At “ Clay Oven “, in Irvine

 

                                                       

During our brief stay in Irvine we did not find time to prepare meals at home though our friend had kept all provisions ready for cooking. So after our tiresome trips we used to look for a suitable Indian restaurant to satisfy our appetite. On the first day we tried at a restaurant having an Indian name but the dishes were too spicy and not so tasty. The next day we found by chance a very good Indian restaurant “Clay Oven” in the center of the city. The name of the restaurant made us think that we would have traditional dishes prepared in an old conventional way. But when we entered, we found a very spacious restaurant with neatly arranged tables and good ventilation. The ambiance is very good and the staff is very friendly and prompt in their services.

 Of course it is not a purely vegetarian restaurant.  Only North Indian type of meals is served along with Chinese, sea food and continental varieties.  Yet we felt happy to see some Indian dishes of various kinds served in clean bowls garnished properly to stimulate our taste buds and looks as well. Besides nowadays most of us have an occasional taste of North Indian variety also. Among rice varieties items like vegetable pulao, Brown rice pulao, and Cumin pulao are available. As for starters pakoras and slices of roti were given. As for wheat items, we had to select from cheese naan, missi roti and garlic naan. We had cheese naan which tastes almost like our chapatti.

 

 As for curries saag alu, jeera alu, bhindi masala, baingan burtha and lentil daal were given. Raita, sauce and papads were given as side dishes. As the items were not much spicy we had a satisfying and tasty dinner there.  After meals sweet items like kulfi and gulab jamuun were given. The rates of dishes are also quite reasonable and will not cost more than 30 dollars. Here all vegetables and other ingredients are supplied from organically cultivated gardens. One can also opt for gluten-free preparations. This restaurant has been catering to the needs of people for more than three decades. Modernizing Indian dishes without altering native flavor is their sole objective and in this aspect I think they have tried their best to satisfy the customers in all possible ways. Here private parking facility is available. This restaurant is open from Tuesday to Sunday. The restaurant is closed on Mondays. Lunch is served between 11.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m and dinner from 5.30 p.m. to 10.00 p.m. "Clay Oven" has its branches in other places like San Francisco, Indianapolis and St. Petersburg. 

                                       

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                   27th September, 2017                       Somaseshu Gutala

A Visit to Sea World, San Diego (established in 1964)

View of Sea World from Above

restaurant inside Sea World

                       

Bayside Sky Ride

                                        

We went to Irvine to put up in our friend’s house as he was away and he was generous enough to permit us to stay in his spacious house for two days. The distance from Irvine to San Diego is nearly 85 miles and so we could easily go for sightseeing without much strain. Irvine is a spacious city with many companies and universities. It has got many tourist attractions but we confined our trip to San Diego only due to limited time schedule. The climate was also quite dry and hot and as we have children in our group we did not wish to cause much strain to them. We went directly to the famous Sea World which provides both fun and information for all.

It is advisable to book tickets online as the price is comparatively less that is 59.99 dollars as against the counter price, 94.99 dollars. It would also save time of waiting in long queues. The opening hours are from 10.00 am to 9.00 pm. Here for elders and disabled people, strollers and wheel chairs are available on hire. Besides having an aquarium it has animal theme park, roller coaster rides, marine mammal park and a lot of games for children to play and enjoy.  This park is operated by Sea World Entertainment and adjacent to this there is Hubbs Research Institute which does research in marine biology and provides detailed information to public on marine themes. In Sea World there are 26 animal habitats, fifteen rides, two play areas and twenty four special time-limited events. The entrance has a beautifully decorated façade with colorful figures.

Dolphin Show

                      

Sea Lion Show

Polar Bear (Wild Arctic)

Flamingoes and ducks

Decorative statues of marine creatures on the way

 We hurried to see Dolphin Show which commences at 11.00 am and the second show at 2.00 p.m. A huge crowd was seen all sitting on the steps of galleries. In the lake a few dolphins were seen performing many acrobatic feats as the instructors were playing with them and throwing food whenever the dolphins obeyed their commands with clock-like precision. They swam very close to the audience and allowed themselves to be touched with affection. Their eyes looked quite human and expressive of their innate feelings. They sprang up into air and leapt in curves splashing enormous jets of water on the clothes of people seated near the lake. Their dancing movements and swimming skills captured everyone’s attention, especially children who shouted and laughed with joy. Next we proceeded to Amphitheater to witness the dramatic performance of sea lions which was a very superb and thrilling show. The sea lions obeyed the directions of the trainers in a perfect manner, expressing emotions and feelings in their every movement in spite of their bulky bodies. We never thought that marine creatures would act in such a wonderful manner expressing through their movements every delicate emotion and thought. The Asian small-clawed otters also complimented the show by their funny acts in their own typical manner.

