DAY 11: Tehran ... mission accomplished. " Ramsar - TEHRAN. 350 kms
While I waited several hours for the rain to stop the storm, this did not happen, or I put on my rain suit midmorning and went towards Tehran under a curtain of water upset. But while everything was heading south and take the rain disappeared Birli-birloque art and began the intense heat.
The most striking of Iranian roads (which are well paved), are the police stations and base controls speed bumps put everywhere. The roads have enough pedestrian crossings in the middle of nowhere, and many of them are artificial bumps to slow down. Also in each of the villages that are passed are big hits too, and half the town roads are often unified front to pass through a checkpoint the police. Speaking of which, one of the first pleasant surprise was that I was one of those controls for the police (who do not understand at all), I asked to get off the bike and accompany him inside the police station (grieves ... ), and once there, I offered a chair to sit on air conditioning and a glass of ice water to better withstand heat. What kindness! I still like Iran!
between Baden and controls, with plenty of excitement finally came to Tehran. Main objective achieved! Whatever happens this trip is a success for me.
symbol of Tehran, and Iran in general, is the monument Shahyar in Azadi Square (triumphal arch of 45 meters in commemoration of the 2,500 years of Persian Empire) that I went twice in the morning to get Roman dress and in the evening and in plain clothes.
Gate Park Bagh e Melli, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The guns of its decorations do not go unnoticed ...
precisely
regard to motorcycles, are many, are everywhere and are used for all types of applications, both at work transporting small and large things (amazing what that can be worn on a motorcycle), or at play (dating couples on weekends to the beach) and used for family transportation (a whole family of four people usually travel on a single bike). Are small capacity (maximum 125 cc.), so to see my elephant than 1,200 cc expectation was assured beyond where to park (much more than in other countries and there are more bike culture and asking you the power displacement, weight, etc.).
This is the standard prototype of Iranian motorcyclist
The sidewalks are obstacles to the bikes, but yet they get everywhere.
Imam Khomeini Square
Find the center of Tehran (megacity of 12 million people) was not at all easy since there is an old town itself, or pedestrian. What I have is something like a shopping area, for example in the street Jomhouri Eslami.
sure many people believe that Iran has a few things, or are outdated. Nothing is further from reality, are the ultimate. Found some galleries intended solely for the mobile phone world, perhaps together with 200 shops where you can find the most modern terminals and accessories billion market without any problem. The same terms of consumer electronics stores, although in fewer than the issue of mobile phones and bring the young people really mad and locked all day with the device in hand (perhaps as here, but as I had lost my phone because as I've noticed more ....)
On the other hand, strikes a bit the first few days in Iran to see women covered some with Chador but not required (it is a black cloth to the feet) and others with a kind of raincoat or black dust ("Blanket ") to cover the knees. But what is really weird is to see them go (and black together) shopping in stores prom dresses in bright colors or bold underwear design (did not get to see thongs on the windows, it does not ...).
However, especially in large cities, many women wear different colors of tissue ("Rusari) happier, or are covered only in the upper trunk, even with jeans in sight.
alms boxes
Two "Zam Zam tails" better than one.
Arcades.
Search and seizure of a dress neckline ...
load.
.
the evening, and a horrific traffic to exit the center, went to the mausoleum on the outskirts dedicated to Imam Khomeini, as I understood where you can camp for free as one of the thousands of pilgrims who visit it daily. This practice of allowing Iranian camping everywhere is great, just park the car, take the store, mounted on any place that has some grass or on the same asphalt and that is, the whole family for dinner and sleep. And if 're camping in a mausoleum or most visited religious site, then no services, water sources, police station, etc., all provided free.
separate entrance to the mosque for men and women.
And speaking of services, there is a picture of the toilets of the mausoleum. I Believe it or not if anyone questions the "davelyusi" (WC phonetically in English), you probably understand, not in vain in the Shah era, before the Islamic Revolution, Iran was one of the countries most pro-Western in your area. Note
with some disgust that services no toilet paper, but a simple little hose with water and also without any pressure. It is known that Islam requires to use left hand for personal hygiene (unclean hands), and why we always eat at a table with his right hand Islamic (including pellets malabarica kneading if necessary ...) I will not
more about eschatological comment only to acknowledge the difficulties of the traveler when booking is completed Kleenex ... (Forget about buying anything like this in the shops, no toilet paper or paper towels, and maybe very lucky napkins paper).
throughout the country as the bikes (and me with them, of course) will jump all the pylons that mark the pedestrian areas to reach the heart. The mistake I made initially was to pitch your tent in a place of transit (between services and the mosque), as seemed more lit and safe, but a crowd of young and old took shape over a couple of hours around the bike and the alarm came every few minutes even at night and everyone wanting to touch her and take pictures. Until the police came and wanted to set up shop near the station. I screwed up in the teeth of all of stumps, I let out a speech on Sharia (Islamic law) and Islamic hospitality to shame them and pretended that I was leaving the mausoleum, but actually went back to your tent in a place much more secluded and quiet where nobody bothered me most (though obviously not as safe) . The bike fell asleep at my side, of course.
