A Day at Caspian, Amol and Babolsar - Iran

Oranges in the housing area of Caspian

Caspian Sea

The guests and the host were equally tired after a very late night and we woke up at 10am to have breakfast.  Breakfast was simple with bread, yoghurt, cheese, honey, nuts and fruits. Tea (Chai) is almost compulsory in Iran and not even once did I drink coffee in Iran! Parvin packed some nuts and fruits and we were all ready for a visit to Caspian and the near by towns.

Although I was keen to visit Gilan in Masuleh, it was not possible because the journey would take 6 hours from Amol and we are leaving for Sanandaj the following day.   So we visited other towns near Amol and spent some times walking along the Caspian. The day was foggy when we visited Caspian Sea. It is known world wide for its rarest Beluga Sturgeons which produce the best caviar (fish roe) in the world but surprisingly we never find any caviar in Mazandaran. This delicacy fetches a high price of Euro 6,000 to Euro 12,000 per kilo and in some countries it is banned as a protest against the extinction of the fish. Caspian Sea produces 90% of the world’s caviar.

We visited an impressive housing area near Caspian sea where our friend resided few years ago and met some locals picking orange blossom. After a brief chat we proceed to Babolsar to attend a lunch party where we were invited by the host. There was huge amount of food on the table and the portion served was big and almost impossible to finish it. After the party, we browsed around the city and later went home to pick a few things before we left for Sanchol, a mountain village about an hour from Amol.

Orange Blossom

The ladies...after picking orange blossom

Housing area near the Caspian Sea

The area is full of flowers

Roses are famous among Iranians

 

                                    

The bridge in Babolsar

The city of Babolsar

Babolsar

Lunch Party - ladies' section 

The huge amount of rice and chicken per serving!

The rice and meat

We had Mazandaran ice cream in Amol

The Journey from Tehran to Mazandaran

The taxi that drove us from Tehran to Mazandaran

After a long 8 hours flight from Kuala Lumpur to Tehran, the three of us arrived at the Imam Khomeini Airport (IKA) at 9.40pm local time and by 10.40pm, we cleared the customs and immigration and changed some of our USD. We were met and greeted by Ali who has arranged transportation to Amol, Mazandaran, 240km north of Iran. In Mazandaran we will be putting up with a close friend who has insisted that we come to his house for few days. Due to time constraint and the inconsistency of domestic flight, we had no other choice but to travel that night by taxi which will take about 4 to 5 hours. We were given an Iranian Sim card and after a brief chat we were all set to begin the journey at about 11pm.

Ali spoke very little English and the driver spoke none. It is really dangerous traveling at night across the mountains but my friend in Ahvaz and Mazandaran assured me that they will be monitoring all the time to make sure everything is alright! In any circumstances or difficulties I would have to speak to my friend in Mazandaran or Ahvaz and they will be communicating with the driver.  We are in a foreign land and this is my first visit to Iran...I felt lost for a moment and had to follow the plan closely.

Soon we are on the winding mountainous road to Mazandaran with several long stretch of tunnels along the mountains and the driver was driving fast and at times reckless. At one point, we missed a lorry so close that he then decided to make a stop at a road side café for a cup of tea (coffee is not a popular beverage in Iran)…he must be sleepy! 

The cafe in the middle of no where

The café is in the middle of no where…I wasn’t even sure where it was. After a few minutes, we were on the road again. I decided to have a nap because I thought it would be better not to experience the driving thrill! Every now and then both friends from Ahvaz and Mazandaran called to check our where about. Then, the driver stopped again….he said something in Persian to us but unfortunately we couldn’t make sense of it. He went to some kind of police station across the road and I was wondering if we were crossing kind of borders with another country! 

We stayed awake and alert in suspense, it was almost 3 am and the roads are less winding and as I thought we were about to arrive. Using sign language the driver instructed me to call my friend and a gate opened with my friend standing in front. We arrived at his place at about 3.25am and the whole house was lighted to welcome us. His wife insisted that we have light meal and after fajar at 4.10am we went to bed. It was such a great relief for us and our friends that we arrived safely in Mazandaran.

A meal at 3.25am

Warm bread

The True Beauty of Iran

A Kurdish girl we met in the mountain village of Palanga, Kurdistan

My visit to Iran is so inspiring. Surely, I am not talking about politics and the politicians as I have the least interest in them but rather my observation is on the layman on the streets that crosses my path. It is only fair to write about the beauty of the people at heart before praising the beauty of the country. What impressed me most about the people of this country is the abundance of hospitality and generosity extended not only to foreign tourists but the culture is well established among the community.

The inward beauty of their hearts is manifested outwardly and it does not require a genius to see how sincere these people are. In the streets of Sanandaj, we thronged through the crowd, just to see what life is like in the capital city of Kurdistan. After few days in Iran, we got used to be the centre of attraction every where we go and it is no exception in Kurdistan. We must have looked so strange to them or probably they have never seen many tourists (or even Asian) in this city! All eyes were on us; smiling, waving and greeting and some would go to the extent of stopping us to ask where we are from. The greetings, “Welcome to our country” resonates almost every where we go!

The corns are popped in the tin

At the corner of the street we stopped to watch a man rattling the tin to make pop corn. It was interesting, he was shaking the tin with his hands until the corn popped and we were keen to taste his pop corn. We asked for a pack but he refused our money because…..we are guests in his country. It was only about 30 or 50 cents (USD) but he persistently refused to accept our money. Speaking to the man in Persian, our Iranian friend insisted that the man took his money and he finally did….and we got a big bag of pop corn that lasted until tomorrow!!

