We had a perfectly planned
route through Iran, but it was back when we still believed we will be
able to enter from Turkmenistan. Entering the country from a totally
different side turned our plans upside down a bit. So far the
question we asked ourselves in every land was: where can we find
something worth seeing, but in Iran the question is rather: which one
out of all those amazing things can we still squeeze into our plan.
The country is packed with tourist attractions and you would need at
least a year to really see it all, so the choice was not an easy one.
We decided to do it step by step and see where it would lead us. And
the first step was Masuleh, described by many as Iran's most
beautiful village. It sounded promising.
The road leading there was
already worth the ride, as the views were truly amazing. And the
village itself was supposed to be even better. Small houses in the
mountains, one built on the roof of the other, all as colorful and
picturesque as you could only imagine. We wanted to take a long walk
to explore all its narrow streets and then camp somewhere outside the
village. Well, we didn't really get too far... We have only managed
to take a few steps and a few photos before our attention was drawn
by a group of young laughing people, who were definitely having a
good time. They were trying to take a group photo, so we offered our
help. And once again before we even noticed we were sitting together,
drinking tea, smoking water pipe and discussing our plans for the
next day. Masuleh, as pretty as it was, was left behind and we drove
with our new Iranian friends back to their hometown Fuman.
There is one thing that
most Iranians never understand and that is our willingness to sleep
in our cars. We think about Karossi as our home now and we'd rather
sleep there than anywhere else, but we never managed to properly
explain it to our Iranian hosts. They always insist on us taking one
of their rooms and don't even want to hear about any cars. But the
thing is, staying in a car is simply more convenient for us, as we
have all our stuff there, so we don't have to waste any time packing
and unpacking it. And we really feel at home there. Maybe it would be
easier to explain if our cars were not in such a mess as they are
now. We still didn't manage to wash them after our terrible drive to
Aktau and the inside is fully packed with all the souvenirs we bought
so far, so for an untrained eye it may look like a total chaos. As
our friend Soheil put it: “So you say this is like a house for you?
And you'd rather sleep here than in my room? Then please, clean your
house!” :) But at the end he turned in and allowed us to stay in
our beloved chaos.
Since the next day was a
holiday we all decided to take advantage of the perfect weather and
visit the nearby castle. The day was sunny and bright and we had a
few hundred or maybe thousand steps to get to the top. It was a long
climb and the scarf on my head did not really make things easier. But
since we were climbing in an excellent company, the time went by
faster then we could expect. And I have to say the view on the top of
the hill was worth every minute of the climb. The ruins looked
absolutely amazing. And what was even better, our Iranian friends
prepared a surprise picnic! Iranians are famous for their picnic
culture. On a nice sunny day you see families eating everywhere you
look. And it's not just a sandwich or a few fruits. There are salads,
cold dishes, tea, water pipes and we saw a few people doing some
serious outdoor cooking, too. We absolutely loved it! Being a part of
an Iranian picnic was my little dream since we have entered the
country, so I was happier than ever. We were all sure, that was the
best day of our entire trip! But when we said that, we didn't know,
that the best part of the day was yet to come...
The moment we decided to
climb down again the weather started getting worse, so our plan to
visit a nearby lake was soon forgotten. But we were not really sad,
as we got invited for a dinner instead! As you already know I love
visiting Iranian homes. Especially I like the moment when everyone
enters the house. Head scarfs are falling down instantly and you can
finally see the girls hiding behind all those long clothes. Sonbol
always said “Iranian girls are sooooooo beautiful” and I have to
say, after all we have seen, we could not argue with that! And if you
ever see them dancing, you will quickly understand why dancing in
public is so strictly prohibited in this country. Those girls would
make Shakira blush within few seconds!
I also have my second
favorite moment, the time when food is served! You just seat on a
nice Persian carpet and see all those exotic dishes appearing right
in front of you. And this wonderful smell... Sometimes I feel like I
could just sit like that and watch it all for hours. But that would
be an awful waste, since those dishes taste even better then they
look. And on that evening we had a real feast with many dishes,
including olive paste, an amazing egg plant stew and a dish that has
become one of my personal favorites ever since, the fesenjan, chicken
with walnuts and pomegranate sauce. What can I say, Sonbol was right
again, “Iranian food is just sooooooo good”.
We didn't felt like
leaving Fuman at all. But we already spent nearly a week of our
precious visa time in Iran, without really getting far from the
border, so we decided it's time for some heavy driving. We wanted to
drive to Esfahan, ready to see the biggest architectural attractions
of the country.
But first we wanted to
visit the famous Iranian caves. Lonely planet didn't really sound too
optimistic about them, but we learned not to trust them long ago. And
once again it was a great decision, as both caves proved to be
awesome! We headed for Katalekhor first and we were the only people
around. The cave was great and since we were alone the guide offered
to take us through a less traveled path. He did not prevent us that
it will be totally dark and slippery and that we will have to balance
between all the stalagmites and stalactites in order not to destroy
them, but it was fun. And before we reached the end we were sure we
want to see the other cave too. Alisadr cave is supposed to be the
biggest water cave in the world and from what we heard it attracts
quite a lot of touristsTp . But we haven't seen any crowds, just two
Iranian families and us. Most of the trip is done with a boat and we
found it absolutely amazing. As far as we are concerned it was
definitely worth a detour, no matter what our beloved/despised
guidebook says.
There! Now I am much more satisfied. Thank you a million for more details and I am truly fascinatad by the Iraninan women dancing as you know, I am a huge fan and a former belly dance instructor myself (I'd like to take the former part out but need to finally face the truth that this is not happening anymore:(). I also got hungry!!! Damn it! But how can you compare all your feast to my breakfast porrige?:)
ReplyDeleteYou are so lucky to keep meeting such generous people on your way. And wish you carry on with your luck. But I am guessing this is the rule of attraction. Good attract more good and friendliness. Now I need to redefine it for myself:):):)
I say: get rid of the Lonely Planet guide book. Seriously! It will be a lonely planet soon with all this misjudgement. I prefer the guide books with pictures:) haha. I believe though you are getting close to being ready to write your own guide and survial book.
So now it's Ankara. Thumbs up for Turkey. Get lots of turquise stuff, sweets and be nice to Karossi so he can feel your love and get going. Just watched Skyfall (new Bond - very nice esthetic experience)and a part of the movie is in Istanbul. I was thinking of you (now three as far as I am aware:)) and wondering whether you're gonna be there. It's beautiful.
Ok, I really need to go now. As always rushing to work. What can I do? Your travels are more exciting:)
Take care, fingers crossed and keep us all posted.
x
Ola
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I managed to satisfy your hunger for information :) Iranian culture is really fascinating.
I have to say we keep meeting so many great people, that sometimes I can not even believe it is all really happening. Even now, Volkswagen T3 drivers from all over Turkey are doing their best to get our car running again, going in a lot of trouble to get us out of ours. People can really be amazing!
As far as lonely planet is concerned there is not really much competition covering this region. But we have learned to treat it just like a base, something to start with, but we do not trust them too much. We gave that up already in Russia :) But the nice thing is, if you follow their hotel recommendations you can meet many fellow travelers, as they all use the same guide :)
Take care and stay warm
Aga