First day Bangalore

I love it! I love it! I'm a snob (not embarrassed about it at all) used to the best and not used to roughing it...like clean cities with beautiful architecture, shops that have my name above the door and throw beautiful things at me, and comfortable hotels ahhh and I like to be driven everywhere unless I'm walking through a beautiful city or chilled country side or seaside. I like to be pampered and people to cater to my whims...not to mention good restaurants - never thought Bangalore will meet any of the above but....IT DOES, strip it of the dust and shacks, make the roads easier to cross, put a couple of bins around and of course have Sherezade guide you and it's nothing but incredible. So, hotel is amazing, cool and trendy, European boutique hotels where I usually stay you are put to shame for charging $$$$$$ people working here are most accommodating and friendly well, give a rupee or two. Food is out of this world and plenty of it. Heat is enveloping one in a comforting soft silky wrap. Architecture, whenever there is a building deserving to be deamed as architecture, is nice, interesting, eclectic not much sign of the British other than Marks and Spencer offering cheap and good quality knickers. I was dreaming of having one of their most delicious lusting after cheese cakes but sadly no food hall. So we ate no cakes but, we made up for it with savouries again, lots and lots of. My biggest achievement of the day was keeping (or trying to keep) up with Sere which is a bit like a Lada keeping up with a Zonza R - not that I look like a Lada but make up your own mind when you look at the pics.

Forgot to say, yesterday we had a surprise visitor - very lovely Tenzin came to see us and take us out. Didn't know that chicken chow main ?! was anything else other than chinese for the English delicate unadventurous palate - I was wrong, it is a traditional Tibetan dish, tasty with a dash of chilly - this is what we had for dinner with Tenzin.

Thinking of food, brings me to the shitting forecast- after carrying a suitcase full of diahorea tabs the food is so good and clean the visits to the toilet are most uneventful.

On another note, who needs a Merc as a taxi when they can have a rickshaw. Sere expert haggler made sure we move around town in no time and at virtually no cost (other than a few blisters from walking and bum pain from the rickshaw treating the speed bumps like a smooth baby bottom. All great great fun

Work tomorrow but I'm sure the day will be fun as lots of nice people to meet. Missing my boys and girls both humans and pets. Mario, your whimpy mother is doing great and is having the time of her life. I love you guys and miss you heaps and had you all had been here it would have been perfect. Sharing things with you guys is what I miss most. Now sleep