog: By the skull, you would see a long nose and the smelling power of bear is exceptionally good. In fact many scientists that they have 1000 times more smelling power than dogs. For example, the new born baby bear has barely any odor which is to protect from its predators and that keeps them safe from Wolves , Dogs, Coyote. A Dog cannot smell and identify it but a bear can. There’s one time of the year when the bear would become a predator and hunt the baby Deer. 

4) Orientation of the body: By the skull, the orientation of head is on the front so it walks on the front of the body instead of on top.

 5) Jaws really powerful: By the skull, you would see the bear has a wide jaw like some of the strongest dogs and they can take upwards of 900 pounds of pressure/ sq inch with their bites.

 6) Brain size small but highly intelligent animals.

 7) Can you determine age from skull? Yes. It’s not that easy with the bear as it is with the deer. With deer you can determine age depending on what teeth they have, deer get different teeth through their life and you can count and say its 2.5 year old deer. But with bear, what happens is during hunting, teeth between canine and molars called premolars are used to determine their age. The bears are born with premolars and they keep them entire life. The rest of the teeth would fall off and would grow but these stay intact. Every year the animal is alive, it adds a new cementing layer to the tooth, so what they do, they take the teeth out, and put it under microscope, and they would see layers similar to tree rings. From this bear skull, we get to know that the bear was 8 year old, it was a female who gave birth twice in her life (all the spaced lines until year 5, year 5 and 6 were really close together, so that means that the female was pregnant and all her energy was going into developing bear cubs and hence there’s a small cementing layer on them. 10 years is a pretty long lived Bear. This bear usually gave birth twice between age 5 and age 7. In wild they live for 10 years. In captivity can live 20-30 years depending on how well they are fed.

 8) Are all Black Bears Black? No. Black bears in Michigan are black. However throughout the world, depending on its habitat they can be of blonde color, cinnamon color and white color too. Here the black color helps blend with the forest and bears are mostly active during night. In mountains there are very few trees so bears are either blonde or cinnamon. In glaciers, they are white, because they do a lot of fishing and color white benefits them.

 9) Black Bear Fur? Are they warm? No. Black Bear Fur in Michigan is generally black on the outside and brown on the inside. However they ain’t nice warm, it pushes off very easily and air gets very easily. So bear doesn’t rely on its fur to keep them warm during winters, but fat.

 10) Are Bear Hibernators? Scientists in two minds. So bear they go for a big sleep in their den side during winters. If its female and she is pregnant she puts on 40% of her weight for her and the cub. 75% of their diet is plant material out of which the bear looks for highly nutritious nut called egg corn - which is high in fat, very nutritious, high in carbohydrates and fat and that’s how they gain weight. They have about 20+ pounds egg corns every night. So scientists who studies the true hibernators says that the bear doesn’t match the criteria for hibernators. True hibernators are supposed to have drastic drop in body temperature as well as drastic drop in respiration / heart rate which is not true for bears. True hibernators also flush their body every two weeks which bear doesn’t do for months. What bear does is called Carnivoral lethargy. Just before the bear goes to the den side, they would eat pine needles and some glass which are too complex for their body to digest so they are bound all winter because they have this fiber stuck in their body. They don’t urinate either, their body produces urea, that gets transported in blood stream and get secreted out in saliva which they swallow again. Disgusting right? So they are not losing weight anyways. So that’s now a recent topic of discussion with scientists because the way they live their life is similar to weightless(specially the not peeing part)

 11)Are male Bear always solo? Yes. The only time male and female associate with each other is during mating which is during spring and then they go their own way. They are very territorial and they are busy in establishing territories. Sometimes you could see them with their brother, but they often part ways.



 After we were done with Bear Den Trail we spend some time on the little union river getting our feet wet and having some beer. I guess, I did get to know a lot about bears here. And I hope I didn’t bore you guys, so lets take you to Presque Isle Waterfalls by the quick pictures and blogs.











