Otter and Big Creek Falls

http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/taylor-river

All right, tl;dr, we did this on a day when there was a lot of snow and very little water in the Otter Falls. It was disappointing; a 10 mile walk in snow and slush. Or perhaps we just complain a lot … who knows …

Let’s get cracking. We left on a Sunday that turned out to be a good day despite a gloomy start. As usual, food was gulped down at Panera and Subways (yes, I intentionally misuse that word, and no, I do not remember the reason why) were purchased.

The drive on I-90 was routine. That is one of those fancy-artisty-photos-of-something-awesome-in-the-rear-view-mirror which did not come out very well.

After getting of I-90 and onto a dirt road (this was one of the times I was not driving because apparently the road has potholes which a sedan cannot handle – pure BS that was) we were driving next to the Taylor river and we got some great views. There is just so much water here, and very nice, pale green water. There was a lady with a big-ass camera on a tripod taking pictures. We pulled up behind her, I took down the window, took a picture with my Nokia Lumia 900 ™ and we carried on.

this phone does a decent job

and there were kayakers in the cold

and a tributary joining the Taylor river

Oh and since we are in the cascades, as a friendly reminder, there were quite a few mountains nearby. See below.

So, we drove, on this road which had potholes which a sedan could not handle and we drove and we drove some more in a behemoth SUV. Eventually, we reached the start of the trail and everyone had to take a leak.

The hike started off well enough, like any hike. It’s a total of 650 feet of elevation gain which is nothing.

We crossed a stream (above) and were soon greeted with what was to be our constant companion through the hike.

Snow.

More SNOW.

Yet MORE SNOW

and YET MORE SNOW

to say that there was Snow On Trail would be an understatement

The snow did have it’s advantages. The sophisticated, well-mannered gentlemen that we are we soon came up with ways to amuse ourselves. The most fun way was to throw snowballs at whoever needed to take a pee break which did reduce the number of pee breaks that were taken. Also, snow is very comfortable to life on.

that was epically comfortable,
just look at the dude in red,
asleep on a feather bed

a snow angel was made. the depression is someone’s butt

So, after much walking, we reached Otter Falls. We clambered over rocks and did what in hindsight seems dumb. Otter falls was this sliver of water that drained into a frozen lake. It was picturesque.

I liked Otter Falls

A little further on we reached our target. Big Creek Falls.

Yes, that. That. After all that walking in the snow.

We sat down. Ate.

hell yeah, nothing beats a subway, the sauce oozing out, soaked into the bread.

Then we walked back. To pass the time there was a little snowball fight.

Did I survive the snowball? It was headed right at me.

We walked back in the evening. I am not much of a photographer but even I know that the light was amazing. The best picture of this hike is the one below, I just love the way the sunlight is shining through the trees.

I did get a little creative. So did Tipo but he hasn’t shared his pictures so …

After that it was just a long walk back to the car.

The boots were a light tan when I started the hike.

we were tired, really tired

10 miles will do that to you

Artist’s Point

Now that I have your attention, let us begin.

http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/artist-point-snowshoe

On a cloudless sunny day, the warmest day of the year we popped over to Artists point. I have no pictures of the drive over there but suffice to say that once you get off I-5 and US-20 and onto the two lane road in the mountain you are in for a treat. Do stop at the first sign that says, “Heya, Howdy, Welcome to Mount Baker National Park” – there is a gorgeous view there. There’s also a delicious stream flowing by the road which was full of green-blue water. We did not stop though, anxious that we were to get started.

The hike itself is brilliant – Artists Point is a ridge between Mount Baker and Mount Shuskan. You see both these in their towering magnificence. The cascades form a stunning backdrop behind you. Baker lake and the Mount Baker wilderness stretches out in front.

I’ll leave the rest of the talking to the pictures:

the view from the road – the road itself is visible if you zoom in – a narrow strip of black tarmac

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It’s snowy out there right now

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and that is what snowshoes look like – very brilliant thingies – they distribute the weight – so you don’t sink

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it is of course perfect conditions for skiing

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its a long way

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and while it looks beautiful

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every single step makes you wonder how much farther you have to go

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 its only when you look back you realize how far you’ve come

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and the last bit is always the hardest …

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until the moment when you reach the top and are rewarded by a close-up of Mount Baker. Baker is the volcano visible to the North-East from Seattle

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that is what it looks like from the San Juan islands – Artists point, lets you get up, close and personal

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there’s another peak visible, far far away in the distance

