TRAVEL SPECIAL...MAKE IT HAPPEN TO CALIFORNIA

MAKE IT HAPPEN TO CALIFORNIA

From the friendly people of San Francisco to the brilliant Pacific blues of Monterey and the giant redwoods of Big Sur, America’s Golden State has it all for visitors

ESSENTIALS
Getting There
Cathay Pacific flies via Hong Kong to San Francisco, while Air France, Air India, Delta Airlines and Lufthansa fly via hubs in Europe to San Francisco from India. Return economy fares start at 87,800.
Getting Around
There are plenty of car rental options available at San Diego and San Francisco international airports, including Hertz (hertz.com), Budget (budget.com), Alamo (alamo.com), Avis (avis.com) and National (nationalcar.com). Car hires start at about 13,700 for a week.
Veg Out
Most San Francisco eateries have veg options, but Greens has the perfect mix of yummy eats and stunning dining experience. Get a table that overlooks the marina and enjoy world veggie cuisine, from Thai yellow curry to enchiladas (00-1-415-711-6222; greensrestaurant.com; Fort Mason, Building A; 4,000 for two).
Visa
Apply for a B1/B2 visa at the US Consulate closest to you. It takes around 21 days to schedule an interview, with a further two working days at least to process the visa (vfs-usa.co.in; 9,280, VFS fee 387).
San Diego: 2 nights
Take time out to visit the deservedly popular San Diego Zoo (00-1-619-231-1515; sandiegozoo.org, 2920, Zoo Drive in Balboa Park; 9 am to 9 pm; 2,350 adult, 1,800 child).
Santa Monica: 2 nights Browse through a farmer’s market (smgov.net) and channel your inner child at Palisades Park (00-1-310-458-8644; Ocean Ave (from Colorado ave to San Vicente Blvdl).
Santa Barbara: 1 night The Malibu Adamson House showcases architectural heritage of the area (00-1-310-456-8432; adamsonhouse.org; 23200, PCH, Malibu; guided tours; 11 am to 3 pm; from 400).
Morro Bay: 2 nights Kayaking in Morro Bay is a novel experience. Ask for a guided tour or go solo (00-1-805-772-6444; kayakhorizons.com; 551, Embarcadero; 9 am to5 pm; guided tours from 3,650, kayak rentals from 670).
Big Sur: 2 nights Big Sur has plenty of great hiking trails; try Los Padres National Forest (fs.usda.gov), Julia Pfeiffer-Burns State Park, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and Andrew Molera State Park (park.ca.gov)
Monterey: 2 nights Piedras Blancas Lighthouse is worth a visit (00-1-805-927-7361; piedrasblancas.org; meet at Old Piedras Blancas Motel; tours: 10 am Mon-Fri (summer), Tues, Thur, Sat (winter); 560 adult, 280 child). Don’t leave without visiting Monterey Bay Aquarium (00-1-831-648-4800; montereybayaquarium.org; 886, Cannery Row; 9.30 am to 6 pm; from 1,940 adult, 1,220 child). Visits from Pacific gray whales (mid-Dec-Apr) and humpback and blue whales (May-mid-Dec) make Monterey a great place to go whale-watching (Monterey Bay Whale Watch: 00-1-831-375-4658; gowhales.com; trips from 2,350 adult, 1,500 child, Randy’s Fishing and Whale Watching Trips; 00-1-831-372-7440; randysfishingtrips.com; from 1,700 adult, 1,120 child).
San Francisco: 3 nights Cross the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito (ferry schedule: goldengateferry.org), or go on a San Francisco Helicopter Tour for a different perspective on the city (00-1-650-635-4500; sfhelicoptertours.com; tours from 9,700 adult, 7,500 child). Don’t miss a tour of Alcatraz (with CityPASS Alcatraz tour option: 00-1-415-981-7625; citypass.com/san-francisco; from 3,800.
Do It On a Bike
The Pacific Highway is excellent to ride on, especially in October if you plan early. Rent a big Harley-Davidson, BMW or Honda touring bike to do it on. Eagle rider (00-1-310-536-6777; eagle rider.com; from 9,000 a day) and US Motorcycle rentals (00-1-925-890-0691; usmotorcyclerentals.com; from 9,800 a day) offer rentals all over California. A valid Indian motorcycle license (in English and legible) is required. The rental includes one helmet. Most bikes come with some luggage capacity, you can stow larger luggage at the rental agency shops.
Driving Licence
What driver’s licence you need in the USA depends on which states you’re visiting. California doesn’t recognise International Driving Permit, so you only need your valid Indian driving licence. You’re better off if you have a card-type licence. Check what licenses you need in other states — look for the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) site for the state you’re planning to visit (California:dmv.ca.gov), or dmvlist.com.
What Else to Do
California is vast, and stuffed with things to do — the Pacific Coast is just one part of it. A great way to extend this driving trip is to carry on from San Francisco to Napa’s vineyards, then north to Redwood National Park for the real giants. Swing east to Lake Tahoe, drive south to dramatic Yosemite, then hit the drier bits of California at spectacular Death Valley, which you’ll cross to get to Las Vegas. Los Angeles is a couple of hours’ drive out of Vegas. This round trip should take you another 10-12 days.