 By the time the show was over we felt quite hungry. Luckily we bought two all-day dining pass tickets priced at 35 dollars each by which we can have our food at all times till the closing hour. As it was very hot we had to buy many water and juice bottles to rehydrate ourselves. Later we went to Bayside Sky ride, a six-minute ride on two 80-foot towers moving around a loop.  It gives you a beautiful view of bay and the scenic surroundings around. Floating above sea waters and the green trees gives a refreshing feeling to anyone. Later we took "Shipwreck Ride" which gives you an experience of a ship caught in storm and tossed about in a jig jag manner. Our boat went up and down and whirled as if we were caught in a thunder storm. The sudden jerks and turns resulted in splashing of water on our clothes. We sailed through tunnels and narrow ways flanked by huge rocks and jets of water fell on our heads drenching us from top to bottom. Amid this commotion people screeched and shouted with thrill as they neared the bank.  With wet clothes we immediately went to dryer booths nearby to get warm again. One has to pay six dollars to avail this facility. As we have limited time we did not watch “Pets Rule” at Nautilus Amphitheater. In that show animals like dogs, cats, pigs, ducks, emus, porcupines and kangaroos perform various feats.  We watched a swarm of rose-colored flamingoes strutting on the platform surrounded by a circular pool. Hawaiian geese and ducks are also quite cute and pretty. The popular killer whale show “Shamu Rocks” was stopped in November, 2015 and so some of us felt disappointed for missing that special performance.

Journey to Atlantis

Ship Wreck Ride

Shipwreck Ride

Penguin Encounter

Turtle Reef Aquarium

Walrus in Wild Arctic Show

Sting Ray Aquarium

We proceeded to watch the Wild Arctic Simulator Ride Show. The whole room looked like a giant helicopter and we sat in our seats securely fastened. We suddenly felt as if we were lifted into sky and carried away with rapid speed. We could see the ground below dotted with hills, buildings and busy roads. Suddenly with jig jag movements we landed amidst huge snow glaciers where we saw flocks of penguins, seals and polar bears. A very fantastic view conjured by technological miracle! The light and sound effects coupled with cold temperature make us feel quite realistic. After the show we were led downstairs where we can see real Arctic animals and fish—like seals, walruses, polar bears and adult beluga whales. Next some of our team members went out to enjoy “Journey to Atlantis”, a Mac Ride Water Coaster. We rested near the Stingray Fish Aquarium where we saw many multicolored stingray fish and Jelly fish floating in water.

Sea Dragon Drop

Tentacle Twirl

Octa  Rock Ride

Abby's Sea Star Spin

 Children love to enjoy many rides here such as Aqua Scout (submarines that spin and bounce), Sea Dragon Drop (a gigantic swing that moves back and fro), Tentacle Twirl (a swing ride themed as jelly fish),  Abby’s   Sea Star Spin ( moving in teacup shaped seats) , Octa Rock (swing high into air), Manta (soaring and diving coaster), Skywalk Maze (a bridge covered on both sides for children), bouncing floor etc. “Explorer’s Reef” has four different touch pools to interact with a variety of fish like brown banded sharks, white spotted sharks, horse shoe crabs and many other kinds of fish. On the east side of the park behind Penguin Encounter one can see “Owen Center” where many rescued birds are kept in aviaries. This park has special facilities to rescue and take care of many endangered species of marine fish and animals like seals, sea turtles, sea otters, octopuses and dolphins. There are four aquariums for 
both fresh water and marine fish and creatures. Here some seasonal night shows are also organized now and then. There was so much to see. But our time is very limited and so we returned quite satisfied and a little bit tired also.

 This place gave us an opportunity to have a glimpse into the magical world of marine life with so much variety in shape, size and color as well. We will miss this abundant variety of life if we do not care and protect them. The ultimate purpose of places like these is to inculcate in our minds about the need to conserve life gifted by Nature and seen only on this planet. This organization has established Sea World in Ohio in 1970 and in Orlando in 1973. The largest Sea World was established in San Antonio in 1988. If one has time and patience, there is so much to explore and enjoy !

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     24th September, 2017                                        Somaseshu Gutala

A Visit to California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco

California Academy of Sciences , an Eco-friendly structure using green technology

Rain Forest Section

Plants in rain forest

Plants in Rainforest

                                       

Soon after our coming to California our first place of visit is the famous  California Academy of Sciences, where we can see an aquarium, a planetarium and a natural history museum—a sort of three centers at one place. Of course in San Francisco there are many museums like Walt Disney Family Museum, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco Museum of Modern art, Musee Mecanique, Cable car Museum etc. But as most children in our batch were interested in watching various types of plants, fishes and animals, we chose this place which is a must see for everyone. It requires almost one whole day to see so many rare and astonishing things here that we have not seen elsewhere. The academy people deserve our utmost compliments and appreciation for their untiring efforts in preserving all these specimens and in promoting the spirit of science and in creating awareness of caring for our environment and other fellow creatures and beings which have their right to live and grow in their habitats. For this purpose the Academy provided suitable surroundings and simulated conditions for all these creatures to survive without any discomfort and troubles.

