Ode to a Mango Duet

Mango Duet is
both orange and white, with stick
bought from man on bike!

As of last week, I have left Nick in the traveling companionship of one Mr. Louis-Philippe, our very capable neighbor from the North. Ever since we met Louis over a month ago in Sikkim, our lives have been one long experimental haircut. As I left them to their exploration of greater Rajasthan, Amritsar, and the infamous rat temple, I dubbed them the Mango Duet, a delicious mango-flavored dreamsicle concoction sold by Kwality Walls all throughout India. Cool, refreshing, and always on the verge of melting, they are two great tastes that go together.

This is Louis-Philippe: Quebecois, Greek, New Wave

The first of many haircuts performed in guest houses.
Confidential to Nick: Do you have any hair left?

Team Minnesota would like to wish you both the safest of travels throughout Punjab: may you always have an upper-berth and may all your samosas stay above the floor.

bizzaro birthday

I've managed to miss most of the major holidays over the past four months. Christmas day was spent recovering from Nikhil's wedding party in Mumbai, New Years Eve listening to fireworks from a guest house in Hyderabad, Valentine's Day watching Titanic at a restaurant in Kerala, and my 26th birthday on a beach in Diu. We had champagne for breakfast (or Champion, as the menu called it) and real cheese at the 3-star resort across the street from our (no star) hotel. Of course, I have witnessed some Indian holidays that I was not previously acquainted with; namely, Holi, the celebration of spring, when everyone walks around throwing (smearing) colored powder on everyone else. Very messy.

Skipping holidays has reset my internal calendar. Combined with the fact that it is so hot in Mumbai right now that I am being forced with the task of redefining what hot means, for all practical reasons, I have no idea what time of the year it is. This means I have succeeded in one very important task: I have managed to skip winter. The night before leaving Minnesota in December was spent running from my car to my house with Nellie and Sarah, moving all my belongings in garbage bags and trying not to get frost bite. Now they report that it's 72 degrees and everyone is emerging from hibernation. It seems I am about to treat myself to a second summer. Boca burgers, Twins games, nachos, G&T's and karoke.

Count me in.