10 day challenge - Day 5

Hello all :) Thanks for the patience while I didn't do any writing, courtesy of Labor weekend. This was one of those perfect weekends where all I did was (cook) eat, sleep and relax. It jus so happened that I relaxed a little too much and my 3-day weekend became a 5-day weekend (or should I jus say weekdays :D). Now I am back with a bang, at least for the next 6 days to complete this 10 day challenge. If you haven't yet read my previous posts from this challenge, here is an easy guide to them - 10 secrets, 9 loves, 8 fears, and 7 wants .

Getting to today's challenge, I have to write about 6 places. With this challenge, I was facing a BIG dilemma. Should I write about the 6 places that I have lived and my experiences in those places? Or should I write about places I have visited and what I loved about them? Or should I write about places I want to visit and what fascinates me about those places? Should I write about cities or countries? Should I include fictitious places, say from movies or fairy tales? Should I make up my own perfect place? This train of questioning could go on, and since you get the drift, I shall stop here. Finally I found my solution  that it needs to be a mixed bag and what kinda of mixed bag it is supposed to be! To find out more, read on.... 

1. Chennai 600025 -  That was my address for 4 awesome years at A.C.Tech College and Hostel....Here is where I made a lot of great friends, was living by myself for the very first time just like a lot of my friends, ate crappy hostel food, never hesitated any time to go when some one said FREE food, found excuses to get 'treat' for the FREE food, hung out for hours in a tiny coffee shop under the tree, gossiped about the whole college, celebrated birthdays with so much fun and then went out to eat some more of that free food, run back to the confines of the hostel by deadline time,  stand near the xerox shop for hours to get the notes xeroxed so that we have something to study for the exams, getting OD (On-Duty) to skip classes when we have the cultural fests,  bunked classes to go watch movies at Satyam, went to Madya Kailash on the morning of any festival all dressed up, ... and a lot more amazing things. I think I became the person I am for the most part in this very city. I knew the nooks and corners of the city (our definition of city was Adyar and Besant Nagar and T Nagar :D)........  Chennai is one amazing place. It has got a perfect/delicate balance between traditions and modernism. The same people who go to wedding or temple festivals or music kacheri dressed in their traditional best can be seen hanging out the local coffee shop or discos and beach wearing trendy clothes of the season. It was the BIG city for many folks coming from rural Tamil Nadu and was a perfect place for this transition without overwhelming them.  I love this city and it will always be one of my most favorite 'places' with great memories.  

2. N.Y.C. The New-York City -  People who know me already know how much I love this city. If there is one place I want a vacation home, it is gonna b an apt in NYC, a perfect escape for me. I love the energy. I love the popular tourist spots and hidden gems of the city. I love that its a melting pot of culture, food, entertainment, and people. I love the fact that I can find something to do anytime of the day, 24x7! To best describe my feelings for this wonderful city, I want to quote Jay-Z/Alicia Keys song 'Empire State of Mind' 

"In New York!!!

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,

There's nothing you can’t do,

Now you're in New York!!!

These streets will make you feel brand new,

the lights will inspire you,

Let's hear it for New York, New York, New York" 

3. Salaam Mumbai - One place I keep wanting to visit but hasn't happened yet is Mumbai (Bombay). I think I love this city and want to visit it for the same reasons (and some more) as NYC. I think there is a lot of energy in this city. It is the other  'land of dreams' for many Indians, next to US. I want to drive on the Marine drive, eat the roadside pav bhaji, do the walk (pad yatra) to the siddhi vinayak temple, offer garland of flowers at Haji Ali, spot some Bollywood stars, travel the local trains, shop at both malls and local bazaars, celebrate Ganesh Chathurthi, take pics in front of Gateway of India and get to know the city as a mumbaite. (Feel free to add more to this list). 

4. Enchanted in Egypt - I want to the visit and climb the Pyramids and explore the insides, ride a boat on river Nile, ask a trick question to Sphinx,  may be go an archaeological excavation trip, roam the Sahara Desert on a camel. I want to explore Egypt, shop and bargain with local merchants, eat their cuisine and drink coffee (for a change). I might end up doing a lot more things thanks this. 

5. Around the Europe in 80 Days - I want to do a backpacking trip in Europe just like they show in DDLJ :) I think this movie was one of the first to trigger the euro-trip fascination and also backpacking for many of us. I want to visit the major cities in Europe, take time to explore each city and may be also visit country side in some places. I want to absorb the culture in each place through their food. I want to do this trip through Eurail (Europe on Rail). I want the 'eat'' part of experience which Julia Roberts had in Eat Pray and Love. I want to see Europe :) 

6. Sharanya in Wonderland - My wonderland is the combination of the best of each city I have visited or lived in. Skyline from NYC, historic buildings from Philadelphia, Lakeshore drive jus like in Chicago, beaches from Chennai, transportation like that of Singapore (esp for its cleanliness), shopping places like that of General Market in Hyderabad or the strip in Las Vegas, trailer trucks featuring  foods from all over the world like in Austin, a great University like in Columbus (Go Bucks!!) , National park such as Grand Canyon, a mini Atlantic City/Las Vegas for entertainment among various other things. 

P.S. - If you have already guessed the movie references in the title, here you go Chennai 600028 (a tamil movie) E.T. - The Extra-Terrestial, Salaam Bombay (a hindi movie), Sleepless in Seattle, Around the world in 80 days and Alice in wonderland.