Tuesday 23 September 2008
Monday 22 September 2008
Khiva to Tashkent - 15 Sep to 22 Sep
15th September 2008
Summary: bus to Bukhara
Ventured outside the walls to the bank to change money while A+M investigated the bus situation to Bukhara. Largest note here is again approx. 70c, although USD is unofficially accepted some larger transactions such as hotels and long taxi rides. G had to return home to recuperate while I updated the blog. The bus was extremely hot with no AC, just fans blowing hot air, and no openable windows. The passengers were predominantly local males and some stripped down to their underwear. Got to watch Russian movies, Uzbek pop music and a Cantonese movie dubbed into Russian, with lots of semi-clad women which the locals were paying close attention to. Part-way through the trip a guy came down the aisle to collect the fares in a plastic bag, as each passenger handed over a sizeable wad of cash ($13 or 18 notes each). Forgot to mention that toilets are getting more and more feral (still not as bad as China, and just the rural ones, in town it's fine). I ran screaming, coughing and spluttering from one in rural Turkmenistan. On the (single) pit-stop on the bus ride we decided to wizz in the bushes in the median strip, based on the stench within a few metres of the official lavatories. Taxi drivers surrounded us as we got off the bus, and after much shouting Anna negotiated a good rate to the hotel, except the cab driver couldn't find it, even after calling the hotel and asking lots of passers-by, shouting across G as he was in the passengers seat. Eventually the hotel owner came and found us parked in a dark alley nearby. More drama inside the hotel. We were ushered into the gorgeous courtyard and then the husband and wife owners started shouting at each other in one of the rooms. Eventually the wife came out looking distinctly hassled and explained that they had not received our phone message. In any case we were happy to settle for a quad room and relocate the next day so not sure what all the fuss was about. She was very sweet but exhausted, gibbering incessantly in Russian, apologising and complaining about her husband while serving us supper and showing us around our room and their collection of antiques (the house is 130 yrs old, and apparently originally owned by a Jewish family). Meanwhile her husband pretty much ignored us and was reclined on a mattress watching a Genesis DVD with a German guest. It was a very surreal evening.
Practicalities: 13:30-21:00 bus from Khiva to Bukhara (we were told it would arrive between 6-8pm), stayed at Akhbar House, sharing a quad room with A+M.
Food: honeydew, Russian biscuits, our first handmade noodles and soup at the pit-stop - yum, light supper courtesy of the hotel of bread, tomatoes and vegetarian comcas. Imodium and gastrolyte for G.
16th September 2008
Summary: Bukhara
More dramas in the morning with changing rooms, laundry etc, and we realised that the previous night's commotion was actually the norm. The lady called a guy to change money for us. He came in with a sack full of cash which we counted in the courtyard. Went out to the train station where A helped us buy tickets to Tashkent. G had to retire again. I went out for a walk on my own and was immediately accosted by a drunk but friendly Russian guy who wanted to talk politics with me - Bill Clinton (did he mean George Bush?) and Iraq was plakhoi (bad) while Obama was harasho (good). I was saved by the hotel lady who happened to be walking past. Went for a walk with G around Lyabi-Hauz - the central plaza with a pool surrounded by plastic camels. Admired the facades of some medressas and mosques. Chatted with A+M back in the hotel courtyard, who taught us how to identify Swiss travellers - they dress for practicality rather than style, and are (overly) conscious of the environment and health. Our own observations are that they avoid Nestle products at all costs. Went out to dinner next to the pool at Lyabi-Hauz with cats and ducks wandering underneath the day-beds we were seated on. Did a survey of water prices at various shops, with M screaming, "you're ripping me off!", at one of them, but to no avail.
Food: yummy breakfast at the hotel - yoghurt drink, peach compote, sweet bread, fried eggs (similar brekkie at the previous hotel), more russian biscuits for lunch. handmade noodle soup for dinner.
17th September 2008
Summary: Bad day in Bukhara
Our bad day in Bukhara started with a shouting match between the hotel owners at around 6am. At 7am G went out to give them a death stare, despite my protests as we were leaving anyway and I didn't want to take the risk of getting hurt. The shouting subsided for a few minutes, then we got a knock on the door - our washing was delivered and we were invited out for breakfast. We declined, and the shouting resumed shortly afterwards. Over breakfast, M+A were unapologetically told that they had to check out as other guests were arriving, even though they had booked a further two nights. This resolved their dilemma of whether they should continue to put up with the chaos. We were all told we could use the rooms until the afternoon, and that they would store our luggage until our evening train ride. As we were checking out we felt it was our duty to express our concerns. A told them politely that the house was lovely but the service was not so good, mentioning the sceaming and not honouring their booking. Akhbar got really angry and started ranting (this was all in Russian btw, but we could understand most of it from the tone and gestures) about us getting upset over a small little scandal (the morning argument) and that tourists were always coming in and taking photos and not paying any money etc etc etc. He then evicted us all immediately, refusing to even mind our bags. M quickly found a nice B+B nearby, and we put our bags in their room. Went to find a teahouse to recuperate. Walked out of a touristy place wanting to charge us $1.80 each for tea, and found a local place where we paid 7c. Ironically it cost 14c to use the public toilet. Tried to buy some bananas but they seemed extortionate at 70c each, walked away in digust. Found a gorgeous minaret, the Kalon (great) minaret. 850 years old and still in great condition with little preservation required. Apparently even Jenghis Khan was so impressed he ordered it not to be destroyed. It was positioned between a mosque and medressa, both with lovely blue tiled facades. The next incident was at the Ark, a small walled town, now mostly ruined with a few museums. We were told that the exhibitions were closed and it was a relatively expensive site so we asked for a discount. They gave us a 10% discount which we assumed was fair, but once inside we found there was absolutely nothing else to see aside from the exhibitions. The ruins were literally piles of dirt, bricks and plastic water bottles. After a short exploration in disbelief that we'd paid to see a rubbish tip we stormed back to the ticket office. Very good timing as M+A had just come in and paid. They immediately got a full refund and we eventually got a partial refund after a lot more shouting. Next we tried to visit the old gaol but it was also closed. Bumped into M+A again and sat down to have lunch. Saw a local with a banana and A ran up to her to check the price. Surprisingly we were not being ripped off, so G went back to buy some. Chatted to some locals. We discovered our Uzbek names are Zhora and Jamilla. Aside from the oriental faces and noodle soups, a further sign that we are getting closer to China is that the locals are spitting, although not as professionally as the Chinese, it's more like a dribble. Bumped into Jeremy who had just arrived and went for another tea with him. Went online again for an ongoing discussion with an agent about our Chinese visa applications. This has been a growing concern during our trip. Prior to leaving London the visa rules were very strict due to the Olympics - hotel and flight bookings are required which we do not have. We were hoping they would be relaxed by now but not so, hence the need to skip through to Tashkent, bypassing Samarkand (we will return) to visit the Chinese embassy. Said our farewells to M+A at the hotel and headed out to the train station for our overnight train, which looked very much like the overnight trains we had caught through Russia (comfortable!).
Practicalities: 19:20-06:00 train from Bukhara to Tashkent.
Food: G is on a bread, banana and black tea diet to get his tummy back into order. I am on the same diet out of sympathy.
18th September 2008
Summary: 70% good, 30% bad day in Tashkent
Had a reasonable night's sleep on the train, with an annoying wake up call 1 hr prior to arrival. Caught the metro to a B+B where they kept telling us "5 min" for our room to be ready. After over 1 hr (they did serve us breakfast) we decided to just leave our bags and head out to the travel agent who we had been discussing our Chinese visa application with. They were very helpful in terms of information but were unfortunately unable to do anything for us. Spent the next 2-3 hours wandering around town looking for internet access to try and prepare our visa application ourselves. First place had a sign saying "Internet" and had a room full of computers, but the bored-looking man minding the room said they had no internet and he didn't know where we could find any. This was one of many similar interactions we've had with locals, we will not be remembering the Uzbeks for their hospitality (although there has been the odd exception). The next place was closed, and the next place was the main internet centre in town, which frustratingly was about to close for the day (it was midday). Started to worry our lousy excuse for not making it to China would be that there was no internet in Tashkent. Finally found another with helpful staff and had a very productive 1.5 hours booking hotels. Amazingly there was also a Uzbekistan Airways ticket office next door with another friendly and helpful guy who could not speak English but called through to head office where an English speaker helped translate our request for an airline booking. At the end of the afternoon we had a very plausible documented itinerary for our China visit so we were feeling happy and optimistic. Splashed out on a night at the opera ($2 each, fancy Russian ice cream - $3). Saw Tosca in Russian, so couldn't understand what was going on, but it was a fun experience all the same. The theatre was ornately decorated, built by Japanese POWs. It would not have looked out of place in a Western country. Back at the hotel we decided we could not stay there another night - it was dirty, virtually a dorm as there was no lock on the door and we had to walk past other sleeping guests to the shared bathroom (fine if we were paying dorm prices but we weren't), there was no water pressure or hot water, and could not control the air-conditioning so spent the night shivering. The conviviality of the owner, as described in LP, consisted of constantly offering us beer, vodka or drugs, which did not make up for the poor amenities. Yet another LP "our pick" which we were less than impressed with.
Practicalities: B+B Ali Tour, room 4
Food: more bread, bananas, tea. Dinner of bibimbap at a Korean restaurant (lots of ethnic Koreans here for some reason).
19th September 2008
Summary: frustrating day in Tashkent
Early morning walk to the Chinese embassy. We were looking forward to at least having more certainty about the rest of our trip - currently we're not sure if we'll be in Kashgar (China), Kyrgyzstan or Darwin next weekend. Waited for 1 hour for it to open, before discovering it was not opening at all due to an exhibition. Note that it's normal opening hours are already a pitiful 3 mornings a week. Very annoyed, we stomped off to the Kyrgyz embassy, who were open but closed in the afternoon so could not issue us a same day visa. There were no earlier train options to Samarkand so we then spent 3 hours looking for a new hotel, finally finding a better though much pricier option. Had a painful conversation with the Home Office (back in UK) regarding my citizenhip application. Long and frustrating story which I will not go into but I had to re-sign and date a form and fax it to the British Embassy in Tashkent (of course they would not let me fax it directly to them in UK, that just wouldn't be acceptable). Enough ranting, another little cultural anecdote for you - in supermarkets in Tashkent they have sweets in the till whch they give as change for amounts less than 100 som (7c). We are wondering if we can also pay in sweets. We also handed over 100 som for a photocopy which cost 50 som, the lady offered to give us two photocopies as she didn't have change, but we told her just to keep it. After over two months of relentless hot weather the overnight temperature is now plummetting. Just a few nights ago we were dining outside comfortably in t-shirts, now it is nippy even while wearing a jacket. It is still quite hot during the day in the sunshine although definitely easing off.
Practicalities: Orzu Hotel, room 21, paid by credit card, great to be using plastic again!
Food: beef stroganoff, lamb shashlik. Went to a great (slightly below average by western standards) Italian restaurant for dinner - lentil soup (similar to our London flatmate's), fettucine amatriciana and spaghetti with tomato and basil. G had local wine. Good news - G's tummy is much better and his back pain is virtually gone!
