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Hello everyone! Today, I want to share our recent trip to Maine, which we decided to undertake over the Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend. It was the perfect opportunity for us because not only did we have a break from school, but long weekends are ideal for exploring new places. Instead of taking a flight like most people, we opted to go on a road trip to save a little on airfare. Our destination was Bangor, Maine, which may sound like it’s in Oriental Asia, but it’s actually located in the United States.

Our journey began in Toronto, and before embarking on the long drive, we decided to satisfy our hunger at an Indian restaurant because, well, we’re Indian, and we love Indian food. We ordered biryani and chili chicken, and it was a delightful start to our trip. After a quick pit stop, we continued our drive and eventually crossed the Ontario border.

Our initial plan was to reach the suburbs of Montreal, spend the night there, and then head down to Bangor. You might be wondering about how we did our trip without visas, but the good news is that we didn’t need them because we had passports, which worked perfectly fine for our journey.

As we drove towards Montreal, I found myself dozing off and woke up to find us already in the city. Oh, and speaking of the drive, we had a seven-seater car, which made me realize that we could have brought more friends along because we had ample space. It was somewhat cramped for me as I was in the back seat. One noteworthy event during the trip was when I had to unbuckle my seatbelt and reach across the car to fetch some snacks for my parents in the front seats.

After spending a night in the suburbs of Montreal with only about six hours of sleep, we woke up, got ready, and hit the road once again. We continued driving, passing through picturesque Quebec border towns and the relatively sizable Quebec City, including Sherbrooke. Originally, we had planned to explore Sherbrooke as well, but exhaustion set in, so we decided to proceed to the Montreal suburbs instead.

During the journey, we tuned in to French radio and I even engaged in conversations with locals, as I am proficient in French. It was a fun way to break up the monotony of the drive.

By the time we crossed the US border, we were all quite tired due to the lack of sleep. We took a brief break to stretch our legs and take some pictures before officially entering the state of Maine. Bangor was our final destination, and since it’s slightly off the beaten path, we didn’t have many hotel options. Fortunately, we were staying at a family friend’s place in Bangor.

Upon arriving in Bangor, we settled into our rooms, and my parents did some work after the long drive. Later in the day, we headed out in their convertible to explore the city of Bangor. Our family friends, Uncle Rajan, Auntie Savitha, and their daughter Archana, lived in a lovely house, and they had Uncle Rajan’s mother visiting as well.

We embarked on a city tour, which included a visit to both sides of the river and a famous Paul Bunyan statue. Uncle Rajan shared some interesting stories about the city, and we learned more about Bangor’s history.

We also stopped by a pier and witnessed a freshly caught lobster being taken out of the water. It was a fascinating sight, and we continued our drive, exploring the city further.

After our adventure, we returned home and enjoyed some quality time with our family friends. For some reason, everyone found my jokes to be particularly amusing.

The next day, we decided to venture out for lunch and Uncle Rajan treated us to his special biryani. He explained how the temperature of the pot and the balance of meat and rice were crucial, along with the selection of spices and the fried onions. The type of rice used also played a significant role. The biryani was incredibly flavorful and aromatic, and it lingered in our mouths long after we had finished eating.

Our trip to Maine was off to a great start, and we looked forward to more adventures in this beautiful state. Stay tuned for more stories from our journey!