India!

Can you guess where a man like this is going? Hmm, light luggage, casual traveller. Bet you wouldn't guess TWO WEEKS IN INDIA!?! I couldn't believe it when Michael said that these two backpacks were all he was taking! I guess that's what you get from someone who doesn't rely on checking baggage but does have faith in the Indian hotel laundry system.

I'm normally okay with a little alone time here and there, but I was really sad to see Michael go! Now that he works from home, I've gotten really used to having him around all the time, so his vacancy here is extra noticeable. Didn't help that all week, whoever heard he was going to India shared some horrible travel tale of being in an Indian cafeteria during "the bombing," or the four INDIAN guys who went and all caught yellow fever and only three came back, or about the incessant droves of children who attach themselves to your leg and pickpocket you or even worse, beg and plead for money. These would be the reasons I didn't accompany him on this business trip where he is meeting his software developers. Seems like none of the kids wanted to go either, because as we pulled into LAX and joked, "Surprise! We're all going with Daddy," none seemed too excited. Except Blake, who jumped out of the car curbside and said, "Please take me! I even put my shoes on!" Gavin said he didn't care too much to go to a place where "they get big red zits in the middle of their forehead."

I was so relieved when Skype let me know 24 hours later that Michael made it just fine! He's staying in the best (i.e. safest) "5 star" resort, whose front entrance is in the below pictures. He says it's probably 3 star American. It's in Chandigarh by Punjab (and the Pakistan border!), a fairly nice business district, and so far there've been no muggings or malaria. Although, a 25-year-old passenger on Michael's first plane to Germany DIED four hours into the flight!! Apparently, he just went blue, passed out, and died! How sad! And this begs the question, what the heck did they do with the body for the next ten hours?

Below are pictures of some holy bulls wandering through the roads (notice the kid in RED right next to them who doesn't seem phased one bit), one of his developer's sons next to a man made lake, and the marketplace. More pics to come.

We're missing Michael, and he's so extremely tired from the past week of working literally 24/7, but today/tonight (12 hour time difference), he's sleeping safely--thanks to all who've asked.