20th September 2008
Summary: Samarkand
We were intercepted by a representative from the LP hotel pick for Samarkand. Having been unhappy with the previous two picks we were wary but he seemed friendly, helped us buy our return tickets, and offered us a lift to the hotel, so we decided it wouldn't hurt to have a look. Turned out to be third time lucky - there was a lovely courtyard full of flowers and fruit trees (mulberry and quince - from which they made jam which they served for breakfast), simple but nice room, and the staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Headed straight out to the Registan - 3 grand medressas arranged around a large square with spectacular domes and tilework. Bumped into Jeremy at an internet cafe who told us that he, M+A were all staying at the same hotel as us. After a nap we explored Timur's mausoleum (another grand turquoise dome) and went for a walk through the park. The hotel arranged dinner at a nearby home which 14 of us (including all of Team Turkmenistan, a group of young German guys, and two other Aussies) attended. Had a nice night exchanging travel stories and coincidentally there was a lot of overlap in professions.
Practicalities: 07:00-10:30 train to Samarkand, stayed at Antica, room 6
Food: laughman noodles and plov, dinner at a family home - assorted appetisers, chickpea soup, plov and melon.
21st September 2008
Summary: Samarkand, return to Tashkent
Decided the overnight train back to Tashkent which we had booked (00:50-06:00) would be torture so Denis (the guy who picked us up yesterday) helped us change our tickets to an earlier train to arrive in the evening. Had a busy day of sightseeing - more domes and blue tilework at the mosques and mausoleums. Got fed up with the inflated/imaginary tourist admission prices (up to 10x local prices) so started bargaining with some success. Visited the bazaar which was incredibly clean and orderly, with marble benchtops and fresh fruit and vegetables for sale. Also visited the museum which had photos of Samarkand before and after a recent restoration effort - some buildings are virtually completely rebuilt. There was also a fantastic exhibition of photos of Uzbekistan by a Japanese photographer (www.jinakino.com). Met M+A back at the hotel and shared a cab to the train station.
Practicalities: 17:00-20:30 train to Tashkent
Food: yummy breakfast at the hotel - rice pudding, yoghurt, deepfried courgette and cheese patties, homemade jam. bread, bananas, pumpkin comcas.
Summary: bus to Bukhara
Ventured outside the walls to the bank to change money while A+M investigated the bus situation to Bukhara. Largest note here is again approx. 70c, although USD is unofficially accepted some larger transactions such as hotels and long taxi rides. G had to return home to recuperate while I updated the blog. The bus was extremely hot with no AC, just fans blowing hot air, and no openable windows. The passengers were predominantly local males and some stripped down to their underwear. Got to watch Russian movies, Uzbek pop music and a Cantonese movie dubbed into Russian, with lots of semi-clad women which the locals were paying close attention to. Part-way through the trip a guy came down the aisle to collect the fares in a plastic bag, as each passenger handed over a sizeable wad of cash ($13 or 18 notes each). Forgot to mention that toilets are getting more and more feral (still not as bad as China, and just the rural ones, in town it's fine). I ran screaming, coughing and spluttering from one in rural Turkmenistan. On the (single) pit-stop on the bus ride we decided to wizz in the bushes in the median strip, based on the stench within a few metres of the official lavatories. Taxi drivers surrounded us as we got off the bus, and after much shouting Anna negotiated a good rate to the hotel, except the cab driver couldn't find it, even after calling the hotel and asking lots of passers-by, shouting across G as he was in the passengers seat. Eventually the hotel owner came and found us parked in a dark alley nearby. More drama inside the hotel. We were ushered into the gorgeous courtyard and then the husband and wife owners started shouting at each other in one of the rooms. Eventually the wife came out looking distinctly hassled and explained that they had not received our phone message. In any case we were happy to settle for a quad room and relocate the next day so not sure what all the fuss was about. She was very sweet but exhausted, gibbering incessantly in Russian, apologising and complaining about her husband while serving us supper and showing us around our room and their collection of antiques (the house is 130 yrs old, and apparently originally owned by a Jewish family). Meanwhile her husband pretty much ignored us and was reclined on a mattress watching a Genesis DVD with a German guest. It was a very surreal evening.
Practicalities: 13:30-21:00 bus from Khiva to Bukhara (we were told it would arrive between 6-8pm), stayed at Akhbar House, sharing a quad room with A+M.
Food: honeydew, Russian biscuits, our first handmade noodles and soup at the pit-stop - yum, light supper courtesy of the hotel of bread, tomatoes and vegetarian comcas. Imodium and gastrolyte for G.
16th September 2008
Summary: Bukhara
More dramas in the morning with changing rooms, laundry etc, and we realised that the previous night's commotion was actually the norm. The lady called a guy to change money for us. He came in with a sack full of cash which we counted in the courtyard. Went out to the train station where A helped us buy tickets to Tashkent. G had to retire again. I went out for a walk on my own and was immediately accosted by a drunk but friendly Russian guy who wanted to talk politics with me - Bill Clinton (did he mean George Bush?) and Iraq was plakhoi (bad) while Obama was harasho (good). I was saved by the hotel lady who happened to be walking past. Went for a walk with G around Lyabi-Hauz - the central plaza with a pool surrounded by plastic camels. Admired the facades of some medressas and mosques. Chatted with A+M back in the hotel courtyard, who taught us how to identify Swiss travellers - they dress for practicality rather than style, and are (overly) conscious of the environment and health. Our own observations are that they avoid Nestle products at all costs. Went out to dinner next to the pool at Lyabi-Hauz with cats and ducks wandering underneath the day-beds we were seated on. Did a survey of water prices at various shops, with M screaming, "you're ripping me off!", at one of them, but to no avail.
Food: yummy breakfast at the hotel - yoghurt drink, peach compote, sweet bread, fried eggs (similar brekkie at the previous hotel), more russian biscuits for lunch. handmade noodle soup for dinner.
17th September 2008
Summary: Bad day in Bukhara
Our bad day in Bukhara started with a shouting match between the hotel owners at around 6am. At 7am G went out to give them a death stare, despite my protests as we were leaving anyway and I didn't want to take the risk of getting hurt. The shouting subsided for a few minutes, then we got a knock on the door - our washing was delivered and we were invited out for breakfast. We declined, and the shouting resumed shortly afterwards. Over breakfast, M+A were unapologetically told that they had to check out as other guests were arriving, even though they had booked a further two nights. This resolved their dilemma of whether they should continue to put up with the chaos. We were all told we could use the rooms until the afternoon, and that they would store our luggage until our evening train ride. As we were checking out we felt it was our duty to express our concerns. A told them politely that the house was lovely but the service was not so good, mentioning the sceaming and not honouring their booking. Akhbar got really angry and started ranting (this was all in Russian btw, but we could understand most of it from the tone and gestures) about us getting upset over a small little scandal (the morning argument) and that tourists were always coming in and taking photos and not paying any money etc etc etc. He then evicted us all immediately, refusing to even mind our bags. M quickly found a nice B+B nearby, and we put our bags in their room. Went to find a teahouse to recuperate. Walked out of a touristy place wanting to charge us $1.80 each for tea, and found a local place where we paid 7c. Ironically it cost 14c to use the public toilet. Tried to buy some bananas but they seemed extortionate at 70c each, walked away in digust. Found a gorgeous minaret, the Kalon (great) minaret. 850 years old and still in great condition with little preservation required. Apparently even Jenghis Khan was so impressed he ordered it not to be destroyed. It was positioned between a mosque and medressa, both with lovely blue tiled facades. The next incident was at the Ark, a small walled town, now mostly ruined with a few museums. We were told that the exhibitions were closed and it was a relatively expensive site so we asked for a discount. They gave us a 10% discount which we assumed was fair, but once inside we found there was absolutely nothing else to see aside from the exhibitions. The ruins were literally piles of dirt, bricks and plastic water bottles. After a short exploration in disbelief that we'd paid to see a rubbish tip we stormed back to the ticket office. Very good timing as M+A had just come in and paid. They immediately got a full refund and we eventually got a partial refund after a lot more shouting. Next we tried to visit the old gaol but it was also closed. Bumped into M+A again and sat down to have lunch. Saw a local with a banana and A ran up to her to check the price. Surprisingly we were not being ripped off, so G went back to buy some. Chatted to some locals. We discovered our Uzbek names are Zhora and Jamilla. Aside from the oriental faces and noodle soups, a further sign that we are getting closer to China is that the locals are spitting, although not as professionally as the Chinese, it's more like a dribble. Bumped into Jeremy who had just arrived and went for another tea with him. Went online again for an ongoing discussion with an agent about our Chinese visa applications. This has been a growing concern during our trip. Prior to leaving London the visa rules were very strict due to the Olympics - hotel and flight bookings are required which we do not have. We were hoping they would be relaxed by now but not so, hence the need to skip through to Tashkent, bypassing Samarkand (we will return) to visit the Chinese embassy. Said our farewells to M+A at the hotel and headed out to the train station for our overnight train, which looked very much like the overnight trains we had caught through Russia (comfortable!).
Practicalities: 19:20-06:00 train from Bukhara to Tashkent.
Food: G is on a bread, banana and black tea diet to get his tummy back into order. I am on the same diet out of sympathy.
18th September 2008
Summary: 70% good, 30% bad day in Tashkent
Had a reasonable night's sleep on the train, with an annoying wake up call 1 hr prior to arrival. Caught the metro to a B+B where they kept telling us "5 min" for our room to be ready. After over 1 hr (they did serve us breakfast) we decided to just leave our bags and head out to the travel agent who we had been discussing our Chinese visa application with. They were very helpful in terms of information but were unfortunately unable to do anything for us. Spent the next 2-3 hours wandering around town looking for internet access to try and prepare our visa application ourselves. First place had a sign saying "Internet" and had a room full of computers, but the bored-looking man minding the room said they had no internet and he didn't know where we could find any. This was one of many similar interactions we've had with locals, we will not be remembering the Uzbeks for their hospitality (although there has been the odd exception). The next place was closed, and the next place was the main internet centre in town, which frustratingly was about to close for the day (it was midday). Started to worry our lousy excuse for not making it to China would be that there was no internet in Tashkent. Finally found another with helpful staff and had a very productive 1.5 hours booking hotels. Amazingly there was also a Uzbekistan Airways ticket office next door with another friendly and helpful guy who could not speak English but called through to head office where an English speaker helped translate our request for an airline booking. At the end of the afternoon we had a very plausible documented itinerary for our China visit so we were feeling happy and optimistic. Splashed out on a night at the opera ($2 each, fancy Russian ice cream - $3). Saw Tosca in Russian, so couldn't understand what was going on, but it was a fun experience all the same. The theatre was ornately decorated, built by Japanese POWs. It would not have looked out of place in a Western country. Back at the hotel we decided we could not stay there another night - it was dirty, virtually a dorm as there was no lock on the door and we had to walk past other sleeping guests to the shared bathroom (fine if we were paying dorm prices but we weren't), there was no water pressure or hot water, and could not control the air-conditioning so spent the night shivering. The conviviality of the owner, as described in LP, consisted of constantly offering us beer, vodka or drugs, which did not make up for the poor amenities. Yet another LP "our pick" which we were less than impressed with.
Practicalities: B+B Ali Tour, room 4
Food: more bread, bananas, tea. Dinner of bibimbap at a Korean restaurant (lots of ethnic Koreans here for some reason).
