This post is jointly authored by oBelIX and nixkina. They like to ramble at various lengths on certain topics and hence the post contains sections of their views. That also makes the post a bit lengthy but fun- ner to read!
Part 0: Planning for
Portland:
nixkina: On a rainy Seattle afternoon, I received an email from oBelIX which
had things planned out by the hour. Very oBelIX. It is very characteristic of oBelIX
to be ‘Sufficiently Planned’. He will have the navigator set to the correct
route (as opposed to my style of consulting maps after I ‘feel lost’), buy his
Frappuccino supplies in advance, he will have the miles and gallons calculated
for his car…and of course, he will have figured out lunch time. It may seem to the reader that he is
calibrating too much, but when you travel with him the spontaneity and joi de
vivre remain intact. Very oBelIX again. Beauty is in balance, I can see him
say!
Sufficiently planned,
is how one should travel: Stay open to the possibilities but have a plan to
cover the most controllable, likeliest and severest risks. An exception risk
was weather. Washington was slated for snowy / rainy weekend. Neither of us
could control the weather so we decided to head out anyways. We carried EVERY
thing that would cover for the bad weather, including an extra pair of clothes
and a box of pizza- flavored chips. A road trip was long due, and it was worth
the spontaneity of this journey.
We were ready to go
early morning on the Saturday with his vehicle checks and GPS jing-bang. oBelIX took the customary picture of the meter and
we were off.
The Meter Reading
Part I: Getting To
Portland
oBelIX: The direct
route to Portland from Seattle is fairly straightforward. In a nutshell,
expect:
-
A three hour drive
-
The ugliness of the Tacoma Dome about 40 minutes
into the drive
-
The built-up area of Joint Base Louis McChord
-
Olympia with its wide sweeping turn overlooking
a building with a dome on top
-
The speed limit going up to 70
-
The outlet malls
-
The three laned interstate over many hills
-
The industrial areas of Kelso
-
Vancouver which is full of police with radar
guns trying to write out tickets
-
Portland
There is not
much scope for drama on this drive. However … pause for effect … we were in for
a surprise on Saturday morning. After a good breakfast, we got on the road at
10, ignoring all the warnings of 35 Fahrenheit and chances of snow near
Portland. Somewhere past Federal Way, as we go over a hill, there’s a
microclimate – a small snowstorm. It was the sheer unexpectedness of it that
was surprising.
Part 2: Bombay Chaat
Don’t Judge a Food truck by its looks
And Delectable Pani Puri!
oBelIX: The best
Indian food in the Pacific Northwest. Copying shamelessly from my yelp review:
“If Travelers Thali house is the best Indian food in Seattle then this is the
best Indian food in the Pacific Northwest.” Stop for some chaat, it will be the
best thing you do the whole day. Oh and after, should you need a pee break, the
Multnomah County Library is a couple of blocks away.
nixkina: We had lunch at one of those places
which is so unsuspecting but so worth the effort. It is a small, green food
cart, a van to be precise, run by a Punjabi aunty at Yamhill Street. I hear for
6.5 USD you can taste their thali, which is an Indian- style buffet plate. What
I needed was chai and chaat. We had Malai kofta and Rice for the mains. It was
too breezy to eat without blowing off our Styrofoam containers so we sat in the
car and in oBelIX’s words, we belted (hogged).
Part 3: The Japanese
Gardens
oBelIX : The Japanese Gardens at Portland are quiet,
tranquil and peaceful. They are situated atop a hill and the drive up to the
gardens introduces this quiet, peaceful tranquility in small bursts. The hustle
and bustle of downtown Portland mellows. The weirdness subsides. The houses
look more Scandinavian. The world starts to slow down even further. oBelIX and nixkina arrived on a cold winter day to a nearly deserted entrance.
nixkina: After we drove in the city, we stopped at the
very delightful Japanese Garden. The garden is landscaped, Japanese style. It
is a peaceful place where you can experience the calming effect of green and
see some vistas of the city.