Mark your calendar for festivals. The 12th annual Porcupine Mountains Music Festival will take place on Aug 26-28, 2016 where top notch performers from all over the country and abroad will be there. You can check Porkiesfestival.org for details. The Friends of the Porkies is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote and support Porcupine Mountains. You can join them as a volunteer at Membership. There is a folk school where June classes included kayak making, July classes includes creating beach treasures mirror frame, august Russian leaf bead weaving and etc..  Summer Solstice celebration happens in June and Lake Superior Day happens in July. The forest museum is considered to be the biggest and best tract of virgin northern hardwoods in North America.

Depending on how much time you have, you can cover these:
1 Day: Lake of the clouds, Summit Peak, Presque Isle River
2 Days: All of the above + lake superior + union mine trail + trap falls hike + overlook trail + lost lake
3 Days: All of the above + Mirror Lake hike +  Shining Cloud Falls Hike + remote section of Lake Superior

 All in all, it was very good and lets take you to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the next post! After that we would be venturing in moving sand dunes. Sounds exciting..

An year back, I stepped my feet into the land of explorers - United States. It was the long flight I had taken from New Delhi, and I was as every Indian, a bit cautious on how the new country would be. I knew I was moving to a new place but the name sounded unfamiliar to the places I have had heard of, to the places I used to relate US with - California, New York, Seattle. But I was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Did I like it? Hell yes! I loved it. Who doesn't like a place famous for Cheese, Beer and Harley Davidson. I am rather happy that I was here, I really got to explore the American culture.

 But in my stay of one year, I have learnt a lot. Many were guided by my well-wishers, many on my own. I would be moving to New Jersey in two weeks, but I love Wisconsin including its brutal weather. This post is for those who are coming to US for the first time, and planning to stay here, hopefully for long.

So here are my 15 tips for Indians coming to US:

 1. Does the lifestyle radically change? 

Yes and No. Depending on which part of India have you stayed prior, the difference could be minimal or huge. If you are coming from a metropolitan city in India, you may find difference in Driving(driving is easy here compared to when driving in the chaos in India), Dishwasher(we have our kaam wali bai / housemaids in India), Washing Machine with separate drier and washer, Oven for baking(In India we rarely had ovens) or even electric cooktops at some places, Eyebrow waxing, huge Malls on the outskirts(Thankfully India also has so many malls these days).

The lifestyle might change in terms of how you arrange time here. Usually offices do get over by 6-7 and we go on a walk in the park which we rarely used to in India. Then again, we are living in a smaller place like Milwaukee which is unlike New York. I prefer Milwaukee due to welcoming people here and due to lots of empty spaces - its a city with character. 

 When I came to Milwaukee for the first time, it came as a surprise, every body had time, everyone would greet, and everyone would talk.. just like that! We walk on the road, someone shares their story life, we say hi to the bus driver - say have a good day, we see owners of dogs and we play with dogs. It’s courteous at the same time very friendly place.

We generally say hi to everyone on road, which by the way never happens in India because we say to people we know. Then again, I guess, Its a Midwest culture, and I have heard it doesn’t happen in busier areas of US.

 I remember when my mom first came in 1999, she was ecstatic by the huge malls US has, which we back then never used to. She used to say everything about US is big. 

 And believe me it is! It still is. From the Capsicum to the Oranges to the Malls to the Buildings. Everything is big. 

But for the most part, India has some good and bad, and US has it too! 

 2. Is US transportation friendly? 

 No. That’s why majority of people who come here own cars. We do have local buses in the city which we often take in Milwaukee, we have got passes for MCTS bus in Milwaukee, however if we need to step out even 1.5 hours outside the city, we are stuck. The only option we have is to rent a car. Greyhound and Megabus do run between cities but usually between airports with barely any stoppage in between and we have taken quite a few of them. Milwaukee to Chicago was $7 on Greyhound and Milwaukee to Cincinnati was $17, LA to Vegas was $7 like that.

However it doesn’t feel completely safe - so its highly recommended to travel with someone along specially if you are traveling by Greyhound/Megabus at night. Some sectors are good, some are not. Milwaukee to Chicago was good because its a popular and short sector, Chicago to Cincinnati wasn’t so much.. Amtrak is the train which runs in US, but is expensive.