19th September 2008
Summary: frustrating day in Tashkent
Early morning walk to the Chinese embassy. We were looking forward to at least having more certainty about the rest of our trip - currently we're not sure if we'll be in Kashgar (China), Kyrgyzstan or Darwin next weekend. Waited for 1 hour for it to open, before discovering it was not opening at all due to an exhibition. Note that it's normal opening hours are already a pitiful 3 mornings a week. Very annoyed, we stomped off to the Kyrgyz embassy, who were open but closed in the afternoon so could not issue us a same day visa. There were no earlier train options to Samarkand so we then spent 3 hours looking for a new hotel, finally finding a better though much pricier option. Had a painful conversation with the Home Office (back in UK) regarding my citizenhip application. Long and frustrating story which I will not go into but I had to re-sign and date a form and fax it to the British Embassy in Tashkent (of course they would not let me fax it directly to them in UK, that just wouldn't be acceptable). Enough ranting, another little cultural anecdote for you - in supermarkets in Tashkent they have sweets in the till whch they give as change for amounts less than 100 som (7c). We are wondering if we can also pay in sweets. We also handed over 100 som for a photocopy which cost 50 som, the lady offered to give us two photocopies as she didn't have change, but we told her just to keep it. After over two months of relentless hot weather the overnight temperature is now plummetting. Just a few nights ago we were dining outside comfortably in t-shirts, now it is nippy even while wearing a jacket. It is still quite hot during the day in the sunshine although definitely easing off.
Practicalities: Orzu Hotel, room 21, paid by credit card, great to be using plastic again!
Food: beef stroganoff, lamb shashlik. Went to a great (slightly below average by western standards) Italian restaurant for dinner - lentil soup (similar to our London flatmate's), fettucine amatriciana and spaghetti with tomato and basil. G had local wine. Good news - G's tummy is much better and his back pain is virtually gone!
20th September 2008
Summary: Samarkand
We were intercepted by a representative from the LP hotel pick for Samarkand. Having been unhappy with the previous two picks we were wary but he seemed friendly, helped us buy our return tickets, and offered us a lift to the hotel, so we decided it wouldn't hurt to have a look. Turned out to be third time lucky - there was a lovely courtyard full of flowers and fruit trees (mulberry and quince - from which they made jam which they served for breakfast), simple but nice room, and the staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Headed straight out to the Registan - 3 grand medressas arranged around a large square with spectacular domes and tilework. Bumped into Jeremy at an internet cafe who told us that he, M+A were all staying at the same hotel as us. After a nap we explored Timur's mausoleum (another grand turquoise dome) and went for a walk through the park. The hotel arranged dinner at a nearby home which 14 of us (including all of Team Turkmenistan, a group of young German guys, and two other Aussies) attended. Had a nice night exchanging travel stories and coincidentally there was a lot of overlap in professions.
Practicalities: 07:00-10:30 train to Samarkand, stayed at Antica, room 6
Food: laughman noodles and plov, dinner at a family home - assorted appetisers, chickpea soup, plov and melon.
21st September 2008
Summary: Samarkand, return to Tashkent
Decided the overnight train back to Tashkent which we had booked (00:50-06:00) would be torture so Denis (the guy who picked us up yesterday) helped us change our tickets to an earlier train to arrive in the evening. Had a busy day of sightseeing - more domes and blue tilework at the mosques and mausoleums. Got fed up with the inflated/imaginary tourist admission prices (up to 10x local prices) so started bargaining with some success. Visited the bazaar which was incredibly clean and orderly, with marble benchtops and fresh fruit and vegetables for sale. Also visited the museum which had photos of Samarkand before and after a recent restoration effort - some buildings are virtually completely rebuilt. There was also a fantastic exhibition of photos of Uzbekistan by a Japanese photographer (www.jinakino.com). Met M+A back at the hotel and shared a cab to the train station.
Practicalities: 17:00-20:30 train to Tashkent
Food: yummy breakfast at the hotel - rice pudding, yoghurt, deepfried courgette and cheese patties, homemade jam. bread, bananas, pumpkin comcas.
Tuesday 16 September 2008
Sunday 14 September 2008
Shiraz to Khiva - 4 Sep to 14 Sep
4th September 2008
Summary: Naqsh-e-Rostam, Persepolis
We had only one other tourist (an Iranian) on our tour of Persepolis. First stop was Naqsh-e-Rostam - where 4 of the first Persian kings were entombed in caves in the side of a mountain. Next up was Persepolis - ruins of a palace dating back to 500BC, which had amazing carved reliefs, including a procession of gift bearers from all the countries within the empire. Pleasant surprise in the afternoon with a phone call from Alberto who had arrived in Shiraz. On top of that he had brought Mohammed with him! Had afternoon tea with them in our hotel foyer. Felt rather bourgeois (again) as we were surrounded by marble, billiard tables and piano music. Went our separate ways (we checked out the nearby fort) and joined up again for dinner. Mohammed had managed to pick up more tourists in between so there were 6 of us altogether.
Food: bread and nectarines in the hotel room, kebabs for dinner, tried to have a juice but got chased out of the shop by the Ramazan police
5th September 2008
Summary: bus ride to Yazd
Had an early morning bus ride to Yazd through the Lut Desert. Unfortunately our hotel of choice had run out of double rooms. Since it had a gorgeous courtyard and we felt we had to live a simpler life, we decided to try the dorm. It was a sufficiently nice subterranean room, although G did not even have a bed, just a 2 foot wide ledge which ran along one side of the room (6 beds and two ledge positions in total). Felt very grounded. Got settled in the courtyard and spent most of the afternoon chatting with the other guests. In Esfahan we kept crossing paths with a Swiss couple, often enough that we would smile and say hi, although never for long enough to introduce ourselves properly. Anyway they were also staying at the same hotel in Yazd so finally exchanged names and after some discussion we realised that we would all be on the same tour of Turkmenistan! Given the small number of independent travellers in Iran, and their tendency to congregate at the same Lonely Planet-recommended hotels, we also asked around to see if anyone had met Jeremy, the fifth and final member of our tour. Sure enough Peter (Australian Salvos minister working in UK) had met a Jeremy in Esfahan, who had apparently had some luck with a local girl there so was staying there longer than anticipated - hope he makes it to Turkmenistan! Shared a cab with Peter and Ben (UK architecture student) and went out at sunset to the Tower of Silence - two Zoroastrian mounds where corpses were laid for the vultures to pick at. The landscape was other-worldly and It was very peaceful despite the young local lads tearing about on motorbikes. Had a rather scary ride back to the hotel, suspect the taxi driver was hungry as it was almost "break fast" time. Dale (Australian, almost full-time traveller) joined the four of us for dinner, resulting in lots of Aussie banter.
Practicalities: 07:30-13:30 bus to Yazd, stayed at the Silk Road Hotel dormitory
Food: vegetable soup, vegetarian curry and aubergine and tomato, Iranian buffet for dinner.
6th September 2008
Summary: old town, Ateshkadeh
Alberto and Mohammed emerged while we were having breakfast. They had arrived early in the morning. More silly rules meant that Mohammed had to sleep on the roof as Iranians cannot sleep in mixed dorms. More specifically - mixed dorms are illegal but they turn a blind eye if they only contain foreigners. Went out for a wander around the old town, full of buildings made of mud and straw, apparently one of the oldest cities in the world. Checked out Alexander's Prison, with a sketchy link to Alexander the Great, where we stood under a wind tower (these are all over Yazd) and felt the cool breeze coming down. Also popped into Khan-e Lari - a restored traditional house which was frankly not particularly nicer than our hotel. Walked through the bazaar to find a restored hammam for lunch - may have been a bit too restored, was a bit like an indoor swimming pool with blue and white tiles. Over afternoon tea (at a nice traditional house, now hotel) Father Peter told us one of his friend's definitions of heaven was being in a permanent state of that moment of euphoria after doing a big poo. Thought of S. After lunch went for a long wallk to see Ateshkadeh - a Zoroastrian fire temple containing a flame which had alledgedly been burning for over 1500 years. To get home we sent Mohammed out to the street to flag down a taxi while we hid, giggling behind a wall, in order not to get ripped off.
Food: aubergine, dizi (veg and meat stew) and meatballs, although the restaurant would not serve tea because it was Ramazan (??), Iranian buffet again.
7th September 2008
Summary: Jameh Mosque, Amir Chakhmaq Complex, overnight train to Mashhad
Wandered out to do some chores and finish off the sightseeing. Climbed the Amir Chakhmaq Complex (building used to commemorate death of Imam Hossein) and popped into the Jameh Mosque. Saw lots of camel butcheries but couldn't find any camel burgers. Chilled out back at the hotel, chatting with Andy, an English motorcyclist who was riding across the world. Set off way too early for our train (on the hotel's advice). Watched the desert go by until the sun set. Much more luxurious cabin than last time - a spacious 4-berth cabin with two flat-screen TVs, tea cups and snacks. Went head-scarf free for two hours until 2 guys joined our cabin at a later stop - duh! Mr Bean was shown on the flat screens.
Practicalities: 18:25-09:30 train to Mashhad
Food: barley soup, aubergine and tomato, fruit salad, chicken on the train for dinner
8th September 2008
Summary: Astan-e Qods-e Razavi (holy shrine of Imam Reza), dinner with Vali
Mashhad is apparently the most holy city in Iran and a busy pilgrimmage site as it is home to the holy shrine of Imam Reza. Despite the crowds at the station we had a very efficient trip to the hotel. Did a few chores and had a rest. Jeremy called us in the afternoon and we visited the holy shrine together. There were attendants carrying feather dusters to clean people's clothes in the lead-up to the shrine. Could not believe I had to don my first chador over my already hejab-compliant outfit, while Jeremy was allowed in wearing a t-shirt which read "Save a horse - ride an actuary". I had to ask the "Chador Office" attendant for help to put it on, though it was essentially just a big black sheet. We were not allowed into the shrine itself but enjoyed wandering around the huge complex surrounding it - a series of courtyards, mosques, museums etc - admiring the architecture and patterned tiles and watching the pilgrims kissing the doors and sitting on carpets in the courtyards. We met a local guide named Vali who helped us book a car to the Turkmenistan border and also invited us to his home for a delicious home-cooked meal (for a small fee of course), sitting on carpets on his outdoor terrace.
Practicalities: stayed at Taranom Apartment Hotel, room 801
Food: bread, bananas, dinner at Vali's - barley soup, spinach pancakes, yoghurt and yoghurt drink.
9th September 2008
Summary: border crossing to Turkmenistan, Merv
Had an early start to make it to the border for the 11am commencement of our tour. Exiting Iran took 30 min. Very few people but for some reason there was a lot of paperwork, and frustrating conversations along the lines of, "Name?" "Julie Young" "Surname Julie?" "No, surname Young" "Young?" "Yes" "Name Julie?" "Yes, name Julie, surname Young" "Name Young?" "SURNAME Young!" "Name Young?" etc etc. Finally got through to face the two kilometre walk through no-man's land. Walked across a bridge over a dry riverbed with huge trucks crossing in both directions. Faces changed immediately on the other side, the Turkmen border guards looking much more Oriental than Iranian. We established, with some basic Russian and hand waving, that we were not allowed to walk any further, reason unclear, and we had to take a bus. We had no money (in the required currency) so they let us ride for free. We squatted in the back of a seatless minivan for the short but bumpy ride to the Turkmen border office. I won the competition to be the first one to say "shto??" ("what??" in Russian), when one of the guards came over to us, said one word to us and then just stared. Waited around for quite a while, unsure of what was going on. The guards were fairly friendly, asking where we were from. We were worried as we had heard stories about having to pay bribes to get through but we didn't have any problems. Finally removed my headscarf when I saw a female guard without one. A guy in a white doctor's coat came out holding our passports and we got concerned, however he showed no interest in us. Eventually our guide, Maksat, came through to meet us, helped us fill in the forms, and we were through in 1.5 hours in total. Got another stack of cash, largest note is worth about 70c. It was around this point that G's back gave in for no apparent reason, and he was horizontal for most of the long and bumpy ride to Merv - a once great city on the Silk Road, but destroyed by Jenghis Khan. Explored the mausoleums, mosques and ruined fortresses, and then headed to Mary for the night.
