Washington D.C.

[October 20th, 2006]
Family. That word takes on a whole new meaning to us Vagabonds. Ive always been extremely attached to my family and when my aunt, Lotus, invited me over for a long weekend, I didn't hesitate for a second.

BWI is a pretty BIG airport. I remember looking at terminal maps and walking for what seemed to take forever before I finally met TallGuy and my little cousins Chapachie and Me-ee. Me-ee was in a cute pram and I assumed control of it, wheeling the smiling infant towards the car. A few minutes later we were headed homeward. I found myself amidst lush green woods and nature like I had never seen in good old Chi-town. It was a refreshing change.

Lotus welcomed me with a warm hug and a smile that stretched from ear to ear. It was so good to see all of them. After gormandizing a dinner of minced lamb and freshly made parathas, I picked up Me-ee and cuddled and kissed her a zillion times. She was sooooo cute! She loved all the attention she was getting and gave me a tiny armed hugged every time. She was the cutest thing ever. I was trying my best to make her laugh, being my zany self, jumping all over the room, but best I got out of her was an indifferent smirk. She was like a little philosopher, bored with the ways of the world. This made her even cuter. I kissed her a zillion times more before she finally rested her tiny head on my shoulder, wrapped her cute arms around my neck and fell asleep. It was the most divine feeling ever. I had had a long day and I followed suit.

I woke up the next day, only to find both my little cousins next to me, urging me to get up. I was up immediately, excited as Tallguy was going to drive me to Washington D.C.
After a quick breakfast Tallguy, Chapachie and Me were on the road. It was a short drive. Within the hour, we pulled up in front of the world renown Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Chapachie was exhilarated. She enthusiastically took in all that the museum had to offer.


Missiles, Airplanes, Satellites, Spacesuits. The works. We even went to a 3-D rendering of 'Man on the Moon' which was extremely entertaining. After spending a few hours at the museum, we decided it was time to move on to the real sights and sounds of D.C.

First stop, The Capitol.


On first sight, I thought it was the white house, but TallGuy corrected me and pointed out that it was in fact the Capitol. It is a majestic building with its own reflective pool . After goofing around with Chapachie a little more, I reminded TallGuy that we were on a tight schedule and we immediately left for our next stop. The Washington Monument.

It is a massive obelisk, much larger than I had imagined. I stood there for a few seconds just staring in awe at the breathtaking structure. I went camera crazy and clicked away from at least a dozen angles. To our disappointment though, due to an extremely vague reason, we were not allowed to take the elevator to the top. We marvelled at the magnificent erection for a few more minutes and moved on to our next monument. The Lincoln Memorial.

It was a rather long and tiring walk along the inexplicably long reflective pool which seemed to make no sense.

When I finally reached the stairs, I was relieved and proceeded to bound up them. I was amazed at the number of people at the monument. I literally had to wade through a sea of tourists to get a good glimpse of the monument. The statue was beautiful. Lincoln at his authoritative best. I fought off a couple of overenthusiastic women to get some snaps.

I took my time, reading the inscriptions on the wall. Its only when I exited the Lincoln Memorial and looked back did I realise the purpose of the loooooooong reflective pool. The Washington Monument was reflected full length. It was a photographers manna. I tried my hand at some photography and was quite satisfied with some of the captures.


I settled down on the stairs leading down from the elevated monument. I watched the ducks bathe in the water and noticed how the ripples made the reflection of the obelisk look even more captivating. I watched a couple of kids chase each other around the Vietnam War Memorial and marvelled at the history that surrounded the land I was standing on.

A dull vibration in my pocket woke me up from my daydream. It was my phone. Chapachie wanted me to make my way back as we were to head to see our last monument for the day. I took in the sights and sounds for a few more minutes and walked back to the car. Tallguy drove us straight to our final stop.
The White House.

Well. All i can say is... I know why the president would want to stay there! The impressive abode is surrounded by more greenery than most parks. Majestic yet elegant.

It was late afternoon. A look at Tallguy and I understood it was time to head for home. We called Lotus, informing her that we were homeward bound and that she better have a feast ready as we were all starving.

An hour of driving and we were back home. I headed straight for Me-ee's room. She was half asleep. I picked her up and gave her a tight hug. She leaned her head on my shoulder, put her arm around my neck and fell asleep in my arms. Pure Heaven!