Valley Chai

i seriously don’t know when i’d be back on the slopes, so i jumped on an opportunity to hit the tahoe ski slopes a couple of weeks ago. i was driving by myself from south bay to south lake tahoe area, and went via 580/I-5 route.

as soon as you hit highway 5, the traffic comes into a steady, speedy and extremely predictable pattern almost to a rhythm. cruising at 75 mph, i turned my mind off, and popped-in a few cd’s i wish i’d taken out more often.

one of them was ustad bismillah khan - sweet sound of his shehnai with a curious confluence of melancholy and celebration at once - was perfect to let the mind cruise in and out of tired thoughts while the ford expedition was weaving around a stream of freight trucks.

and then i thought - i’d miss this.

throughout my 5 month stay/work in late 2007 in central bangalore, i noticed one thing: there is no time of reflection in indian life. that’s perhaps why people seek solace in god and worship on pretty much daily basis. i would miss a few other things:

1. pin-drop silence when i want it
2. fixing my own breakfast in the morning
3. a nice garage you can spend an afternoon in, working on a car or fixing up household stuff
4. wonderful quilt of varied cultures
5. skiing. though i don’t do i very often, i love it when i go up the slopes
6. the open road
7. standards of quality
8. levels of ambition at all levels
9. sheer indulgence in junk television
10. and finally (and a bit masochistic) carrying a chip on the shoulder

btw, i was on my way to the kirkwood ski resort. the slopes are mostly beginner friendly, though the first slope you see while stepping on the snow is a bit intimidating to look at. it gets cold real quick due to the altitude, so sticking to well-worn routes (to avoid icy patches) will make for a day of happy skiing. the ski resort is a bit off the tahoe area, so make sure you carry chains in case it snows on you - it’s tough to get out of that area without the chains, and there aren’t many hotels around the resort.