Practicalities: 06:30-09:30 drive to Saraghs (including breakfast stop), stayed at Rahat Hotel, room 7, in Mary (town near Merv)
Food: fried fish and legumes and noodles at a roadside cafe (G had first beer since Tehran), yummy lamb shashlyk near hotel
10th September 2008
Summary: Manar Baba, Ashgabat
G's back was still very sore so he was horizontal again. Another long day of driving, stopping at the occasional site. First up was Manar Baba, a mausoleum. Next the ruins of a village razed by Jenghis Khan, and finally the remains of a mosque near Ashgabat which collapsed after a huge earthquake in 1948 (which also flattened Ashgabat). G perked up with some Nick Cave and was upright from the latter part of the drive. There was a sudden transition from desert to gleaming marble buildings, leafy parks, glistening fountains and good roads as we arrived in Ashgabat.
Practicalities: Hotel Aziya, room 1001
Food: soup containing unidentifiable animal parts, chicken, pelmeni, chicken and apricot plov (bit like risotto)
11th September 2008
Summary: Tolkuchka Bazaar, Arch of Neutrality
Decided to try our luck at the Chinese Embassy as it was close to the hotel, but it was closed. Got caught in a brief but heavy downpour on the way back (who said it wouldn't rain in Turkmenistan). Visited the Tolkuchka Bazaar, set in the desert on the outskirts of town, which was fantastic. Full of locals - the men in fur hats and the women in their colourful traditional dresses and headscarves. All sorts of items were on sale - clothes, toiletries, grocery items, carpets, fridges, car parts etc. Amused ourselves trying on hats. Ran around asking "gdye zhihvotnaye?" (where are the animals?) as we wanted to see the camels for sale, but it seemed to be closed by the time we got there. Cabbed back into town to the Arch of Neutrality - a huge, crazy spaceship-like monument with a gold statue of Niyazov (former president) on top, which revolves to face the sun. Caught an elevator to the top for views over the vast, empty, tree-lined boulevards and grand government buildings. Ashgabat has been an unexpected highlight - very bizarre and over the top but in a likeable way, although if I were a local not sure I would approve on government money being spent on crazy monuments and massive shiny apartment blocks which no local can afford. It is totally different from Iran even though it is so close. Very modern and huge but empty, as if it is ready to take the entire population of Turkmenistan (6m). It is a shame however that we didn't get to speak to the locals to get a feel of everyday life. The British pub was a real letdown - despite signs advertising Fosters etc. they only served Baltika (Russian beer), not even local brew. Ended up at a restaurant where Jeremy tried the pickup lines from our Russian phrasebook. Had a rest back at the hotel then walked to "The Plunger", another ludicrous monument, surrounded by statues. Had dinner at an expensive restaurant at the top of a deserted shopping mall/fountain. Of course Anna and Marcus walked in just as we were starting our meal. After dinner we went up to the top floor where there was a bar (empty) and open air balcony where we got a night time view of Ashgabat.
Food: pizza-like thing with mince meat and onions at the bazaar, and Turkmen Cola (flat coke). Manti (large pelmeni) with sour cream and chicken and rice, Turkmen vodka.
12th September 2008
Summary: Darvaza gas crater
Finally found an internet cafe but it was painfully slow, and had a quick wander around the Russian Bazaar. Left in the early afternoon for the long drive through the Karakum Desert to the gas crater. Had a quick stop at the giant Ruhnama book (this is a bit like Mao's little red book - www.rukhnama.com). Today is the anniversary of when writing was completed so they were setting up for a celebration. Stopped in the small rural town of Jerbent for dinner. It was dark by the time we made it to the crater. The crater was formed by an explosion during Soviet gas exploration 50 years ago, somehow caught on fire 20 years ago, and has been burning ever since. It is 55m in diameter and 40m deep. We could see a faint glow in the distance well before we got there. Climbed a small hill for a direct view into the crater. It was an apocalyptic sight. Walked down to within 5m of the edge and took silly silhouette photos, and tried not to inhale the fumes too much. Maksat had a fire going by the time we returned to the camp site for a late night snack of tea and biscuits.
Practicalities: camping
Food: comca (samosa-type thing), lamb shashlyk
13th September 2008
Summary: Konye-Urgench, border crossing to Uzbekistan
I slept surprisingly well while G was still suffering due to his back. Woke up early to watch the sun rise over the crater. The road to Konye-Urgench deteriorated rapidly and we spent most of the trip in a cloud of dust. Konye-Urgench was once the centre of the Islamic world, though is now a rather sparse collection of mausoleums and minarets in varying states of decay. The Turkmenistan/Uzbekistan border crossing was still lengthy but less painful than the Turkmenistan/Iran crossing. A very well-informed Turkmen guard went through our passports saying, "Australia! Kangaroos! Sydney! Olympics!" "Great Britain! Tony Blair!" "Switzerland! Watches!". Anna's good command of Russian also helped. After lots of negotiation (by Anna) the 5 of us squeezed into a car for Nukus. Here we changed some money, parted ways with Jeremy, and negotiated another long ride to Khiva. Faces in Uzbekistan are even more oriental than Turkmenistan. I would almost blend in if I dressed like a local. Our driver did not know where our hotel was and stopped to ask the local police who actually escorted us the rest of the way. The hotel was full but they took us to a family home nearby which rented out a few small rooms. Went for an evening walk around Khiva in search of food. It reminded me of our night-time stroll around Avignon (an Islamic version). There were quiet alleys opening onto courtyards with lots of sandstone coloured buildings and blue-tiled minarets and arches. It looked amazing and we were looking forward to exploring it in the daytime. The friendly locals helped us find a restaurant which was still open, and had some tea and fruit back at the house with Anna and Marcus.
Practicalities: car from border to Nukus ($13, 30min), car from Nukus to Khiva ($50, 2 1/4 hrs)
Food: meat pies (Turkmen-style) at a road-side restaurant, vegetable and rice soup.
14th September
Summary: Khiva
We have been getting too accustomed to the prices in Iran and Turkmenistan as we were outraged to pay $7 each as entry fee to all the monuments inside the city walls. Still, we coughed up and went to explore the palaces, museums and mosques. Uzbekistan is much more touristy than Iran and Turkmenistan (we could not even find postcards in the latter) so we don't stand out quite so much here. G was wiped out with a stomach bug in the afternoon. I went to the bazaar to find some food and managed to have a bottle of water stolen by a cheeky little girl. She also stole my LP and phrasebook temporarily but returned them. Went for a walk around the city walls.
Food: more comcas, digestive biscuits for G, home-cooked plov at the hotel (hopefully).
Summary: Naqsh-e-Rostam, Persepolis
We had only one other tourist (an Iranian) on our tour of Persepolis. First stop was Naqsh-e-Rostam - where 4 of the first Persian kings were entombed in caves in the side of a mountain. Next up was Persepolis - ruins of a palace dating back to 500BC, which had amazing carved reliefs, including a procession of gift bearers from all the countries within the empire. Pleasant surprise in the afternoon with a phone call from Alberto who had arrived in Shiraz. On top of that he had brought Mohammed with him! Had afternoon tea with them in our hotel foyer. Felt rather bourgeois (again) as we were surrounded by marble, billiard tables and piano music. Went our separate ways (we checked out the nearby fort) and joined up again for dinner. Mohammed had managed to pick up more tourists in between so there were 6 of us altogether.
Food: bread and nectarines in the hotel room, kebabs for dinner, tried to have a juice but got chased out of the shop by the Ramazan police
5th September 2008
Summary: bus ride to Yazd
Had an early morning bus ride to Yazd through the Lut Desert. Unfortunately our hotel of choice had run out of double rooms. Since it had a gorgeous courtyard and we felt we had to live a simpler life, we decided to try the dorm. It was a sufficiently nice subterranean room, although G did not even have a bed, just a 2 foot wide ledge which ran along one side of the room (6 beds and two ledge positions in total). Felt very grounded. Got settled in the courtyard and spent most of the afternoon chatting with the other guests. In Esfahan we kept crossing paths with a Swiss couple, often enough that we would smile and say hi, although never for long enough to introduce ourselves properly. Anyway they were also staying at the same hotel in Yazd so finally exchanged names and after some discussion we realised that we would all be on the same tour of Turkmenistan! Given the small number of independent travellers in Iran, and their tendency to congregate at the same Lonely Planet-recommended hotels, we also asked around to see if anyone had met Jeremy, the fifth and final member of our tour. Sure enough Peter (Australian Salvos minister working in UK) had met a Jeremy in Esfahan, who had apparently had some luck with a local girl there so was staying there longer than anticipated - hope he makes it to Turkmenistan! Shared a cab with Peter and Ben (UK architecture student) and went out at sunset to the Tower of Silence - two Zoroastrian mounds where corpses were laid for the vultures to pick at. The landscape was other-worldly and It was very peaceful despite the young local lads tearing about on motorbikes. Had a rather scary ride back to the hotel, suspect the taxi driver was hungry as it was almost "break fast" time. Dale (Australian, almost full-time traveller) joined the four of us for dinner, resulting in lots of Aussie banter.
Practicalities: 07:30-13:30 bus to Yazd, stayed at the Silk Road Hotel dormitory
Food: vegetable soup, vegetarian curry and aubergine and tomato, Iranian buffet for dinner.
6th September 2008
Summary: old town, Ateshkadeh
Alberto and Mohammed emerged while we were having breakfast. They had arrived early in the morning. More silly rules meant that Mohammed had to sleep on the roof as Iranians cannot sleep in mixed dorms. More specifically - mixed dorms are illegal but they turn a blind eye if they only contain foreigners. Went out for a wander around the old town, full of buildings made of mud and straw, apparently one of the oldest cities in the world. Checked out Alexander's Prison, with a sketchy link to Alexander the Great, where we stood under a wind tower (these are all over Yazd) and felt the cool breeze coming down. Also popped into Khan-e Lari - a restored traditional house which was frankly not particularly nicer than our hotel. Walked through the bazaar to find a restored hammam for lunch - may have been a bit too restored, was a bit like an indoor swimming pool with blue and white tiles. Over afternoon tea (at a nice traditional house, now hotel) Father Peter told us one of his friend's definitions of heaven was being in a permanent state of that moment of euphoria after doing a big poo. Thought of S. After lunch went for a long wallk to see Ateshkadeh - a Zoroastrian fire temple containing a flame which had alledgedly been burning for over 1500 years. To get home we sent Mohammed out to the street to flag down a taxi while we hid, giggling behind a wall, in order not to get ripped off.
Food: aubergine, dizi (veg and meat stew) and meatballs, although the restaurant would not serve tea because it was Ramazan (??), Iranian buffet again.
