Fahadan Great Hotel Yazd

... out a series of random killings of innocent Iraqi's &#8211; men, women and children. When they weren't killing innocent people they spent a lot of time throwing each other Nazi-style salutes and trying to look mean. The most surreal scene was set in the US commanders office, where the camera cut to him perched on the edge of his desk smoking a hubbly-bubbly (a sheesha, a middle-eastern water pipe) like a pro.<br><br>Having grown up on a diet of films where an American hero saves the world ...

President Ahmadinejad has been re-elected, to the stunned amazement of the many many supporters of Mousavi. There are a lot of people very unhappy with the result and accusations of unfair voting practices are already surfacing. How they managed to count forty million votes in one day is the big question floating around the marketplaces. <br><br>Slept in &#8211; what joy! Even the world's hardest beds didn&#8217;t matter. There have ...

... salaam" to everyone we met. <br><br> <br>We arrived back at the truck in time to watch a curious local carrying a box of apricots ride his motorbike straight into a ditch while staring at &#8216;Kristina&#8217;. Not wanting to appear culturally insensitive, we held our breath. However, the Iranian men who had gathered to watch us promptly burst into laughter and we naturally followed suit. <br> <br>The guy on the bike was unhurt and ...

... the homes where it is cooled off over a pool of water. Think of it as natural air conditioning, which is very important since in summer it can get up to 120F here. I can't imagine being covered head to toe in black when it's that hot outside so we timed our trip just perfectly as it's been in the upper 60's for the past few days which is just right. Best of all though is that we have a new guide in Yazd named Sapideh, a very cool single ...

... plusieurs reprises.. et c'est pas qu'il y ait un motif de plainte, mais les souvenirs heureux que j'ai gardé du Rum ou du Zur témoignent de l'amour que je porte au désert et, ce faisant, de l'once de nostalgie qui s'emparait de moi lorsque je parlait de mes aventures arabes aux collègues rencontrés ici. Le timing est assez bon, du ...

... did get fed, and we informed him of our dinner location that night if he was free. Mohsen continued his tour through the old city. Red/brown mud covered walls and buildings in a narrow maze of streets combine to almost transport you back in time. Ian, and more importantly his wallet had a near-stolen experience with three Afghan refugee children. Thankfully having changed some dollars, his wallet was bulging with much Rials ...

... the 12th Imam (prophet), and you'd find out then whether or not you'd been good enough to get into "the heaven" or fallen short and you would be in "the hell". This may not seem an ideal place for your average tourist to visit, but it was really interesting, and after the hike up to one of the Towers, the view afforded to you further enhances your visit to this remarkable site. There are times when just standing in silence taking in ...

... were these people thinking? With today's transportation it's easy to get around, but I'm guessing in 546BC when work was commenced it would have taken no little effort to get here. There isn't even an impressive view as there was at Tahkt-e-Solemain. The searing heat and ultra-bright sunlight added to the sense of wonderment. Not at the ruins, but why this is considered worth anyone's effort even stopping. Again I had no ...

... of the Yazd zoorkhaneh club have the privilege of being housed under a dome that used to serve as a water reservoir. One man is set up off to the side high on top of a booth drumming up a storm and singing or reciting poetry, or leading the men in group chants. The men would go through a series of coordinated movements using all kinds of equipment, the most prominent of which are these weights shaped like large bowling pins that are used by the men to swing about with their ...

... Alexander the Great marched through Yazd on his way to India, and a dozen or so centuries later, Marco Polo dropped by for a visit. I came partly because of the old city itself, but also for the Zoroastrian sites - the fire temple, the sky burial towers and Chak Chak, the pilgrimage site for Zoroastrians from around the world. <br><br>Surprisingly little known in the western world, Zoroastrianism is the first monothestic religion in the world ...