OnTheRoad

I dozed off on a bus, feeling fine. Woke up sneezing. Damn.

I've spent the last few days hanging out in the desert, which is very relaxing. Dru, you were wrong. There are patches with great sand dunes here, see the (completely excessive) photos. The place I stayed, Ateshoni is great, with all meals being included. They also took me out to see the desert and salt lakes, to keep me entertained during the day. During the evening, the other guests would sing and play music, along with Maziar (the owner).

Actually, it was really good fun. The guidebooks say to avoid No Ruz, the new year here, as it's crazy busy, prices increase and it's hard to get tickets anywhere. This is true, but it's also great to see Iranians on holiday as well, letting their hair down (metaphorically and literally).

Still, I can't stay in one place for too long. So off I went, this time hitch hiking; we went out to see the salt lakes, which was on the way to Tabas, so I jumped out there, and stuck out my thumb. Well, shook my hand up and down, as is the custom here. Apparently the thumbs up can be interpreted in an offensive way...

Still, locals were worried about me. One group heading the other way thought they should give me a lift 40km in the wrong direction, just in case I don't get a lift. That way I would be in a town at least (one without any hotels, I might add). This, before midday!

Touching as this concern was, it was unwarranted. Twenty minutes of waiting and I'm picked up by a big truck carting steel beams to Mashad. Luxury cabin, two brothers driving it, and food into the bargain! Interesting conversation; they spoke absolutely no english, so it was a conversation of extremely broken Farsi and a fair bit of miming :)

They get me safely to Tabas and take me into the huge shrine there; I'm not sure if I'm allowed, as a non-muslim, but there seemed to be no trouble. Afterwards they cook up some rice and chicken, which they share with me and drop me to the only hotel in town.

Unfortunately the hotel starts at 300K per night and only drops to 200K; a price I'm stubbornly unwilling to pay. Although I'd like to do the trip to Mashad the next day (both for sleep and scenic reasons), I hike off to the bus station. One of the advantages of No Ruz - extra bus services!

It really is a shame to do the ride by night, I suspect. The ride through from Garmeh to Tabas is beautiful, wide desert valleys, between jagged ridges of mountains. I had a book in my pocket, but didn't read a word, my attention was occupied the whole time.

And so, here we are again, Mashad. With a cold. It could just be the sleep deprivation and the cold talking, but it isn't such an attractive place. The shrine to Imam Reza is rather impressive, I'll admit, but the rest of the place I can do without.

Anyhow, I've updated the photos. All photos are now commented, so that you can tell what the hell I was taking a photo of, where my skills are lacking. A few small stories are scattered there too, where they haven't made it into the main rant (and 99, of things never make it here at all, unfortunately).

Finally, the Pakistani visa has been granted, so all systems are firing for an early May arrival to Pakistan.

Later all.