7th September 2008
Summary: Jameh Mosque, Amir Chakhmaq Complex, overnight train to Mashhad
Wandered out to do some chores and finish off the sightseeing. Climbed the Amir Chakhmaq Complex (building used to commemorate death of Imam Hossein) and popped into the Jameh Mosque. Saw lots of camel butcheries but couldn't find any camel burgers. Chilled out back at the hotel, chatting with Andy, an English motorcyclist who was riding across the world. Set off way too early for our train (on the hotel's advice). Watched the desert go by until the sun set. Much more luxurious cabin than last time - a spacious 4-berth cabin with two flat-screen TVs, tea cups and snacks. Went head-scarf free for two hours until 2 guys joined our cabin at a later stop - duh! Mr Bean was shown on the flat screens.
Practicalities: 18:25-09:30 train to Mashhad
Food: barley soup, aubergine and tomato, fruit salad, chicken on the train for dinner
8th September 2008
Summary: Astan-e Qods-e Razavi (holy shrine of Imam Reza), dinner with Vali
Mashhad is apparently the most holy city in Iran and a busy pilgrimmage site as it is home to the holy shrine of Imam Reza. Despite the crowds at the station we had a very efficient trip to the hotel. Did a few chores and had a rest. Jeremy called us in the afternoon and we visited the holy shrine together. There were attendants carrying feather dusters to clean people's clothes in the lead-up to the shrine. Could not believe I had to don my first chador over my already hejab-compliant outfit, while Jeremy was allowed in wearing a t-shirt which read "Save a horse - ride an actuary". I had to ask the "Chador Office" attendant for help to put it on, though it was essentially just a big black sheet. We were not allowed into the shrine itself but enjoyed wandering around the huge complex surrounding it - a series of courtyards, mosques, museums etc - admiring the architecture and patterned tiles and watching the pilgrims kissing the doors and sitting on carpets in the courtyards. We met a local guide named Vali who helped us book a car to the Turkmenistan border and also invited us to his home for a delicious home-cooked meal (for a small fee of course), sitting on carpets on his outdoor terrace.
Practicalities: stayed at Taranom Apartment Hotel, room 801
Food: bread, bananas, dinner at Vali's - barley soup, spinach pancakes, yoghurt and yoghurt drink.
9th September 2008
Summary: border crossing to Turkmenistan, Merv
Had an early start to make it to the border for the 11am commencement of our tour. Exiting Iran took 30 min. Very few people but for some reason there was a lot of paperwork, and frustrating conversations along the lines of, "Name?" "Julie Young" "Surname Julie?" "No, surname Young" "Young?" "Yes" "Name Julie?" "Yes, name Julie, surname Young" "Name Young?" "SURNAME Young!" "Name Young?" etc etc. Finally got through to face the two kilometre walk through no-man's land. Walked across a bridge over a dry riverbed with huge trucks crossing in both directions. Faces changed immediately on the other side, the Turkmen border guards looking much more Oriental than Iranian. We established, with some basic Russian and hand waving, that we were not allowed to walk any further, reason unclear, and we had to take a bus. We had no money (in the required currency) so they let us ride for free. We squatted in the back of a seatless minivan for the short but bumpy ride to the Turkmen border office. I won the competition to be the first one to say "shto??" ("what??" in Russian), when one of the guards came over to us, said one word to us and then just stared. Waited around for quite a while, unsure of what was going on. The guards were fairly friendly, asking where we were from. We were worried as we had heard stories about having to pay bribes to get through but we didn't have any problems. Finally removed my headscarf when I saw a female guard without one. A guy in a white doctor's coat came out holding our passports and we got concerned, however he showed no interest in us. Eventually our guide, Maksat, came through to meet us, helped us fill in the forms, and we were through in 1.5 hours in total. Got another stack of cash, largest note is worth about 70c. It was around this point that G's back gave in for no apparent reason, and he was horizontal for most of the long and bumpy ride to Merv - a once great city on the Silk Road, but destroyed by Jenghis Khan. Explored the mausoleums, mosques and ruined fortresses, and then headed to Mary for the night.
Practicalities: 06:30-09:30 drive to Saraghs (including breakfast stop), stayed at Rahat Hotel, room 7, in Mary (town near Merv)
Food: fried fish and legumes and noodles at a roadside cafe (G had first beer since Tehran), yummy lamb shashlyk near hotel
10th September 2008
Summary: Manar Baba, Ashgabat
G's back was still very sore so he was horizontal again. Another long day of driving, stopping at the occasional site. First up was Manar Baba, a mausoleum. Next the ruins of a village razed by Jenghis Khan, and finally the remains of a mosque near Ashgabat which collapsed after a huge earthquake in 1948 (which also flattened Ashgabat). G perked up with some Nick Cave and was upright from the latter part of the drive. There was a sudden transition from desert to gleaming marble buildings, leafy parks, glistening fountains and good roads as we arrived in Ashgabat.
Practicalities: Hotel Aziya, room 1001
Food: soup containing unidentifiable animal parts, chicken, pelmeni, chicken and apricot plov (bit like risotto)
11th September 2008
Summary: Tolkuchka Bazaar, Arch of Neutrality
Decided to try our luck at the Chinese Embassy as it was close to the hotel, but it was closed. Got caught in a brief but heavy downpour on the way back (who said it wouldn't rain in Turkmenistan). Visited the Tolkuchka Bazaar, set in the desert on the outskirts of town, which was fantastic. Full of locals - the men in fur hats and the women in their colourful traditional dresses and headscarves. All sorts of items were on sale - clothes, toiletries, grocery items, carpets, fridges, car parts etc. Amused ourselves trying on hats. Ran around asking "gdye zhihvotnaye?" (where are the animals?) as we wanted to see the camels for sale, but it seemed to be closed by the time we got there. Cabbed back into town to the Arch of Neutrality - a huge, crazy spaceship-like monument with a gold statue of Niyazov (former president) on top, which revolves to face the sun. Caught an elevator to the top for views over the vast, empty, tree-lined boulevards and grand government buildings. Ashgabat has been an unexpected highlight - very bizarre and over the top but in a likeable way, although if I were a local not sure I would approve on government money being spent on crazy monuments and massive shiny apartment blocks which no local can afford. It is totally different from Iran even though it is so close. Very modern and huge but empty, as if it is ready to take the entire population of Turkmenistan (6m). It is a shame however that we didn't get to speak to the locals to get a feel of everyday life. The British pub was a real letdown - despite signs advertising Fosters etc. they only served Baltika (Russian beer), not even local brew. Ended up at a restaurant where Jeremy tried the pickup lines from our Russian phrasebook. Had a rest back at the hotel then walked to "The Plunger", another ludicrous monument, surrounded by statues. Had dinner at an expensive restaurant at the top of a deserted shopping mall/fountain. Of course Anna and Marcus walked in just as we were starting our meal. After dinner we went up to the top floor where there was a bar (empty) and open air balcony where we got a night time view of Ashgabat.
Food: pizza-like thing with mince meat and onions at the bazaar, and Turkmen Cola (flat coke). Manti (large pelmeni) with sour cream and chicken and rice, Turkmen vodka.
12th September 2008
Summary: Darvaza gas crater
Finally found an internet cafe but it was painfully slow, and had a quick wander around the Russian Bazaar. Left in the early afternoon for the long drive through the Karakum Desert to the gas crater. Had a quick stop at the giant Ruhnama book (this is a bit like Mao's little red book - www.rukhnama.com). Today is the anniversary of when writing was completed so they were setting up for a celebration. Stopped in the small rural town of Jerbent for dinner. It was dark by the time we made it to the crater. The crater was formed by an explosion during Soviet gas exploration 50 years ago, somehow caught on fire 20 years ago, and has been burning ever since. It is 55m in diameter and 40m deep. We could see a faint glow in the distance well before we got there. Climbed a small hill for a direct view into the crater. It was an apocalyptic sight. Walked down to within 5m of the edge and took silly silhouette photos, and tried not to inhale the fumes too much. Maksat had a fire going by the time we returned to the camp site for a late night snack of tea and biscuits.
Practicalities: camping
Food: comca (samosa-type thing), lamb shashlyk
13th September 2008
Summary: Konye-Urgench, border crossing to Uzbekistan
I slept surprisingly well while G was still suffering due to his back. Woke up early to watch the sun rise over the crater. The road to Konye-Urgench deteriorated rapidly and we spent most of the trip in a cloud of dust. Konye-Urgench was once the centre of the Islamic world, though is now a rather sparse collection of mausoleums and minarets in varying states of decay. The Turkmenistan/Uzbekistan border crossing was still lengthy but less painful than the Turkmenistan/Iran crossing. A very well-informed Turkmen guard went through our passports saying, "Australia! Kangaroos! Sydney! Olympics!" "Great Britain! Tony Blair!" "Switzerland! Watches!". Anna's good command of Russian also helped. After lots of negotiation (by Anna) the 5 of us squeezed into a car for Nukus. Here we changed some money, parted ways with Jeremy, and negotiated another long ride to Khiva. Faces in Uzbekistan are even more oriental than Turkmenistan. I would almost blend in if I dressed like a local. Our driver did not know where our hotel was and stopped to ask the local police who actually escorted us the rest of the way. The hotel was full but they took us to a family home nearby which rented out a few small rooms. Went for an evening walk around Khiva in search of food. It reminded me of our night-time stroll around Avignon (an Islamic version). There were quiet alleys opening onto courtyards with lots of sandstone coloured buildings and blue-tiled minarets and arches. It looked amazing and we were looking forward to exploring it in the daytime. The friendly locals helped us find a restaurant which was still open, and had some tea and fruit back at the house with Anna and Marcus.
Practicalities: car from border to Nukus ($13, 30min), car from Nukus to Khiva ($50, 2 1/4 hrs)
Food: meat pies (Turkmen-style) at a road-side restaurant, vegetable and rice soup.
14th September
Summary: Khiva
We have been getting too accustomed to the prices in Iran and Turkmenistan as we were outraged to pay $7 each as entry fee to all the monuments inside the city walls. Still, we coughed up and went to explore the palaces, museums and mosques. Uzbekistan is much more touristy than Iran and Turkmenistan (we could not even find postcards in the latter) so we don't stand out quite so much here. G was wiped out with a stomach bug in the afternoon. I went to the bazaar to find some food and managed to have a bottle of water stolen by a cheeky little girl. She also stole my LP and phrasebook temporarily but returned them. Went for a walk around the city walls.
Food: more comcas, digestive biscuits for G, home-cooked plov at the hotel (hopefully).
