It seems that the nearer we get to Europe and Finland, the more we like the places - maybe some sort of a sign that we are longing for "home", but it might of course just be because it is nicer...
In any case: Tbilisi is a great city. It is reasonably modern, with boutique-and-cafe-laden avenues to keep shoppers busy, but it also has a very charming old town, which truly feels European. The winding lanes and tree lined cobbled streets, the old houses with vine branch-overgrown balconies and busy orthodox churches make for a few hours and days of interesting wandering around and exploring.
Tbilisi houses the first McDonald's we encountered on our trip since Eastern China, but unlike in China, we don't need this kind of "comforting, recognisable food": Georgian cuisine is excellent. After only a few days in the country, we (especially Hanna of course) must have already gained a few kilos. On almost every street corner, you find various types of khachapuri, some kind of cheese pie. Dirt cheap, greasy, delicious and omnipresent: what more can you wish for?
Other dishes we have enjoyed so far include shkmeruli (chicken in garlic sauce), khinkali (meat dumplings) and some kind of beef stew. Georgia accounts for our best culinary experiences so far, and frankly - after Chinese and Central Asian food (and the rather disappointing Iranian restaurant scene) - it's about time there's something genuinely nice to eat!
The Georgian Orthodox Church is the liveliest active religious organisation we have encountered (apart from the Islamic state-religion in Iran, culminating at the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashad). All churches in Tbilisi seem to be permanently overcrowded with believers, resulting in amazing scenes. There are young couples being married by the busload: some couples are queueing in the back of the church while another is being married. Meanwhile, regular visitors are walking around, crossing themselves and burning ever more candles; other people are confessing and in another end of the church, a baby is loudly protesting its baptism. Anyone keen on religious action should seriously consider joining the Georgian Orthodox Church!
On another topic, it's clear that Georgians have suffered heavily from the recent war with Russia: there are far more beggars in Tbilisi's streets than in any other city we've visited. A lot of people are selling their property and many (if not most) old women are selling seeds, woolen socks or small bouquets of flowers to make ends meet - and with their monthly pension of 70 lari (+- 35 EUR), it's easy to see why...
November 25, 2008
November 23, 2008
The Armenia-Georgia Border
Yes, again a story about a border crossing. It's maybe a bit monotonous, but for us, crossing borders is always a bit of an exciting endeavour.
We anticipated that the Armenia-Georgia crossing would be easy: we don't need a visa for Georgia, and both countries are friendly to each other and towards Europeans, so from an official point of view: nieto probljiema (our travel Russian isn't exaclty well developed, but hey).
From Stepanavan, some 40 km south of the border, we took a minibus that would bring us directly to Tbilisi. Easy as can be. The Guguti border station is a very small one, however (there aren't evenblack market money changers!), and it took a while to get there over badly damaged roads.
Armenia's customs and passport control was a bit slow, but straightforward enough. Georgia's side was also relatively straightforward: we got our passports back within 5 minutes, and thought we'd be on our way shortly.
Things turned out a bit differently though: there was a passenger in our minibus who had some problems with her passport. What it exactly was, we aren't sure (something about her being "invalid" or so), but it did take a very long time to get sorted out: we arrived at the border around 10:00 and only got through around 16:00...
Several other marshrutki passed us towards Tbilisi, but they were as full as ours, so changing transport wasn't an option. Luckily, we had some food with us (salami and cheese), and the friendly border guards offered us a few fruits to calm our nerves. It was all quite painless, though, and we arrived in Tbilisi just when it started to get dark.
We anticipated that the Armenia-Georgia crossing would be easy: we don't need a visa for Georgia, and both countries are friendly to each other and towards Europeans, so from an official point of view: nieto probljiema (our travel Russian isn't exaclty well developed, but hey).
From Stepanavan, some 40 km south of the border, we took a minibus that would bring us directly to Tbilisi. Easy as can be. The Guguti border station is a very small one, however (there aren't evenblack market money changers!), and it took a while to get there over badly damaged roads.
Armenia's customs and passport control was a bit slow, but straightforward enough. Georgia's side was also relatively straightforward: we got our passports back within 5 minutes, and thought we'd be on our way shortly.
