After a wonderful few days visiting the glories of Isfahan we moved on to Garmeh. The journey by public transport would have been long and awkward and we wouldn't have arrived until late evening so we decided to get a car to take us. It was still long - about 5 hours - and as we went further and further into the desert the driver became more incredulous about us wanting to go there. We got the impression that he was a city boy and had never been out that way before. The scenery on the way was spectacular - huge expanses of stony desert mixed with dramatic mountain ranges.
Garmeh is a small oasis village - about 300 miles from nowhere. The place we stayed is a private house which was renovated by a family from Teheran. The grandparents now run it as a guest house letting out half a dozen rooms.
I have tried uploading images but the internet cafe equipment is not the best and it would take forever. think I will wait untl I get home and then upload a number at the same time.
The main "public" area was a large open area on different levels with a central table for laying out food and then various sitting areas off that - carpets and cushions only.
Our bedroom was just a large room with carpets and then an alcove contain thin matresses and various bedding.
When we arrived the daughter of the family - probably late 40's - was there on a holiday with her family, staying in another house in the village owned by the family. She took us out for a walk around. The oasis was about a square mile - mainly date palms, pistachios, pomegranates etc. She told us that about three years ago there had been a snowfall - about 60 cm and the worst for 3 generations, combined with temperatures of - 20 degrees C. It killed an awful lot of trees and it will take another 3 generations to recover. We saw a photo of how it had been before and it was markedly different.
She also took us to their other house for a cold drink - her two daughters were there together with a friend of theirs - all also on holiday from Teheran. All aged about 20. As they were at home they were casually dressed although the two daughters still wore headscarves. The friend didn't and she was the one who spoke most english. A bright and lively girl and very interested in talking to us.
I mention this because later they all showed up at the guest house for dinner - now all three fully covered up and, with their grandfather present, presented a very different demeanour. They barely acknowledged us and sat separately to eat, talking quietly together. I noticed that when their grandfather was speaking they fell silent.
The next evening though they were there again and their grandfather wasn't there. It was chalk and cheese - they sat with us and talked for a long time - although their mother made sure she was always positioned so she could see and hear.
There was music playing and I asked them what they listened to - mainly Iranian, a mixture of classical and pop. I had heard a sort of Iranian rap (yes - really) on one of the buses and so I asked them if they liked that. They did, so I went on to ask if they knew much about western rap and other western music - I was surprised to hear that they didn't, although the friend said she liked Pink Floyd. I was a bit sceptical about that.
Anyway, eager to get my own back on the mullah for trying to convert me I tried to do a bit of proselytising for good old rock 'n roll. I got my ipod and started playing them some selected tracks. Started with Eminem as they said they liked rap - that went down well, so moved swiftly on to some downhome southern boogie with Lynyrd Skynyrd. Toes definitely tapping under the chadors there. Then asked them if they had ever heard american country music - blank looks, so I played them an upbeat Garth Brooks song and they loved it. They got me to write his name for them so they could investigate on youtube or wherever.
Rock 'n roll 3 - Mullah 0. Allright !!!
Earlier in the day we had had another walk around the oasis and followed the water course back up to the source - just a spring coming out of the rock where a porous layer of rock meets an impervious layer. But it flows continuously and there is a system of channels which are blocked or opened depending on requirements.
We also spent a lot of time just lazing about - we had done a lot of walking and rushing about previously so it was good to relax for a couple of days.
The food at Garmeh was the best we've had - more of a home cooking style and seriously good. I haven't written anything about food yet - I've been waiting until we've had a chance to try various things in different places. I'll try to come to that soon.
Some of the readers are probably wondering how Steve and I are managing to be without a drink for so long. Well, to be honest, we are doing just fine. Admittedy there are times of day when our thoughts move in that direction. For example, in the afternoon of another hot day we may think briefly of a cold glass of beer with beads of condensation glistening on the sides and that sharp bite of the first long pull at it, and then in the early evening we may briefly mention a long gin and tonic, ice tinkling in the glass and the sharpness of the lime blending perfectly with the glycerol texture of the gin. And then later, with dinner, we sometimes think how nice it would be to have a taste of a chilled, fresh sauvignon blanc or to savour the full fruity aromatic flavours of a good red.
But no, we don't miss it at all.
After 2 nights at Garmeh we travelled on to Yazd - again by car. Another good journey scenery-wise - the desert is vast.
Yazd has claims to be the oldest continuously inhabited place in the world - it goes back 7,000 years.
It's a remote desert city and the old town is a maze of lanes and alleys. The houses are built in a courtyard style so all that is presented to the outside is a high wall with a door in it. The building material is mud mixed with straw which dries to form a hard shell. Many of the older doors have two different knockers, each with a different sound - one was/is for men and one for women so that the occupants would know and send someone of the same gender to answer the door. There is an absoute maze of the lane and alleys between the houses and they are maintained very well - clean and tidy. The other main feature of many older houses is windtowers - large chimney-type structures designed to capture any breeze and divert it through the house - often passing it over water to cool it. An ancient desert form of air-conditioning and apparently very effective.
My time is up for today - more about Yazd next time.
Garmeh is a small oasis village - about 300 miles from nowhere. The place we stayed is a private house which was renovated by a family from Teheran. The grandparents now run it as a guest house letting out half a dozen rooms.