The board telling you that you are there
The entrance to the gardens
The path leading upto the main tea room
The garden outside the tea room
The Doll Exhibition
oBelIX: The doll
exhibition was the special exhibit for the month of February. While the idea of
a traveling exhibit is very cool, this Doll Exhibit failed to impress. It was
miniature, the sum totality of it is contained in this photograph. There was
very little to read about and it seemed like, “Well, we’ve got to put up
something, here’s some dolls.”
The Quiet Lake
The winding bridge
The grazing herons
The Stream
oBelIX: These pictures
highlight the true purpose and nature of the Japanese Gardens. They are for quiet,
peaceful contemplation. They are for introspection. They are for not thinking.
They are for carrying on a conversation in soft tones. This part of the
Japanese Gardens is enjoyable only if there are no other random people about.
Part 4: The International
Rose Test Garden
oBelIX: The International Rose Test Garden at Portland, proudly shows off
Portland’s history in having cultivated at grown roses. The roses are
unfortunately not in bloom in February so better to give this place a miss.
nixkina: Portland is also called the “City of
Roses” and it was just befitting to visit the International Rose Test Garden
established in 1917. Though there were supposed to be 7000 roses in the 4.5
acre garden, we saw none, as it is still winters. The most amazing part of the garden here is
the amphitheater, venue of several cultural events. It is such a good idea to
utilize the garden’s aesthetics and make it more accessible to people of the
city.
The Rose Garden
The Theatre at the Rose Garden
Part 5: Multnomah
Falls
oBelIX: Multnomah falls are located at about a forty minute
drive from Portland and are a very pleasant side trip. The drive there, on I-84
is one of the more scenic Interstate drives with the Columbia river on one side
and the mountains on the other. On a clear day Mount Hood looms tall on the
horizon. The round trip usually takes a nice three hours and makes for an
enjoyable break. It was a snowy, blustery day as we neared the falls and the
trail to the upper falls was closed due to ice. Nevertheless, we got some good
pictures of the falls.
nixkina: We then drove off to one of the most scenic drives
along the Columbia River to reach Multnomah Falls. By then, the weather was
snowy and rainy. The sights were still very beautiful. You can see below in the picture that the
road is just alongside the river. This entire area is called the Gorge National
Scenic Area.
Columbia River
The Drive
Multnomah Falls
It was snowy!
Part 6: Out and About
Portland in the evening
nixkina: We strolled
around to see the buildings and the shops. We went to a fancy paper shop- which
sold expensive and handmade stationery. We also went to Powell’s: the largest
independent bookstore in the world. We browsed through books end enjoyed the
cook book section. oBelIX brought back the world map, which we
plan to put up in our home. We also got back a funky pair of socks for me, and
“I love lunch” bag for him.
After a fun discussion
(about which serves the most fanciful desserts) and comparison of Yelp and
other ratings, we reserved at Oba. Oba was a lively Caribbean restaurant which
lived-up to our culinary expectation. We had a relaxed dinner.
My Mahi Mahi!
Post-dinner, oBelIX also suggested a
dozen full of Voodoo donuts. And I never thought that this fried snack could be
dressed up so wackily with everything one can find: cereals, jelly, cream,
nuts, fruits, confections and what not. Portland style, VD even served gluten
free doughnuts. It was even a dinner for a family of four.
Doughnut buy so many!
If you are not into
doughnuts (ha! Freudian slip not intended), you could buy Voodoo merchandise:
underwear, T-shirts, bags, toys, guns (Ok! I didn’t see that one!). Voodoo is
open 24x7.
After our Voodoo
magic, we headed back, where I tried to understand from obelIX about how to best
drive at night on freeways. I also tried to expose some flaws in great Hindi
hit songs of our time, but I realized I need to rewind it too often to get his
attention. We replayed the names of cities and towns we had crossed earlier and
the day. It is worth remembering the route to Portland.
