Men in blue
We started the day with a visit to Benno, who was going to have his operation today. We arrived, and were told he would be operated on in 'a few minutes'. Minutes turned to hours and only when we finally left was Benno carted off to the OR. Hogo stayed behind to hold his hand during surgery.
At the wedding site, Joost and Neha really married. During the actual ceremonies, which lasted for about an hour, no-one really seemed to know what was going on, including Joost and Neha, the pandit and Neha her parents. The pandit even answered a phone call during the process. Strange people.
The food was very, very good and the site quite amazing: Something of a soccer field with open air banquet, lounging couches, a dining area and a reasonably well stocked bar.
Due to no real orchestration, Joost had asked us to arrive a bit early, only to find that, when we arrived, we had come in hours too early. The wedding site apparently is the domain of the bride's family, who have to welcome to groom's family and friends, where they arrive together.
Because we had arrived early, some of us had caught a glimpse of Neha in wedding dress, before the groom did, a bit of a no-no, in these parts of the world, even though she was being shielded off by some of her friends. One of Neha's uncles made us promise we wouldn't tell anyone what she looked like.
After some waiting and drinking, we had to step out and accompany Joost and his family back on to the grounds. Now, Joost came in on a white horse and we had to dance to a-melodic drumming sounds. Needless to day, everyone felt embarrassed and was happy to finally be really welcomed with flower necklaces. Finally, the party could begin.