Tourist Inn Hotel Yazd

... and then funneled down into the building below. By using a clever set of gates and a pool of water to cool the incoming air, cold air can be drawn into the building. One glance at all of the modern air conditioning units tacked onto the outside of virtually every building in Iran tells you that today's technology does a better job than the original model, but having seen them in action I can definitely say that until refrigeration came along these badgirs would have been lifesavers.<br ...

... large, stout clubs and iron bows. <br> <br><br>All exercises were accompanied by a stirring drum beat and powerful vocals provided by an energetic young man who created an unforgettable atmosphere. It was mesmerising and we were invited to try some of the gym equipment for ourselves afterwards. These guys are strong and incredibly fit! There are a few short videos worth watching. <br><br><br>A few of us joined Mustapha for dinner ...

... zaèela s zgodbicami, kako sta potovala z biliyem po aziji, ponarejala vize v potnem listu, potovala po leto skupaj... Hudo. Sreèala sva tudi dva mlada indijca iz Bombaya, ki sta govorila med sabo v anglesèini, ker se drugaèe nista razumela (poroèena!!!), in enega avganistanskega begunca v eni neverjetni zapusèeni pusèavski vasici. Tip je star cca 25 in je ze celo zivljenje v Iranu. Govoril je kako ne more potovati ...

... dans un silence remarquable que viennent troubler quelques fois une moto, une vieille femme ou des gosses jouant autour des nombreuses badgirs (tours permettant de capter le vent pour ventiler les maisons ; une clim à l'ancienne). Quelques monuments (une baraque Qazar, un musée ou la sublime Mosquée Principale datant d'un bon millénaire ...

... for a man in his small "factory" producing saffron sugar. Mohsen engaged in conversation and clearly had secured tasting rights for us all as the man produced a tray of saffron sugar pieces. Wonderful stuff. He wasn't so keen though on his photograph being taken. Or maybe he wasn't keen on the women of the group taking his photograph. As you see from my photograph his "factory" isn't big, and is fairly typical of a bazaar unit ...

The luxury of an 8.30am start was almost too much for a slightly wearied traveller. Our feet had barely had time to stand still since we left Blighty just over a week before, and the constant travelling and hurried (the itinerary required us to keep on the move - not a complaint as such) visits of each town/city required almost micro-waved attention to each sight and sound experienced. Still, musn't grumble!! Yazd, to put you in the ...

Today's journey faithful reader will take us from the wonderful city of Shiraz in which we spent far too little time to realy enjoy its delights, and on to Yazd. The dubious delights of Pasargade would await us though as would the Desert of Abarqu - great name, eh? The Desert of Abarqu. Really mysterious sounding, I think.... Pasargade. What can I say? Well to be fair I'll let you see what Explore! (esteemed travel company what ...

... Then a lovely green-eyed young lady offered to help me. She is a student of English literature at Yazd University. With her mother standing nearby, we carried on a pleasant conversation about the sweets as she helped me sampling several varieties. While most Iranians were buying the stuff by the kilogram, I got a little sample platter for the sake of experimentation. Everything was so sweet that it actually hurt to swallow the stuff. I tried everything later at my hotel ...

... that flows out of the cliff face. The water splatters down onto the marble floor of the central alter, where there is a flame burning. Zoroastrians are called fire worshippers because they keep an eternal flame burning as the representation of God. The emblems, symbols and pictures of Zoroaster adorn the temple walls. There was even writing rendered in ancient script of some kind. Aside from that, the physical site itself is ...

... paid for my fare was Hossein, with whom I had a long conversation on the bus. A young man of 27, he was serving his 2-year mandatory military service by teaching chemical engineering, in which he has a master's degree. It's difficult for him to find a job despite his credentials. Much to my surprise, he openly criticized the government for Iran's economic woes. There were tens of thousands and even millions of young people stuck in the same ...