Dubai: It's like Saudi Arabia and Las Vegas had a child together

A glitzy, commercial, over-the-top Muslim country in the desert. Very glad we stopped here, as it was a nice transition back to the developed world. But what a wacky place. We spent most of our time in malls. In fact, on our last day Leah and I had "the day of three malls." One mall had the ski hill. One had the skating rink and soaring fountain. And one had the movie we wanted to see.

Why does a shopping mall need a ski hill? That's still not clear to me.

The Burj Khalifa (the tallest building in the world) really is cool to behold, but since virtually no one walks outdoors, the only views were from inside (a mall). Leah and I walked more than five miles one day and were only outside for about five minutes. Weird place but a great stopping point on our way back to Europe. We've now made it to Berlin, where it feels pleasantly cool. Can't wait to get outside and walk!

Planes, bicycles, houseboats, trains, and auto-rickshaws

Alas, it has come time to bid farewell to India. It remains one of our favorite places to travel. For our final week, we headed to the southern state of Kerala, renown for its beaches, vegetarian food, and tropical climate.

As in so many other places, domestic air travel has become remarkably cheap. We opted for the short, inexpensive, and easy flight from Mumbai to Cochin.

Leah and I had a chance to get on bicycles for the first time since leaving Hanover.

I found time to get a 70 rupee haircut (about $1.20).

The marquis attraction of Kerala, however, is cruising the coastal channels in a houseboat. These boats are literally houses plopped on top of old hulls, complete with air-conditioned bedrooms, bathrooms, and a private chef for each boat. We cruised along, relaxing and eating great food.

As always in India, it was fun just to watch the world go by.

For the return trip to Mumbai, I opted for the more adventurous 24-hour overnight train. When I booked it, the guy selling tickets said, "You know it's the same price to fly." Yes, but only a long train trip provides the real Indian experience!

I felt less excited about my decision when Sophie projectile vomited from the top berth in the middle of the night. I'll save the rest of that story for the book.

For now, we owe ENORMOUS thanks to Sumer and Sonali Shankardass, who have been extraordinarily gracious hosts during our time in Mumbai. This place feels like home--better than home, actually, because at home there is not a cook to bring a steady stream of delicious food out of the kitchen. Thank you! We shall return (as they have now learned repeatedly).

CJ: International cricket star (or at least a star attraction)

Truth be told, we've been relaxing in south India at the Mirari Sands Wellness Beach Resort. Far from roughing it.

Sophia's friend Isabel is visiting from Hanover. We've all spent a lot of time lounging on or near the beach.

Of course, it's still India, which means one need only stroll 100 yards down the road to find something interesting. Like this guy poking mangos out of a tree.

These guys invited CJ to join their cricket game, where he performed admirably (having bought a cricket set and practiced in our backyard after our last India trip).

All that was during about a one hour walk. Note that Leah is holding a mango. Because when you stop to watch someone picking mangos, of course they will give you one. It's one of the many charming things about India.

Katrina returns to Asia!

Katrina has finished her treatment in Germany and has headed to Kathmandu with her friend Kati. She appears cured of her parasite. They are planning to trek in Nepal, so we will not rendezvous with Katrina for a couple of weeks, most likely in Georgia (the country, not the state). I'm not sure why they are wearing matching hippy travel outfits.

While we are gorging ourselves on delicious Indian food, they are having momos!

The delights of Mumbai

We are staying with our longtime friends Sumer and Sonali in their lovely apartment in Mumbai. I cannot fully convey how much fun we have had plugging ourselves into their social scene here. The picture below was taken after we attended an engagement party for one of their nephews.

We escaped for two days across the bay by ferry to Alibag, the Mumbai equivalent of the Hamptons.

As always, much of our day revolves around food.

There has been golf (twice).

And even dancing. (I do not own this shirt; Sumer loaned it to me.)

We met Sumer and Sonali back in Chicago, when Sophie began kindergarten with their twins, Saira and Simran. This has been a reunion for the girls.

This being India, one never knows what might happen next--like this wedding party, complete with band, that strolled by our apartment window this morning.

And now Sophie's friend Isabel has joined us all the way from Hanover. She has plunged into the Shankardass Family and will travel with us to Kerala in the south of India.

Through it all, we have tried to abide by local laws and customs.

Capetown: One of the world's great food (and wine) cities

We had a lovely, relaxing time in Capetown--so good to be able to drink tap water again! Our South Africa agenda was sadly unambitious, but we really enjoyed parking there for a while in a comfortable Airbnb apartment in a residential neighborhood with a fantastic cafe just up the street and a great view of Table Mountain in the distance.

We figured out the buses so that we could get around easily. And we spent a shocking amount of time eating everything from wild boar sausage to great cheeses. Also, it was fun to be in a city once again where we could walk and wander, including the colorful historically Muslim area of the city.

Of course, every day in South Africa is a political miracle in progress. Apartheid was still in force when I graduated from Dartmouth. (In fact, it was the anti-Apartheid shanties on the green that set in motion a series of protests and counter-protests that polarized the campus.) I was here in 1995, when people were enthusiastic about Mandela's election but worried the government would not last beyond him. (Their fears about bad governance were not irrational. Current President Jacob Zuma fired his well-respected finance minister during our visit, causing South African debt to be immediately downgraded to junk status.) But still, the fact that the society has held together in the face of such tectonic changes over the course of one generation is remarkable.

We visited Robben Island, where Mandela was imprisoned for nearly two decades. It's a sobering place with tours led by former political prisoners.

Robben Island is a little incongruous, however, as it's also home to a penguin colony and offers a beautiful view back towards Capetown.

Meanwhile, Capetown is just a beautiful place, perched between the Atlantic coast and Table Mountain. We made a trip up to Table Mountain and hiked around there for an afternoon.

Late in the day, the fog rolled in, making this sunset possible.

On our final full day, Leah and I went for a full day of wine tasting (leaving CJ and Sophie behind to make their way on the bus to a shopping mall, which they pulled off without a hitch). As noted in the title of the post, the food and wine is extraordinary. And the wine region just outside of Capetown is beautiful (and redolent of Sonoma).

Here we had a curious and inspiring insight into post-Apartheid life. We took a group tour with a Brazilian couple on their honeymoon and five nurses from Johannesburg. As we posed for our group photo, we arranged ourselves coincidentally such that everyone who was white was on one side and everyone who was black was on the other. One of the nurses said, "No, no. We must be mixed!" We rearranged ourselves. If you think about it, that says an awful lot (at least about one person's aspirations for South Africa's future) given that it was just a personal photo of a vacation wine tour.

We tasted 19 wines, with big pours and not much spitting. My photos became more artistic as the day went on.

We've now left Africa, after too little time, and have made our way to Mumbai, where we are staying with our dear friends Sumer and Sonali. Remarkably, we are on the back end of this adventure. Today or tomorrow, we'll book our tickets from Europe back to Boston . . .