Well what to tell....? Iranians are always approaching us and asking what we think of Iran and how is our time my reply is " Man khosh bakt" (I am lucky) I feel it intensely. Lucky to be me, lucky to have a British passpeort to give me access to these special experiences, lucky to have bumped into Erkki who has become my home on the road, lucky to be alive and meet all of these beautiful people, lucky to be free.
When we were in Tabriz, just arrived in Iran we were walking along the street and I suddenly had a burst of my rebellious streak, I was hot and enclosed in my hijab, and I looked around at all of the women in head scarves, and none of the men, and said 'what will happen if I take my scarf off now?' Erkki said 'you'd get stoned to death pretty probably. That is the truth unfortunately so I realise that when I break the social confines in Britain then at most I get some disapproving looks but here its much more punitative.
We had an interesting experience a couple of nights ago when the hotel staff came to the door in Bander Anzelli and said something to Erkki in Farsi which he didn't understand but thought they wanted him to go downstairs. I put my hijab on just in case, we didnt know what was happening and the police were at the door wanting to see Erkki's camera. They were very polite and not menacing at all, it was all a bit of a mystery in fact they left thanking us and that was it.
Erkki thought maybe it ws because he had taken a photo of a military building earlier and the police had tracked us down (as the only tourists in town).
We are now in Esfahan where we have landed in an extremely plush hotel quite by accident and given a room for equiv of $20 per night. We are knackered after a sleepless all night bus ride from Rasht.
Had a wonderful meeting yesterday with Bob who gave us lots more insight into Iranian culture
will write more on this later
love to yous
xxx
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