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Today is my last day in the city of Esfahan, the 'jewel in Iran's crown'.We arrived here on the 8th.I didnt do much that afternoon except for going for tea and dinner and having a wonder.This city has a great feel to it.It has a great mix of modern and historical and there is a buzzing atmosphere.It seems to be constantly busy, constantly moving.On our last day in Shiraz myself and Leslie(a New Zealand lady in her 60's) went to the dentist for a 10.30 routine hygiene appointment that we got our guide to book us (its much cheaper here). Our hygienist was a lovely 38 year ol Philipino lady who was married to an Iranian 15 years her senior.She's ben here for 17 years.She invited us up to her lovely house for tea so of course we said yes.Well tea turnd into lunch (kebabs, salad, rice takeaway), lunch turned into more tea nd snacks and before we knew it we'de been there the whole day.Her three children (Ali aged 13, Venus aged 12 and Natasha aged 6) joined us when they cameback frm school, as did her husband's couin and his wife, her husband's nephew and her husband's friend (and for a little while, her husband). It was great.The Philapino lady, whose name is Minerva, could speak very good English, the children spoke fairly good English and the rest of them were able to communicate in broken English. They were so hospitable Leslie and I soon felt at home.They even lay out a prayer mat so I could pray in the bedroom.We talked about everything from politics to religion, travel to food.They were very open minded and accepting of all peoples and faiths.They kept complaining about the current government and how ignorant they are, how they keep making the international situation worse for Iran.They were very proud of their Persian heritage.The husband's cousin had sudied in America for 5 years, 30 years ago.The husband's cousin's wife was insisting they marry me off to her son!She wouldnt leave me alone.lol.She kept telling me to tell my family what a good mother-in-law she was! The childen go to the Philipines regularly with their mother and they all said they preferred it there.In fact none of them seem to want to stay in Iran.Ali wants to move to Australia where his grandmother (Minerva's mum) lives and the two girls want to go back to the Philipines.I got the feeling that Minerva was frustrated in Iran as well.She called most of the Iranian women ignorant and jealous and told us her husband's fmily are too interfering.But you could see the cloeness between her and the wife of the cousin's husband.Anyway we had to leave around 6.45 because the griup were holding a birthday dinner for Alissa (a 27 year old nurse from Australia who never talks).They wanted us to stay the nigh but we were leaving Shiraz early the next morning.So the husband's cousin and his wife dropped us right outside the hotel.Minerva would not accept the money for the teeth clean no matter how much we pressed her so we just gave Natasha some money to buy sweets with.We all exchanged emails and they told us their door was always open to us. I tols them mine was to them as well (sorry mummy) and that was that.It was a beautiful day and they were all so kind and welcoming.We missed some sights, but I didnt mind.This was an experience you dont get every day.That evening we celebrated Liss' birthday at a nice Iranian restaurant with live music.
Yesterday we did a small tour of Esfahan.First we visted a big Jameh mosque which ws interesting, but nothing special. We also saw the 'shaking minarets'. There are many tehories as to why the stone minarets can shake. One of them, which to me seemed the most feasible, was thatthey have timber poles and planks all the way through them. All of us gathered around the mosque, Iranians and tourists alike to witness the spectacle. Before long a bell rang and we spotted a man in one of the minarets who began shaking the walls like a mad man. It was hilarious.The minaret actually shook and all the while, through the small window you could see this little man bouncing off the walls.It only lasted about a minute and I can honestly say it was one of the strangest minutes of my life! Last, but not least we visited a beautiful Armenian church in the Armenian Quater(the IranianShah at the time removed a number of Armenians from Turkey and gave them shelter from the Ottomans in Iran, but kept them seperate fom the Iranin commiunity). There was a museum about Armenian culture and the 'genocide' and the church was absolutely beautiful.Inside was floor to ceiling frescoes in beautiful colours, includng a massive portrayal of hell, heaven and the earth in between..We couldn't take photos so I bought some postcards. Today we had to do a food shop as we are the next cook group for camping. e went to the market in the morning, which was great to see. It was bustling. The fruit and veg was really fresh and men sang their wares to people.Later I'm going to the Imam Khomeni Sqaure and the Baazar.We have to wait as the Iranians are currentlly enjoying their long lunch break and the shops are all closed! Tomorrow we leave and then it's a few days of camping as we cross into Turky and make our way to Goreme so I wont be in touch.Thanks for the messages guys.Keep em coming. p.s Ill upload more pics as soon as i can.x
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