Visit Golden Gate Garden and Novato

On the same day- 02 Aug, after visitng Twin Peaks and then the Ocean Beach, we went to Golden Gate Garden,to have our lunch . In the morning ,before we started ,Sai had made some excellent Vegetable Pulao . He is a wonderful cook incidentally and we sat down in the lawns of the garden to enjoy our lunch.It was quite hot and many people like us were already there having lunch like us in the shades of the trees. The atmospere was very plesant and we really enjoyed our lunch even though it had become a little cold .

The Golden Gate Garden is another one of the picturesque sights of the city.They maintain the gardens and the flowers so well . There is a Conservatory of flowers located there where they have nurseries and maintain the right type of temperatures and humidity for the plants to grow. The well pedicured lawns and the well kept trees make you feel as though you are in a different world altogether. The piece de resistance however are the flowers . They are in so many wonderous colours and so beautiful . Once again I could see the majesty of the Creator .

The flowers in the Garden reminded me of the days almost 20 years back in New Delhi ,when we used to drive down the Chanakyapuri Diplomatic Enclave . Almost 4 to 5 Kms of drive and on the center of the road there used to be such myraid colours of flowers of so many types . I often used to wonder as to how any artist could ever match the shades of colour which the flowers had . Whether any painter would ever be able to recreate the colours which the Creator had ordained and I used to marvel at God's creation and his majesty.

Swami says "Who provides food to sustain the tadpole in the crevices of a rock? Who provides water and manure and looks after the growth of trees which grow on stones in mountainous regions ?Who has painted the several colours on the plumes of a peacock ?Howsoever great painter one may be he cannot give such natural colours to his paintings. What a great artist God is ! How beautiful is the red beak of a green parrot! Who has created it ?Can scientists understand this?They think this is only some sort of a natural penomenon.It is not so.Everything happens by the Will of God.Nothing happens in this World without His will !We should develop such firm faith.

From Golden Gate Garden we went to Novato where Stephanie and Betty were waiting for us .We went to a Ready Garment Shop and gave our measurements for suits for Sai's wedding . From there we went to Chevy's a Mexican restaurant and had some excellent vegetarian food.A long day overall but exciting in many ways .

Visit Twin Peaks & Ocean Beach

On 02 Aug (Sat) we went to Twin Peaks in San Francisco .Another vantage point from where we could see the entire San Francisco city - a very beautiful view indeed .We could see the city virtually 360 degrees . It is very difficult to capture the actual scene either in words or on camera - it was so beautiful .And there were so many tourists literally swarming all over the place - a lot of Chinese , especially.There was bright sunshine and the weather had brought all the San Farnciscans out . A soft breeze which was pleasant ,made the sojourn even more enjoyable.

The view which we had of the city was simply great. Although the city does not have much skyscrapers as it is in an an earthquake prone area , still the buildings were beautiful. We could also see the Market Street winding its way to the Embarcadero. In the distance we could also see Sai's office building .The city looked so well planned and neat from the top. Hats off to the Forefathers of this city wo had planned this city so well . Of course those who followed have also been no less as they have managed to keep up the beauty of the city and its never fading charm .

If we could see the city in all its glory from one side of the Twin Peaks the other side from where we could see the Ocean was no less. That sight was also enchanting and we really enjoyed it very much .Many of the locals had brought some snacks and the inevitable Beer (!) with them and were enjoying themselves. Some school cildren were also there and they had come together in a school bus as a group. If you want to know as to how to enjoy Life ask the Americans .They will tell you how !They are really a "Bindass" (devil may care attitude) lot !

The Twin Peaks is also the highest point in San Francisco and therefore has the city's tallest Telecom tower. This is the same Tele com Tower which you can view from the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge.The construction of the Tower is also artistic and not the standard dull drab Pylon type of structure .In spite of so many visitors the place was absolutely spick and span. It is indeed a delight to walk in such areas which abound not only in scenic beauty but also have clean surroundings that enhances the beauty of the area.From the Twin Peaks we drove down to the Ocean Beach another clean and enchanting Beach - what a contrast to Mumbai's Chowpatty!

The Ocean Beach is another very beautiful place indeed where you come face to face with Nature - God in all His majestic beauty and Glorious Mystery !Once you are attuned to the Divine ,once you are in the "Constant -Integrated -Awareness" state then savour every moment of your Life.Enjoy every moment .Rejoice as all expected and unexpected events and moments unfold in front of you.Become a witness. Like you enjoy a movie, with its share of triumphs and tragedies ,joys and sorrows, simultaneoulsy enjoy the movie of your Life.Just as you identify yourself with the characters in a movie as long as the movie lasts,and forget them later, similarly identify yourself with the characters in your life for the duration for which you are associated with them and then forget them.Treat your life as a story in a movie with the same attachment and detachment which you exhibhit during the course of the movie.