Things turned out a bit differently though: there was a passenger in our minibus who had some problems with her passport. What it exactly was, we aren't sure (something about her being "invalid" or so), but it did take a very long time to get sorted out: we arrived at the border around 10:00 and only got through around 16:00...
Several other marshrutki passed us towards Tbilisi, but they were as full as ours, so changing transport wasn't an option. Luckily, we had some food with us (salami and cheese), and the friendly border guards offered us a few fruits to calm our nerves. It was all quite painless, though, and we arrived in Tbilisi just when it started to get dark.
November 22, 2008
Gyumri and Dilijan
We arrived in Guymri after dark and with the help of a flashlight and a map managed to find our way to a B&B where we received a warm welcome, as usual. We had time for a delicious dinner in a Georgian restaurant and a short walk around the dark town before it was time for bed.
Guymri is a small town with charmingly irregular houses and gardens bordering muddy streets where chicken, dogs and cows wander peacefully around. There are no high buildings left after the 1989 devastating earthquake destroyed most of the old ones, and those that were left standing were deserted in fear of another disaster. Our host's sister had lived in a caravan for five years after the earthquake although her apartment was still intact.
The following day, after visiting a couple of churches and a scruffy cafe where most regulars seemed to be Russian soldiers (Guymri is near the Turkish border, and Armenians have outsourced most of their borderguarding duties to Russians) we took a taxi to Dilijan, a town called "the Switzerland of Armenia" where many great artists like Shostakovitch, Prokofjef and Khatchaturian went to seek for inspiration. The town was not unpleasant and setting on mountain slope definitely is nice, but most of the inspiration it seemed to us had already been used, or drunken, and thrown away to the river flowing through town.
Guymri is a small town with charmingly irregular houses and gardens bordering muddy streets where chicken, dogs and cows wander peacefully around. There are no high buildings left after the 1989 devastating earthquake destroyed most of the old ones, and those that were left standing were deserted in fear of another disaster. Our host's sister had lived in a caravan for five years after the earthquake although her apartment was still intact.
The following day, after visiting a couple of churches and a scruffy cafe where most regulars seemed to be Russian soldiers (Guymri is near the Turkish border, and Armenians have outsourced most of their borderguarding duties to Russians) we took a taxi to Dilijan, a town called "the Switzerland of Armenia" where many great artists like Shostakovitch, Prokofjef and Khatchaturian went to seek for inspiration. The town was not unpleasant and setting on mountain slope definitely is nice, but most of the inspiration it seemed to us had already been used, or drunken, and thrown away to the river flowing through town.
Armenia's South and Yerevan
Running a bit behind on blog, it seems. But we also have some travelling to do, of course :-)
In Armenia, our itinerary was roughly south-north, passing from Goris and nearby Tatev to Yerevan, onwards to Gyumri, Dilijan and Stepanavan, from where we crossed into Georgia.
Goris was very charming, with an old part of the town consisting of numerous caves that were inhabited in earlier times - and are now used to shelter cows and sheep. Nearby Tatev, a small hamlet with about 300 inhabitants, boasts one of the most interesting old monasteries in the country, with a particularly beautiful setting at the edge of a steep cliff. After a night in a very homely bed and breakfast, a rather frightening ride in a Soviet-era ramshackle bus (filled with people and bags of potatoes) brought us back to Goris, from where Yerevan was our next destination.
Yerevan has a very European feel to it, with swish shops and fashionably dressed people (mainly the women of course: black high-heeled boots seem to be the fashion now). The city isn't particularly charming at first sight: Soviet-style apartment blocks, squares and wide avenues, but hidden in various coutryards are some fine churches, markets and even a mosque (funded by an Iranian organisation).
The Yerevan opera was one of our highlights: we went to a ballet performance of Giselle, a very traditional ballet with plush outfits and lots of dancers on stage. With 7 EUR per person, it was a tad more expensive than in Tashkent, but this time we got to see the whole performance!
In Armenia, our itinerary was roughly south-north, passing from Goris and nearby Tatev to Yerevan, onwards to Gyumri, Dilijan and Stepanavan, from where we crossed into Georgia.