Thursday 4 September 2008
Wednesday 3 September 2008
Tabriz to Shiraz - 25 Aug to 3 Sep
25th August 2008
Summary: border crossing to Iran, bus to Tabriz
Notation/conversions: $ = USD, $1 is approx 10,000 Iranian Rials (IRR)
Our early morning start was unnecessary as we sat about for 1 hr waiting for the minibus to fill up before it left for Gurbalek. The shoe shine kids were pestering G constantly. We were expecting the bus to be full of backpackers but aside from us it was all locals heading towards but not across the border. We were very glad we were crossing on foot as we past a huge queue of trucks. Walked along a road with fences on either side, pestered by a money changer the whole way offering us 4000 Rials per Turkish Lira, and later another one offering 6000 (spot is 8250). Luckily our hotel had told us we'd get a better rate on the Iranian side, so we ignored their assertions that this was our last chance to get rid of our Liras. Had our passports checked and stamped and were amazed to get into Iran so easily, only to realise a few minutes later we had only left Turkey. And it's true - there is a duty-free shop selling grog in no-man's land. Kept walking along the road and finally made it to the Iranian checkpoint. Stood by 2 huge adjacent gates. Slowly one opened up and then the next. We were ushered through to an office where a very friendly English speaking man asked us a few basic questions and welcomed us to Iran, got waved straight past customs, and we were finally in! Managed to change our leftover Lira at a rate of 7800. The largest note is $5, although we got mostly $2 notes, so ended up with a huge wad of cash, counting it in broad daylight with lots of people milling about. Did some hard bargaining from $4 to $2 for a 15km taxi ride to Maku. Once we got in the driver stopped again and said he would wait for more passengers unless we paid him another $1, so we changed cabs (hey it's the principle...). Had lunch at Maku bus station while waiting to leave for Tabriz. We were already starting to develop celebrity status. A couple asked to take a photo of us and G took the opportunity to practise his Farsi with them. Later on I asked two girls for directions to the WC in Farsi, failing miserably. They were a little shy of G but when he disappeared to find the bus they beckoned to me to sit in between them and we had a short chat despite serious language barriers. Had my photo taken again, and they said they were "very happy" to speak with me (I think). Scenery to Tabriz was fairly similar to that in Turkey, dry though with some cultivated fields (sunflowers!). Unfortunately a $1.30 bus ticket (for a 4 hr trip) doesn't buy air-conditioning so it wasn't the most comfortable of trips, especially as it was my first full day of conforming to the hejab dress code (headscarf, shapeless long sleeve top covering bottom, long pants). Tabriz is a large sprawling city and there was a nice vibe on the streets - lots of women (mostly cloaked in black) and children (and men) were out and about. The hotels were surprisingly busy due to a trade fair and we only managed to get into our 3rd choice. Went for a wander around town and to the tourist office who were very helpful, including telling me that Iranians weren't the Taliban so I didn't have to wear my headscarf quite so tightly. Experienced 3-4 blackouts during dinner.
Practicalities: 30 min minibus to Gurbalek (leaves when full), short taxi ride from border to Bazargan (50c - think we got ripped off), longer taxi ride to Maku ($2 + 50c tip), 13:30-17:30 bus to Tabriz ($1.30 each). First two hotels we tried were full so ended up staying at Morvarid Hotel, room 16 ($27). Despite the ridiculously cheap prices we can't go too beserk as Iran (and Central Asia to follow) is a cash-only economy and we didn't want to carry too much, so on a fairly tight budget...
Food: shared a kebab and Zam Zams (local soft drink, just like Coke/Fanta) ($4), chicken rice and meat and veg at a fancy restaurant in Tabriz ($10), soft drinks seated at a cafe (30c each), fancy pastries from a fancy pastry shop (15c each).
26th August 2008
Summary: Bazaar, Azarbayjan Museum, Blue Mosque, Kandovan, overnight bus to Rasht
There is such a serious lack of tourists in Tabriz that the locals seem to see us as a novelty rather than a money-making opportunity. Evidence of this is that we walked through the bazaar, including aisles of carpet shops, and the only person to speak to us was the sheep fat vendor. He asked where we were from, welcomed us to Iran, and fortunately did not try to sell us his wares. Lots of shops stocked relatively skimpy women's clothes, yet didn't see a single chador or even headscarf for sale. The bazaar was a tad warm and airless and I started feeling woozy as I was still acclimatising to my hejab outfit. Popped into the Azarbayjan Museum which contained artefacts from pre-Islamic Iran (eg. stone handbags) and the unused Blue Mosque. Had a one hour drive out to Kandovan - a town vaguely similar to Cappadocia where the locals live in caves. Felt like we were intruding as we wandered around the narrow paths. A lady invited us in to her house (for a fee of course) - just a single smallish room with a pile of blankets in the corner and a few cupboards around the edge. There was a small park where a lot of visiting Iranians were hanging out.
Practicalities: 09:00-06:00 overnight bus to Rasht
Food: yoghurt with honey and bread near the bazaar, hamburgers at the bus stop
27th August 2008
Summary: Masuleh, bus to Tehran (including 2 hrs sitting by the side of the highway)
Got little sleep on the overnight bus ride, then had a long cab ride out to Masuleh. According to Lonely Planet, Masuleh is a stunning mountain village where the locals invite you to stay over. We loitered about for 3-4 hours with not a single room offer, even the hotel tried to ignore us. In terms of scenery it was nice, but not enough to justify the trip. There were a lot of Iranians camping there. Had a nice chat with a teenage girl and her mother, from Tehran. They expressed their concerns over the misconceptions that foreigners have of Iran. While waiting outside the hotel we met some other travellers - Tom and Anna-Rose from England who were on a 2 year trip, and Alberto from Peru. Finally someone - an Iranian with excellent English in a kiwi accent, though sounding somewhat stoned - came to show us a room. It was OK but by then we had already decided to cut our losses and leave, while the others took the room. Got dodgied by the taxi driver back Rasht who dumped us at the edge of town, indicating that the bus terminal was nearby, only to realise we were still miles from the station and had to get another cab. Hopped straight onto a bus to Tehran, which promptly broke down 30 min after leaving Rasht. We waited on the side of the highway in the baking sun (45 degrees plus) for 2 hours as the driver tried to fix the bus. This gave us the opportunity to speak to more locals. Eventually a replacement bus came to pick us up. We weren't expecting the mad rush for seats on the replacement bus and were left standing (5.5 hrs to Tehran). The two girls I was speaking with earlier squished over to make room for me, while G was seated on the fold-down seat near the front door. There was then heated discussion and the girls were arguing for us (tourist status seems to get you a long way in Iran). The driver turfed out some guys and G and I ended up with two seats to ourselves. Finally on the road again, the landscape changed quite dramatically from fairly green to barren an rocky. Finally made it to Tehran and cab'ed through horrendous traffic and pollution to our first pick of hotels, only to find it was no longer a hotel. Our taxi driver spoke only a little English but was fantastic, driving us around to other hotels, calling them up, waiting while we inspected the rooms, and only leaving us once we had found a room.
Practicalities: 13:30-21:00 bus to Tehran (meant to arrive around 19:00), stayed at Ferdosi Grand Hotel, room 606.
Food: really thin but large piece of bread baked before our eyes (2.5c each), simple hotel buffet which the staff started clearing away 5 min after we sat down (a death stare sorted them out)
28th August 2008
Summary: rest, US Den of Espionage
Had a fairly quiet day recuperating from the previous day's adventures. Did some admin and changed hotels to a nicer one in the embassy district. Went for a walk near the hotel in the afternoon in search of food and to check out the area. Walked past the US Den of Espionage, the former US Embassy, which had a series of disturbing anti-American murals and slogans outside. By complete chance we stumbled across a Catholic church almost next to our hotel, which was only open because a wedding was being held. Behind the tall gate was a little non-Muslim retreat, with headscarf-less women and a girl in an extremely frilly wedding dress. A man there told us there were about 2000 catholics in Tehran (total population 14m) and G found out where to go for Saturday vigil mass.
Practicalities: stayed at Escan Hotel, room 306.
Food: Iced coffee and espresso at a cafe frequented by "intellectuals and arty types", pizza and fruit. Discovered I like non-alcoholic beer. It tastes nothing like beer, more sparkling pear juice (there are other flavours too).
29th August 2008
Summary: Bazaar, Golestan Palace
Woke up early to listen to Obama's nomination acceptance speech. Interesting to note we have access to CNN and BBC news websites but the SMH (Australian newspaper) website is barred, as is Facebook. Unfortunately the guidebook (Lonely Planet) neglected to mention the bazaar is closed on Fridays (weekend is Thursday/Friday in Iran) so we wandered through an almost completely deserted bazaar. Golestan Palace was open and contained a number of ornately decorated buildings used by the Shahs. One contained an ethnographic museum and another an art gallery. Changed $300 - the guy wanted to give it all to us in $1 notes, we asked for $5 notes instead. Returned to the hotel as G had to do a telephone interview. Managed to score an invitation to a "Heaven and Hell" party at the British Embassy which gave us a fascinating insight into the lives of expat consulate staff and their Iranian friends, getting a glimpse of what goes on outside of the public eye. Met about half of the Australian Embassy and tried hubbly bubbly (quite nice, fruity, "suck, don't blow"). Left as a congo line started forming around the swimming pool, navigated our way through the maze of security gates and could still hear the booming music after leaving the complex.
Food: hamburgers, more non-alcoholic beer, iced coffee, espresso, chocolate cake, apple pie (as you can see the legume diet has gone out the window), G had some more potent malt beverages at the party
30th August 2008
Summary: chores, Jewels Museum, Iran Museum, overnight train to Esfahan
Did some chores in the morning. It is incredibly difficult to get anything done in Tehran - some post offices do not post boxes, some photo shops require a 7 day wait for passport photos, and the Chinese Embassy was shut despite the hotel insisting it would be open. Finally got around to some sightseeing. First stop was the National Jewels Museum, an un-marked museum in the underground vault of a bank, containing an incredible amount of jewels, including a jewel encrusted umbrella and world globe. Next up was the National Museum of Iran which had a small but interesting collection, in particular "salt man", a 1700 year old skull with hair and beard still intact, and some artefacts from Persepolis. Had an unsuccessful search for the location of Saturday vigil Mass. Stopped in at Krishan's place briefly before heading to the train station. Bumped into Alberto, who we met in Masuleh, who was boarding the same train. He ended up staying in Masuleh another 3 days and had a great time - duh! Our 6-person sleeper cabin was full of Iranians. We broke the ice by practising our Farsi with them which lead to a lot of laughter. The conversation rapidly got more serious, covering everything we shouldn't such as politics, religion, and women's rights. It appears to be far more controversial to be agnostic than Catholic here, so I think I will be Catholic for the rest of Iran to stay out of trouble. Lighter topics included the young electronics student who wanted to move to America because he loved Michael Jackson. He even demonstrated some dance moves.
Practicalities: 22:45-06:30 overnight train to Esfahan
Food: pizza, nachos (potato chips not corn), pomegranate "beer" - there are surprisingly few restaurants in Tehran (at least around our hotel), it is all fast food - honestly! Horrified by our recent diet we had vegetable soup, salad and steamed veggies for dinner (discovered it on the hotel restaurant's menu).
31st August 2008
Summary: Imam Square, Imam Mosque, Vank Cathedral
Caught our first glimpse of Imam Square from the cab from the train station - a huge square with trees, grass, a fountain and a couple of stunning mosques. Strolled through it shortly after when we decided the first hotel (Sadaf) was overpriced and uninspiring. We were much happier with our next choice. Caught up on sleep then met up with Alberto for lunch. First stop after lunch was Imam Mosque, claimed in LP to be one of the most beautiful mosques in the world, and it may well be right. It is covered in blue and yellow mosaics and it was extremely peaceful inside the courtyard. Couldn't figure out where all the tourists were. Wandered across the river to Vank Cathedral, an Armenian Church covered in frescoes, with attached museum. Strolled through the riverside park and back across the Si-o-Seh Bridge (33 arches). It was blackout time back at the hotel and we used our headtorch for the first time. The giggly young man at reception armed us with some candles though couldn't find any matches, so we sat in the lobby (emergency lighting) until the power came back on.
