This morning I left Mohammads clinic/guest-apartment around 7 as I woke up early (if someone read more of this blog until now, he/she will not be surprised).
…and saw some messages from him that he had sent last night on his way to Tehran – he would even out of is car care for my dinner, but I had turned off my phone at that time.
For the first time since I had arrived in Tabriz, I used Garmin for finding my way and for the first time since long I stuck to the proposals and even had no reason to regret it.
Today my first personal contact with people on the street was with three guys, inviting me for tea. One of them was smoking something and for that sometimes holding a piece of wire with something on it into a flame. Whatever it was, he offered it to me. I easily could say no and also one of those guys said he doesn’t use it, the third does occasionally. For me it was surprising that they did that just aside the street in the shadow of their car. They didn’t see too much risk. After 5-6 selfies and all combinations (I had no camera at hand) I left them.
The next time it was an extremely nice man who invited me to tea.
But then he also gave me noodle salad and all he could find in his car. He is teaching calligraphy in Tehran and soon he showed me his equipment and then he made me a present – writing my name with this special pen and ink. I made a video of that and hope to be able to upload that in Dubai or latest in Kuala Lumpur after a 10days editing session on the freighter
We exchanged numbers and email and I wonder if we can stay in some contact.
The third time when people on that street stopped their car to talk to me, was group of two man and a woman. The first man could talk English, because he had been in Darwin (Australia) for 8 years. He wanted to relocate there, what for him would have been possible, but his wife would have to wait too long, so he decided to come back. When she started talking, her English was impressing, and she explained that she had studied English literature. She is from Lorestan, he is Kurd, the third man is “just” Iranian, so it is a big mixture of languages they use and speak fluently, so besides Luri language, Kurdish, Azeri and Farsi they could speak English, too. And they confirmed what I had heard before, that these people live together peacefully, only behind the border to Turkey the problems start, so they are clearly induced. The woman was wearing no scarf at all, not even at her shoulders and all of them made clear statements about politics that left me a bit helpless as always when I think about how far from change this country might be. They gave me some apples from their garden and proudly announced that they are organically grown!
I went on and for half an hour left the main road connecting Qom and Arak. There it was much quieter than on the main road. A motorcycle with a family stopped for a short talk. The man was from Afghanistan, his wife from Iran and their boy, maybe 7 or 8, had longer hair tied to a braid.
Well, then arrived in Arak, the GPS brought me to the park near Rasoul, Fatimeh, and Parastoo’s home. The latter came to fetch me and told me a surprise:
also the grandparents from Tabriz had arrived that morning, doing that long bus trip on their own! It was a warm welcome and happy reunion. Fatimeh had baked a delicious cake and with the apples, she immediately made jam for the next breakfast.
paper and cake calligraphy
Parastoo went for a short evening bicycle ride with me and when we and also Rasoul were back, it was time for Ash!
Fatimeh made it not only pleasant for taste but for the eye.
When I first had thought about staying overnight, then learned that the next day would be busy in Arak, so a second night would be the result, Rasoul announced that -at -east – I should stay until Friday (when he is off work).
Well, there is an outer dead-line, 23rd I have to be in Bandar Lengeh, and I don’t know what lies ahead of me, but it is at the same time too hard to say no to this family and a kind invitation, so I will find a way to catch up…
Finally a took a picture of glass:
In Iran, I saw much more aside the streets than in other countries, unfortunately often also on the streets or on the shoulder, so that you have to dodge the glass from the right and the cars/trucks from the left
and finally a try to be artsy-fartsy and statistics of the today’s ride