Sai Bhajans at Sausalito

We attended Bhajans at Anke Bucher’s residence in Sausalito on 01 Aug 08 (Fri) by bus .The bhajans started sharp at 7.30 pm as usual. The shrine is simple with only one photo of Swami and the shrine room neat, spick and span and vibrating with positive energy. The bhajan books are neatly kept along with cushions for the devotees to be seated.Swami has given them one of the robes that He wears and this they keep on a chair with His silver sandals kept at the base of the chair.The ladies and gents devotees who attend the bhajan are German/Spanish/ Italian/ Persian/ British/ Indian Americans. And all of us sing bhajans on all Gods of all religions, melodiously, full of emotion, love devotion and care. The standard of bhajans is really high, especially as Brian plays the guitar superbly, lending charm to the bhajans.

The atmosphere is surcharged with love. Devotees sing German, Spanish, Italian,English and Indian Bhajans in Hindi and Tamil! I sing more of English bhajans and a Spanish bhajan too ! more of English bhajans and a Spanish bhajan too.You do not know how one hour of continuous devotional singing passes as you are in ecstasy throughout.At the end of the bhajans is a “silent sitting” session for 11 minutes which is unparalleled. Swami says that it is only in the depths of silence that the voice of God can be heard. This you really experience here!

The Group s a loving group and it is a pleasure to attend the bhajans here.We have over the past 4 months or so become one with the Group member’s families as it were.When we told them that we would be leaving San Francisco shortly back home for India, they did not want us to go and wanted us to stay back. To handle the Immigration people,they said that they would come to the airport with banners asking them to grant us permission for us to stay back with them! That is the power of pure selfless Love.

Swami says, “ In every action in daily life, manifest your love. Divinity will emerge from that Love. This is the easiest path to God –realisation. But why are people not taking it? This is because they are obsessed with the misconceptions relating to the means of experiencing God. They regard God as some remote entity attainable only through arduous spiritual practices. God is everywhere. There is no need to search for God. All that you see is the manifestation of the Divine. All the human beings you see are the forms of the Divine. Correct your defective vision and you will experience God in all things.

First BART ( Local Train ) Ride

Latha and I decided to experiment with the BART local train system on 31 Jul 08 (Thurs). We live in Strawberry village, Mill valley which is located in the North Bay. Surprisingly North Bay is not connected by BART at all. They are planning to construct one soon (thanks to the rising fuel prices).So we had to travel by bus, for more than an hour from Strawberry village to San Rafael and then catch another bus to El Cerrito del Norte from where we took a BART train to Berkeley, just three stops away, merely to see how convenient and comfortable the train is.

We did not inform Sai about our trip at all .But when we spoke to him on the mobile about our location he was quite upset because El Cerrito, Oakland and Richmond are crime prone areas where we could easily be mugged and not exactly the places where tourists should visit unaccompanied by local people .Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) connects the San Francisco Peninsula with Oakland, Berkeley, Fremont, Walnut Creek, Dublin/Pleasanton and other cities in the East Bay.

It has been in existence fro the past 35 years and is like the Mumbai or Chennai suburban electric train systems. The big difference is the crowds which are minimal and the comforts in the train which are maximal! The train is air-conditioned and the seats are cushioned and very comfortable .The doors open and close automatically. The train travels both over ground and underground. See the photo of the BART system map given on the side. Double click on the photo to see an expanded version to get a clearer picture.

Everything is automatic and there is no human involvement at all .We put our dollar bills into a machine which not only indicated the fare from El Cerrito del Norte to Berkeley but also gave us the return ticket to Berkeley which cost us 3 USD each .To move to one of the two platforms we walked through a small gate which opened up once we inserted the ticket into the machine there .We took the help of a Lady Agent (only one present there) to get on to the correct train. She also gave us the Map as requested by me.

The train journey was just for 10 mts but really enjoyable !Surprisingly however BART does not seem to be very popular .The train frequencies are less even during commute hours - once every half hour only as the demand is obviously less. This is because in the States road and air transport is most sought after and rail travel is not patronised much - unlike in the UK and Europe where public transportation is very good ,efficient and in demand.There is no equivalent of a Euro rail here .If we have to go from San Francisco to New York we may take almost 6 days yto reach the destination and change many trains en route. However things may change due to the recession which the Americn economy is undergoing and the massive increase in oil prices leading to air travel becoming much more costly .

At Berkeley we got down from the station and had some coffee at Starbucks Coffee there and then traveled by BART train, back to El Cerrito del Norte from where we took a return bus to San Rafael . Sai was waiting there to pick us up as it was already 7.30 pm.Incidentally there was still bright sunlight. Here the Sun sets at 9.00 pm!