.
DAY 12: "The Silk Road." Tehran - QUOM - Kash - Isfahan. 550 km
Camping in Tehran.
Mausoleum morning
always parking in all shops mounted in front of the car.
left Tehran on the highway heading south (the few that there are free), and headed towards the city of Quom (Iranian religious center near Mashad). Quom is the Shiite holy city (more radical than orthodox Sunni), and there are 85 mosques and 15 tombs ... studied here the Imam Khomeini, his successor Ali Khamenei and President Mohammad Khatami today. Mosque
travelers roadside at the entrance of Quom.
Mausoleum at Masumeh Fatima (Muhammad's daughter and sister of Imam Reza), is the center of pilgrimage for much of the Islamic world. It's a huge building and part is under construction.
noticed the face of such religious frenzy as they still were less accustomed to seeing Westerners, but despite some tough looks of a Mullah as I entered the mosque of the Mausoleum, one did not reproach me in reality.
Patio and pond for ablutions (washing).
gasoline in Iran is rationed. They run on gas cards that I obviously did not, and although it was offered to me along the way by people who would know (I never accepted because I always caught with a full tank), the truth is that all stations except one could put gas without it, so yes, paying much more expensive fuel (four times). When I warned of this fact escaped me my laughter, because even paying for four times more expensive than them, was still about four times cheaper than in Spain ...
Moreover power is also often that everyone gets gasoline, but in my case I did not know supplier or to approach or the queue I had to do, so it was an adventure every time depended on the kindness of the gas station or a client in good faith. Also in big cities often have permanent queue of small motorcycles refueling, and the expectation with my mega-cow was always assured. The gas station attendant, of course, is a man who walks around with a huge wad of cash in hand, and on the few occasions when he gets gas, it does so with a handful of notes whose condition deteriorated to the end of the day is easy to imagine. I got
Gardens and visited Kashan Fin (Bagh-e-Fin), a series of fountains and water channels very nice to look around the Palace of Shotor Galu. In fact, when you're at these temperatures as high anywhere with a shadow, a fountain or a water falls becomes a beautiful site.
more mosques in Kashan.
Yazd undertook road, but the thermometer began to rise in truth the more we went into the Iranian desert. Long past 40 degrees, at a gas station told me that in Yazd were almost always in summer over 50 degrees. I stood with maps in hand and sweat like a chicken on the grill, I consulted my notes and decided that what he had to do in Yazd not worth a heat stroke and a full day trip to go there and back, or Whether part-time modified the route and went to Isfahan, the most beautiful city in Iran, to take them more time to explore it than initially had been granted in my plans.
Somewhere in the Iranian desert.
noon I arrived in Isfahan and its famous Imam Square (Naqsh-e Jahan), the second largest in the world behind China's Tian-an-men. Is 510 meters long by 165 wide.
The square, UNESCO heritage, is truly amazing not only for its size but for the beauty of the facades of the mosques and palaces, fountains, decor, lighting at night, hundreds of stores there in the arcades, etc.
In ancient times, when Isfahan was one of the important sites of the "Silk Road" from Asia was said that if you saw Isfahan've already seen half of what it was worth seeing in the world (" Isfahan, half the world "). Exaggeration, of course, but it could have a time out really Repera Isfahan a scooter ...
Madrassa in Isfahan.
Special
Emam Square. A left Lotf Sheik Allah Mosque, the Mosque of Imam bottom, right and Ali Qapu palace.
Isfahan Grand Bazaar around the perimeter of the arches of the plaza.
In a country where capital punishment is not only drug dealers but also for adulterers and homosexuals, I several times to check couple of men and female couples holding hands walking on the street, but not more than an Arab custom with no special meaning but that of friendship or kinship.
Here two men walking back of the hand (if you were a woman would handkerchief)
Iman Mosque (Masjid-i-Shah)
really beautiful.
Bustle in the square.
Gate Lotf Sheik Allah Mosque.
Housein Iman Plaza Chaghar Avenue in Bag.
the evening I went to one of the main attractions of Isfahan: the medieval bridges over the river Zayandeh. There are plenty of them, but two special beauty and assistance from local parish, that when the sun takes a break out from everywhere to sit and watch and hear the flow of water over the bridge and walk along the banks enjoying the lighting that is reflected in the river water. These
medieval bridges, which are two stories, have an air distant from the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, but these are much longer (especially the Sio Seh, 300 meters) and have no shops like that more than a tea house at one end, with its terrace for general relaxation always stressing the sound of running water.
