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Hello there
Currently in the desert city of Esfahan,Iran.Have now been in Iran just over a week but let me tell you first all about whats happened since i left off at my last blog entry.
So i was in Dogubayazit,eastern Turkey close to the border.After i left the internet shop we had very heavy rainfall.A small river started to flow in the streets so we thought it wise to get a taxi home,i think on this occassion there was six of us in the car we failed to see the warning signs of the cracked window screen and the lack of suspension in the back... it gets better.As we're heading back to the campsite the rain gets heavier and the road slowly starts to disappear under the rising water.The taxi comes to a halt we seemed to have found ourselves stranded in a fair few foot of water.The taxi driver begins to get very nervous and in his panic stalls the car,we brave it and all climb out to push him out of danger,scandles were off and trousers rolled up.We rescue him and he appears to head back into town we slowly trek up the road in the rain only to be greeted by the same taxi driver,now we're not sure if he came after us for his fare or if he wanted to continue taking us home.We'll probably never know.It seems to have become a running theme in this trip to get mad taxi rides home.
Monday morning (14th May) got all chadoured up,well had to cover up hair with headscarf and cover arms and legs.Trucked over the Turkish/Iranian border without too much difficulty and began our journey towards Tebris to bush camp that night.Stopped in an orchard only to be moved on at 1 in the morning by both the police and the army,not at all amused by events.Ended up driving a few hours and camping at about 5 in the morning in the spilling rain,3 in a tent that night while some slept on the bus.
Tues 14th,an early wet rise,exhausted by the events of last night not enough sleep and not a wonderful amount of breakfast in my little tummy we headed to the hills bound for Babek castle which was hidden in the fog.Thankfully there was indoor accomadation with hot running water but sadly no heating,had to wear my vest that night.So thankful to have a bed to sleep in especially after the previous night.
Wed 15th,after a good nights sleep rose at 5a.m to check the weather not a cloud in sight,so a quick shower,warm clothes on and breakfact in my tummy began the climb up to the castle perched on a mountain,wonderful scenery on the way up,the guide book lead us to believe it would be a strenuous and treachous climb with dizzing heights to scale,however we made it up in about an hour with none of the above to be seen,the lonely planet guide is a lying planet.Bombed it down in a half hour glad of the exercise.Back on the truck,stopped off in Ahar for lunch to be greeted by some very curious locals,it was strange because our audience was all men,i can not remember seeing any woman in the town.Headed towards the Caspian sea where we were going to be bush camping for the night not the best of places but i was surprised to see paddy fields and people working in them,Iran produces a small amount of rice for local comsumption in the north of the country.
Thurs 17th,trucked onto the mountain town tiered on the slopes of Masouleh.A wonderful magical places with fairy lights at night.On the way into town had a lunchtime stop and one of the girls got shot with an air rifle,superficial wound to the shoulder that could have been nasty if it had hit some where else.Found accomadation in various houses for all of us,myself and five others stayed upstairs in some old lady's house.Food was very much back on the menu,here i was able to feast on rice and eggplant.The local delicacy is a dish called dizzi (sounds like that when pronouced).It contains meat on the bone(that could be any kind),chickpeas,a big lump of fat and who only knows what! I did try it minus the mutton on the bone and fat.After dinner we sat around drinking chi which is local tea and for the men they were aloud to smoke on the water pipes.Women are not permitted to smoke in public in Iran.
Fri 18th,climbed up through the mountains to chase waterfalls,spent fours hours walking amongst the rolling mountains and the clouds.There was a dozen or so of us but the more adventurous among us followed the gorges back down to the town criss crossing over the river on the rocks.Rolled back into town tired,hungry and just a little exchausted,lunch first on the menu before retiring back to our little Granny flat where the old lady insisted we pay her more money.Since the currency here in Iran is rials with the exchange rate working out to be 20,000 rials to 1 pound sterling,Granny was asking for another 50,000 which is about 2.50 sterling.The woman didn't have a word of english so after a little bit of debate we gave her more cash despite our tour leader already paying.The money grabbing Granny then sneaked back upstairs and turned our water heater off so our opinion of her deterioated after that point.We therefore didn't leave her a going away present in apprecation of her hospitality.
Sat 19th,left Masouleh cradled in the mountains where we had found her and next stop was bush camping in the desert on the outskirts of Qum.On reflection of Iran have found the people to be very warm and welcoming nation,also very curious about why we have come to visit their country.Even after being here just over a week i still feel the same,some of the people who we have spoken to have apologised for their government.Found no desert spiders only mosquitos over night camping.