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the backdrop here makes even us, with our not-so-in-shape look great (that is Table Mountain)

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there’s one last stretch to climb

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and then you are walking along the ridge … at the edge

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Ladies and gentlemen, introducing, Mount Shuksan

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with the cascades for the backdrop – the parking lot from where we came is visible in the center

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and Baker Lake and the Mount Baker wilderness

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as good a place as any to have Lunch, a subway (yes, I am aware it is a sandwich and I am not dining on the underground)

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we had some company, sitting on the tree in the middle, shy at first

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a close up – this is genuine bird-watching

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and eventually he/she did show up. we provided olives, thinking natural food would be good for it. little did we realize that the olives were drenched in Chipotle sauce

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and I will end with this. a view from as close as you can get to the top of the world in half a day

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The Oregon Coast – II

I drove this last year – The Oregon Coast. This year, @roh4n had come up to Seattle and wanted to drive back and of course, while blasting down the interstate does get you to San Fransisco faster, it is much less scenic. So, we did the following ~900 mi:

We left on a Friday, at around 5:30 in the evening, fully aware that traffic near that ugly place where there is an upside-down-bowl-of-concrete would be terrible. Still, it made sense and we did end up getting into Portland at around 8:30-ish. Now, traditionally I’ve been a fan of Chennai Masala in Hillsboro, one Rava Dosa and a filter coffee can keep me going for a bit but this time we headed over to the Bollywood Theater. There was a line, which was to be expected, a Friday evening. The décor was brilliant, the ambience doubly so. It felt real without really being overdone. The ads in the bathroom were epic:

 

I will not translate this

 

and I liked the devnagiri font over there

The food was decent. I wouldn’t really drive over to Portland to eat it again (unlike Bombay Chaat which is a foodtruck that serves heavenly chaat). If you are here though then do order the Kathi Roll. Also, this was the first time in a long time that I had trouble finishing food on the table.

 

dinner … pav bhaji to the right where the bhaji lacked spice and dahi-papdi to the left which had some masala that felt incorrect

 

It was at this time night and there was fog and we drove on I5, continuing past Salem and Eugene. This part of the drive was uneventful, relaxing. The traffic had thinned and people were driving sensibly despite the fog. Somewhere past Eugene we turned onto OR-38 which is another one of those brilliant roads in Oregon. Last year, I had driven West on OR-42 in the wee hours of the morning with the sun rising behind me and it had been memorable. This year, at midnight I was driving west on a very similar road. There was a little bit of fog, the Umpqua river next to us for the most part and mountains. I am sure this road is brilliant during the day, scenic and beautiful but at night the experience was exhilarating. We turned onto 101 and halted at “The Best Western” in Coos Bay for the night.

The next morning after breakfast we headed south on US-101.

 

weird car parked at a grocery store – I forget what groceries we got

 

it was a gloomy, overcast day.

 

windy as hell

 

at the first cape that we stopped at.

I’ll take a moment here to chit-chat about what I think is a good way to do the Oregon coast.

Step 1: Get a nice car. This is important if you like to drive.

Step 2: Wait for December end or January. This is important if you want the road to yourself and free from random grandmothers

Step 3: Drive either North or South on 101

Step 4: When you see a sign-post saying “Vista Point” or “Cape **** State Park” put on your turn-signal and pull over

Step 5: Step outside the car.

Step 6: Marvel at the sheer power of the Pacific

Step 7: Feel the wind through your sweatshirt and your jacket

Step 8: Breathe!

Step 9: Rinse and repeat till you see a signboard that says either, “Welcome to California” or “Welcome to Washington”

This is pretty much what we did.

 

foam and surf

 

US-101 and the Pacific

 

We eventually hit the town of Gold Coast which is approached by a rather decent looking bridge. It has a beach, which at this time was deserted. I suspect it would be a nice place to visit during the summer as well.

 

This is a rather good photo

 

The Pincochio Hippo. Yes, I was lazy, drew it with my foot.

 

You never get tired of the views!

 

and the ocean

 

and the road

It should be noted that there is a small part for which 101 does leave the coast and goes around a hill, Humbolt or Humtumps or Hum something or the other. Be awake, this little bit is incredibly beautiful with small streams and a different shade of green and quiet.

 

Eventually though, Oregon ended. California began. 101 becomes a different road out here and gradually transitions to a carrier of people. We did however, get off 101 and head onto this brilliant road called, “Avenue of The Giants”. Cut through redwoods and going along some type of water-body (a river and then a lake), in foggy weather it was beautiful.

