“How can you remember things so vividly?” people often ask me.
The answer is simple: I kept diaries, written both in Italian and English. Many of the details that made those journeys special would be lost had I not taken the time to scribble every day.
The short stories in this page have not been edited professionally, so please forgive a few mistakes. I try to write them regularly, but I am still working on the books and often skip a deadline.
I hope you enjoy them.
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The History of Indian tea
The History of Indian TeaEver wondered how the Indians became addicted to chai?I’ve been looking for the origins of chai in India, but all I get are legends and references to the British in Assam. The legends mention a Buddhist monk on his way to China, who noticed...
Rani Lakshmibai
Rani Lakshmibai, the Warrior Queen of JhansiVery different from a stereotypical Indian princess, hers is a story ofmartial bravery, determination, and fearless independence.Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh Manikarnika, or Lakshmibai, was a woman whose story captivated me when I...
Buddhist Heaven and Hell
Buddhist Heaven and HellA strange day in Wat Mae Kaet Noi makes me wonder aboutthe value of appropriating ideas we don’t fully understandWat Mae Kaet Noi, Chiang Mai, Thailand "Come, let’s go” Kwan said as she entered the car, “I’ll take you somewhere that will shock...
The Cycles of Life
The first time Afrika and I went to Varanasi I chose a room north of Assi Ghat. It took three days to find it, trudging around under the hot sun because I refused to stay in a touristy guest house. Nothing new, it was my modus operandi: get a temporary room until I found the perfect one, especially when I wanted to settle down for a couple of weeks. Since real estate searches provided an opportunity to become acquainted with the surroundings, by the time I found it I already knew a few shortcuts, local beggars and shopkeepers, and felt at home.
Falling Backwards in Time
I went to Madurai because of its patron goddess, Meenakshi, a fierce, unmarried, meat-eating warrior considered to be a manifestation of Shiva’s wife Parvati. Her name meant ‘fish eyed’, probably due to a pair of large and brilliant eyes which never closed, giving her the power to watch over her devotees without interruption.
According to Tamil lore, her story started with a complicated ritual performed by the king of Madurai, her father, in the hope it would help his wife bear him a son. Instead, he got a girl with three breasts, though the Brahmins predicted that one would fall off as soon as she met the man of her life.
The Mysteries of the Female Body
I was on a bus in the Orissa backlands, so far away from the one small town mentioned in my map that I had no exact notion of my geographical position. On my lap was Afrika, the small intrepid dog who followed me around the world protecting our bags. Her paws were on the windowsill, and she was looking at the scenery with some interest, her head darting to and fro to follow this or that detail.
As far as I knew, the road went through and in between the various parts of a large Wildlife Sanctuary,
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