Enghelab Hotel Yazd

... Iranian terrorists it provided a fascinating contrast – how both cultures use popular entertainment to reinforce (usually incorrect) stereotypes and sell their own propaganda. It's a shame that we are being sold the same warped story everyday, in both the news and on the big screen, all because a more radical story sells better. I'm a firm believer that people need to spend more time focusing on the similarities we have with people from other cultures instead of being constantly ...

... many early mornings and long, hot fourteen hour driving days. This soon catches up with you. Little wonder Steve our driver looks like he is recovering from taking heroin. Steve is exhausted and takes every opportunity he can for sleep. He&#8217;ll be so relieved to have Lucy the tour leader and backup driver back with us after Iran.<br><br>A quick shopping trip to the bazaar for me, where I made the monumental purchase of a new head ...

... only damage appeared to be a few bruised apricots. Steve and Glen helped lift his bike back on to the road and he quickly departed after handing them a couple of apricots that he&#8217;d carefully washed in the open drain first. Mmmm Yummy.<br><br>After replacing a torn gasket, we were back on the road and arrived at Yazd, where we booked into the Orient Hotel &#8211; authentic mud brick building with a large, open courtyard. The ...

Things have changed a lot since Esfahan. On our second day there, Steve received calls from his contacts in Tehran, saying that the border at Zahedan was no longer safe to cross into Pakistan. Also, the entry date on some people's Pakistani visas was close to expiring. We decided as a group to drive south into the Iranian desert right down to the Persian Gulf to an alternate border to get the safest and most likely chance of being allowed into Pakistan. We were ...

... in her early 30's and she's fanatastic. Very laid back and it's been great to get her perspective on life for women in Iran. We've had a lot of fun coming up with ideas for how she can grow her business by developing tours geared to women - i.e., Persian Spa Day. Seriously - she's going to take us to a place in Esfahan (our next stop) where we're going to get beauty treatments Iranian-style. She's going to be with us for the rest of ...

... puisque je devait rejoindre Yazd après Esfahan et que la route comme la destination rongent largement sur l'un des deux énormes déserts qui constituent le centre iranien. En route, ce vendredi, enchanté par l'idée de retrouver ces longues étendues désespérement vides et sèches. Je débutai par Toudeshq, petit village déjà bien aride ...

... the sensation of a moving wallet in his pocket alerted him to the 7 year old girl's attempt at theft. She didn't even blink when caught on! Ian had just moments earlier enquired as to the Persian for go away. Relying on Lonely Planet I told him that gom sho was "go away". "No no" said Mohsen, "Very rude!" We never did find out just how rude, but I'm guessing you're already making up your own answers! Guess LP doesn't get ...

... scene before you and wondering what the site would have been like when in full use equals any tour guide's spiel! You'll forgive my memory, but I think we went to Ateshkadeh next, home to the Sacred Eternal Flame said to have been burning since AD470 and a site of pilgramme for Zoroastrians (Freddy Mercury being the most famous Zoroastrian that I've ever heard of). The flame itself is not exactly remarkable, but the building, fish ...

... and arm movements. Individuals would take turns to do rapid spinning, sort of like the Sufis, but far less balanced so that they always need other guys to act as spotters when they spin out of control. Batons are thrown high up in the air and then caught. Spontaneous push-ups are performed at random. This went on for an hour with the dome acting as an echo chamber magnifying the deafening volume of the drumming and singing. I'm not sure if it was the performance of this particular ...

... pre-dating and probably influencing Judaism. Before the spread of Islam, Zoroastrianism was the state religion of the Persian Empire and beyond. I had not read much on Zoroastrianism before my trip, but it piqued my interest as a powerful religious movement that was officially adopted as the state religion, covering a huge territory in the ancient world. There were even some pockets of Zoroastrian-inspired "heretics" in Europe that held fast until ...