 I wish it was more transportation friendly as Europe is, but its not.

 Most often its better to buy flights or rent a car than go by train. 

 A good way to see the city is Bike, Milwaukee has bubblr bike which is bike rental. They have many stations. We have taken monthly pass of $15 and we do bike sometimes. Its a good way to enjoy the city and at the same time , be fit. Chicago has it too, I guess every city has bike rentals.

 3. How are Flights and What's to do with Visas? 

 I have had a lot of ridiculous experience ever since I came here which I have had never faced in India prior. Aviation unless its Southwest, sucks. I have lost my luggage twice here on different airlines, and the authorities of each airline, are so non-helpful that finding it back take days of chasing. Forget luggage, the attitude of the airlines are mostly non cooperative - if your flights get cancelled or if they have less passengers, they can shift the times, the display may or may not show it! Its very chaotic up here. So much so that, I have now started following my own golden rules:

 i) After having travelled by United, American, Frontier and Southwest. I would give a big thumbs up for Southwest. United is a fairly OK airline. American and Frontier sucks. I have had ice dripping on my seat mid air in American. Many airlines in US have paid seat and paid carry on as well as check ins. Southwest has check in baggage free(which in India was already but many airlines in US doesn’t have), they give flexibility to change your tickets date/time/place which is great, but Southwest, unless seats are paid for, has a concept called first come first serve. So the seats are not written on your tickets, so the earlier you arrive, the better seat you get.

 ii) I do not carry check-ins. Even if I travel for 10 days, the last time my luggage got lost in connecting flights, I decided this is it. So I never carry check in here in US, because the probability of it getting lost is in god’s hands. I would write a post on which carry on bag to buy that suffice for both domestic and international carriers(yes their dimensions are different), how can you survive with just one carry on.

iii) If you an Indian, who still haven't gotten a green card, you are those few in US for which getting a visa to a different country may have their process center far, the process may take a lot of time because US citizens / green card holders do not need visa to most countries. So when I applied for my Swiss Schengen visa, it took 1.5 months. Yes, we get Schengen very easy in India - I have even gotten them in  5-7 days.

iv) Flights to Asian countries are expensive, flights to Europe is expensive compared to when flying from India. However, if you are in US, depending on which part, flight to New Zealand, South America, Canada, Alaska and Iceland is cheaper.

v) For those complaining about queues in immigration in India, we do have queues in US too!

 4. Where to shop for Food Grocery 

 A lot of Indians take a membership of Costco. Costco sells food and other stuff - electronics, luggage etc in bulk and cheap. If you know of any friends, who already has a card of Costco you can go with them else I guess you’d have to pay an initial amount of $100 to be a member.

From our home, Costco is very far, so we shop at Pick and Save. Pick and Save is a general grocery store where prices are average. If you wish to buy organic food, they also have a section on Organic Food. However, if you wish to buy fresh and organic food, the best bet would be Fresh Thyme, their prices are very reasonable (even more reasonable than Pick and Save) and they sell farmers grown organic food (Blueberries for 88c, Cherries for 1.5$ etc)..instead of dropping by Whole Foods which is exceptionally expensive. I used to buy once upon a time at Whole Foods, but ever since I found Fresh Thyme, I rarely go there because the veggies and food section is very expensive at Whole Foods.

 The Chicken / Fish / Flour at Whole Foods however is very good so we generally get Chicken and Buckwheat Flour from Whole Foods. It’s always good to buy organic milk and eggs in the store than regular milk and eggs.  Chipotle /  Panera / Qdoba are popular food joints which you'll find in many places in US where you can affordably eat. I would give Mc Donald a skip here, I really don't like Mc Donald American food.