 

glomp – that is just amazing road

 

the river I was talking about

 

Redwoods are tall. Really tall. I took this looking vertically up. Makes you think a lot.

 

no description required.

 

Eventually though, it became dark, the redwoods became normal trees and then grasses. The rain started to come down like a torrent. The drivers started to drive like idiots. The rest of the drive after sunset was just a grind, counting down the miles to San Francisco and dinner (which was rather nice, at Dosa on Filmore).

That is now, twice in two years. Ty, Oregon!

Philadelphia

I got a new phone. It’s a Lumia 920. It has a very good camera. Being rather bored in Seattle, where it is cold and wintery and rainy I decided to plop over to the other side of the continent to meet a friend who studies at the University of Pennsylvania. It was one of the better decisions I’ve made in the recent past. The rest of this post talks about food, aeroplanes, movies, art, history and walking.

 

I left Seattle on a rather rainy Friday morning, at an hour that I consider ungodly. After a ride in a taxi with a driver who had spent 10 years in Japan and thought very highly of Indian cinema, after a suprisingly painless experience at security that only involved taking off my shoes, belt, jacket, laptop I was on board an Alaskan airlines flight and I took the photo above. I was rather pleased with it, the camera managed to do exactly what I had asked of it – photograph the drops of water on the window.

 

It was bright for all of the duration of the flight. I was very pleased and looking forward to spending a weekend in sunshine. Also, I’m just showing off the camera. The plane then dipped below the clouds and Philadelphia.

Unfortunately, it was 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Overcast. Drizzling. Philadelphia airport does nothing to distinguish itself. There is a severe lack of space as in all airports – it is designed for utility. There is nothing wrong with it, there is just not much that makes you feel warm and cheery after a long flight. I used to think all airports are like this until I disembarked at San Francisco earlier in November this year. SF airport is spacious and bright and welcoming. There is nice music in the restrooms, like a sultry seductress’ serenade. I took a train to their University District, or University City – everything in Philly is a city. The train was old and had conductors which was surprising to see. The airport was actually the low point of the trip – it all got better so fast.

 

U Penn, is ivy-league, home to a lot of rich kids – which is why food trucks that deliver hot cookies to your hostel make sense

 

We had dinner at Zahav, this fancy middle-eastern place. I haven’t eaten in many fancy places and actually had no conception of what the food here would be like. The walk to Zahav was three miles through the University, Downtown Philly, the rich affluent housing area of Philly, the old Jewish quarter of Philly and then Zahav. The place is beautifully decorated – there are diwans and cylindrical pillows and very Turkish looking curtains. There was a chandelier, well, more of a lamp, made out of some blue metal, hanging from the ceiling, in the center of the room. The table was copper or bronze, dimpled like a golf ball. Our waitress was knowledgeable but snobby – perhaps it was my  hair but she had made this assumption that we were uneducated normal people with run-of-the-mill palettes.

The food was an experience. There were six kinds of salads, the picture above. The most interesting was the one made of eggplant – a salad of eggplant which was actually surprisingly good. The pita bread was fresh, hot off the oven and the humus was divine. The second best part of the meal were these spheres of lamb (I desist from using the term lamb-balls because of certain uncultured readers of this blog). They were the perfect blend of spice and meat. I will not use the “dissolve in the mouth” cliché. They did not. Infact, they just waited for the appropriate amount of time on the tongue, just long enough to understand the flavour and the spice and then melted. Brilliant.

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The walk back was interesting until it was cut short by a minor downpour which caused us to get into a Philadelphia taxicab. Taxicabs in Philadelphia have wide rear seats which can accomdate four people of my build and a glass partition separating the driver from the passenger.

washington square.

 

liberty bell. yes I did see it. no I do not know much about it’s history

 

the streets of philadelphia

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The next day was overcast but not raining and was spent walking around. A must see place is the Reading Terminal Market – with its eateries and food shops. There is a creperie there – some of the best crepes I’ve eaten. Oh, and while walking around in Philly, do not be surprised to see black gentlemen at intersections proclaim loudly into loudspeakers, “Jesus is coming”, “The end is near” and other chantings of an apocalyptic-return-of-the-big-guy nature.

 

Philadelphia is old. Full of nice buildings

 

and ridiculous cars

 

and Chinatown

 

and streets that are forlorn and lonely in the winter

 

Our target was Penn’s landing – the place where William Penn landed and founded Pennsylvania. It is by no means a spectacular, stunning waterfront. Especially on a gray day – it just looks gloomy – I dislike water bodies that do nothing to cheer you up. The Philadelphians do not care for it either, the big neon signboard proclaiming Penn’s landing had only a few of the letters lit up.

