We leave Yazd early morning heading west for the last of the big cities on the tour - Esfahan. The familiar desert landscape is all around us, and to keep spirits up Mr. Bergman is assaulting me with a barrage of quotes from the spoof magazine Grönköpings Veckoblad which is about as exciting as it sounds. Well, you've heard of the Esperanto language haven't you? I bet you didn't know that it has a cousin called Transpiranto. And I bet you didn't know how to say "Prohibited to walk the park lawn". It's "Non stampas on Pampas". There you go, I'm afraid it is all that I can remember. Crossing into Esfahan province we encounter the ruins of another caravansaray on the outskirts of Na'in. Parts of it are now in use as a camel pen. ... read more

No long haul excursions today, but a chance to have a look around Kerman. We visit a whole slew of places, although they are decidedly low key compared to yesterday's excess in history. In the morning we visit the crowded bazar at Ganj-Ali-Khan Square where you can find lots of the exquisite miniature paintings that are typical to Iran. We also visit a public bath house, Sabz dome and the Friday mosque, where we encounter a mulla arriving in a limousine. My love for mulla spotting has not gone unnoticed, and when driving around Mr. Hoseyn will usually be pointing them out and we will turn to each other and shout "Mullah!". Oh dear... Tonight people are celebrating the return of the 12th Imam to Earth, and this is mainly done by sitting in traffic jams, ... read more

A long day on the road. We pack up and depart from Shiraz at eight in the morning heading east towards Kerman along the highway to Bandar Abbas. We pass through a number of towns and villages, always accompanied by the rain. The weather is again gloomy and chilly. Fortunately we have plenty of tea in the car to keep ourselves warm. The highway is passing through a wasteland of sand and rocks, again lined by beautiful mountains and rock formations enshrouded in mist. Occasionally the road will climb ridges and overlook salty lakes. Traffic is light. Farzaneh is explaining about the old underground constructions known as qanats, evidence of which can be spotted in the form of holes near the road. They are basically underground tunnels sloping gently for several kilometers, intended to lead water ... read more

The first day in Shiraz, and also the time with a warm sun smiling in the sky. This does not in anyway prevent the fact that I am incredibly tired and have a hard time opening my eyes. As I am drifting in and out of sleep I keep hearing a lot of faint voices in my head, and as I start to come around I realize that this is in fact coming from the real world. There is apparently a school nearby, the song of dozens of children singing is carried in through the window, apparently some kind of morning congreagation is taking place outside. We greet the lovely weather by going for a drive to the green paradise of Eram Park, an oasis perfect for relaxation. I run around with my camera chasing birds ... read more

Today's weather is cloudy and a bit dull. We spend all day sightseeing various cultural and even more cultural sights of Tehran. We've been around a couple of museums with exhibitions of pottery, historical utensils, statues or parts of statues, all in various stages of decay. It's not my cup of tea really, although I found the exquisite and decorative Qurans to be quite beautiful. After having successfully learnt to say "good morning" I realize that any further development in Farsi will be requiring some dedication on my part. Farzaneh explains the mysteries of the language; it seems that in order to simplify things for the curious westerner, the written language completely omits vowels, instead fusing characters together into syllabels that link into each other and modify to tie together to form different words. Did I ... read more