Sun 20th,woke to the sound of desert winds rose and bound for Esfahan arrived in a bustling city of chaotic driving and music from all sorts of vehicles cars,bus,motorcycles,great big trucks and the odd bicycle all tooting their horns.Here they beep to signal they are going to over take you and they aren't even quite sure what side that may be.Lots of heapa junka cars about the place with scratches bumps and bits missing,i fail to see how any of them would pass an M.O.T.The popular choice of car seems to be a hillman hunter.Every one has one,fuel is very cheap,1p(sterling) per litre so in some places you are only aloud to buy a certain amount.The profit if any is made apparantly goes to fund bombs in Iraq,well thats what the locals told us and i believe them.Our first evening in Esfahan we found the main square called Emam square with two of the most beautiful mosaques i have seen so far.It has a bazaar surrounding it that goes for miles which we only got to ecplore a little before wandering a bit further to find the main river of Zageridah which has wonderful bridges crossing it.As we wandered we meet two local guys fluent in French with reasonable english,says me who can only speak a little farcis(the local persian language).Iranians do not like to be referred to as Arabs they see themselves as part of Persia a much richer culture to descend from.We found out a lot from these guys who just wanted to keep us taking mainly discussing politics and how they felt about their country and extremely curious of our travels not only to Iran but else where and what our impression was of Iran.We got a bus home that night where Will (a fellow trucker) was at the centre of attention all the lads on the bus had to get their photo taken with him.By day on the local buses the men have to sit up front while down the back the woman must sit it is forbidden for them to sit beside one another but it was ok at night for us all to sit together.Another forbidden act is the men are not aloud to wear ties!!
Monday 21st after breakfast of a boiled egg,some terrible sweet juice drink and carrot jam on a bit of bread myself and two of the other girls Lorna and Rach went to check out the local fashion as a change of top was required.I was successful but the other top failed to find anything in their colour of light enough to wear in the warmer weather.The woman either wear full chador outfit or it's bascially a shop coat made fashionable with a black headscarf.In the afternoon it was back to the main square of Emam to soak up the delights of the surrounding bazaar and mosaques.We meet a local minaturist artist who we got to see at work and several weavers,here in Esfahan it is an age old tradition to make fabrics which are hand printed i did have to make a little purchase.Found it very hard to resist the delights of all the things this place has to offer,minature art,hand-made metal plates with carvings,tiles and fabrics.Again it is somewhere to return to a ture delight to be in.Emam square after half four in the day becomes alive with families who come out to pinic and socialise in the square wandering through the bazaar doing their shopping just like any other late night opening in some shopping centre back home but this definitely has much more charm.Greeted all the time by friendly enquiring faces that always had a smile so the smiles were returned and words exchanged.The evening was spent in Tak restuarant trying a local dish called fesenjan which is made from chicken,pomegrante,eggplant(aubergine) and cardamon served with rice all for about 30 000(1.50 sterling).
Tues 22nd Breakfast was down the road at another hotel we got wind their breakfast was better and came served with coffee.Lorna and myself went with the untouchables a group of lads in their late 30's,early 40's.The coffee made breakfast'set me up for the day.We had the pleasure of having a guide for much of the day to show us the sites of Esfahan.We started by the river of Zageridah viewing a couple of the bridges and taking in their ornate architecture.Then it was over to the Armenian quater which is mainly the Christain quater of town to see the Church of all Savoiurs which had paintings from both the new and old testaments some of the art work was a little brutal in its depiction of events.Within the grounds there is much to commemorate the Armenian genocide of 1915 again some disturbing facts of what happened in this country.Then Saied (our tour leader) took us to a building that houses doves,it's really for pigeons though,delightful.Didn't stay there too long,we moved onto a graveyard where the souls of the yong soilders who lost their lives in the 8year war from 1980-1988 all in the name of Allah,they weren't even men some of them.One of the posters outside said this,
"It is only a reminder for the one who fears from the disobendience of Allah"
i walked in realised where i was and walked straight back out i felt i was intruding,i saw some women in prayer,felt i needed to leave.Sat outside with Jok a scottish guy who had similiar feelings on the matter so we discussed the futility of the matter before the others returned.Very sobering experience. We moved onto the shaking minerets something the Iranians rave about as a local attraction,the highlight however was being taken out of town to climb up a small hill to the ruins of an old castle that was know as a temple of fire.From the top we saw incredible views of Esfahan.Esfahan is a city with few tall buildings a mix of old and new,a city that is changing from old to new.
Last night in Esfahan so it's dinner at a local restuarant with some of my fellow truckers.
Happy Birthday Mum x x x x x x x x x x x x x
Who are the Wicklow crowd unveil yourselves???????? Ave x x x x x x
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