Bangalore, India

An early departure yesterday from Mumbai put us into Bangalore around noon for a relaxing day off around the Taj Hotel located on 20 acres of lush tropical foliage and home to some very exotic and vocal birds. The buildings and grounds have an old British colonial feel about them, as you'd imagine things might have been when India was under English control, or how it might have been for some anyway. Again we were greeted with great ceremony, music, the draping of flowers around necks and the smudge of vermillion on the forehead. It was a day of workouts, either at the gym, the dinner table, the open air bamboo bar that if you were old enough conjured up "Hawaiian Eye" , or all three. Me? A triple crown winner.

With 6 million people, Bangalore's more laid back than Mumbai with it's crushing population. The city is home base for India's air force as well as being the information technology centre of the country. It's known as the Silicon Valley of India and quite possibly when we make those tech calls that are so now famously outsourced, it might be somebody in Bangalore that we're talking with.

I spent today pool side, a study in abject laziness. It was a tropical paradise of a pool side at that, complete with full service restaurant. Sun, book, a dip now and again, curry for lunch and the spectacular Kingfisher beer, India's national brew and one of my faves. I'm no stranger to this brand, it's what I usually order in Indian restaurants, but of course the homegrown version is always so much better than it's imported cousin. Certainly by the time it gets to Nashville, Tennessee where I live god only knows what it's become.

A 7:30 show tonight, Mark with a sore throat soldiered on like a trooper and the Bangalore audience was every bit as enthusiastic and vocal as Mumbai's. A beautiful sunset and cool breeze for the show, a welcome relief for the crew who had a hot dusty day of it getting everything ready for us to play. These are the guys who work tirelessly and get none of the applause. Without a doubt, no crew no show. Salute and thanks. Tonight's moment of cool goes to Guy's B-3 solo in Brother's, very Animals. Don't forget to check Guy's site for his tour diary and fab photos.

The last chord of the final encore had scarcely rung off before we were on our way back to the hotel for showers and off to the airport for a late night flight from Bangalore to Singapore and there onto Perth. We'll have a couple of days off before our first show in Oz, time to catch our breath. Stay tuned for more notes from the road....Australia style.

So long,

Richard