Of Willy, Shamu and San Diego

I wish we had watched Free Willy, a whale movie in theme park setting, before we did the Sea World in San Diego. I reckon Sidharth and Nikhil would then have had a better understanding of Shamu the whale at the Sea World.As it happened,they came out of the Shamu Show drenched, bleary eyed with sea water, and blaming it all on the poor whale.
Nikhil said he didn't want to revisit Shamu who had splashed the pool water on him. Sidharth took it sportingly; said it was fun getting soaked at the Shamu Show.
We were seated on the sixth of the first 12 rows designated the 'soak zone'. We were at the venue an hour before the show,to be able to get seats upfront. But then Nikhil did not expect Shamu to do what he did to him and his clothes.

But then after watching Free Willy and the sorry plight of the whale in the movie Sidharth/Nikhil changed their mind on Shamu. Sidharth wondered who, and where Shamu's mom was. What, if a mean man drained the water from Shamu's pool, as he did, from Willy's pool? Who would save Shamu, as Jessie did Willy at the movie ? Wouldn't the whales at the Sea World want to get out into the open sea?
When she heard of their concerns, Sidharth/Nikhil's mom reckoned that it was just as well they didn't watch Free Willy earlier. If they had , they wouldn't have wanted to visit the Sea World.

A highlight of their San Diego trip was the visit to the beach, from where Sidharth and Nikhil brought back a fistful of seashells. They spotted several seals at the beach; it was the world's only beach where the law gives a free run to the seals, and an official notice says seals can move about anywhere there, and they cannot be legally removed or disturbed by people.

Seals are a tourist attraction on the waterfront of Hyatt Residency, from where you get a water taxi to the Sea World. Jeniffer, who piloted our taxi boat knew a thing or two about seals. She told us they brought in a boatload of fish caught in mid-sea and dumped them every other day all along the hotel waterfront. Which explains why seals flock to the water front.






Sidharth/Nikhil realized there was more to San Diego than the Sea World when they got to ride a speedboat driven by dad/mom.

San Jose Tech Museum

Doing San Jose Tech museum with grandsons - Sidharth,nearly 6, and Nikhil,3 plus - made me wonder if this was what Nehru had in mind when he talked of creating a scientific temper in our young minds.The museum exhibits with interactive features invite children to try their hand on colouring a digital sketch, web-designing, bridge-building, and a host of other activities.






Sidharth/Nikhil,among other things, created their own websites and designed a roller-coaster ride that they could test out in a simulator.They experienced the thrill of riding the roller-coaster they structured on a computer. The tech museum has scores of other hands-on exhibits to engage children. So excited were my grandsons that they wouldn't want to leave when a the security guard reminded us politely it was time we left. The museum closes at 5 p m.







The next day Sidharth asked if he could upload some photos from his baseball camp in the blog he created at the tech museum. Such was the impact of a visit to a place, so unlike most other museum where exhibits are kept in a glass case or cordoned off with a don't-touch signboard.

San Ramon, July 2011

Sidharth and Nikhil were having their afternoon nap when we got in from the airport, after a 24-hour flight fro Chennai.But they had a left this notice taped to the front door of their San Ramon home.
It has been two years since our last visit.Sidharth is 6, has started going to regular school and got a blue belt in taekwando. Brother Nikhil, 4, in pre-school, finds himself literally in his brother's shoes .

The brothers have taken over the garage, in addition to their play-room.