Practicalities: Safir Hotel, room 108
Food: legumes, meat and rice, barley soup, omelette, lamb kebab.
1st September 2008
Made our first attempt at carpet shopping. We were a bit overwhelmed by all the information and patterns, finally decided on one we like but we were a little hesitant to buy a carpet from a young Iranian wearing a Paul Smith t-shirt, and his price was more than double the ball-park figure we got from a previous shop. While we were waiting for Alberto we started chatting with Mohammed, a 19 year old Iranian who liked to hang out at Imam Square chatting with tourists as "they are the best entertainment". He had quit his accounting studies at university as he was pessimistic about job prospects and was planning to join the military as they would look after him. We ended up spending the rest of the day with him and Alberto, learnt lots of interesting facts about Iranian life, and tried to convince him to continue his studies rather than join the army. After lunch we strolled through the bazaars, made an unsuccessful bid for the carpet, and popped into Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque. I think I preferred this even over Imam Mosque. It had beautiful, intricate blue and gold patterns. Families were chilling out inside. The local bus out to Manar Jomban was a cultural experience in itself. Luckily Mohammed was there to explain that I had to get on at the back while the boys got on the front. There was a row of chairs right across the middle providing a physical barrier. I was worried G would get into trouble for voyeurism as he kept turning around to check on me. It was very bizarre, especially as long distance buses and even our 6-person sleeper cabin on the train was mixed. I chatted with one of the ladies about it, I did not ask her explicitly what her opinion was but her tone implied she thought it was ludicrous. Despite the culture shock the stop buttons were identical to those all around the world (I am doing an informal study on this). They even had "STOP" written on them in English, without any Farsi translation. Manar Jomban (shaking minarets) was a pretty poor excuse of an attraction - on the hour an attendant climbs one of the minarets and shakes it for a minute or two. Bells attached to each minaret demonstrate that they are wobbling. Great. Could not believe the guy on the train (the one opposed to my agnosticism) insisted we see it. Still, it was worth it for the bus experience. Also chatted to some nice ladies at the teahouse while we waited for the minaret-shaking, and had our photo taken again. Back in town we wandered around forever trying to find a restaurant around Imam Square - amazingly difficult!
Practicalities: local bus (3c each) to Manar Jomban.
Food: same restuarant and food as the previous day for lunch, chicken curry and a local dish - chicken with a walnut and pomegranate sauce (can't remember the name...), rockmelon juice - yum.
2nd September 2008
Summary: Ramadan, Bazaar, Jameh Mosque, Chehel Sotun Palace, overnight bus to Shiraz
Today was the first day of Ramadan (known locally as Ramazan) in Iran. Unfortunately our hotel breakfast offering was pretty dire (same as all the other mornings) so we couldn't really fill up on it. The official rule is that we may eat and drink but not in front of the locals. Ramadan had opposite effect on us as we were constantly obsessing about food. There was lots of food for sale but none being eaten. We bought some bananas and got permission to scoff them down at the back of the fruit shop. We were planning to go out to Mohammed's town, approx 35km from Esfahan, but after a lot of faffing about (eg. bananas) we decided we didn't have enough time so Alberto went by himself. We started getting worried about lunch prospects when the "Tourist Restaurant" was shut. While we were searching a Muslim cleric came to chat to us. We wished him a Happy Ramazan and said we were off to find lunch (JOKE). We ended up back where we had dinner the previous night, and were pleased to see lots of locals dining also. Wandered through the bazaar to the Jameh Mosque, the biggest in Iran. Popped into Chehel Sotun (40 columns) Palace which had a series of frescoes depicting palace life and battles. The human figures looked quite oriental. Sat in our favourite spot by the Imam Mosque to watch the sun set over Imam Square. This was the perfect place to meet locals - firstly two female university students, who, after the usual chat about where we were from, our work etc, asked G to pick which of them was the prettiest. We then had a funny conversation with some carpet sellers (one of which was a Josh look-a-like), who were moaning about the lack of business and asking us what they could say to entice more customers into their shop. They only sell about 1 carpet every 1-2 weeks at the moment, but expect more tourists in a month's time. One of them had actually been told by Paul Smith that we were looking for carpets so asked shyly if we would like to come to his shop - they explained that the carpet sellers are a bit like the mafia. They offered us some bread. We pointed out that it wasn't sunset yet, we were outside a mosque, and there were police with batons nearby. They said we were tourists so no one cared. We only ate some after one of the locals did also. Had a relatively comfortable overnight bus trip to Shiraz.
Practicalities: 22:30-05:30 bus to Shiraz
Food: yellow split pea stew, okra stew, "spaghetti bolognese" (pasta with lamb mince), grilled chicken at Abbasi Hotel - the fancy hotel near our not so fancy one.
3rd September 2008
Summary: lazy day in Shiraz
Arrived in Shiraz at 05:30, two hours earlier than we were told. Managed to save 10% by meekly asking for a discount at the hotel, even got upgraded to a suite later in the day. Decided to boycott some of the mausoleums and mosques as I had to dress even more conservatively than I already was. Wandered through the bazaar which contained a nice mix of tourist and regular shops. Again we were left alone by the carpet sellers. Caught up on sleep and got frustrated by the erratic internet service at the hotel (as with all the hotels in Iran so far).
Practicalities: Aryo Bazan Hotel, room 408
Food: bread, bananas in the hotel room
Summary: border crossing to Iran, bus to Tabriz
Notation/conversions: $ = USD, $1 is approx 10,000 Iranian Rials (IRR)
Our early morning start was unnecessary as we sat about for 1 hr waiting for the minibus to fill up before it left for Gurbalek. The shoe shine kids were pestering G constantly. We were expecting the bus to be full of backpackers but aside from us it was all locals heading towards but not across the border. We were very glad we were crossing on foot as we past a huge queue of trucks. Walked along a road with fences on either side, pestered by a money changer the whole way offering us 4000 Rials per Turkish Lira, and later another one offering 6000 (spot is 8250). Luckily our hotel had told us we'd get a better rate on the Iranian side, so we ignored their assertions that this was our last chance to get rid of our Liras. Had our passports checked and stamped and were amazed to get into Iran so easily, only to realise a few minutes later we had only left Turkey. And it's true - there is a duty-free shop selling grog in no-man's land. Kept walking along the road and finally made it to the Iranian checkpoint. Stood by 2 huge adjacent gates. Slowly one opened up and then the next. We were ushered through to an office where a very friendly English speaking man asked us a few basic questions and welcomed us to Iran, got waved straight past customs, and we were finally in! Managed to change our leftover Lira at a rate of 7800. The largest note is $5, although we got mostly $2 notes, so ended up with a huge wad of cash, counting it in broad daylight with lots of people milling about. Did some hard bargaining from $4 to $2 for a 15km taxi ride to Maku. Once we got in the driver stopped again and said he would wait for more passengers unless we paid him another $1, so we changed cabs (hey it's the principle...). Had lunch at Maku bus station while waiting to leave for Tabriz. We were already starting to develop celebrity status. A couple asked to take a photo of us and G took the opportunity to practise his Farsi with them. Later on I asked two girls for directions to the WC in Farsi, failing miserably. They were a little shy of G but when he disappeared to find the bus they beckoned to me to sit in between them and we had a short chat despite serious language barriers. Had my photo taken again, and they said they were "very happy" to speak with me (I think). Scenery to Tabriz was fairly similar to that in Turkey, dry though with some cultivated fields (sunflowers!). Unfortunately a $1.30 bus ticket (for a 4 hr trip) doesn't buy air-conditioning so it wasn't the most comfortable of trips, especially as it was my first full day of conforming to the hejab dress code (headscarf, shapeless long sleeve top covering bottom, long pants). Tabriz is a large sprawling city and there was a nice vibe on the streets - lots of women (mostly cloaked in black) and children (and men) were out and about. The hotels were surprisingly busy due to a trade fair and we only managed to get into our 3rd choice. Went for a wander around town and to the tourist office who were very helpful, including telling me that Iranians weren't the Taliban so I didn't have to wear my headscarf quite so tightly. Experienced 3-4 blackouts during dinner.
Practicalities: 30 min minibus to Gurbalek (leaves when full), short taxi ride from border to Bazargan (50c - think we got ripped off), longer taxi ride to Maku ($2 + 50c tip), 13:30-17:30 bus to Tabriz ($1.30 each). First two hotels we tried were full so ended up staying at Morvarid Hotel, room 16 ($27). Despite the ridiculously cheap prices we can't go too beserk as Iran (and Central Asia to follow) is a cash-only economy and we didn't want to carry too much, so on a fairly tight budget...
Food: shared a kebab and Zam Zams (local soft drink, just like Coke/Fanta) ($4), chicken rice and meat and veg at a fancy restaurant in Tabriz ($10), soft drinks seated at a cafe (30c each), fancy pastries from a fancy pastry shop (15c each).
26th August 2008
Summary: Bazaar, Azarbayjan Museum, Blue Mosque, Kandovan, overnight bus to Rasht
There is such a serious lack of tourists in Tabriz that the locals seem to see us as a novelty rather than a money-making opportunity. Evidence of this is that we walked through the bazaar, including aisles of carpet shops, and the only person to speak to us was the sheep fat vendor. He asked where we were from, welcomed us to Iran, and fortunately did not try to sell us his wares. Lots of shops stocked relatively skimpy women's clothes, yet didn't see a single chador or even headscarf for sale. The bazaar was a tad warm and airless and I started feeling woozy as I was still acclimatising to my hejab outfit. Popped into the Azarbayjan Museum which contained artefacts from pre-Islamic Iran (eg. stone handbags) and the unused Blue Mosque. Had a one hour drive out to Kandovan - a town vaguely similar to Cappadocia where the locals live in caves. Felt like we were intruding as we wandered around the narrow paths. A lady invited us in to her house (for a fee of course) - just a single smallish room with a pile of blankets in the corner and a few cupboards around the edge. There was a small park where a lot of visiting Iranians were hanging out.
Practicalities: 09:00-06:00 overnight bus to Rasht
Food: yoghurt with honey and bread near the bazaar, hamburgers at the bus stop
27th August 2008
Summary: Masuleh, bus to Tehran (including 2 hrs sitting by the side of the highway)
Got little sleep on the overnight bus ride, then had a long cab ride out to Masuleh. According to Lonely Planet, Masuleh is a stunning mountain village where the locals invite you to stay over. We loitered about for 3-4 hours with not a single room offer, even the hotel tried to ignore us. In terms of scenery it was nice, but not enough to justify the trip. There were a lot of Iranians camping there. Had a nice chat with a teenage girl and her mother, from Tehran. They expressed their concerns over the misconceptions that foreigners have of Iran. While waiting outside the hotel we met some other travellers - Tom and Anna-Rose from England who were on a 2 year trip, and Alberto from Peru. Finally someone - an Iranian with excellent English in a kiwi accent, though sounding somewhat stoned - came to show us a room. It was OK but by then we had already decided to cut our losses and leave, while the others took the room. Got dodgied by the taxi driver back Rasht who dumped us at the edge of town, indicating that the bus terminal was nearby, only to realise we were still miles from the station and had to get another cab. Hopped straight onto a bus to Tehran, which promptly broke down 30 min after leaving Rasht. We waited on the side of the highway in the baking sun (45 degrees plus) for 2 hours as the driver tried to fix the bus. This gave us the opportunity to speak to more locals. Eventually a replacement bus came to pick us up. We weren't expecting the mad rush for seats on the replacement bus and were left standing (5.5 hrs to Tehran). The two girls I was speaking with earlier squished over to make room for me, while G was seated on the fold-down seat near the front door. There was then heated discussion and the girls were arguing for us (tourist status seems to get you a long way in Iran). The driver turfed out some guys and G and I ended up with two seats to ourselves. Finally on the road again, the landscape changed quite dramatically from fairly green to barren an rocky. Finally made it to Tehran and cab'ed through horrendous traffic and pollution to our first pick of hotels, only to find it was no longer a hotel. Our taxi driver spoke only a little English but was fantastic, driving us around to other hotels, calling them up, waiting while we inspected the rooms, and only leaving us once we had found a room.
