Ride the waves: Make a long visit to the Southern California coast where you can surf or sun or both. It would be perfect to take surfing lessons on Huntington Beach (not far from where I grew up) – a sport that is uniquely Californian and can be enjoyed by people of all ages, kids and adults alike.

Spot in the sun: Be waited on by a ‘beach butler’ at Perry’s Beach Café in Santa Monica or Venice where you can have a smoothie in style. Just bring your suntan lotion, they will supply the rest.

Enhance your inner essence: Rent a houseboat on Shasta Lake with incredible views of the lake – an area of natural beauty and spiritual essence. You can listen to cowboy poetry and take a ride on a real bronco at a horse ranch. If you prefer, you can hike, fish, or even go gold panning.

Style blends with elegance: A visit to Big Sur (of Jack Kerouac fame) on the Central Coast is a visual dream, with amazing vistas of the Pacific Ocean. A visit to the Post Ranch Inn is a must, as it is a sanctuary suited in luxury, style and elegance.

Palate pleasures: A trip to San Francisco wouldn’t be complete without sampling the exceptional clam chowder and sour dough bread at Boudin’s Bakery – without doubt some of the best you will ever eat.

Shopaholics’ paradise: Shopping is not the same without a VIP card from one of the many great outlet malls – incredible value for Coach, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani – you just can’t pass the Desert Hills Premium Outlets near Palm Springs without stopping. A true California clothing brand that I recommend for the fashionable teen or young adult (as my daughter is a teenager and an avid shopper) is the Hollister California line of clothes for ‘Dudes’ and ‘Bettys’.

Of wines and mustard flowers: The Wine Country of Napa and Sonoma is incredible – one of my favourite festivals is the Mustard Festival held every year in Napa from January to March: vibrant with the beautiful mustard flower to ring in the spring season. It is something to look forward to every year, without fail.

“It’s the energy this state exudes...”
Caroline Beteta on living it up in California

From 2pac’s sunshine state the messenger of Arnold Schwarzenegger named Caroline Beteta was in the country for a brief while to talk of wines and orange bridges. Within six hours of landing in Mumbai, Verve was there sipping masala chai and exchanging notes about the two sunny states. As she explained the similarities between the two places saying, “I come from Hollywood, warm and colourful beaches to the city of Bollywood, heat and even more colourful beaches.”

Caroline is a true-blue Californian…there isn’t any activity that she doesn’t do. While she loves to run, she has a lifetime of a relationship with horse-riding and not only has she been riding since three years of age, she made her daughter ride at three and just before leaving for India, it was her grandchild’s turn at two and a half. She points out, “There are so many activities you can do in California, from snow boarding to trekking to horse riding and if you are not the adventure sports enthusiast, you could even go on a road trip. We have beautiful highways and countryside, so just renting a car and driving down makes it a perfect plan.”

Besides, running, skiing (she snow-boarded for the first time this year) and a host of other activities, a special one close to her heart has to do with a lot of grapes. This wine country boasts of some beautiful ranges of crispy, smooth Californian wine as sunny as the place they are from. “Wine; be it drinking, tasting, harvesting, is a big part of our lives,” she says. Californian wine, Hollywood Boulevard, the mythical land of L.A., San Francisco’s Golden Gate bridge – so much to see and revel in. Just remember, “If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.”

And, while she has travelled a lot, she has always wanted to return home to California: “It’s the energy this state exudes,” she says. So, of course, by her demeanour whether in the morning or at night and even when she is dazzling in a sari, you know that she is the perfect child of the sun.

- SOHINI DATTA

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