 This Academy is located at Music Concourse Drive on Martin Luther King Jr.Blvd., in the heart of the city. This institution started as a society in 1853. In 2008 it was designed by the famous Italian architect, Renzo Piano and re-built in a spacious area. It was opened for public on 27^th September, 2008.The building was constructed in eco-friendly style having a spacious area of four lakh square feet. Nearly 26 million specimens are preserved and looked after here by the managing committee consisting of forty one trustees who allocate duties to executive members. This academy is a scientific and educational institution “dedicated to exploring, explaining and sustain life on earth.”Apart from display of exhibits this academy arranges lectures, workshops, field trips and demo classes on bio-diversity, taxonomy, anthropology, marine biology, herpetology, ichthyology and phylogenetics.

Aquarium

Coral reefs at Steinhart Aquarium

Giant clams in coral reefs

Weedy sea dragon in waters of Australia

                             

Fish in the watertank

Various kinds of corals in different colors

Albino Alligator, Claud

Albino Reticulated Python

Cochranella South American Glass Frog

Mantella, madagascar's toxic golden frog

 Kimball Natural History Museum has three sections; The Osher Rain Forest, Aquarium and Africa Hall (the oldest running exhibit). The Rain Forest section is housed under a 90 foot glass dome kept at 82-85 Fahrenheit temperature with 75% of humidity in air to suit the rain forest flora and fauna. Various trees and plants from Borneo, Madagascar and Costa Rica are seen on three floors as we climb the stairs enclosed on both sides by glass covering. Huge palms, mahogany trees, orchids and others with dark green leaves take us into the world of nature filled with so many different kinds of plants and flowers.  Colorful butterflies, moths and birds are seen flitting all around. Under the first floor the Amazonian forest is displayed with flooding waters. One can also see various types of reptiles and amphibians kept in glass cases. Nearly 1600 live animals are displayed here and one is surprised to see so many different kinds of snakes and frogs. In Steinhart Aquarium various types of fishes, corals, crabs, sea anemones, urchins, stingrays, star fish, and snails are displayed. The aquarium is the star attraction of this place. Many children love to see the bright colored fish and multicolored corals and urchins.

African penguins in Tusher African Hall

Stuffed antelope figures in African Hall

Evolution of man (Human Odyssey)

The Tusher African Hall is another place of attraction to see lifelike models of various jungle animals displayed in glass cases. At the entrance “Human odyssey” the evolution of man is shown by display of various human fossils and skulls. The computer animation of the famous Lucy skeleton shows how changes occurred in physical structure of human species in course of time.  The models of African animals like the tiger, the lion, the rhino, the elephant and the antelope are quite realistic and impressive. At one of the hall within a glass enclosure are kept the African penguins which dip and dive in the 25,000 liter water tank.  In the East Wing one can see Foucault pendulum, a huge 16-inch diameter brass ball weighing about 238 pounds hung from the ceiling by an aircraft control wire. It demonstrates the earth’s rotating movement on its axis. In the West Wing many geophysical exhibits are shown in various glass cases. There are nearly four hundred types of various mineral rocks and gems in this section.

Gems and minerals

Amytheist

Butterfly Collections

Saffron Pinch

Blue necked tanager

In the Earthquake section a lot of information is given about the occurrence of earthquakes with details photos and models. The effect of earthquake is practically experienced in the chamber by technological simulation. As we had to hurry to get into the planetarium we did not spend much time there to know about earthquakes. The Morrison Planetarium is one of the largest completely digital planetariums with a spacious dome above measuring about ninety feet in diameter and with a seventy five feet broad screen. The introducer gave a lecture about the theme of earth’s evolution and galaxies with their enormous size and numbers. The appearance and features of Pluto were clearly projected on the screen. But we felt it would be better to give more visual details instead of verbal explanation. Details may be shown on the screen itself.  At the Naturalist Center many books, toys, specimens, printed T-shirts, films and interactive games are available. In the main hall   skeleton of a blue whale is displayed while in another hall the huge skeleton of Tyrannosaurua Rex is seen. At another place the huge skeleton of 87-foot long blue whale is seen suspended from the roof.

Foucault Pendulum weighing 238 pounds

Naturalist Center

Morrisons Planetarium

Flying Dynosaurs

Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton

87 foot long blue whale skeleton

Earthquake Zone

 At the Science Project one can look at the scientists working on real, live research projects and also at several smaller exhibits. But most of the scientific research work is carried out in private labs. This institution publishes a journal called “Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences” to inform people about their latest discoveries and information. In 2011 scientists of this institution went on an expedition to Phillipines and discovered nearly three hundred species quite unknown to science.

This Museum is open from 9.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. from Monday to Saturday and from 11.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. on Sundays. At present the Rain Forest section has been closed from 5^th September to 12^th October as renovation works are going on.  The entry ticket for adults is 35.75 dollars, 30.95 for senior citizens and for those aged between 12 and 17 years and 25.95 dollars for children below twelve years. The authorities may consider reducing the entry fee to facilitate more people coming to this museum and get enough knowledge and awareness in protection of the surroundings and our fellow creatures as well. Visiting places of scientific knowledge is very much essential not only for kids but also for elders as our every day life depends on contributions of science and it is our bounden duty to use scientific gifts properly without damaging our surroundings, climate and other beings too.

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    15th September, 2017                                        Somaseshu Gutala