End of Trip

The trip home was routine apart from a delay of a few hours in Dubai.
We had a few hours there anyway and took the opportunity to leave the airport and go to a nearby hotel where we first had a much anticipated pint and then a bloody good dinner. I've mentioned that the food in Iran was not very exciting, so it was great to get somewhere where the food was exceptional.
Sadly, it was also expensive but we thought we deserved the treat.

In case you haven't already noticed, I have now added photos at various points to illustrate the previous posts. I have over 1000 in total but I have been very selective in what I uploaded.
You can increase the size of the picture by clicking on it.

Our overall impressions of the country were very favourable - there is a long and varied history with all the art, architecture etc that go along with that, there is spectacular scenery in varying climate zones, and it's very easy to travel about, find accommodation etc.
But what made it very different from anywhere else I've been was the people we met - I've never experienced such a willingness/desire to be welcoming to strangers.
There was a slight downside in that we found we were having the same conversation many times a day - where are you from ?
            England ?
which city ?
            London / near Manchester.
Ah, David Beckham, very good. What is your job ?
           We're retired
What is your opinion of Iran ?
etc. etc. (I'm not exaggerating - these were almost always the 3rd and 4th questions respectively)
Longer conversations usually moved on to enquiries about wives, children etc.

But that was a small price to pay.

Often people who spoke virtually no English would be content with.....
where are you from ?
England.
England ? very good. Welcome to Iran.

Quite early on in our trip I read a web report to the effect that a Canadian/Iranian guy who had been in custody for two years already had been sentenced to 19 years in jail for adverse comments he had made about Iran in his blog. That kind of thing concentrates the mind a little, so I was quite careful about what I wrote - in case that nice and considerate Mr Ahmedinajad happened to stumble across it.
But I can relax a little now........
Most people who did speak a bit of english were desperate to get our thoughts on the country. They seem to be very aware that they get a very bad press in the west, and were keen to let us know that this is because of their government and that the people are very different from the western perception.
That was certainly our experience - apart from the policeman I mentioned previously we only met one person who expressed any sort of support for the government. Just about everyone else indicated that they thought the government was "full of crazy people", who were in no way representative of the population as a whole.
Several articulated a strong envy of the kind of freedoms we have in the west - and in particular the guy we met in the teahouse in Kerman who said he "just wanted to be able to have some fun". Although he was the guy who has been to Bangkok several times, so I suspect he has had more fun than most of his compatriots.

The one supportive person was interesting though - he accepted that Ahmedinajad was a disaster internationally, but said that he was very good domestically. Apparently he arranges for the cabinet (or whatever equivalent they have) to meet in different provinces rather than always in Teheran, and they use these travels to meet local people and to gain an understanding of issues and problems in the various areas at first hand - and then generate appropriate action. Well, that's what he said..........

One thing we noticed in the english language press there and in occasional subtitles on TV - Israel is never referred to by name, it is always spoken of as "the zionist entity".

Most things of interest to travellers were state-administered, rather than by private businesses, and there was very little in the way of  useful background or other information. Also places were generally not presented as well as they could have been.
It's difficult to whinge though because the entry price to most places was less than 50 cents US.
Our feeling was that it might be better to jack the prices to $5 or even more and use the revenue to improve the presentation.

An example of the attitude of people is here..........

This guy was in the ticket booth at a garden we visited - on the way out he asked us where we were from and insisted on having his picture taken with me. No idea why - it was going to be in my camera not his. But here is his 5 minutes of limited fame...................

On a number of occasions we were approached by people we had not yet been talking to to ask if they could take a photo of us with them - often one english speaker would emerge from a group of giggling girls. So we also are featuring in other people's snaps.

Highlights of the trip ?
I think that for Steve it was Persepolis - and it is a magnificent place.
For me I think the Alamut valley, and the caravanserai in the remote desert. And the exquisite tiling designs in the mosques in Isfahan.
Oh, and the mosque in Shiraz where the sunlight comes in through the stained glass windows in the morning - I don't think I've mentioned that before.
Here it is....

As you can see, this was just a lovely space with beautiful pillars, arches and decoration but the coloured light playing on the brickwork and carpets made it very special.
And, as in so many places, we had it to ourselves so we sat and enjoyed it for quite a while.

