Kavya is no stranger to the world of airports, security checks, and yes she carries her own bag. The blanket is someone else’s responsibility though. She ain’t no mule. As we’re sitting in the lounge, United Airlines announces that our flight is delayed because the Captain and the first officer haven’t arrived yet. “And they need to turn the plane on.” Excellent start.
Photo Friday: Yapping It Up!
Even before Kavya was able to properly form words, one of her favourite things to do in the City was have conversations. Planes. Cars. Trains. Buses. Shops. Restaurants. Strangers. Family. Friends. Dogs. Furniture. It ‘s all the same to her. As long as she isn’t busy. Now she can convey complex thoughts like, “Papa, you told me you would bake me chocolate-chip cookies and give me five chips to eat before, but you only gave me four.” New Yorkers, Jerseyites, Californians. Nobody is safe from her wrath.
Date Night in Union Square, Where We Discover the Lost Art of Sitting Down and Doing Nothing
Whenever we’ve had the occasional date night, it’s usually been for some specific event in the City, and it’s always family we trust who has watched Kavya: her Massi in Manhattan. Sona’s parents in New Jersey. So when Sona bought…
Photo Friday Nature Watch: Two Little Water Monkeys Splashing Around . . .
Back in 2007, before we began ishqinabackpack, me and Sona went to Mexico for our first honeymoon. We were in Puebla, a region famous for its tile mosaics, chocolate, and epic mole sauce. We spent the mornings learning to make…
Pumpkin Scones and Pajamas: Sona’s Bed-In Birthday!
When me and Sona were backpacking in India during our six-month honeymoon in India, one of the funnest (it’s a word) places we visited was Diu, in Gujarat. Not because there was anything particularly exciting about it, nor was the food…
Sona’s Birthday Adventure in India!
One year, me and my dad forgot about my Mum’s birthday. We were driving back from picking up some groceries, Mum in the back. It’s dead silence and out of nowhere she starts quietly singing, “Happy Birthday to me,” and…
Foto Friday: Tantrum Contest!
Kavya decided to throw a wobbly at bedtime, so being the excellent Papa that I am, I decided to document how much better at it I am. Unfortunately, she lasted much longer than I did. You be the judge. Who…
The Joy Of Eating Sugarcane!
An integral part of my childhood involved sugar cane. In Nigeria, it was the highlight of summer, and when we’d visit India, it was equally the rule of law for us to eat it wherever it was offered. On roadside stands,…
July 4: A Wedding Anniversary, a Birthday, and Fireworks!
We don’t drink beer on the fourth of July, or go to see fireworks and pyrotechnic displays in confined spaces. It’s all about open spaces, bourbon, whisky, and desi drinks like cha and delightfully refreshing roohafza, plenty of grilling, birthday cake, and sparklers.
The Most Delicious Crepes At Le Bilig, a Tiny Creperie in Quebec!
Many years ago, Sona went to a South Indian restaurant in New York City during her lunch break, and ordered the Paper Dosa. The woman asked Sona if she was alone, and cautioned her against ordering the dish, but Sona…
Foto Friday: My, What Lovely Teeth You Have . . .
While I’d like to say no grandmothers or little girls were eaten in the making of this photograph, that would be an exaggeration. We also somehow managed to eat a dragon, who suddenly appeared on the way to grandma’s house….
Foto Friday: It Ain’t Easy Livin’ The Thug Life
It ain’t easy living the Thug Life. You get up, you gotta put on a tiarra, then you have to do some gangsta shit. You eat well, you dress well, you sleep well. You wake up in the middle of…