Goris was very charming, with an old part of the town consisting of numerous caves that were inhabited in earlier times - and are now used to shelter cows and sheep. Nearby Tatev, a small hamlet with about 300 inhabitants, boasts one of the most interesting old monasteries in the country, with a particularly beautiful setting at the edge of a steep cliff. After a night in a very homely bed and breakfast, a rather frightening ride in a Soviet-era ramshackle bus (filled with people and bags of potatoes) brought us back to Goris, from where Yerevan was our next destination.
Yerevan has a very European feel to it, with swish shops and fashionably dressed people (mainly the women of course: black high-heeled boots seem to be the fashion now). The city isn't particularly charming at first sight: Soviet-style apartment blocks, squares and wide avenues, but hidden in various coutryards are some fine churches, markets and even a mosque (funded by an Iranian organisation).
The Yerevan opera was one of our highlights: we went to a ballet performance of Giselle, a very traditional ballet with plush outfits and lots of dancers on stage. With 7 EUR per person, it was a tad more expensive than in Tashkent, but this time we got to see the whole performance!
November 15, 2008
First steps in Armenia!
Our first impressions of Armenia are nothing but positive. After crossing the border, we stayed in Meghri, an endlessly charming small village just nearby. A taxi dropped us off, and we quickly found a homestay where we could stay for the night.
The room was clean and adequate, the family was very friendly and language-barriers were quickly conquered with some glasses of home-made fruit brandy ("Super, fantastisch" according to the brewer - and why would we disagree?). Homestays are not particularly cheap (+- 45EUR per night for two persons), but with breakfast and a delicious local dinner included that's really a great deal.
Meghri was a delight after the busy cities in Iran: it's a quiet rural village set in an amazing mountain landscape, with colourful fruit trees, chicken running on the streets and people everywhere offering us the spoils of the autumn harvest: delicious fruits and nuts.
From there, an early-morning minibus brought us to Goris, a town further north. The drive offered us some splendid views on gorges and snowy mountains, but the around 50 hairpin turns battered our bones and especially our nerves: steep cliffs with a narrow road, non-existent curbstones, foggy weather (clouds) and a frantic driver (fast and furious) gave us enough excitement for a while...
The room was clean and adequate, the family was very friendly and language-barriers were quickly conquered with some glasses of home-made fruit brandy ("Super, fantastisch" according to the brewer - and why would we disagree?). Homestays are not particularly cheap (+- 45EUR per night for two persons), but with breakfast and a delicious local dinner included that's really a great deal.
Meghri was a delight after the busy cities in Iran: it's a quiet rural village set in an amazing mountain landscape, with colourful fruit trees, chicken running on the streets and people everywhere offering us the spoils of the autumn harvest: delicious fruits and nuts.
From there, an early-morning minibus brought us to Goris, a town further north. The drive offered us some splendid views on gorges and snowy mountains, but the around 50 hairpin turns battered our bones and especially our nerves: steep cliffs with a narrow road, non-existent curbstones, foggy weather (clouds) and a frantic driver (fast and furious) gave us enough excitement for a while...
November 14, 2008
The Iranian-Armenian Border Story
As is obvious from the previous post, we made it into Armenia, the 7th country on our trip, another ex-Soviet state but with a very (Eastern-) European feel to it.
Crossing the border was again quite an interesting experience. The drive along the Araks river, the physical border between Iran and both Armenia and Azerbaijan, was very fascinating, with snow-capped peaks and lofty Autumn colours. The border area was quite heavily guarded, with sentry posts and patrolling soldiers on both sides.
At the Iranian side, the customs and passport control were slow but straightforward and without any hassle. A short walk over a bridge brought us at the Armenian side, but the first flag we saw was a Russian one! The border is actually patrolled by Russian troops, and they also handle the visa issuing process and passport control.
Getting a visa was easy, but with 50USD that piece of paper wasn't particularly cheap.
After the visa had been issued however, a border guard took a closer look at the passports, and obviously discovered that Floris's passport was broken (see earlier post). Until then, nobody had noticed or nobody had cared, but these Russian officers were of another calibre. A few phone calls were made, a bit of discussion went on between some officers, and we ended up waiting in that border post for over 1.5 hours...