Practicalities: 13:30-21:00 bus to Tehran (meant to arrive around 19:00), stayed at Ferdosi Grand Hotel, room 606.
Food: really thin but large piece of bread baked before our eyes (2.5c each), simple hotel buffet which the staff started clearing away 5 min after we sat down (a death stare sorted them out)
28th August 2008
Summary: rest, US Den of Espionage
Had a fairly quiet day recuperating from the previous day's adventures. Did some admin and changed hotels to a nicer one in the embassy district. Went for a walk near the hotel in the afternoon in search of food and to check out the area. Walked past the US Den of Espionage, the former US Embassy, which had a series of disturbing anti-American murals and slogans outside. By complete chance we stumbled across a Catholic church almost next to our hotel, which was only open because a wedding was being held. Behind the tall gate was a little non-Muslim retreat, with headscarf-less women and a girl in an extremely frilly wedding dress. A man there told us there were about 2000 catholics in Tehran (total population 14m) and G found out where to go for Saturday vigil mass.
Practicalities: stayed at Escan Hotel, room 306.
Food: Iced coffee and espresso at a cafe frequented by "intellectuals and arty types", pizza and fruit. Discovered I like non-alcoholic beer. It tastes nothing like beer, more sparkling pear juice (there are other flavours too).
29th August 2008
Summary: Bazaar, Golestan Palace
Woke up early to listen to Obama's nomination acceptance speech. Interesting to note we have access to CNN and BBC news websites but the SMH (Australian newspaper) website is barred, as is Facebook. Unfortunately the guidebook (Lonely Planet) neglected to mention the bazaar is closed on Fridays (weekend is Thursday/Friday in Iran) so we wandered through an almost completely deserted bazaar. Golestan Palace was open and contained a number of ornately decorated buildings used by the Shahs. One contained an ethnographic museum and another an art gallery. Changed $300 - the guy wanted to give it all to us in $1 notes, we asked for $5 notes instead. Returned to the hotel as G had to do a telephone interview. Managed to score an invitation to a "Heaven and Hell" party at the British Embassy which gave us a fascinating insight into the lives of expat consulate staff and their Iranian friends, getting a glimpse of what goes on outside of the public eye. Met about half of the Australian Embassy and tried hubbly bubbly (quite nice, fruity, "suck, don't blow"). Left as a congo line started forming around the swimming pool, navigated our way through the maze of security gates and could still hear the booming music after leaving the complex.
Food: hamburgers, more non-alcoholic beer, iced coffee, espresso, chocolate cake, apple pie (as you can see the legume diet has gone out the window), G had some more potent malt beverages at the party
30th August 2008
Summary: chores, Jewels Museum, Iran Museum, overnight train to Esfahan
Did some chores in the morning. It is incredibly difficult to get anything done in Tehran - some post offices do not post boxes, some photo shops require a 7 day wait for passport photos, and the Chinese Embassy was shut despite the hotel insisting it would be open. Finally got around to some sightseeing. First stop was the National Jewels Museum, an un-marked museum in the underground vault of a bank, containing an incredible amount of jewels, including a jewel encrusted umbrella and world globe. Next up was the National Museum of Iran which had a small but interesting collection, in particular "salt man", a 1700 year old skull with hair and beard still intact, and some artefacts from Persepolis. Had an unsuccessful search for the location of Saturday vigil Mass. Stopped in at Krishan's place briefly before heading to the train station. Bumped into Alberto, who we met in Masuleh, who was boarding the same train. He ended up staying in Masuleh another 3 days and had a great time - duh! Our 6-person sleeper cabin was full of Iranians. We broke the ice by practising our Farsi with them which lead to a lot of laughter. The conversation rapidly got more serious, covering everything we shouldn't such as politics, religion, and women's rights. It appears to be far more controversial to be agnostic than Catholic here, so I think I will be Catholic for the rest of Iran to stay out of trouble. Lighter topics included the young electronics student who wanted to move to America because he loved Michael Jackson. He even demonstrated some dance moves.
Practicalities: 22:45-06:30 overnight train to Esfahan
Food: pizza, nachos (potato chips not corn), pomegranate "beer" - there are surprisingly few restaurants in Tehran (at least around our hotel), it is all fast food - honestly! Horrified by our recent diet we had vegetable soup, salad and steamed veggies for dinner (discovered it on the hotel restaurant's menu).
31st August 2008
Summary: Imam Square, Imam Mosque, Vank Cathedral
Caught our first glimpse of Imam Square from the cab from the train station - a huge square with trees, grass, a fountain and a couple of stunning mosques. Strolled through it shortly after when we decided the first hotel (Sadaf) was overpriced and uninspiring. We were much happier with our next choice. Caught up on sleep then met up with Alberto for lunch. First stop after lunch was Imam Mosque, claimed in LP to be one of the most beautiful mosques in the world, and it may well be right. It is covered in blue and yellow mosaics and it was extremely peaceful inside the courtyard. Couldn't figure out where all the tourists were. Wandered across the river to Vank Cathedral, an Armenian Church covered in frescoes, with attached museum. Strolled through the riverside park and back across the Si-o-Seh Bridge (33 arches). It was blackout time back at the hotel and we used our headtorch for the first time. The giggly young man at reception armed us with some candles though couldn't find any matches, so we sat in the lobby (emergency lighting) until the power came back on.
Practicalities: Safir Hotel, room 108
Food: legumes, meat and rice, barley soup, omelette, lamb kebab.
1st September 2008
Made our first attempt at carpet shopping. We were a bit overwhelmed by all the information and patterns, finally decided on one we like but we were a little hesitant to buy a carpet from a young Iranian wearing a Paul Smith t-shirt, and his price was more than double the ball-park figure we got from a previous shop. While we were waiting for Alberto we started chatting with Mohammed, a 19 year old Iranian who liked to hang out at Imam Square chatting with tourists as "they are the best entertainment". He had quit his accounting studies at university as he was pessimistic about job prospects and was planning to join the military as they would look after him. We ended up spending the rest of the day with him and Alberto, learnt lots of interesting facts about Iranian life, and tried to convince him to continue his studies rather than join the army. After lunch we strolled through the bazaars, made an unsuccessful bid for the carpet, and popped into Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque. I think I preferred this even over Imam Mosque. It had beautiful, intricate blue and gold patterns. Families were chilling out inside. The local bus out to Manar Jomban was a cultural experience in itself. Luckily Mohammed was there to explain that I had to get on at the back while the boys got on the front. There was a row of chairs right across the middle providing a physical barrier. I was worried G would get into trouble for voyeurism as he kept turning around to check on me. It was very bizarre, especially as long distance buses and even our 6-person sleeper cabin on the train was mixed. I chatted with one of the ladies about it, I did not ask her explicitly what her opinion was but her tone implied she thought it was ludicrous. Despite the culture shock the stop buttons were identical to those all around the world (I am doing an informal study on this). They even had "STOP" written on them in English, without any Farsi translation. Manar Jomban (shaking minarets) was a pretty poor excuse of an attraction - on the hour an attendant climbs one of the minarets and shakes it for a minute or two. Bells attached to each minaret demonstrate that they are wobbling. Great. Could not believe the guy on the train (the one opposed to my agnosticism) insisted we see it. Still, it was worth it for the bus experience. Also chatted to some nice ladies at the teahouse while we waited for the minaret-shaking, and had our photo taken again. Back in town we wandered around forever trying to find a restaurant around Imam Square - amazingly difficult!
Practicalities: local bus (3c each) to Manar Jomban.
Food: same restuarant and food as the previous day for lunch, chicken curry and a local dish - chicken with a walnut and pomegranate sauce (can't remember the name...), rockmelon juice - yum.
2nd September 2008
Summary: Ramadan, Bazaar, Jameh Mosque, Chehel Sotun Palace, overnight bus to Shiraz
Today was the first day of Ramadan (known locally as Ramazan) in Iran. Unfortunately our hotel breakfast offering was pretty dire (same as all the other mornings) so we couldn't really fill up on it. The official rule is that we may eat and drink but not in front of the locals. Ramadan had opposite effect on us as we were constantly obsessing about food. There was lots of food for sale but none being eaten. We bought some bananas and got permission to scoff them down at the back of the fruit shop. We were planning to go out to Mohammed's town, approx 35km from Esfahan, but after a lot of faffing about (eg. bananas) we decided we didn't have enough time so Alberto went by himself. We started getting worried about lunch prospects when the "Tourist Restaurant" was shut. While we were searching a Muslim cleric came to chat to us. We wished him a Happy Ramazan and said we were off to find lunch (JOKE). We ended up back where we had dinner the previous night, and were pleased to see lots of locals dining also. Wandered through the bazaar to the Jameh Mosque, the biggest in Iran. Popped into Chehel Sotun (40 columns) Palace which had a series of frescoes depicting palace life and battles. The human figures looked quite oriental. Sat in our favourite spot by the Imam Mosque to watch the sun set over Imam Square. This was the perfect place to meet locals - firstly two female university students, who, after the usual chat about where we were from, our work etc, asked G to pick which of them was the prettiest. We then had a funny conversation with some carpet sellers (one of which was a Josh look-a-like), who were moaning about the lack of business and asking us what they could say to entice more customers into their shop. They only sell about 1 carpet every 1-2 weeks at the moment, but expect more tourists in a month's time. One of them had actually been told by Paul Smith that we were looking for carpets so asked shyly if we would like to come to his shop - they explained that the carpet sellers are a bit like the mafia. They offered us some bread. We pointed out that it wasn't sunset yet, we were outside a mosque, and there were police with batons nearby. They said we were tourists so no one cared. We only ate some after one of the locals did also. Had a relatively comfortable overnight bus trip to Shiraz.
Practicalities: 22:30-05:30 bus to Shiraz
Food: yellow split pea stew, okra stew, "spaghetti bolognese" (pasta with lamb mince), grilled chicken at Abbasi Hotel - the fancy hotel near our not so fancy one.
3rd September 2008
Summary: lazy day in Shiraz
Arrived in Shiraz at 05:30, two hours earlier than we were told. Managed to save 10% by meekly asking for a discount at the hotel, even got upgraded to a suite later in the day. Decided to boycott some of the mausoleums and mosques as I had to dress even more conservatively than I already was. Wandered through the bazaar which contained a nice mix of tourist and regular shops. Again we were left alone by the carpet sellers. Caught up on sleep and got frustrated by the erratic internet service at the hotel (as with all the hotels in Iran so far).
Practicalities: Aryo Bazan Hotel, room 408
Food: bread, bananas in the hotel room
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