Moustache Nation?

We savored this homecoming. For 2 months we ticked off the days on the the calendar, made lists of what food we would eat and movies we would see. Were we really going home?

Yes. We were reunited with our friends, families, and pasteurized milk. Our curry consumption plummeted, and we redirected our palates to sushi, lettuce, and fresh breads. I was so overcome by the cleanliness of the bathroom floor at the local library that I almost kissed the ground. Were we just living obliviously in a U.S.A. paradise? As I was to find out, not exactly.

Even with a Texan president, pick-up trucks, and a rich hairy history in the wild west, the U.S.A. has gone anti-moustache. Yes, even Tom Selleck denuded his upper lip. For 2 arduous months I labored to show over 1 billion Indian people that I could feel their vibe. In turn, the natives welcomed me into their huts, petted my stache, and offered me generous helpings of sambar. It was like the cool kids were inviting me to the back of the bus.

But back home, I felt in the minority- cast aside, misunderstood. The melting pot went cold for me. Unemployed and in search of my identity, I needed to understand where the moustache fits in here.

In my classroom. The girls hated the moustache, but the boys loved it.

Some pre-India shenanigans exploring the virtues of mono-brow and moustache.

Classic South Indian moustache. It turns the corner and heads south.

Moustache et mullet. Classique.

The no-frills, hard-core, stomp on your
little neck with my big black boot moustache.

HOME!! Celebrating our first trip to the store. Things started
going downhill from here.

Was this a tough-guy moustache?

A smooth guy moustache?

Or a hobo moustache? I wore this to the local library. I was
wearing a shirt and shoes. But with a moustache? No service!
Unemployed and aimless, I attempted to get a job at TGIF.
They turned me away claiming that they only handed out applications
on Mondays. Angered by moustache discrimination, I snatched one of the
manager's flare buttons and stormed out. Moments later I found myself
in the New Haven Police Department answering
questions about my criminal background.
Fortunately, computers have no moustache bias,
and my clean record enabled me to get off with a misdimeanor.

Invigorated by my release. I promptly shaved my stache and
headed to the local D+D where they served me with a smile!



We would like to thank you all for your support and enthusiasm during our
adventures in India. Despite and perhaps because of the difficulties, we have come to understand this as one of the best years of our lives.
Thanks for sharing it with us as you've followed the Moustache Chronicles.

For a quick impression of our year, click on the following link:

Alex and Jeeyung's India Video

This was Jeeyung's Christmas gift to me.

Farewell Tour

Post-Italy, we were a little down. After having consumed the smuggled cheeses and ravioli, we could no longer revel in Roma but had to get cracking on our research. Jeeyung weighed those dirty diapers and wrote up her report while I persevered through editing process on my short film documentary of a nearby village. For everyone's pleasure, I grew a moustache.

Maybe in that time we were getting provincial -- insular workaholics lamenting the heat and only appreciating one style of moustache. Not to be discouraged we did what we always did in times of need, plan a vacation! Sadly this was to be the last journey in India as our departure was just weeks later. This time we lured our friend Paige into our spicy korma of north Indian delights in Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Agra. Enjoy.

Our fearless travelers at the Adalaj Step Well,
an ornate and cavernous structure stepping deep into the earth.

"Jackie, is that really the only way out?"
That's looking a little iffy!"

Too bad Paige is engaged. He was so dreamy.

Carved marble latis at Sarkhej Roza outside Ahmedabad.

A view of the Lake Palace and the City Palace in Udaipur.

Le Roi de la Moustache.

Carved marble columns at Jain Temple Ranakpur.

Jain Temple Jaiselmer.

Horizontal in Jaiselmer. By the time we made it here I was stricken
twice with G.I. illness. Paige succumbed to the fried rice;
and when Jeeyung was asked how she felt during
her digestive bout post-butter cake, she muttered, "I feel creamy."

Piling into the jeep for the camel safari.



Bump.

Grind.
Pinch. Simulated mortar and pestle on camel.

Father and son team who owned and guided our camels.
We camped on the dunes and slept out under the stars.

Wearing their Sunday Best at the Rat Temple.

Elephants at Amber Fort, Jaipur.

Monks hamming it up at the Taj Mahal.

The pinnacle of fuel efficiency and comfort.
A modified rickshaw with a tractor engine.

If anybody's interested in a fluorescent duster, don't worry, he delivers.

A tender moment with some friends.



Please stay tuned for our final entry...