Friday, January 30

We have arrived too early for the party. We catch Hari in the middle of making final adjustments to this flower arrangement. We retire to a beachside restaurant for an hour to watch the sun go down. We manage to get served one beer despite the fact that Kerala has a dry day to celebrate/commemorate Mahatma Gandhi Martyrdom Day. We will have another dry day on Sunday because that counts as the first of the month, and every time a month begins Kerala celebrates it by prohibiting the sale of alcohol.

At 19:00 Antonella Gasparri will host her 65th birthday party at The Village, and we will return in time for the kick-off.

The evening will include plenty of pasta and pizza, conversation and dancing, and we will arrive home several hours later than we intended.