I hope you've enjoyed reading about our travels, and thanks for the feedback I've received.
I haven't blogged before and I found it was a good way to both clarify my own thoughts on things and also to generate my own record which I can look back on as the memory loss accelerates.

So, all in all, a very good trip and most definitely an excellent adventure.

Bye
David

Heading home

We are leaving Shiraz tomorrow - first a flight to Dubai and then to London from there.

I doubt if I'll be able to add any more until I get home.

Then I will add some photos  - probably not until after the weekend.

Bishapur

As this was to be our last excursion we decided to do it via public transport, so we got up early to catch a bus at 7 am and we were in a place called Kazerun by 09.30.
Our plan was to get a taxi from there the last 20km to Bishapur.
Unfortunately Steve got talking to an elderly man on the bus who had a little english - after enquiring about our reason for the journey he decided to appoint himself as "your leader" for the day. We think he meant "guide".
Anyway, despite our protestations of independence he started making a fuss organising taxis as soon as we got off the bus and pretty soon there was a cast of thousands milling around all trying to assist with the arrangements. I counted thirteen people at one point - excluding us.
I'm afraid I got a bit cross at this point and may have been a litttle rude, but eventually we extricated ourselves and headed off without any hangers on.
The taxi left us at Bishapur, which is the site of an ancient city - around 1800 years old - and was the capital of the persian emperor Shapur I.
He is apparently famous for having beaten the Romans on three occasions, and for taking many of Emperor Valerian's army prisoner.
The site was huge - much of it still to be excavated - but we saw what there was over a couple of hours plodding around the site. By now it was around midday and probably the hottest day we have had - in the mid 90's.
We had left the hotel before breakfast and the fiasco at the bus terminal meant that we had overlooked the need to buy any food - and we only had a couple of small bottles of water.
There was nothing to be had where we were - it was quite an isolated spot - and there were also no taxis around.

The next site was about 4km away so we started walking. The route began opposite Bishapur and led through a narrow gorge between two enormous ridges about 2,000 ft high. The ridges curved so that we were entering an almost circular valley about 5 km in diameter with just one more small exit via a similar gorge an the other side. The floor of the valley was very fertile and cultivated with orchards and vegetable fields - a lovely isolated place.
Our objective was a cave part way up the hillside which contained a 7 metre high statue of Shapur I.
And no - I have no idea why they put it there.

Pretty soon a passing car stopped to offer us a ride - for which we were by now extremely grateful.
The driver didn't speak any english but we managed to convey what we were doing and he dropped us off at the start of the path. There was still nowhere to buy food and water.

When we set out we hadn't realised just how remote this spot was - on the way back our only option was to hitchhike. By now we were feeling the effects of the heat and the lack of food and water so walking back to the main road was not at all an attractive proposition.
I haven't hitchhiked since I was a student, so it was quite nostalgic. It's just too easy in Iran though - once they see you are a foreigner they can't slam the brakes on quickly enough.
The first car that came along stopped to pick us up  - a young couple who invited us to share their picnic lunch. We declined but they thrust a couple of bananas on us anyway as they dropped us at the main road - they were heading away from Kazerun. We wolfed them immediately.

A wait of only a few minutes before we were picked up by a couple of guys who happened to be going all the way back to Shiraz, so they dropped us at our hotel.
As I said, it's just too easy here.

So, all in all, a bit of a wierd day - but one we will remember.

I omitted this bit earlier, but now I think perhaps I should include it...........
The guy who wanted to be "our leader" was a veteran of the Iran/Iraq war and he had been terribly injured during the conflict.
He had no hands and was blind and his hearing was very limited.
Given his circumstances he was remarkably cheerful.
How he intended to guide us we had no idea.
We wouldn't have wanted a guide in any event, but we really didn't know how to cope with him.
Perhaps we should have given it a go and let things take their course.
We felt bad about it at the time and afterwards.

Random observations

There are a lot of feral cats in Iran.

The breakfast served in hotels invariably consists of tomatoes, cucumber, white cheese like a mild feta, flatbread and a fried egg.

