I’m finally back in London, incredibly tired from a full day of traveling, so here is a summary of the past few days.

Chris said the weather in New Orleans was a bit cooler while I was there, but as far as I am concerned, it was sweltering. Thankfully, all indoor spaces are air-conditioned to death. Apart from meeting Daniel and Monkey, my day in New Orleans was spent cleaning the oven and bathroom at their new home, and enjoying amazing food.

Being aware of the Chinese distinction between “heaty” and “cooling” foods, it struck me as rather absurd that the local cuisine of a place with typically hot and humid weather would consist almost entirely of heavy, spicy meat-based dishes, like gumbo, a (delicious) thick meat soup. Grocery stores in the French quarter boast entire spicy sauce sections, featuring fiery concoctions with names like “100% PAIN.”

I arrived in Saint Louis on Friday evening, just in time to join in the bachelor night festivities, during which nothing happened™. (Well, okay, let’s just say that it was the best $40 I ever spent.) And before we could even realise it, the groom and his groomsmen were waiting in the wing of the church, telling jokes to help calm a slightly jittery Brandon. Of course, the ceremony went flawlessly (apart from Brandon putting the ring on Cathy’s right hand).

At the reception it was Raphael’s duty, as the best man, to toast the newlywed couple:

In the dark halls of science at Harvard university, a solemn vow was taken about six years ago by four ambitious and hairy young men. It was a vow of solitude and of support for each other, self-sufficiency and relentless womanising, and no less, a heavy financial commitment. That vow has today been broken. And I have traveled across mountains and oceans to stand here and claim my five bucks.

The days spent in Saint Louis were amazing, thanks to Brandon and Cathy, Matt, Raphael, Linda and James, Arnon, P.T., Cindy, Jannie, Sarah-Jane, and Heidi, among others.

As a final thought, this trip made me realise how much I appreciate density. New York was amazing, pedestrian friendly, exciting, interesting. New Orleans, Saint Louis, and Philadelphia were, for the most part, suburban sprawls which seemed to exclude anyone without local knowledge and a clear destination. Or maybe I’m just bitter about getting lost on the way to the reception.