more later

it's sensation overload, really.

i think i have eaten at least 14 different types of dal (lentils) since i got here.

i've been reading a lot, and doing my work. not having a constant connection to the internet has been a big factor in that, i think. the book is really starting to look like a book, which amazes me, and scares me. i feel like no one else cares about it as much as i do, and that worries me. but i just have to trust these people, i guess. it's burned me before, but what can i do?

it's been really warm here, and so i haven't really been eating much. usually just toast for breakfast, and then some rice and lentils for dinner (with homemade yogurt and mango chutney). but there is this wonderful type of kebab, the chupli kebab, that i am in love with. it's ground beef or lamb, with chopped onions, tomatoes and cumin and coriander mixed in. it's all cooked on a big slab of cast iron over the coals, and at the last minute, an egg is cracked on top. yum! then, it's all served on top of a fresh roti, or handmade bread. i love chupli kebab!

i also had a delicious fresh strawberry drink i can't forget. and the green tea here has cardomom mixed in, which is wonderful. the mango ice cream is unforgettable, too.

i am going to get my tickets to iran and back to italy settled today, enshallah, and then i can just focus of eating as much good stuff as i can, working on my book, and playing with the doggies.

i bought some lovely antique spice boxes last week, and i just want to cry over how beautiful they are. they have all of this lovely handiwork, and most of the colors and designs are still intact. i think that, along with the silver cuffs i found in the mountain shops, they are my favorite things that i have gotten so far. the shop owner gave me this lovely little pitcher made out of herat glass, too. maybe next time i can make it to afghanistan and get some more, myself. it's really interesting, though. there is kinda this little cottage industry popping up--people hiring the female afghani refugees to do the most lovely handiwork. i am intrigued, impressed, interested.

the cook tried to teach me how to make chapati last night before he left for 9 days, and it was a show of ridiculousness. i have never been good when it comes to hand-eye coordination. he was laughing so hard at me. oh well, i deserved it.

books i have read: the davinci code and digital fortress, the curious incident of the dog in the night time, the namesake, stupid white men, re-read nine stories and the razor's edge, and now i am doing a passage to india.

more later....