Mendocino- A Getaway Close to Home

During the XMas holidays, Special K and i took off to Mendocino, a coastal village that is nestled 4 hours north of San Francisco. Drving on Highway 1 along the coast is beautiful and scenic. We were lucky to have moderately good weather with the sun coming out on and off except on our way back when it started to pour.
There are several things about Mendocino that i like-

First, of all, it is close enough to Bay Area and we drive away on a Friday evening and come back on Sunday evening after spending two nights and a little more than a day there.

Second, we enjoyed our stay at the Blackberry Inn, a semi bed and breakfast place that had good views of the ocean from our room. We were surprised to meet the inn manager, a white guy, who introduced himself as Janaka. His wife's name was Bhavani and his son's name was Karthikeyan. His daughter-in-law is a telugu girl named Geetha. This is a white family and when asked about their names, he gave us a brief history of how they converted themselves back in years to Hindu-Shaivism and worship Lord Ganesha and other Indian dieties. Their puja room was filled with Indian Gods and sloka books. They have a Guruji who was born in Oakland, CA and now has his own temple in Kaui, Hawaii. Oh Man, these folks were celebrating Shasti and not XMas. When we were leaving, we were given incense sticks, a Chandrika soap and some Indian curry powder.

Finally, the area- This North Coast region of Mendocino is wonderously beautiful, quiet and relaxing with three state parks nearby, long breathtaking paths along the rugged coastline that lead to magnificant beaches that have no people. This is a place where one can totally unwind and blend in with the ocean and admire the views with a loved one beside you.

The village of Mendocino also offers some exquisite massage and spa houses which offer solace to the stressed out folks who come there just to rest. There are stores that sell local arts and crafts stuff for the tourists. Other attractions closeby are the Botanical Gardens and Skunk Train rides to and from Fort Bragg.

A definite place to visit if you live on the west coast..................

Have a restful weekend.