 

 

What appears to be a lounging area of the general population. Devoid of people on that day. That river is the Delaware. There is another river in Philadelphia called the Skychupnawanapoppitipompom.

 

There is a military ship in the background on the river.

 

leaving Penn’s landing we meandered through the old quarters of Philadelphia, full of red-brick houses and more forlorn streets.

 

 

there was extremely good coffee over here – must try place

 

there was also this utterly lame museum of art made out of trash. ditch it.

 

one of the main streets, the city hall is shrouded in fog.

 

and there are a lot of interesting sculptures there

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Most of the last day was spent at the Philadelphia Art Museum and eating. I will not taunt you people with details of the food – suffice to say it was homemade and divine. The art museum is an old building (I like old buildings) and has a few nice paintings (of bridges and snow and mountains and water). It is not a particularly impresive museum but go here if you’ve got nothing to do. The walk back from the Museum, along the waterfront is nice!

 

the main staircase

 

the façade of the museum – columns – I like

 

I do not understand modern art.

 

and it’s a very nice walk back!

 

Overall, Philadelphia is fun. If only for a weekend. The food is amazing. It’s great to just walk around. U Penn is very likable. I approve!

The Most Comprehensive Review of a Local Sushi Restaurant in Juanita written in November

Whenever I see an article titled “The most ….” or the “Top ten things you must …” I question it. Something in my gut tells me that it is inaccurate and as with most things on the Internet it turns out to be true. Today, I sat down and decided to write “The Most Comprehensive Review of a Sushi Restaurant” and realized the need for a far more specific title so that when someone like me reads the title the only way to prove that it is inaccurate is to write a review that is more comprehensive than mine and ergo improve the quality of the Internet.

Oto Sushi – a small place, nestled between a massage parlour and another restaurant, behind a Walgreens.

11628 97th Ln NE
(at Juanita Dr)
Kirkland, WA 98034
(425) 825-8899

The staff are very friendly and it’s open till late (10pm). The open-till-lateness is very useful, coming back after hitting the gym and finding that there is no food in the house. The ingredients are fresh and the rolls are not only delicious but also beautifully presented.

tl;dr – if you do not read further:

• The Norwegian Pepper Salmon is delicious
• The Caterpillar Roll is a work of art
• The Snow Crab is soft and soothing and melts in your mouth.
• The Rainbow Roll is stunning as well

Pictures and roll descriptions in my order of preference of the rolls.

The Caterpillar Roll

If you do not order anything else then order this. Crab. Eel. The sauce is tangy. It is delicious and presented beautifully.

The Rainbow Roll

This is a roll you get everywhere. It’s got four different fish meats on top of it – they are of different colours and hence the name “Rainbow Roll” (I’m sure you got that from the picture ).

 

The Mango Salad Roll

Crab, wrapped in lettuce and beetroot. Simple. Elegant. Healthy. The sauce (raw mango flavoured) goes really well with the roll. Oh, and each piece is rather big and kind of hard to fit in your mouth like a gentleman.

 

Lion King Roll

This roll looks like a mess. It seems like a crazy jumble of thoughts and when you take a piece of it and put it in your mouth you realize just how crazy it is. There is so much going on in this roll – the creamy sauce, the spice, the sweetness of the crab, the wasabi and the soy sauce – and yet it all just comes together as you eat it.

 

The Norwegian Pepper Salmon

It’s seared, has a slightly burnt taste and sprinkled with black pepper. Enough said.

 

Godzilla Roll

Eel and spice – it tastes very nice.

 

Dragon Roll

The Godzilla Roll’s older cousin. Similar.

 

Tiger Roll

Tempura. Snow Crab and another fish whose meat is in the mouth. Slightly chewy but the coolness of the snow-crab is very refreshing. Good to finish a meal with.

 

Salmon King Roll

Shrimp, snow crab and Salmon. Filling.

 

The Not So Good Rolls

Or rather, rolls that I don’t like that much.

The Fire Alarm Roll – It has Jalapenos on it but it is not spicy at all

 

Magic Roll

 

Music Roll – I think it is by far the most meh-inducing roll.

how to make gulab jamuns

DISCLAIMER: Unlike previous (and/or most) posts on this blog this one actually contains useful information. It tells you how to make gulab jamuns from scratch. The last post that was like this was about rasgullas.