 5. Walmart is not always cheap 

 We have a notion in our head that walmart is cheap but its not so. If you compare departments, shopping by amazon online would be cheaper and if you take a membership of prime - they have a free one day delivery too on many products. Walmart is a good place to buy furniture online but food and groceries no. We used to go to walmart a lot, but now we buy a majority from Amazon. Dollar store is a good place to buy one dollar utensils however, those utensils are what you pay for, and you mustn’t aim for longevity with those. Some worked well like spoons , storage cans etc but our knife got real bad. I guess its a mixed bag, but you could always bump into one, and get many stuff. These are however some of my suggestions with grocery:

 Brita: For purifying water

 Lodge Cast Iron: Instead of buying enamel coated non-stick wear which could be harmful to your health, buy Lodge they go on the stove as well as the oven.

Cooling Rack: If you have electric stove, buy cooling rack for making chapatis

Baking Soda: For cleaning electric stove.

Mixer Blender and Food Processor : Now in India most of the mixer grinder that we get are made according to the food we blend - everything goes in and works fine. Here, we have a separate blender, separate chopper, separate this and that. After much research I found two mixies that will work one is Preethi on Amazon and another is Ninja. They both work well for making Indian Food. I still haven’t gotten one due to high cost ranges from $90 - $170 but my friend has.

 6.Renting a car in US - is that affordable? 

 Yes and No. If you own a car, renting a car might prove to be very cheap($15-25-30) from priceline as your insurance would be already covered. However, if you do not own a car, like we still don’t have one, renting a car costs us $30 + insurance costing us $100 per day which is expensive. Its best to car pool it with your friends, and go along with it, so that you could save on the journey cost.

 7.Which Hotels to Book or which places to go? 

 Please subscribe to all the airlines, and do check Groupon. Groupon US has amazing offers such as Iceland Trip ($699) including airfares or go to this place or that place at unbelievable cost. I haven’t taken any yet, but when you’d browse through Groupon you’d know what I mean. Not all hotels in US is listed on booking.com. Just do a google or trip advisor search, and call the motels individually. In case, if you are camping in a state park, you’d have to call the state park. It works like that. I haven't used Airbnb here. The rates for hostels and motels are similar so I'd go for motels in US. We used to think that cellphone network might be working everywhere but believe me, it does not work at many places in Upper Peninsula Michigan. Its best to have GPS.

 Not all places is written about much on google, so you have to heavily search or follow some blogs to know. We may be traveling to Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes Michigan, which is sand dunes by the lake and is not much written about. So, I guess you may have to search a lot online to know.

Also, picnicking as a couple to a place on a rental car(if you don't own your car) unless if you are traveling in a group may cost you more than flying to a different country. So its better actually to fly to a different country than explore the local places unless its an exceptionally beautiful place or unless you have a group to share cost with.

 8. Medical Differs from India / Is expensive 

 Unless you have a medical insurance, medical expenses are very high in US. A normal consultation could cost you anywhere between $200 - $250 that too with prior appointment. We have our medical insurance, so a lot is already covered , but we still pay a copay of $35 per visit. But getting appointment is not very easy in a popular hospital unless you want to show to a clinic, sometimes I get dates after many days / months in Aurora Healthcare. The doctors generally are very professional and wouldn’t chitter chatter like in India or would sympathize to know what is going on, making the interpersonal correspondence very different. The doctors generally prescribe medicines which are sent to your recommended pharmacy. You can pick up your medicines from pharmacy. I would advise all the people coming from India, to get their medicines from India with the prescription if they can for fever, vomiting and general ailment. The medicine like Primulet D(used for delaying periods) is easily available over the counter in India whereas here, you’d have to take an appointment with the doctor.

 9. Is US Safe? 

 Yes and No. I would have loved, if it was at all times, but its not. There are certain pockets in US at every place which is safe, but there are certain many pockets in US that are not. For example, Greyhound Chicago located in downtown is safe but when you walk down from Greyhound to Chinatown its not safe. Plus, I had a prior image of US, that they are devoid of poverty which is not so. So when you are walking down, you would see beggars, or people talking up to you to ask for money, my only suggestion is in all senses do not entertain. Since in US, its permissible to have guns, its better to never get in an altercation.

