Iran…
Posted by Karen on May 29th 2006
Written on the 2006 London to Sydney expedition
So far…
And we thought the Turkish were welcoming! The Iranian’s have proved to be trying to make our stay even more enjoyable (if that’s possible)! Our first few days were spent in Tabriz. OK, yes, there may have been a bit of a demonstration thing going on (nothing to do with foreigners at all), but we thought it was damn considerate of them to trash every other building and vehicle on the street ‘except’ ours! – (Now ‘that’ wouldn’t have happened in many other places in the world)!.
We then moved on to what we can only describe as the most stunning scenery we could have expected – or ‘not’ expected to see in all of Iran. The lush green valleys around Kaleybar provided awesome views as we hiked up to Babak Castle, Iran’s most impressive ruined fortress. From there we dropped down to the Caspian Sea and were amazed to see the land dominated by rice paddies. We then stopped off for a couple of days in the relaxed mountain retreat of Masuleh, a tiny village built into the side of a steep mountain.
Once again, I can only stress that our expectations have been totally blown away, the extra stay has been more than worth it. Although in saying that, it’s not all been smooth sailing, there have been a few bottom lips dropping (mine included!) as the girls struggle to come to terms with their new outfits (covered from head to toe in a black nun-like attire, complete with socks, in +30°C heat no less)!!! Although Iran has obviously relaxed somewhat in certain areas, the majority have not, so when in Rome…
Currently now in Esfahan, chilling out for the next few days, nobody’s mobile phone appears to be working and internet cafes are few and far between, but rest assured, were having a great time!
Until next time…
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