There is a huge number of barber shops and all seem to be very well patronised. A high proportion of young men are always very sharply coiffed. Unfortunately, one of the favoured styles is a sort of Bay City Rollers job.

Clothes shops for both men and women use very many dummies to display the clothes - often a long line of them down one side of the shop. These always seem to have european faces. Men's shops often try to localise them by adding a little beard or colouring the hair. The result is usually reminiscent of George Michael.

I've described before the deep water-channel between road and pavement. Today we saw a car which had misjudged its parking angle - an expensive mistake.

There are very few proper restaurants in Iran, but a vast number of fast food establishments. This may be different in Teheran.

I've had enough Iranian traditional music to last me a while.

Shiraz

Another day, another persian poet.
This time it was Sa'adi - also from Shiraz and also a big enough star to warrant his own park to house his tomb.
We decided to have a bit of a lazy day and spend time in the various gardens which Shiraz prides itself on.
One of them was the Sa'adi one.

All very enjoyable but not much of specific interest to write about.
On our way between two gardens we saw a poster advertising an art exhibition not too far from our hotel so we went along there in the evening. We enjoyed it - one floor was traditional art - calligraphy, miniatures etc - and the second floor was modern art. This was a little dated, a lot of it looked like it was from the sixties - but that is true of a lot of things here.
But it was interesting nevertheless.

Martyrs

I think I have mentioned before that the Iran/Iraq war is still a very fresh memory here and that is perpetuated by frequent images on TV etc.
The war was bound up with the Islamic Revolution and many people participated as a religious duty. Many of those who died were deemed to be martyrs and in most towns they celebrate their citizens who were martyred by displaying their faces on boards along the central reservation of major arterial roads. In some towns there are large numbers of these. And many of them are very very young.
Sometimes they show larger images, and it is quite disturbing to see a photo of a smiling teenage boy with a grenade launcher over his shoulder.

Kids

Despite the health and safety stuff I mentioned before, it seems to be a generally safe environment for kids.
With the result that we often see quite young children, usually boys, out and about without parental supervision.
They are usually less successful than older people at controlling their excitement when they see a foreign tourist. When we arrived at Hafez Tomb there were a group of about a dozen boys aged around 11/12 near the entrance. When they saw us they immediately all wanted their chance to say "Hello Meester. Where you from ? What's your name ?". So we walked along with this minor mob behind us making quite a fuss - we felt a bit like the Pied Piper. Eventually they got bored and left us alone.

Later the same day I encountered three boys aged about 9 - they tried to sell me some kind of gadget for threading needles. Three for only a dollar. They were unable to explain to my satisfaction why I might need three, or indeed any.
But they fell in alongside me and walked with me for some time - going through the usual questions above.
After a while I wanted to get rid of them so I offered to give them a polo mint each if they buggered off.
The first one took two with a big grin, and the second and third, seeing this, took three each. Cheeky sods.
And they carried on walking with me - apparently not having understood the deal. And now, to them,  I was not only an unusual foreign tourist - I had become an unusual foreign tourist with sweets.

About now I began to realise my predicament - I had turned myself into an infidel stranger offering sweets to kiddies. And they wouldn't leave me alone. And I didn't speak any Farsi to explain myself. I could see them following me all the way back to the hotel - if some responsible adult didn't intervene in the meantime.

My only way out was to grab the first passing taxi. A lesson learned.

Health and Safety

I think a summation of Iranian health and safety only needs 3 words.
There isn't any.

I've written before about the hazards associated with cars and motorbikes but, as a pedestrian, there are more hazards to be encountered. In many towns there are deep water-channels between the road and the pavement. These are often used to supply water to trees planted alongside the roads - the channels are flooded daily and water is diverted at various points to the trees. The channels are about 2 ft wide and, although there are "bridges" at various points it's routine just to step over them. If you remember they are there.

It's probably a very good reason for there being no alcohol allowed. If these channels existed in British cities A&E depts would be overrun with broken legs every Friday and Saturday night.

In many hotels, restaurants and other public buildings we have seen unbelievable exposed electrical wiring and nobody seems to bother.

There are many other examples of the general lack of concern - perhaps it's the fatalism embodied in Insh'Allah...........

