So Ed, what was it like in Pakistan?

Ed is currently mid-kip in our room, suffering with a horrible airplane cold. He's getting back up in an hour or so.

I imagine that he converted to radical fundamentalist Islam!

Kate, he's too socialist to accept such a top-down belief system as Islam.

Pakistan or rather simply Lahore was great. The most pleasant and esay going city I've visited on the sub-continent. Very little hassle in the street, suprisingly small ammount of begging, even in the old town although I didn't get near the station. Except in passing. A very easy city to walk around.

The only sightseeing I really got to do was the Fort and Badanashi Mosque. IT was very hot and besides all bar the firstday I was working all day. You'll see photos. The fort is far more run down than the delhi fort, mainly because the British Blew it up when they captured the pubjab and the sikh rajas had done some extensive remodelling previous to their arrival.

However thew main thing about Lahore is the food. It's known as the culinary captial of Pakistan and of the Whole cross border Punjab. The First thing everyone mentions about Lahore is the food. It's amazing. Here are some highlights:

Gohst e-Bedajam: A Mughal style dish of mutton cooked with lots of fresh ginger, garlic and Rose water with Yoghurt chilli and other spices. Fresh ginger in copious qualities was a suprise, it's a flavour I've never really associated with North Indian/Pakistani cooking.

Pakistani eggs (at breakfast): scrabled eggs with garam masala, onions, ginger, chillis and tomatoes.

Halwa Puri: a sticky paste similar to carrot halwa sweets with extra pistachios and honey, served with really buttery flaky parathas

Food Street: A pedestrianised street in the middle of the city. The first I've ever seen in South Asia (they reckon it's the first too) It is probably the first to be designated as such rather than one that has no vehicles by dint of being too narrow or to crowded. A street full of stables outside food stalls with barbecues, tandoors and huge iron pans. All kinds of kebabs, tandoori chicken, stuffed tandoori fish, feet kebabs (A foot shaped kofte cooked in one of the big pans), tandoori mutton chops. A street of swirling charcoal smoke, wheeling bats, fabulous smells.

Tarftan: Sweet naan made with fennel seeds glazed wih rose water.

Green Tea brewed with fennel seed served with lime juice.

Um, 'socialism', um 'withering away of the state'...?

They's like peace with India yesterday, they couldn't give a toss who Kashmir belongs to, although when pressed they wouldn't give back the bits they aready have. Reunification is not something thahasever crossed anyone's mind.

No body can understand what the US (and Britain to a lesser extent) are up to. ALthough they appreciate the Taliban having been got rid of in Afghanistan, but feel that the Pakistani government is at least partly responsible for them in the first Place and don't know why Mussharaf continued to support them afterhe came to power, force of habit.

Mussarafis the least worst option in terms of leaders right now.

By no means representative. I met young well educated people who work in the Media.

Has anyone been to Pakistan in the last couple of years? Lahore - Amritsar looks like it would be an interesting holiday.