The Sio Seh Pol (with its famous 33 arches of Allah Verdi Khan).
The other is the Khadju Bridge (Pol e Khajoo). Is said to be one of the most beautiful in the world. It was used as prey and close their gates formed a lake between bridges for entertainment.
The main building housed the Shah of Persia occasionally.
The Khadju and lit.
The night Sio Seh reflected in the Zayandeh.
Walk on the bridge.
then found a bar that promised "fast food", and found that if you looked a bit can also be found in Iran more Western-style pizza, potatoes, etc., Instead of the classic kebab or chelo kebab (rice).
Then I went to the little hotel (Hotel Naghshe Jahan), at half the price of the Caspian (10 tankers), where Mr. Carlos (myself in the eyes of the caretaker), who took the night invitation you had to plant the bike in the middle of the hall to the amazement of other customers.
By the way, tell you that Coca Cola is banned in Iran will teach this photo.
DAY 13: "The Persian Empire." Isfahan - Pasargad - NAGSH E ROSTA - Persepolis. 450 km
I had to wait to leave the hotel because my passport was still early morning in the police (for the record, especially taking into account that he had camped the night before in Tehran without policing). While waiting I made up film that the delay was so that they were about the secret police would follow me, but I never got to see, and if they tried to drive lasted little time behind me in traffic chaos in Isfahan I raffled with the bike ...
Before leaving the city I had yet to visit the Juma Mosque (Friday mosque), and it really paid off. In my arabesque decoration, so geometric, so colorful, so worked really fascinates me. Understand that while European artists such were busy perfecting the techniques they show the holy images and carving sculptures, his Arab artists religion forbade them to figurative representation, ie the reproduction of human figures and even animals (actually in the Koran does not expressly forbid it but has been interpreted and to avoid idolatry, but not all times with the same rigor). So teachers are decorated with geometric ornamentation as both carpet tiles, tiles, etc. Even the word itself often written (calligraphy of verses from the Koran usually) is an element of decoration in itself. Patio
ablutions.
The Khadju and lit.
The night Sio Seh reflected in the Zayandeh.
Walk on the bridge.
then found a bar that promised "fast food", and found that if you looked a bit can also be found in Iran more Western-style pizza, potatoes, etc., Instead of the classic kebab or chelo kebab (rice).
Then I went to the little hotel (Hotel Naghshe Jahan), at half the price of the Caspian (10 tankers), where Mr. Carlos (myself in the eyes of the caretaker), who took the night invitation you had to plant the bike in the middle of the hall to the amazement of other customers.
By the way, tell you that Coca Cola is banned in Iran will teach this photo.
DAY 13: "The Persian Empire." Isfahan - Pasargad - NAGSH E ROSTA - Persepolis. 450 km
I had to wait to leave the hotel because my passport was still early morning in the police (for the record, especially taking into account that he had camped the night before in Tehran without policing). While waiting I made up film that the delay was so that they were about the secret police would follow me, but I never got to see, and if they tried to drive lasted little time behind me in traffic chaos in Isfahan I raffled with the bike ...
Before leaving the city I had yet to visit the Juma Mosque (Friday mosque), and it really paid off. In my arabesque decoration, so geometric, so colorful, so worked really fascinates me. Understand that while European artists such were busy perfecting the techniques they show the holy images and carving sculptures, his Arab artists religion forbade them to figurative representation, ie the reproduction of human figures and even animals (actually in the Koran does not expressly forbid it but has been interpreted and to avoid idolatry, but not all times with the same rigor). So teachers are decorated with geometric ornamentation as both carpet tiles, tiles, etc. Even the word itself often written (calligraphy of verses from the Koran usually) is an element of decoration in itself. Patio
ablutions.
Interior.
Games geometric
all materials and media.
Calligraphy as art.
impressive detail work.
Incredible tiles.
Pride facade.
it is assumed that an original Honda and the other two did not. A search for differences ...
again en route. As far as I'm concerned you can say "bon voyage" and "for here or you cut off the head" ... What is not is as I have time to read it in motion.
And if you want to know where you are going and what needs to come .... Four days
I had already learned at least the numbers.
Two comments to the photo. 1 - Iran's road police used Mercedes vehicles more or less (to note who believed that it was the ass of the world ...).
2 - In many checkpoints have assembled a caravan with air conditioning and everything.
Pasargad I arrived knowing only that he was a World Heritage site by Unesco, but without really knowing what was there. Well, now I can say now that is something that can be dispensed perfectly. Yes, that is the tomb of Cyrus the Great and the remains of several palaces, but compared to what I saw then that Persepolis was not even the appetizer.
