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Postcard from Puerto Rico and some sports

Well, the short stay at Puerto Rico was damn sweet to say the least. Dorado, San Juan (capital), Fajardo, Luquillo and El Yunque - Mucho Gracias for a good vacation. 80 degree weather and beautiful ladies made it worthwhile.

The assembly line tours (on thursday and friday) were a good learning experience. The manufacturing floor tour for Leads assembly for Pacemakers and Defibrillators were made very educational and easy by the floor supervisors. Going back to the Embassy Suites hotel after work, changing into swimwear & off to the beach for some fresh air and spending some quiet time in the jacuzzi were some good memories I got from there.

On saturday, in old San Juan, we saw the San Cristobal and El Morro forts. These 2 forts were once the stronghold of the military guarding the capital city from intruders, watching over the vast Atlantic Ocean. Had a late lunch at Tantra, an Indo-Latino restaurant. There was nothing latino about the chana-masala though.

Sunday was probably the best day of the trip. Had a great time at El Yunque rain forest and Luquillo beach. But quite frankly, there wasn't anything Puerto Rican about these 2 places. The rain forest was pretty much like a tropical hilly area in Maharashtra and if you have been to Goa, Luquillo beach is no different than Calangute beach, with the exception that the water is toooo salty and leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

All in all, PR is a nice place for a vacation, away from the mad rush that is America. PR, even though has a definite american influence, has its own cultures and values intact. Locals are quite happy about life there and their driving will remind you of the time when you were in India.

Talking about India, how about 'em Team India winning the 3rd test in Perth, in 4 days. Beating Australia on their favorite ground with some great all-round performance with both bat and ball. Thats what you call a Statement game. Hope the momentum from this match will be carried over to the Adelaide test starting this week. The last time India played here, they won the match with some terrific batting from Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman and some extra-special bowling from the Bombay Duck, Ajit Agarkar.

The New England Patriots are in the Superbowl for the 4th time in 7 years and they have won the last 3 times they were in the Superbowl. This time they play the New York Giants. Tom Brady has to play a Manning (Eli, this time) again. Feb 3rd, University of Phoenix Stadium, Arizona, the battle lines will be drawn and the old rivalries between New York and Boston will be renewed on the biggest stage that is the Superbowl.

Let the best team win, be it NFL or the cricket test match between India and Australia. And I hope, it is the Patriots and Team India, who are victorious.

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