Even when traveling by local bus, we have heard abuses not specifically marked to a specific person, but the driver wouldn’t do a thing about it, and sometimes that scares us. There are strict rules at many places, but there are many places, where these rules are broken. However, that has never stopped me going and walking out. But be careful at night specially on deserted stretches which can be quite common owing to less population in certain areas.

 Before I came here, Milwaukee had a notorious image of crime online, so much so that before coming here, I had imagined gun rage / road rash. However, the media exaggerates everything. Milwaukee is a good place to live in, yes, there are sparse incidents which happen here and there, but its not so much that it would scare you. Till now, I haven’t had faced one incident, even though I have travelled a lot here.

 That’s also one of the reason why people have cars. However, unlike India, how you dress, doesn’t make much of a difference. Here no body cares.

 10. Be prepared for different weather than India. 

 India gets cold in hill stations but India never gets cold as -21 degrees in a city. Welcome to US, where depending on where you live you may have to face brutal heat or winter. Milwaukee gets exceptionally cold during winters with winds slapping on your face and snow on your feet. But its a different experience and I still love it. Stock up on vitamin D tablets because you wouldn’t be going out much - almost everyone does it here. Stock up on jackets during thanksgiving and stock up on winter garments and inners during sale times. Know how to drive in snow clad winters - i.e knowing how to remove ice on car window with a scraper or how to drive in winters!

 11. Volunteer 



 Volunteering is an amazing way to explore a city. If you are an Indian housewife, who wishes to do something productive than sitting ideally on H4 dependent visa(that most of people who come with H1 visa hubby doesn’t have a choice until Green card is applied), volunteer. Volunteer with local tourism boards, volunteer for arts, volunteer with forests. Its really easy to get into these, and is very very productive. After about 10 months of living here and getting bored, I now love my engagement with Visit Milwaukee as a volunteer. You can too, anyone can. Its just a matter of applying as a non-profit volunteer.

12) Participate in Festivals:

I don’t know about rest of US, but Milwaukee has festivals almost every weekend during summers. I have heard even Texas or Chicago has those. Some of them are paid, some of them are free. We love to go in these and would highly recommend to people. The best way to know about these festivals is check local tourism board page, they usually list upcoming events in town.

 13.Indian or Pakistani Food?

 Going on by what I have tried in both Chicago and Milwaukee, the Pakistani food compared to Indian food is far far better mainly because the Indian restaurant in places where I have tried, doesn’t feel so authentically Indian to taste. For example, Anmol in Milwaukee serves the best Indian-Pakistani cuisine. However I did try Indian food in Cincinnati and it was very very good. Every place has Indian grocery store(there are so many Indians who live here!) so no need to get pressure cooker etc from India(we get Hawkins pressure cooker on amazon though its a bit expensive than India but you can get chakla belan / rolling pins from India or may be you get that too on Amazon) and no need to get masalas. All masalas are easily available in Indian store even Parle - G , mehandi etc.

You would also get Indian Veggies in Indian Store which are cheaper than the US grocery store. However, I still prefer US grocery stores because they look more fresh and are more locally grown.. But if you wish to Buy Wheat Flour , Basmati Rice, Masalas, you get it way cheaper in Indian Store and worth buying. US, does have great Blueberries and Oranges and Berries and Bananas and Pineapple, but the taste of Mangoes here is sour which I do not like.

Also, I love the local vegetables here because its easy to substitute them with our Indian Vegetables. So beans can be substituted with Asparagus(which is locally available and nutritiously rich, beans are also available but not every time and everywhere) , pumpkin with squash , zucchini for torai(Ridged Gourd ) and etc. Also, since there are so many grocery stores and so many products, its good to check the ingredients before you buy. If you eat more bread during mornings, make sure to buy one without high fructose corn syrup(A lot of American products do have HFCS) which is not good health wise.

