A Quaint Rustic Beauty - Palangan, Kurdistan

Approaching the village of Palangan

The journey from Sanandaj to Palangan, a remote Kurdish village, took slightly more than two hours with a stop in Kamyaran. Kurdistan is a mountainous region and the view along the way is truly breathtaking, with fields of poppies, yellow, white and purplish flowers adorning the road sides. Not a minute did I close my eyes, trying to absorb the beauty of the landscape. As our bus moved slowly approaching the valley, the quaint and rustic stone and mud-brick houses became more pronounced parading its jaw dropping beauty. I now understand the saying “Kurds have no friends but the mountains” I supposed mountains are the symbolic features of Kurdish life.

Houses perching on the rocks

The houses are neatly tucked on the walls of the mountain and the emerald river flows effortlessly in between the village, perfecting the scenery. Some of the villagers were busy walking up and down the mountain, some were fishing in Sirwan river while others were walking on the roof top….the roof top of one’s house is the yard of another. Not only the villagers, but the donkeys and cows were equally busy trotting! The pristine mountain air and the panoramic beauty just melt me away! 


We walked about 2 km along the river under the blazing heat but half way we were treated with a can of cold drink.  We kept moving after the brief stop and finally we found a perfect place for a rest under the mulberry trees. Resting under the shades by the river, the coolness made me feel like I’m in a slice of heaven on earth. We spent almost a day in Palangan and I was indulging myself …… unabashedly gawking at the beauty surrounding me!!! 

Neatly stack on top of one another

The village

The bridge

Sirwan river flows between the mountains

We dominated the village that day

A few hundred meters to the picnic spot

Under the mulberry trees after a long walk

Unripe mulberries

One side of the village

Another view of Palanga

Giving ways for the animals to use the bridge

Beautiful rocks along the way

Poppies scattering all over

Carpet of grass on the roof top

Roof Top Walk

The Road from Mazandaran to Kurdistan

From Amol, Mazandaran to Tehran

There is no direct flight from Mazandaran to Sanandaj, you have to fly to Mehrabad Airport in Tehran and then take a flight to Sanandaj. Considering the possibilities of flight cancellation which is common in Iran and our tight schedule, we decided to drive.  Driving will give us the best opportunity to experience not only the country but also the driving culture.  The good thing is that none of us are driving and my Iranian friend will be the only one driving since he has the best survival skill on the Iranian roads! Driving in Iran can be hazardous :).

Mt. Damavand

We started the day early because it will be a long drive from Amol to Sanandaj. The distance is more than 600 kilometers and again we have to go through Alborz mountain range to Tehran then get on the highway to Kurdistan. With stopovers for lunch and rest, the journey is expected to take 11 to 12 hours.  We are not breaking the journey for a night because the next day we are scheduled for a meeting in Sanandaj.

On the way to Tehran, we stopped at a village to view the famous snow capped Mt. Damavand from a distance. Located about 50km from Tehran, Mt.Damavand (5,610m)  is a dormant volcano with the highest peak in Iran and Middle East. Due to foggy weather, the peak was not clearly visible but it was nice to have a glance. Approaching Sanandaj, Kurdistan, we began to see vast mountain range and green landscapes and the panoramic view of Sanandaj from the hill top is just superb.

We stopped near this village to view Mt. Damavand

A mosque on the Kurdistan Highway

The highway toll

Approaching Sanandaj

The city of Sanandaj, Kurdistan

A Perfect Hideaway - Sanchol, Mazandaran

The town and villages along the Caspian shores get very hot in Summer and some affluent Iranians would have a holiday home up the mountain to get away from the summer heat. Sanchol is a perfect hideaway on the mountains about an hour drive from Amol.  It was foggy on the day we drove up the winding road of Sanchol.  Ebrahim drove high enough until the other side of the mountain became visible with houses dotting the landscape.  We stopped the car and started climbing a few hundred meters on top of the highland...it was worth the effort when we saw the breathtaking view of the village from a distance.

We came across very few cars, the surrounding was peaceful with only birds chirping and the air was fresh and crisp .  There was a shepherd busy gathering hay for his horses and we walked over to the shepherd's hut to have a peek at his activities. My friend was talking to the man in Persian and he invited us for tea but we had to leave as it was getting late.  We then proceed to our friend's house on the highest peak of the village. From the balcony we had another perfect view of the rolling green hills and the valley.

Parvin and I prepared hot tea to be served with biscuits and nuts.  It was really unfortunate that we were not able to spend the night in Sanchol as we were leaving for Sanandaj the next morning. It was almost dusk when we left Sanchol to get back to Amol.

Public Bath

From the other side of the mountain

The village from a distance

Beautiful tree with its flowers scattering on the ground

We visited the shepherd's hut

The shepherd's hut

Holiday home in Sanchol

Traditional heater for extra heat on cold winter nights

The villager came to deliver fresh eggs, milk and turkey

The valley near the house

The valley

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