What is a gulab jamun

Gulab jamun , is a popular dessert in countries of the Indian Subcontinent such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. In Nepal it is widely known as Lalmohan, served with or without curd, which is a popular dessert on all occasions. It is made of a dough consisting mainly of milk solids. Traditionally, khoya, an Indian milk product (buffalo milk) is rolled into a ball together with some flour and then deep fried, but at a low temperature of about 148°C. It is then put into a sugar syrup flavored with cardamom seeds and rosewater, kewra or saffron.

(The definition above was lifted from wikipedia)

How long does it take to make

About two and a half hours. That includes the time it takes to clean it up. This was the first time I made this, I reckon I can shave an hour off this. Two and a half hours for 35-40 odd gulab jamuns.

Is it good for me

Indeed. You should consume copious quantities of these. They are perhaps the best Indian sweet.

How do I make it?

To put it simply:

a) Make the syrup

b) Make the balls/dumplings. This post from now onwards will use balls because of the greater potential of cheap jokes.

c) Fry the balls

d) Put balls in syrup

What all do I need

Look this up on the internet. You lazy … oh wait … this is the internet and I said I’d give useful advice. Well you need:

• Oil
• Water
• Milk Powder
• Rose Essence
• Flour
• Ghee
• Milk/Yogurt
• Sugar
• Cardamom
• Kitchen utensils

That is as useful as this is going to get. For more (and you will anyway, let us be honest, you are never going to use this blog as the single source of all ngyanam on gulab jamun creation) look up the internet.

I WANT MY PICTURES

here we go …

Making the syrup: The first step. For that you need a lot of sugar. By a lot I mean a lot. I must have used somewhere between a half and three quarters of kilogram.

 

pure sugar in a pan or bowl or vessel

 

add water and start boiling. as the sugar dissolves add more water. then add some cardamom some

 

Rose Essence. That is the item in the foreground (I had to use rose water because rose essence is hard to find). Rose water is like an alcohol, just a pleasant smelling alcohol.

 

The solubility of sugar in water increases with temperature. Also, this is really really really sweet.

 

Making the balls: The balls are the jamuns. First, collect your ingredients and keep them in an easily reachable manner. I did not do this and halfway through kneading the dough I realized I needed more milk and then I had to go open the fridge to get more milk which is rather painful because as I was about to grasp the fridge handle to open the door to get more milk I saw that my hands were covered in dough which if it got stuck on the fridge handle would be painful to cleanup so I had to wash my hands. (A friend of mine writes emails like this)

 

The core ingredients – the milk powder and flour

 

I used that much milk powder to make the first batch. The glass is approximately two thirds the diameter of the bournvita bottle and a shade under a third it’s height and it was half filled with milk powder.

I also added some flour.

 

and some ghee which ideally should be melted.

 

first up, put all the dry ingredients in a bowl (oh you need a little bit of baking soda as well)

 

I had to find a bigger bowl. PROTIP: Make sure your bowl is big enough

 

Add a little bit of yogurt and ghee. The ghee is to make it non-sticky and the yogurt is what holds it together. If I was a hippie the yogurt would be akin to LOVE

 

It should be sticky and rolling your hand in there is a lot of fun. Don’t worry if it is sticking to the bowl, once you have rolled it enough let it be for ten minutes or so. It compacts (I think the baking soda does something to the dough) and all comes together.

 

It is a good idea to eat some Jalapeno flavoured Pringles while you wait for the dough to come together.

 

 

That is what the dough looks like. BTW this is very edible. I had quite a few fingerfulls of this which significantly impacted the yield of my gulab jamuns.

 

Once you’ve waited long enoguh (i.e. the chips are over) make the balls.

Nascent Gulab Jamuns. These balls don’t know that they are going to be stepping into the frying pan.

 

The final step: Frying the gulab jamuns. (Yes, I’m aware that this is the semi-final step).

 

Heat the oil. This is important. The temperature of the oil is vital. Too hot and the balls will become black too fast. I had my stove set on 2. Out of 10.

 

Drop the balls in. One-two-three at a time. The ball will sink down and then magically rise up.

 

The ball rises up. It is getting fried. Golden brown is the colour you want.

 

 

Let them fry. After this, I kind of stopped taking pictures because it is difficult to take pictures while balls are frying.

 

Once they become golden brown take them out of the frying pan and dump them into the syrup. Let the syrup simmer and let the balls absorb the sugar.

 

Garnish and eat!

20,000

a few tens of miles south of olympia