Finally, we were allowed through, surely because of lack of options: we didn't have a re-entry visa for Iran and they had already issued a visa. We got away quite luckily, it seems.
Floris got quite upset about this matter, because we had gone to the Belgian embassy in Tehran to inquire again what to do with this passport. We had already gone in Bishkek, but having a more updated confirmation of the validity of the passport wouldn't hurt, we thought. In the embassy they basically just told us that this ripped page posed no problem and that the passport was as valid as ever. They didn't put that in writing however, and they were moreover obviously wrong, as we did get a delay (and a possible denial for entry) on the Armenian border. As a result, a polite but firm email has already been sent to the embassy to point out their mistake and Floris's discontent about that.
Another striking fact was the dress of the female Russian border guards. Coming from Iran, where chadors, headscarves and none-revealing clothes are the norm, the outfit of the female officers was quite a shock (not an unpleasant one, however). Bleached hair, lots of make-up, knee-high high-heeled black leather boots, short skirts and a just-too-tight blouse,... Completely over the top, in other words and we wonder if they do that on purpose to provoke the Iranians who cross the border here...
Crossing the border was again quite an interesting experience. The drive along the Araks river, the physical border between Iran and both Armenia and Azerbaijan, was very fascinating, with snow-capped peaks and lofty Autumn colours. The border area was quite heavily guarded, with sentry posts and patrolling soldiers on both sides.
At the Iranian side, the customs and passport control were slow but straightforward and without any hassle. A short walk over a bridge brought us at the Armenian side, but the first flag we saw was a Russian one! The border is actually patrolled by Russian troops, and they also handle the visa issuing process and passport control.
Getting a visa was easy, but with 50USD that piece of paper wasn't particularly cheap.
After the visa had been issued however, a border guard took a closer look at the passports, and obviously discovered that Floris's passport was broken (see earlier post). Until then, nobody had noticed or nobody had cared, but these Russian officers were of another calibre. A few phone calls were made, a bit of discussion went on between some officers, and we ended up waiting in that border post for over 1.5 hours...
Finally, we were allowed through, surely because of lack of options: we didn't have a re-entry visa for Iran and they had already issued a visa. We got away quite luckily, it seems.
Floris got quite upset about this matter, because we had gone to the Belgian embassy in Tehran to inquire again what to do with this passport. We had already gone in Bishkek, but having a more updated confirmation of the validity of the passport wouldn't hurt, we thought. In the embassy they basically just told us that this ripped page posed no problem and that the passport was as valid as ever. They didn't put that in writing however, and they were moreover obviously wrong, as we did get a delay (and a possible denial for entry) on the Armenian border. As a result, a polite but firm email has already been sent to the embassy to point out their mistake and Floris's discontent about that.
Another striking fact was the dress of the female Russian border guards. Coming from Iran, where chadors, headscarves and none-revealing clothes are the norm, the outfit of the female officers was quite a shock (not an unpleasant one, however). Bleached hair, lots of make-up, knee-high high-heeled black leather boots, short skirts and a just-too-tight blouse,... Completely over the top, in other words and we wonder if they do that on purpose to provoke the Iranians who cross the border here...
November 12, 2008
Tehran and the North
After a nice week in Esfahan, we ended up in Tehran, after a short stop in Kashan on the way. Iran's capital really is something else: very busy, lots of people, lots and lots of cars, lots and lots and lots of pollution - but quite impressive and not uninviting as such.
We stayed in a very nice small hotel in the south of town (near Imam Khomeini square), the more conservative and most busy and most polluted part of the city. The hotel manager was a true beacon of light in the all-engulfing clouds of toxic fumes, and arranged everything from taxis to train tickets.
The only true amazing sight was the "US Den of Espionage", the former US Embassy in Iran, which was stormed by fanatical students after the Islamic Revolution and where US diplomats were held hostage for more than 400 days. Floris took some nice pictures of the predictable murals and slogans on the walls: "Down with USA", "We will make the US face a severe defeat (Imam Khomeini)",... (picture of that later). Because Floris was a bit overzealous and took some pictures of the inside of the premises through a spy hole (the site now houses a few radical groups), we were invited in the security office. The young guards were very nervous, very gentle and polite and even invited us for tea, but made sure all pictures showing the buildings inside and the security cameras were deleted. A polite request if we could have a tour of the site was politely denied ("No, no, no!"), but it was worth the try.