I learnt how simple life can be for these people and what it means to be generous. Generosity suffice even with a piece of bread and tea is hospitable enough to treat your guests! At the park on a hill in Sanandaj, a lady having picnic with her friends came to me to offer her food and in Shiraz, we ordered an ice cream but was given additional 2 small cups because there were three of us. I am deeply touched by the kindness of the people and that is where the true beauty of the country lies.

 

He continuously rattles the tin

The pop corn is ready

Delicious Pop Corns

The ladies who offered their food

In Kamyaran, the old man we met at the toilet invited us for lunch

A Working Holiday - Iran

Decoupage decoration in Isfahan 

Azadi Tower in Tehran

It has been a while since I updated this blog. I was in Iran for 12 days....a combination of work and holiday trip from 15th to 26th of May, 2011. The travel was finalized in just less than two weeks before the travel date and the preparation was the least I had ever done. It was actually a mixed feeling of to travel and not to travel. The recent development in the Middle East has been the major concern since Iran is a neighboring country. Although certain parts of Iran are considered as risky area….advice and concern of the people I know in Iran were taken due consideration. It has been a marvelous journey into a country which is not easily accessible due to political and language barriers but yet has a lot to offer the world for a most enriching experience!

I wish to extend my gratitude to friends and associates in Sanandaj, Mazandaran, Ahwaz, Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan for their overwhelming hospitality and kindness during our presence in Iran. Though I was skeptical about the security and safety especially in Kurdistan but the journey has somehow changed my whole perception about the country. In my heart I sincerely thank the strangers I met on the streets who have offered us a warm welcome to their beautiful country.

The youths and kids on the streets anxiously approached us asking, “Where are you from?” and the next line would be, “Welcome to our country” or “Welcome to Iran”. Though the conversation did not go any further due to language limitation but it truly touches my heart. Getting invited to homes for tea is nothing strange in this country and sincerity transcends in their eyes! It is a country where English is hardly spoken and foreigners are rare in some remote areas, yet generosity and smiles are abundant. And Kurdistan almost brought me to tears!

Kids on the streets of Shiraz posed for us

From Jakarta to Bandung - Indonesia

The Sumatran Hippo

Staying in international hotels in Jakarta requires some tedious security checks like the airport. All these are done with security reasons so tolerating it, is in your best interest. What I dislike about Jakarta is the macet (traffic congestion) but with a population of 9.6 million, macet is almost unavoidable. It takes so long to get across from one place to another. I had a brief stop in Jakarta to meet a dear friend before leaving for Puncak, a highland about two hours from Jakarta…but again depending on the traffic. 

Every time we come to Jakarta or Bandung we usually hire a driver to drive us around and the service is really not expensive, considering we are free from the hassle of driving. We stop over in Puncak to have lunch and the restaurant has a fantastic view overlooking the tea plantation. After lunch we proceed to the driving Safari not far from Puncak. On the way, we made several stops at the local stall for grilled corns and coconut drinks. It is obvious that many of these stalls are run by young kids and when asked, they told us that they are helping their parents after the school session.

Wide open ready for the thrown bananas 

Approaching the Safari, we made another stop at the fruit stalls to purchase some bananas and carrots for the animals. The Safari is very interesting and there are many wild animals wondering around and we could get pretty close to the animals. There are opportunities to feed the animals and some of them come really close to our vehicles for carrots and bananas. It is very entertaining to watch the animals and kids would definitely love this place. You can stay at a hotel in the Safari if you wish but you have to book ahead. 

After the Safari, we continued our journey to Bandung for some shopping. Bandung is  an interesting city packed with tourists and locals from Jakarta who come to shop here.  It is well know for its multiple factory outlets which offer good bargains.

Refreshing view of Puncak Highlands

Puncak Highlands

Lunch at Puncak Restaurant

Carrots for sale

Enterprising Carrots Vendor

Bananas for sale

Corn Stall

Hippos swimming

Sleepy lions

Feeding the deer

Beautiful head gear :)

Our faithful driver

Shopping spree in Bandung

The Fes Tannery - Fes, Morocco

Vessels filled with several dyes

The first soak in the acidic pigeon excrement 

A tour in Fes would not be complete without a visit to the tannery. The famous and oldest leather tannery in the world is located in the northeast of as-Saffarine, a quarter in the old Medina. This tannery dates back from the 9th century and the old production method of producing leather has not changed much since then. As we climbed up the small winding stairs to visit one of the leather shops, the stench pungent aroma filled the air but we braved ourselves through just to have a look at this ancient tannery. It is almost impossible to have a view of the tannery without visiting the leather shops since all viewing galleries are part of the shops.

The tannery actually comprises several stone vessels filled with vast color of dyes and the men would be working in the vessels soaking the hides (skins). The first soak is in the vessels of diluted acidic pigeon excrement, cow urine, animal fats and brain…no wonder it stinks! Then the hides are transferred into vessels of vegetables dyes of henna, pomegranates, turmeric and others to give the colors. There is no machine or what so ever equipment used in the process… it’s just plain laborious male job. Men squash, scrape and stretch the smelly skin, while donkeys are still used to transport the skin like in the good old days. I imagined the working condition must be unbearable in the peak of summer when it’s extremely hot in Fes.
After the sheep and goats skins have gone through the tannery process, they are made into bags, shoes, slippers and coats which we can see in the stores. It is mass production without modern technology. The leather products are cheap but your fate lies in your bargaining skill. And for the Muslim visitors, the vendors will always say, “We are brothers and sisters, we give you the best price (halal)” well…unfortunately I don’t buy that after being conned several times J!

The tannery in the middle of Fes neighbourhood

Drying the hides

View from the balcony

The tannery after a long day work

The leather goods in the viewing gallery