Well, we have arrived, and are enjoying our trip. Landed in Tehran and saw a few sights on the day we spent there — a bazaar, two museums — but it is much like many large cities, so didn’t feel too too exotic. But we are now “on the road”, and starting to see some very different things. First note is that the people are SUPER nice — all very friendly, and very curious about where we come from and what we think of Iran.
it’s quite a while since I wrote my last blog and I am struggling with how to embed photos, so I hope you can line up what commentary goes with what, and I will try to figure it out before my next post.
We drove to Yazd on Sunday night and spent yesterday touring. First stop, a fascinating place: The Towers of Silence. I had heard about these for years and never thought I would see them. The Zotroastrians did not believe in burying their dead as it would pollute the ground, so they left bodies in these hilltop towers to be eaten by vultures. Don’t worry about me sharing scary pictures – the practice was done away with 75 years ago, and the towers are now very benign and beautiful.
Similar to the fresh-pressed orange juice sold in Canada at markets, they have the same type of setup here for fresh pomegranate juice. Unbelievably delicious, its not at all like the Pom we buy in bottles at home. And yes, it is occasionally served with ice cream to tourists trying to cool off…
We also we visited a Zoroastrian fire temple, with an eternal flame that is now over 1,500 years old. Most of the country is Muslim, but we are told there is still a good percentage of Zoroastrians.
And then, of course, we had to visit the sweet shop, because Yazd is famous for its candies and little cookies. Lots of coconut involved, also almonds, and I think maybe condensed milk, but in any case all rather delicious. I will have to do lots more walking around the museum to work off some of these calories.
I was thinking about you today, wondering when the trip was taking place (I couldn’t remember exactly). Thanks for sharing the highlights. I always look forward to your commentary.
I am happy that you were able to make this trip. Your post is the first time I have seen the word Zotroastrians in a long time. One of the partners I worked with at Deloitte is a Zotroastrian. We had many talks over the years about the faith and his fears that it is dying. You are doing just fine with the photos, one is sideways but otherwise quite easy to see. I hope you continue to have fun and find more exotica to share – your breakfast buddy.