From Tehran, we took a night train to far away Tabriz in Iran's Azerbaijan province. A big jump, but we decided to make sure we had enough time left to get an idea about Armenia and Georgia as well. And well, a month in Iran gave us already quite enough of chadors, kebabs and fruit juices to be fine on those fronts for a while.
Tabriz was very refreshing, not just because the thermometer dropped another 5 degrees, but it really had a very different feel to it. It has all the vibes of a big border city near a cultural boundary: this is where the Persian culture has a heavy influence of Turkey and Azerbaijan. A lot of inhabitants of the city have very different facial featues than the "Persians" down South, and clothing and headcovers were quite different as well.
The most important battle fact of Tabriz was the raiding of the Bazaar for some all important winter gear. Floris bought a Chinese made jacket (labelled "new style mens asylum wear original style super taste the fashion is best multiple genial charm") for 21 EUR, Hanna did even (much) better with an amazing 6 EUR. Woolen socks (1 EUR) and long thermal underwear completed the spoils of war.
From Tabriz, a taxi brought us to Noordoz at the Iranian side of the border, from where we went onwards to Armenia.
November 5, 2008
New pictures
As per general request, and of course because it has been some time: some more pictures from The Islamic Republic of Iran are now online. Unedited and only a small selection, but as an impression - I'm sure it'll do.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
"Figs after Easter": Khiva
No hei!
Sure: Uzbekistan is already half a continent behind us, but let's just say it's never too late to let you enjoy some more of the Floris Fine Arts Movement.
Just an artist's impression of the desert khanate of Khiva, with the predictable minarets, mosques, medrasses... and tourists.
Sure: Uzbekistan is already half a continent behind us, but let's just say it's never too late to let you enjoy some more of the Floris Fine Arts Movement.
Just an artist's impression of the desert khanate of Khiva, with the predictable minarets, mosques, medrasses... and tourists.
November 1, 2008
Esfahan: Half the World
It is always a good idea to take it a bit easy once in a while, and Esfahan is one of the best places in Iran to do so. Just resting, lingering around and visiting the main tourist draws a few times at a relaxed pace is the right thing to do in a lovely city as Esfahan.
With about 1.5 million inhabitants, it's a rather large city, even by Iranian standards, and even though there is the typical noise of cars, buses and motorcycles that dominate the oral senses in this part of the world, it boasts some of the most splendid attractions and relaxed spots we have come across on our trip.
Imam square with the nearby bazaar and architecturally and aesthetically marvelous mosques is a great place to wander around, marvel at these "wonders of the Islamic world" and sit and drink some tea. The several parks in the center also provide a fine setting to walk around and meet some locals, but the riverside, with its parks and bridges are maybe what we found most rewarding. All day, locals walk and sit, sing and play, drink some tea or have a picnic near the waters, where graceful birds (different herons especially) hunt for fish. The old bridges provide a glimpse of the past, and before long, while walking along the river, you will be stopped by locals who seem to be always interested in foreigners. We have had our pictures taken by complete strangers on various occasions and we met a man (who was obviously sick and somehow aware of it), who upheld that he was the ex-president and that he, with the will of God, would overthrow "the American and European countries" and impose Islam on all nations. He promised however that he wouldn't use the Iranian army for this purpose, and he would save us because he loved us. A really interesting talk, in a way quite funny but also (even more so) very sad.
On one occasion, when we were walking near a war cemetery for the victims of the Iran-Iraq war, we found an extremely cute small kitten that was all alone, cold and shivering (it had been raining just before) and evidently had been abandoned there. It was clean and healthy however, and was very affectionate and playful. We decided to safeguard the poor little creature: Floris put it in the pocket of his jacket to keep it warm and Hanna found some meat for it. We of course realized that we couldn't keep it ourselves (too unpractical while traveling), so we ventured to find it a nice Iranian foster parent. Luckily, we quite soon ran into a kind young Iranian man (a student of philosophy) who would take care of it. We decided to meet up with him and his girlfriend the next day, and had a very nice time: Esfahan has been worth the relaxed pace, both because of the sights and because of its people!
