Vacation diary - 1

Had a good trip until we reached JFK. Qatar Airways is amazing, more so for the inflight entertainment. I could choose from so many awesome movies, plus pause/start/stop whenever I wanted to, quite unlike Emirates' inflight stuff. Watched movies after a long time and that too back-to-back! Watched Confessions of A Shopaholic (nice, could've been better) and then Bride Wars. Yes, chickflicks. And accompanied with chocolate icecream. Definitely felt like a vacation :)

Reached JFK and had a really tough time waiting to clear immigration. Ended up in a weird warehouse like room where there were 90 percent people were either Muslim or South American. At least 50 percent of the names called out had 'Mohammad' in them. And the whole process was so inefficient! Was so frustrated by the time we came out (3 hours after we landed) that I told mom, "Let's just go back." Apparently all first time visitors go through this. But I saw only a handful of white faces and too many abayas, hijabs, beards. Really sad.



The first thing I told ze mama when we met was 'I hate your country'. But I hadn't seen New York until then. We left for New Jersey then, a long, long ride it was. But oh-so-scenic! Initially, the roads just seemed like slight variations of Dammam roads, but when we reached the city and then George Washington drive, oh-my-god. It was amazing, the New York skyline on one end, and cliff-faces on the other, and of course, the Hudson. So beautiful. Was completely overawed. I really didn't expect New York, almost a world capital, to be so green and so at one with nature. I'm already dying to start walking the streets. The 'awara' in me (as mom would put it) is dying to be left alone, to walk and to discover. I don't know how much of that will happen though.

(Some random pictures - a rainbow, sad pictures of the Hudson cause a railing was blocking the view, and the uncle's house. Better pictures next time insha allah)