14) BedSheets Expensive,  Suitcases Cheap, Makeup average, Indian Clothing Available, Services Expensive 

If you have got a worn and torn suitcase, believe me you get a variety of it, in US. They are with the latest innovation , lighter, and cheaper than how we get in India. So you would get Samsonites cheaper, you would get American Tourister Cheaper, you would get a lot of it cheaper. But not every Suitcase that you see cheap is worth buying - because a lot of them do break. So buy from a well-known brand. Electronics generally are cheaper and up to date. I found bedsheets in India way cheaper than US, but trust me you can’t always carry bedsheets from India because they are heavy, but it doesn’t hurt to sneak one or two. Silverware is expensive here - so you can get it from India if you wish to..

But really how much can you get in? The cost of living is expensive to how much you are paid. You can't just compare.

Services such as haircuts, tailoring etc.. are expensive. Its best to look out for Groupon coupon (with good reviews) for services.  Molly maid which caters to home cleaning (if required) is around 85$ per hour which is expensive, dry cleaning around $7-10.  I use vacuum cleaner to clean my home or wet wipes.

Many 1-2 dollar hair products are not that great, get shampoos starting from $5 and up. Clothes in general are inexpensive if you shop from H&M, Macys on clearance sales and Forever21.

 A lot of us, get a lot of Indian clothes for occasions. We still rely on our relatives to get one or two for us from India on our special request. Recently, I was talking to my cousins who said its a pain to get even the basic Indian Pajama or Kurti as there ain’t many Indian stores and they are expensive. Believe me they are not. It may be that you are not looking at the right place. Check online for Indian Clothes - go for Tjori, Indian Roots, Etsy, Glameve and etc. So you really don’t have to go all the way to India to get one. Keep track of Indian Festivals in your city which usually has a fair that sells Indian clothes, or shops that are there in your city. Brands like Maybelline and Revlon, are way way cheaper in India than Here. But sporting equipments are at the same cost as in India and we have more variety here because many of them go for camping and biking and etc.

15) Renting an Apartment or Home?

 This is a decision that we are still making. When my hubby came here, his project was just for 6 months, but most of the apartments or homes have a lease of at least a year. That made us , take an apartment ($1400) in the downtown walkable distance from his office. Now, the problem with these projects is they keep extending it for like 3 months 3 months and it goes on. Now we are here for a year. A couple of our friends who has a car, lives 20 minutes far from Milwaukee and has gotten a huge home with a garden for $1100 / 2 bhk on a lease of a year.

Before you rent an apartment, make sure its not very old or doesn't have bed beg problems.  Take it in a good locality. Here in US, we have heard from several friends that bed bugs do happen. Since rooms are generally centrally air-conditioned make sure your mattresses and your bed remains clean at all times.

Milwaukee is still comparatively cheaper. We would be moving to Weehawken, New Jersey which is a boat away from New York in 15 days, and we have heard the studio apartment start from $2300 which for us, is looking like very expensive but the home component in our salaries would be changed too! I really wanted to have a big home with the garden but I guess I have already missed the boat unless I land again back in Midwest or a remote place that offers that.

 Or unless we have a car or unless we are willing to drive everyday for work!

So, all in all, as I complete my stay. I would love to say, that India is no longer what once was because its a fast growing economy and US has got its own pros and cons. Although staying here definitely is a matter of choice because if I am to be asked, I would any day prefer Europe / Canada more. I have never stayed in Europe but have travelled quite often, and I love the look and feel of the countryside Europe has and the ease of traveling across. Then again, may be its me, because I love countryside more than cities.

US whereas, is a place which is more multicultural and more receptive to you (I haven't faced racism here which is awesome) and there are plenty of nice places to travel to. You would find it in ways similar to India but very different too..And that's why so many people settle here.

But to those Indians who behave like Firangis when they go back, and try to prove that this world is better in front of their own peer Indians, lets just be honest,

You may have missed the developing India to be able to compare!

When I came to US for first time, I missed the chaos India has compared to silence US gives. In the same way, someone returning/going India first time would miss silence more and hence we are different.

I love US, and I love India too, and I wouldn't complain. They both are doing good in separate ways.

Let's just say , they both have their own journeys.