With about 1.5 million inhabitants, it's a rather large city, even by Iranian standards, and even though there is the typical noise of cars, buses and motorcycles that dominate the oral senses in this part of the world, it boasts some of the most splendid attractions and relaxed spots we have come across on our trip.
Imam square with the nearby bazaar and architecturally and aesthetically marvelous mosques is a great place to wander around, marvel at these "wonders of the Islamic world" and sit and drink some tea. The several parks in the center also provide a fine setting to walk around and meet some locals, but the riverside, with its parks and bridges are maybe what we found most rewarding. All day, locals walk and sit, sing and play, drink some tea or have a picnic near the waters, where graceful birds (different herons especially) hunt for fish. The old bridges provide a glimpse of the past, and before long, while walking along the river, you will be stopped by locals who seem to be always interested in foreigners. We have had our pictures taken by complete strangers on various occasions and we met a man (who was obviously sick and somehow aware of it), who upheld that he was the ex-president and that he, with the will of God, would overthrow "the American and European countries" and impose Islam on all nations. He promised however that he wouldn't use the Iranian army for this purpose, and he would save us because he loved us. A really interesting talk, in a way quite funny but also (even more so) very sad.
On one occasion, when we were walking near a war cemetery for the victims of the Iran-Iraq war, we found an extremely cute small kitten that was all alone, cold and shivering (it had been raining just before) and evidently had been abandoned there. It was clean and healthy however, and was very affectionate and playful. We decided to safeguard the poor little creature: Floris put it in the pocket of his jacket to keep it warm and Hanna found some meat for it. We of course realized that we couldn't keep it ourselves (too unpractical while traveling), so we ventured to find it a nice Iranian foster parent. Luckily, we quite soon ran into a kind young Iranian man (a student of philosophy) who would take care of it. We decided to meet up with him and his girlfriend the next day, and had a very nice time: Esfahan has been worth the relaxed pace, both because of the sights and because of its people!
Touring through Iran
Some time since the last post already, and a lot has happened... A short overview:
After Mashad, we took a train along a southern cross-desert route to Yazd, a pleasant ancient city in the middle of the desert. It's city scape is dominated by badgirs, a type of ancient air conditioning system. It is also the centre of the Zoroastrian community of Iran, but apart from some towers of silence and a fire temple, there is little evidence of the presence of these non-Muslims: the chador is also omnipresent in Yazd...
We also visited some desert towns around Yazd, with crumbling mud-brick walls and more badgirs, ice-houses (huge partly underground warehouses where ice was stored in wintertime, for use in the blazing summer heat) and caravanserais.
From Yazd, we took a bus to Kerman, mainly because we couldn't get good transport connections to Bandar-e-Abbas, where we wanted to go originally. Kerman isn't really a very interesting city at all, although there's quite a fine bazaar (but they have that in all cities) and some mosques worth passing by.
An overnight trip to nearby Mahan was more pleasant. Shazdeh garden, an atmospheric and peaceful garden and palace of a former prince provided us with a pleasant afternoon, including a dynamic discussion with an Iranian fanatic atheist ("Do you agree? We must destroy all religions!").
Later, we managed to take a bus to Bandar-e-Abbas, Iran's biggest port city in a very different part of the country. Bus rides are by the way quite an experience: the fact that buses are adorned with such phrases as "Need for Speed" and "Road Runner" should make clear why... Bandar isn't much in itself, but for us, seeing the Persian Gulf (well, the Strait of Hormuz at any rate) was the main draw.
We spent a few days on Qeshm island, where we had a very cheerful tour with some Iranian tourists. It was quite sad to see the Iranian women enjoy the pristine sandy beaches: bathing isn't prohibited, but no one would of course go in the water in full hejab dress... There is also an amazing mangrove forest (now, that's not something we'd have associated with Iran!), where we saw some rare birds and even a sea turtle just a few metres away.
Floris also had a short but extremely nice swim in the Gulf: the water was just right and there were no fish or other creatures nibbling at his feet. Due to the hejab-restrictions, Hanna was less fortunate and managed only to wiggle her toes in the sea...
