Breakfast this morning was fried eggs in a tiny place up the road and I really enjoyed them. I only ate a little piece of a local type of bread (the others say it is like an old type of bath mat) and noticed that the remaining went back into the plastic bag ready for the next customer. The eggs were cooked in a pan and then the pan was placed in front of me so there could be no doubt that the food was hot and fresh.
Masuleh is a hodgepodge of buildings on a steep mountain at the side of a river and we have not been able to find out why it is here. There are walking paths around and it is a pretty but that is not enough to explain why so many people come here either for the day or to stay for a few days. There is one road into the place and which stops before the housing begins so no traffic of any sort can come into the housing area. This is mainly because the roofs of the houses are the street for the houses above. Besides being used as streets the roofs are shops, restaurants and cafes. It is a very weird arrangement but it works somehow. It is even possible to walk on the roof of the local mosque. Some of the houses are quite old and made of a clay type of mixture, not unlike my own. They certainly have more character than the newer ones.
When I went out for a walk this morning a car stopped by me and the driver asked me for directions (I think) and I just said I did not know anything. I do not look like an Iranian but our guide said that with this beard I do look like one! Most of us spent until early afternoon inside in the cool as it is very hot outside today. They have been tiding up laptops, I-pods, tablets and all sorts of things as we have not had a day like this since leaving London, namely somewhere to sit quietly with little to see or do outside.
I really do not want my picture taken
These collecting boxes have been seen on the streets wherever we have been up to now. The money collects is used to look after children whose parents are unable to work or have died. The sign of the hand means that the children are asking for help.
The clouds came down about midday and cooled everything down. There were few people and stalls open as it was now a normal working day. There were people dressed up in the national costume and they allowed me to take photographs of them. One young lady even insisted that I have my photograph with her which I was quite pleased to do. All this is in contradiction with what I expected before coming to Iran. Even the dress of the young women here is an eye opener as they are well aware of today's fashions and look smart in what they wear with the headscarf being used more as an accessory than the main part of their dress.
In the evening Derek and I went to get some food. I did not want too much to eat so went for eggs and bread again, bargaining to reduce the cost by half. Derek wanted rice, egg and meat and had some trouble getting across what he wanted. An Iranian lady sitting in the cafe heard us trying to sort things out and came across to help. She spoke excellent English and once again we were surprised to have a local lady help as it was not what we understood would happen before coming to Iran. She sorted everything out for us and spent most of the time we were eating just talking to us. She indicated that the food available there was ‘holiday food’ such as kebabs which an Iranian family would not normally eat at home. I asked what sort of local food was available and she described various types of soups and a dish called mirza qasemi which we said we would try when we get a chance. She then noticed that there was some on another table so went to the people there, said something and came back to us with their food to taste! Some things are quite weird! We both said that as it was someone else's food they should have it back, which she understood and back it went. The number of times people have said ‘Welcome to Iran’ just in passing has been an eye opener to everything I have expected.
Arriving back at the accommodation I found the others in the room watching an episode of ‘Father Ted’ on someone's laptop.
Back to the land of the living!
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| The cafe |
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| Breakfast |
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Views around Masuleh |
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When I went out for a walk this morning a car stopped by me and the driver asked me for directions (I think) and I just said I did not know anything. I do not look like an Iranian but our guide said that with this beard I do look like one! Most of us spent until early afternoon inside in the cool as it is very hot outside today. They have been tiding up laptops, I-pods, tablets and all sorts of things as we have not had a day like this since leaving London, namely somewhere to sit quietly with little to see or do outside.
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| An elderly lady who let me take her photograph |
I really do not want my picture taken
These collecting boxes have been seen on the streets wherever we have been up to now. The money collects is used to look after children whose parents are unable to work or have died. The sign of the hand means that the children are asking for help.The clouds came down about midday and cooled everything down. There were few people and stalls open as it was now a normal working day. There were people dressed up in the national costume and they allowed me to take photographs of them. One young lady even insisted that I have my photograph with her which I was quite pleased to do. All this is in contradiction with what I expected before coming to Iran. Even the dress of the young women here is an eye opener as they are well aware of today's fashions and look smart in what they wear with the headscarf being used more as an accessory than the main part of their dress.
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| Local people in traditional dress |
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I have tried to find out the cost of fuel in Iran and the answers I have been given is that the price varies from one ninth to one thirtieth the cost compared to the UK. There is a black market in fuel here but I do not understand why and the cost of this fuel varies within the costs above. A car owner has a card allowing him to buy fuel every day. If he does not use the card then he loses the use of the card. Those without a card ask around for one not being used that day, get hold of the card, then use it to buy fuel. It sounds complicated and so it was when it was explained to me and still is. At all petrol stations there is always a long queue for LNG as many of the cars here a run on gas and there are not many charging points available as it is still a new innovation.
Two of the girls on the trip who do not have a visa for Pakistan have to fly from Tehran to India. Due to time constraints they have to go by train from Yazd (our next stop) to Tehran and have been told that as the train only had four person compartments then ,because they were foreign women, they would have to buy the four seats.
Two of the girls on the trip who do not have a visa for Pakistan have to fly from Tehran to India. Due to time constraints they have to go by train from Yazd (our next stop) to Tehran and have been told that as the train only had four person compartments then ,because they were foreign women, they would have to buy the four seats.
In the evening Derek and I went to get some food. I did not want too much to eat so went for eggs and bread again, bargaining to reduce the cost by half. Derek wanted rice, egg and meat and had some trouble getting across what he wanted. An Iranian lady sitting in the cafe heard us trying to sort things out and came across to help. She spoke excellent English and once again we were surprised to have a local lady help as it was not what we understood would happen before coming to Iran. She sorted everything out for us and spent most of the time we were eating just talking to us. She indicated that the food available there was ‘holiday food’ such as kebabs which an Iranian family would not normally eat at home. I asked what sort of local food was available and she described various types of soups and a dish called mirza qasemi which we said we would try when we get a chance. She then noticed that there was some on another table so went to the people there, said something and came back to us with their food to taste! Some things are quite weird! We both said that as it was someone else's food they should have it back, which she understood and back it went. The number of times people have said ‘Welcome to Iran’ just in passing has been an eye opener to everything I have expected.
Arriving back at the accommodation I found the others in the room watching an episode of ‘Father Ted’ on someone's laptop.
Back to the land of the living!
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