UPDATE: INDIA

I left my gear in Singapore for fear that it would get stolen or ruined in India. So for six or seven weeks I have been without my laptop or keyboard and have been only able to make music with a small hand drum I bought on the beach in Karnataka. But my trusty Nokia E61i has kept me connected to the outside world for the most part, save for a few snafus. (Just don't expect to have your U.S. bought Nokia supported by any of the numerous yet useless Nokia "care" centers in Hong Kong as there is no world wide warranty. Oddly, Nokia in India solved a problem I was having quickly and cheaply!)

In hindsight I could have brought my gear, but am glad for those few occasions on trains and buses that I was not lugging around an extra wheely-bag. Plus, Goa was not quite the rave on the beach scene I had expected since the cops have cracked down on the parties, so I didn't miss out on any opportunities to play here anyway.

Valerie and I met up with Ben Furstenberg of Epic Abridged and formerly of Extra Action Marching Band and had ourselves a time with him on the beaches of Karnataka. From there we traveled south to Kerala, ending up in Fort Cochin.

Fort Cochin, while touristy is the nicest place we have been so far. It is cleaner than the rest of India and instead of cows and stray dogs everywhere there are goats and cats- my kind of place. After eating Indian food for a month and a half, it is nice to eat western fare again.

If you want stories of our excursion to Mother India, check out Valerie's blog. Next stop: back to Singapore to get my gear which is hopefully still there! Then it's off to Malaysia and Laos.