After returning back to Bandar-e-Abbas, we went to the small town of Minab for the famous (in the region at least) Thursday market. The market itself was quite interesting enough indeed, but more interesting still were the people: a lot of the local women wear the 'bandari burqas': a face-masque with colourful embroidery, effectively covering the entire face - and that in a country where women already are almost wholly covered up!
Later, we went to Shiraz and to the magnificent site of ancient Persepolis (locally known as Takht-e Jamshid), the ceremonial city of Darius's Persian Empire. Though battered trough the ages and burnt down (presumably by Alexander the Great), it is still an impressive site. The multicultural nature of the then largest empire in the world is evident from the murals and building style. More info: Persepolis on wikipedia.
Shiraz will go down in our memory not only as the city with the enjoyable parks (great places to relax and have a chat with some locals) and the atmospheric tomb of the poet Hafez, but also as the city with the largest concentration of fast-food-style pizza places. With about 30 pizza joints on the main street, Shirazi's really must like pizza!
After that, we traveled to Esfahan, where we are at the moment. But about our adventures in this city, we'll relate another time.
After Mashad, we took a train along a southern cross-desert route to Yazd, a pleasant ancient city in the middle of the desert. It's city scape is dominated by badgirs, a type of ancient air conditioning system. It is also the centre of the Zoroastrian community of Iran, but apart from some towers of silence and a fire temple, there is little evidence of the presence of these non-Muslims: the chador is also omnipresent in Yazd...
We also visited some desert towns around Yazd, with crumbling mud-brick walls and more badgirs, ice-houses (huge partly underground warehouses where ice was stored in wintertime, for use in the blazing summer heat) and caravanserais.
From Yazd, we took a bus to Kerman, mainly because we couldn't get good transport connections to Bandar-e-Abbas, where we wanted to go originally. Kerman isn't really a very interesting city at all, although there's quite a fine bazaar (but they have that in all cities) and some mosques worth passing by.
An overnight trip to nearby Mahan was more pleasant. Shazdeh garden, an atmospheric and peaceful garden and palace of a former prince provided us with a pleasant afternoon, including a dynamic discussion with an Iranian fanatic atheist ("Do you agree? We must destroy all religions!").
Later, we managed to take a bus to Bandar-e-Abbas, Iran's biggest port city in a very different part of the country. Bus rides are by the way quite an experience: the fact that buses are adorned with such phrases as "Need for Speed" and "Road Runner" should make clear why... Bandar isn't much in itself, but for us, seeing the Persian Gulf (well, the Strait of Hormuz at any rate) was the main draw.
We spent a few days on Qeshm island, where we had a very cheerful tour with some Iranian tourists. It was quite sad to see the Iranian women enjoy the pristine sandy beaches: bathing isn't prohibited, but no one would of course go in the water in full hejab dress... There is also an amazing mangrove forest (now, that's not something we'd have associated with Iran!), where we saw some rare birds and even a sea turtle just a few metres away.
Floris also had a short but extremely nice swim in the Gulf: the water was just right and there were no fish or other creatures nibbling at his feet. Due to the hejab-restrictions, Hanna was less fortunate and managed only to wiggle her toes in the sea...
After returning back to Bandar-e-Abbas, we went to the small town of Minab for the famous (in the region at least) Thursday market. The market itself was quite interesting enough indeed, but more interesting still were the people: a lot of the local women wear the 'bandari burqas': a face-masque with colourful embroidery, effectively covering the entire face - and that in a country where women already are almost wholly covered up!
Later, we went to Shiraz and to the magnificent site of ancient Persepolis (locally known as Takht-e Jamshid), the ceremonial city of Darius's Persian Empire. Though battered trough the ages and burnt down (presumably by Alexander the Great), it is still an impressive site. The multicultural nature of the then largest empire in the world is evident from the murals and building style. More info: Persepolis on wikipedia.
Shiraz will go down in our memory not only as the city with the enjoyable parks (great places to relax and have a chat with some locals) and the atmospheric tomb of the poet Hafez, but also as the city with the largest concentration of fast-food-style pizza places. With about 30 pizza joints on the main street, Shirazi's really must like pizza!
After that, we traveled to Esfahan, where we are at the moment. But about our adventures in this city, we'll relate another time.
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