I have tried uploading images but the internet cafe equipment is not the best and it would take forever. think I will wait untl I get home and then upload a number at the same time.
The main "public" area was a large open area on different levels with a central table for laying out food and then various sitting areas off that - carpets and cushions only.
Our bedroom was just a large room with carpets and then an alcove contain thin matresses and various bedding.
When we arrived the daughter of the family - probably late 40's - was there on a holiday with her family, staying in another house in the village owned by the family. She took us out for a walk around. The oasis was about a square mile - mainly date palms, pistachios, pomegranates etc. She told us that about three years ago there had been a snowfall - about 60 cm and the worst for 3 generations, combined with temperatures of - 20 degrees C. It killed an awful lot of trees and it will take another 3 generations to recover. We saw a photo of how it had been before and it was markedly different.
She also took us to their other house for a cold drink - her two daughters were there together with a friend of theirs - all also on holiday from Teheran. All aged about 20. As they were at home they were casually dressed although the two daughters still wore headscarves. The friend didn't and she was the one who spoke most english. A bright and lively girl and very interested in talking to us.
I mention this because later they all showed up at the guest house for dinner - now all three fully covered up and, with their grandfather present, presented a very different demeanour. They barely acknowledged us and sat separately to eat, talking quietly together. I noticed that when their grandfather was speaking they fell silent.
The next evening though they were there again and their grandfather wasn't there. It was chalk and cheese - they sat with us and talked for a long time - although their mother made sure she was always positioned so she could see and hear.
There was music playing and I asked them what they listened to - mainly Iranian, a mixture of classical and pop. I had heard a sort of Iranian rap (yes - really) on one of the buses and so I asked them if they liked that. They did, so I went on to ask if they knew much about western rap and other western music - I was surprised to hear that they didn't, although the friend said she liked Pink Floyd. I was a bit sceptical about that.
Anyway, eager to get my own back on the mullah for trying to convert me I tried to do a bit of proselytising for good old rock 'n roll. I got my ipod and started playing them some selected tracks. Started with Eminem as they said they liked rap - that went down well, so moved swiftly on to some downhome southern boogie with Lynyrd Skynyrd. Toes definitely tapping under the chadors there. Then asked them if they had ever heard american country music - blank looks, so I played them an upbeat Garth Brooks song and they loved it. They got me to write his name for them so they could investigate on youtube or wherever.
Rock 'n roll 3 - Mullah 0. Allright !!!
Earlier in the day we had had another walk around the oasis and followed the water course back up to the source - just a spring coming out of the rock where a porous layer of rock meets an impervious layer. But it flows continuously and there is a system of channels which are blocked or opened depending on requirements.
 |
| The source of the spring |
 |
| The guesthouse at Garmeh |
 |
| An unrenovated "castle" next door |
 |
| Part of the oasis |
We also spent a lot of time just lazing about - we had done a lot of walking and rushing about previously so it was good to relax for a couple of days.
The food at Garmeh was the best we've had - more of a home cooking style and seriously good. I haven't written anything about food yet - I've been waiting until we've had a chance to try various things in different places. I'll try to come to that soon.
Some of the readers are probably wondering how Steve and I are managing to be without a drink for so long. Well, to be honest, we are doing just fine. Admittedy there are times of day when our thoughts move in that direction. For example, in the afternoon of another hot day we may think briefly of a cold glass of beer with beads of condensation glistening on the sides and that sharp bite of the first long pull at it, and then in the early evening we may briefly mention a long gin and tonic, ice tinkling in the glass and the sharpness of the lime blending perfectly with the glycerol texture of the gin. And then later, with dinner, we sometimes think how nice it would be to have a taste of a chilled, fresh sauvignon blanc or to savour the full fruity aromatic flavours of a good red.
But no, we don't miss it at all.
After 2 nights at Garmeh we travelled on to Yazd - again by car. Another good journey scenery-wise - the desert is vast.
Yazd has claims to be the oldest continuously inhabited place in the world - it goes back 7,000 years.
It's a remote desert city and the old town is a maze of lanes and alleys. The houses are built in a courtyard style so all that is presented to the outside is a high wall with a door in it. The building material is mud mixed with straw which dries to form a hard shell. Many of the older doors have two different knockers, each with a different sound - one was/is for men and one for women so that the occupants would know and send someone of the same gender to answer the door. There is an absoute maze of the lane and alleys between the houses and they are maintained very well - clean and tidy. The other main feature of many older houses is windtowers - large chimney-type structures designed to capture any breeze and divert it through the house - often passing it over water to cool it. An ancient desert form of air-conditioning and apparently very effective.
My time is up for today - more about Yazd next time.
Very entertaining Dave, also glad you're not missing alcohol too much.
ReplyDeleteWe're all thoroughly enjoying the blog. Keep up the good work and enjoy the rest of the trip. Pete
Funny you should mention Lynryd Skynryd - the guy who inspired the name (Leonard Skinner) has just died aged 77. They interviewed his widow on the radio. He was the band's PE teacher and sent them to the Head for having long hair.
ReplyDeleteDon't suppose that was reported on Radio Esfahan! Mary x