On the plus side, it's great when you get to the kind of ancient monuments we have been visiting because generally, Persepolis excepted, nobody stops you from going anywhere - there are no handrails, no barriers, no gates etc so you can wander about at will. You take responsibility for your own safety - quite refreshing.

Firuzabad

Today we had another excursion.
This time we arranged for a car and driver to take us to Firuzabad - a couple of hours south-ish of Shiraz.

The journey was again spectacular, with the road following winding passes throuogh enormous mountain ranges.

Just before Firuzabad a river, dry in this season, has cut a huge gorge and at one point there is a high crag on the inside of a hairpin bend, on top of which sits a ruined castle built in the 3rd century BC.
It was a very long climb up at the hottest time of the day, but there is a very good recently-built path/stairway so we managed it after several rest stops. The view from the top was outstanding and the castle itself was huge. There has evidently been restoration work going on but we were puzzled by the lack of people and materials. Then we saw a huge expanse of scaffolding which had partially collapsed damaging the rest. It looked as if they had simply abandoned the job rather than sort it out.
Must have been O'Reilly.
There were no other people there at all so we had the place entirely to ourselves.

Next was the ruined city of Gur. No, me neither. Also from the same era and another huge site -  in the middle of a plain this time. All that was standing was  a crumbling tower almost 100 ft high which apparently marked the centre of the city.

Gur was unusual in that it was circular and divided into segments in an early form of town planning.
There was very little else to see although a little archaeological work was going on. But it was clear from the terrain that there is masses there to be unearthed when they finally get around to it.
Again, we had the place to ourselves.
The memorable thing about Gur was that there was a type of plant there which attracted a particular type of butterfly in huge numbers - white with black markings. As we passed they were disturbed and flew up so we were walking amid clouds of butterflies. A lovely experience.

The last big site at Firuzabad was probably the best - a palace from the same era - partially restored, enough to get a clear impression of the scale of the thing. And enough to see how the later dynasties, after Persepolis, had developed different building styles.

On the way back to Shiraz the driver stopped at another of Shah Abbas's caravanserais - you'll remember those if you were paying attention to previous posts. This one was just at the outlet of a mountain gorge where the difficult road would have emerged onto the plain and probably would have been a very welcome to travellers.
It is just a ruin now, no restoration at all, but is still recognisable as fulfilling the function of the one we stayed at near Yazd. Again, very atmospheric in its dramatic setting and with no-one else around.

Hafez

OK - hands up if you know who Hafez is/was.
And extra points if you have actually read any of his stuff.
I freely confess that I had never heard of him until I started getting interested in this trip.

Iranians are very big on poetry and Hafez is major league. There are streets and squares named after several poets in most towns we have been to. And we are told that much of the traditional music we have been hearing is their poetry set to music.

Hafez is apparently the most-loved lyric poet and many of his sayings are in comon usage.

Where is this leading ?

Well, Hafez was from Shiraz and here he has the status of a combination of William Shakespeare, Bob Dylan and Elvis (Presley not Costello).
We visited his tomb yesterday. The site is several acres of beautiful landscaped gardens with pools and fountains and in the middle there is an open pavilion with a tiled dome in which sits a large alabaster sarcophagus. The place was crowded with people, many of whom go up to the sarcophagus and rest a hand on it while they murmur some words - we didn't know whether they were reciting a favourite piece or whether it was something religious. And this included people of all ages.
Traditional music using his words was playing and gave the whole place a lovely atmosphere.

It is believed that his works have the capacity for clairvoyance so people will open a book of his work at random and divine their future from the words they chance upon.
And just in case you arrive having forgotten your copy of his complete works, as we did, at the entrance gate there are several people with handfuls of bits of paper with random verses on. For a small fee they will allow the budgie sitting on their wrist to pick one out for you with its beak. And I'm not making that up.........you couldn't really.......

We enjoyed it there so much we stayed quite a long time - there was a nice cafe in one corner where we could sit for a while.

We even went back again around sunset and had an enormous 4-scoop ice cream while it got dark. They illuminate the whole place in the evening and that created a very different but equally enjoyable atmosphere.
There were still large numbers of people coming and going.

So - is Amazon going to experience an unprecented rush on books of Iranian poetry tomorrow ?
60 million Iranians can't be wrong.