Blogs from Kerman, South, Iran, Middle East
December 4th 2011
How low? Out of 1.9 litres of oil I got down to about half a litre… low enough to cause catastrophic engine failure! So pretty low :-( But before I go into the embarrassing explanation of how that happened, perhaps first some lighter news. The Iranian Highway Code Having now spent about five weeks in Iran I think I have grasped the road rules here. They are unusual, and not like those in Europe and Australia, but fortunately they are short. So, in rough order of importance: 1. Speed: the appropriate speed is determined by estimating the minimum safe stopping distance. You should always travel at greater than this speed to maintain priority (right of way) - see Rule 2. This is a minimum speed, not a maximum speed. 2. Turning: turning traffic, traffic crossing your ... read more
Making desert tracks and making friends is easy
Published: July 15th 2010Middle East » Iran » South » Kerman » Kaluts
July 11th 2010
After a day or so of sightseeing and meeting the locals in Yazd I planned to head south again. The next city was Kerman and from there I would venture to the eerie desert sculptures in the desert of Kaluts. I wanted to travel there by train. I was a bit tired of all the buses and wanted to relax for the journey which is what train travel provides. However this is Iran and things aren't really the same here. I arrived at Yazd railway station by taxi at half an hour before the 5.30 departure. I waited in the foyer with everyone else in headscarves, chadors and men with the usual uniform of plain trousers, belt and long sleeved shirt. The train was late by an hour and I'm already yawning. Despite this line having ... read more
Pousti a prachem jihovychodu zeme III.
Published: October 6th 2009Middle East » Iran » South » Kerman
October 6th 2009
Krasna avsak lehce fadni poustni krajina jihovychodniho Iranu. Vzduch se teteli horkem a my uhanime silnici rovnou jako kdyz streli. Ve chvili, kdy lehce drimnu, prejede auto pres dva retardery a zastavi. Otviram rozespale oci a vidim tvar policisty pri bezne silnicni kontrole. Neco si rikaji s ridicem a vypada to na zapomenuvsi chvili. Jenze v tom z mista spolujezdce se mihne Marusky ruka, tasi fotak a miri s nim na policistu. „Coze? Ne, Marusko …“ stacime hlesnout. Cvak … pozde, na displeji fotaku se objevuje detail policajsta a jeho samopalu. Zda se, ze ani on neveri svym bleskem ozarenym ocim. Necha nas zajet do odstavneho pruhu, instinktivne zasouvam nohou svuj fotak pod ridicovu sedacku a po zadech mi zacina ztekat pot. Super, na iransko-pakistanskych hranicich, kde kontroluji kazde auto kvuli pasovani opia, my , frajeri ... read more
Fact: Every Iranian loves Chris De Burgh
Published: October 21st 2008Middle East » Iran » South » Kerman
October 14th 2008
Since arriving in Iran, I have noticed a strange phenomenon - Chris De Burgh, the man who penned that old chestnut "the way you look tonight", is like a god to the Persians. i started to play a little game - every Iranian I have met, i ask them if they like Chris De Burgh. The answer is ALWAYS the same "Chris De Burgh? I love Chris De Burgh. He did a song with a persian band, its really famous, oh wow how do you know about him?" and on it goes... In every city its always the same, and is a sure way to win friends. Even in a town like Kerman Almost everyone I spoke to told me Kerman was a shithole. Lonely Planet says "...there are a lot of drug addicts so its ... read more
October 9th 2008
Day Twenty Six did not start well. We eoke up to find a message from the tour leader, written at 3:45 that morning, saying that she'd had to take a passanger to hospital. Amazingly the bus left only two hours late, which is a testament to both our tour leader and the passanger in question. After a horribly long bus journey (the front of the bus is a very boring place) we got to Kerman and basically had time for dinner before going to get some much needed sleep. ... read more
October 14th 2007
Kerman day 3 East of the impressive Payeh Mountains, the mountain range that separates Kerman from the vast and formidable Desert of Loot, (Kavir-i-Loot) lies a little know place called Kaloota. I had never seen the place, or had even heard of it, although I lived for nine years in Kerman. This particular stretch of the desert is quite inhospitable and gets very hot in the summer. We start early, at 6 Am for the two hour ride to Kaloota. My driver and companion (Qasem) is a very pleasant and fun local Kermani, who is full of jokes and good humor. He is the manager of Amin hotel where I stayed. To get there we have to drive around the mountain, with an initial steep climb into the mountains and then descent into the desert. On ... read more
October 9th 2007
Kerman Day 1 The bazaar and the Ganj Ali Khan Square: Kerman is quite an idyllic place. It is a mid size town/oasis on the foothill of the Payeh mountains which is a continuation of the Zagros Mountains in the west. The hightes peak stands above 14 thousand feet. The city dates back to antiquity, it being located on the major Asian trading routes. The city's elevation is 6 thousand feet and is relatively dry. The temperature on arrival is 73 deg F, and the air is clean. The folks here speak Persian in their own dialect and are very friendly. From the airport immediately head to the city center and rent midrange hotel in the center of town close to the bazaar and the street where I grew up. As I head back towards the ... read more
August 20th 2007
As the province of Kerman is close to the borders of Afghanistan and Pakistan, it has continued to play a vital part in the opium (or basically any other drug) trade. Although illegal, it's cheap and sexily abundant. In order to deal with it, roadside patrol checkpoints stop cars extremely often, to the point that a few days' there trains you to be the ideal passenger. According to my driver, here are the following rules for the female tourist: "No English, they will not understand and think you are saying blasphemous things. No Persian! They will be suspicious...you are spy in Iran? No writing in your notebook. Very puzzling. (probably meaning no scribbly smiley marks either) No sleeping - you are drugged and happy in the sky? yes? No foreign guidebooks. They worry. No earphones. What ... read more
May 17th 2006
Monday morning was madness but thanks to Ruthy was finally in the money and making an insane dash to the Oman's Seeb International Airport, its amazing what a cabbie will do for an extra $5. I am honestly amazed at the lack of compassion for my difficult circumstances from fellow westerner traveller and was disappointed at the middle aged Australian couple who went on and on about how there son got stuck in the Sudan for two weeks without money but offered me no help. Yet dozens of Arabs and Indians have shown the type of kindness that is unknown in western countries, Jill you hit the nail dead on the head, Australia aint what it used to be in regard to helping others. By 12.30 I was in Dubai and catching a cab back to ... read more
November 11th 2000
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
