I started the journey to the other end of the world 4 weeks ago. I realized I was back in Detroit when we landed in the middle of a snowstorm. Some 30 cm of snow had piled up overnight, and the airport was sheer chaos. Took one hour to get off the plane after landing (the pilot had stopped a few feet short of the airbridge and could not restart without slipping on ice and slamming against the building, so we had to be towed). Then it took another 3 hours to get the luggage (frozen doors and luggage carts that kept getting stuck in the snow). Poor Kumar was waiting for me outside all that time... in a room with no heating! Yup, that's the one thing we'll never be homesick for!
After spending a night in Detroit we kept traveling to Buenos Aires. Once there life was all good again! We desperately needed to rest, relax and be surrounded by our people, and that's exactly what we did. There isn't really much to tell that doesn't involve friends, asado (Argentina's BBQ), good wine, the microbrewery in Recoleta and a few sinful ice creams (did I mention that the best gelato on Earth is made in Argentina?). We're now on a mission to shed the extra lbs. now, but it was well worth it!
Shopping was much reduced this time due to the astronomical prices of all things worth bringing back. The value of the peso continues to be inflated beyond reason, and the boat- and plane-loads of tourists invading the city and buying anything that crosses their paths don't exactly help to bring it down to a realistic level. The lousiest t-shirt is 20 dollars, and any decent local-designer outfit would be considered pricey in Europe. Kumar would point out that I still managed to fill up a suitcase with shoes and bags -- but I'm sticking to my story.
The best part of the trip was of course seeing all my dearest friends, meeting new babies and radiant moms-to-be. Today I was talking to Kumar (who is back in Detroit for the Auto Show) and told him that most of my pictures were of babies. He said that's all very well, but please make sure you create a "babies" album so not everyone around the world will have to look through them. So be warned and enter the "Buenos Aires - Babies" photo link on the right at your own risk. There is also a selection of pictures of Gwen, the 13-year-old family cat, at the end of the babies album... Not meaning to offend any parents, but for lack of a "Her Royal Majesty" album I decided to include her images with the babies'.
Here's some of my favorite:
Kumar telling Vero & Fede who knows what story
My Dad telling Kumar some other story
4-month-old Delfina happy in my arms
My niece Sajel looking really sleepy
Kumar and Gwen relaxing together
Coming back to Japan was again a culture shock. As soon as we got off the plane and into the train that goes from the terminal to the immigration area, I noticed a man carrying a purse that was WAY prettier than mine, while another man was frantically text-messaging into his baby-pink-colored phone. I guess we should be used to it by now, but some things are just too odd... like arriving at work on Monday to discover that the floor of a tunnel that runs through several buildings had been freshly painted over the holidays; and guess what color? - yes, PINK! And minutes later, still in shock by the fate of tunnel's floor, to run into a man at the Tully's coffee queue wearing tight jeans tucked into his beautiful high-heeled boots and a fur boa around his neck. (And just to be clear... none of these men were gay!)
It took me 3 days to recover my pre-holiday stress levels, and Kumar managed to stay stress-free for 4. No special reason, just the usual crap.
While Kumar is back in Detroit this week, I have a trip to Hokkaido for a photo shoot. Hokkaido is the northern-most island in Japan, where the weather is now -20 degrees (Celsius). If my index finger does not freeze and fall off, I might be able to shoot a few pics and share them when I return (and thaw).
That's all for now. Remember to check out the Buenos Aires (babies/cat and baby-free) albums.
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