Tomb of Cyrus the Great. The inscription reads something like this: "I am Cyrus the great king who gave the Persians an empire and reigned throughout Asia, so do not deprive me of this monument "
In fact he was right and the cylinder of Cyrus the Great who is in the British Museum in London was the first bill of rights in the world.
Palace of the hearing.
Zoroastrian fire temple (Piraeus)
And it is not too far from there you get to Nagsh and Rostan, the tombs of the Persian kings (Xerxes, Artaxerxes and Darius) carved in the rocks of the mountain, and quite remarkable reliefs dedicated to narrate the achievements of each king.
Tomb of Xerxes.
Here I had a very interesting conversation with a group of students from which I concluded that the Iranians are very concerned about what the vision we have of them, especially in these times of international situation in the U.S. have been put in the bag "Axis of Evil 'with Syria, both for alleged terrorist financing, and lately the topic of nuclear installations. Furthermore, precisely in those days the President addressed the United Nations General Assembly. More
guy exalted told me screaming: Do not you see? We're all terrorists! The rest, more calm, telling me that one thing that makes people think normal or both are the actions of his government, which need not necessarily agree. A conversation with strangers 9 or 10 kids is not the best time for political positions, or they came to say that if they lived well, if they could do whatever they wanted without bans, and if they were happy because they had to do people and leaders of Western countries criticize less and visiting was more like I had done, to see first hand this country and the undeniable wonders it offers.
And after nothing reaches Persepolis (city of the Persians in Greek) or known to them as Takht e Jamshid (Throne of Jamshid), World Heritage Site.
Persia is the heart of his day was one of the most imposing and vast empires of Asia (remember for example the conquering army of the movie "300"), and one of the main objectives of this trip.
was a city so rich and extraordinary it is said that the reason why Alexander the Great destroyed by a fire and subsequent looting (it took more than 500 mules to carry the treasure), it was revenge for the looting after Athens by Xerxes, but the same envy at such beauty.
Fortunately there is a campsite just before the ruins (Persepolis Visitors Center), or I could put up a tent, change clothes and shower, and enter the enclosure when the sun was beginning to fall .
The ruins of what was once the capital of the dynasty Arqueménida are the very best I'd ever seen (with the days Palmyra (Syria) and Petra (Jordan) also compete for the gold medal.) The enigmatic figures of animals, the general layout of the palaces, columns, tombs in the nearby mountains, and most of the reliefs on all sides, detailed, abundant and massive. I liked a lot. Isfahan and Persepolis really worth the trip to Iran.
Gate of Xerxes or of Nations (human-headed bulls)
Homa
This is a two-headed (a mythological bird) .
two-headed horse.
Artaxexes
real Tomb (Ardeshir) III.
Command Details Ahura Mazda (God winged).
Hall of 100 columns.
Gateway to the Hall.
Incredible fragment of cuneiform writing (that I remember when I explained it in school ...).
Detail of the carved gates.
Fight between the lion and the unicorn ...
I guess the lion licked the poor unicorn because apiol angry is what it ...
Palace (Darius I).
Treasure Palace, I think.
two heads in the Apadana Palace.
The point is that it reminds me someone but now I do not fall ...
The reliefs on the walls of access to the Apadana Palace are absolutely extraordinary, the very best I think.
More
cuneiform to play the hand and not in the urn of a museum ... (Iran is a joy ...)
The detail in the hair was complete (the picture zooms galore accepted).
door.
Details winged bull.
back for a shower at the Visitors Center of Persepolis.
Then I went to the nearest town, Marvdash, trying in vain (despite the help of several) to find a cyber café (Coffee-net are called by these latitudes).
After a while of walking the streets, when I parked the bike this time there were a dozen curious as ever, but a police car and one of the waiting military. After controlling passport and interrogate me on my property, I say they will join me (there were about 8 kms) clearly concerned for my safety circulating alone and at night there. I told them that with my GPS and knew the way, and that "I thank you but no" as you say Shakira with Alejandro Sanz in his song. Also I had not eaten and was looking for a snack bar nosh (which was not easy). Total to pick up the bike and headed pal and actually camping outside a kind of pizza meeting and there I miss the anchor and sit on the outdoor table for dinner. After a few moments spent "curiously" the police car, stopped about 20 meters, and time left ....
In the week I was in Iran have been many times when police tried to overprotect more than I wanted, I sometimes say, "In Iran there are bad people, but I can say that I had almost always a sense of security throughout the country. It is clear that those officers have not ever walked by western suburbs such as La Cañada Real, or even the center of the most fashion as the Raval district of Barcelona, \u200b\u200bto cite just two examples Hispanic
to the campsite, sleeping next to the Black Panther was so well behaving.
0 comments:
Post a Comment