Finally Iran
Letter to a little friend:
"Iran has very friendly and hospitable people. I think middle-eastern people are by nature friendly and warm. At every meeting we were served with fruits, snacks and drinks. And I heard story of a Singaporean couple asking the way getting put onto a cab, whose driver was told of the destination and given money to get there by the friendly native.
"The place itself is rather sandy and rocky. 尘土飞扬的黄土原。All the major cities, such as Tehran and Isfahan, are situated within barren mountains since ancient times for better defense (Despite that Iran got an especially numerous number of invasions). Mountains trap pollution, especially when the weather is so dry. There's a greyish haze hanging low always, with the numerous and old cars on the road ejecting exhaust that's causing the pollution. From on the distant highway to the city, the mountains look as if they have a grey-blue skirt. The mountains themselves are really majestic. A brown expanse, sometimes with white streaks of snow on the side that's in the shadow of the sun, peaked against the clear blue sky (for the days when we were there were sunny and cloudless).
"One night I tried to go to the mountains. Some Islamic chanting was coming through the air. I have no clue where it came from. There might be a mosque near the university where we stayed the night (the university is at the foot of the mountains). The mountains answered back. It sounded like voices that dropped down from the sky. It's an indescribable feeling to look at the distant mountain peaks, unmoving as if in a picture, dark blue and mysterious in the rapidly falling night, with that kind of sound in your ears. The mountains have secrets to tell, but they are dangerous to know. You can completely go back to the spirit of nature-worshipping primitive societies. The stillness and grandness all in a foreign land made me uneasy. I took some very unsuccessful pictures. (In fact now I have serious doubts regarding my photographic skills and the capabilities of my Pentax Optio.) The next day I tried to go near one but it was actually much further away than it looked. And I was finally stopped by a wide trench in the ground that looked like a dried-up river channel."
View of mountains from the plane
Persian style guest house I stayed in Isfahan University of Technology
波斯猫 near the university guest house
Chinese words in Iran! Feel the tinge of 2 ancient civilisations merging. But behold - those words are inverted according to the guesthouse keeper's own sense of aesthetics. The Farsi above says: Ring this doorbell if you arrive after midnight.
The 33-Hole Bridge in "downtown" Isfahan (Did I get the number right?)
Imam Square in Isfahan. Iranian flag in winter sun
The Imam's Mosque
To the mountains! Found a path leading to one of them.
Getting nearer!
Stopped by a rift.
Me wrapped in headscarf and holding coat on the rocky and barren countenance of Isfahan, Iran.
"Iran has very friendly and hospitable people. I think middle-eastern people are by nature friendly and warm. At every meeting we were served with fruits, snacks and drinks. And I heard story of a Singaporean couple asking the way getting put onto a cab, whose driver was told of the destination and given money to get there by the friendly native.
"The place itself is rather sandy and rocky. 尘土飞扬的黄土原。All the major cities, such as Tehran and Isfahan, are situated within barren mountains since ancient times for better defense (Despite that Iran got an especially numerous number of invasions). Mountains trap pollution, especially when the weather is so dry. There's a greyish haze hanging low always, with the numerous and old cars on the road ejecting exhaust that's causing the pollution. From on the distant highway to the city, the mountains look as if they have a grey-blue skirt. The mountains themselves are really majestic. A brown expanse, sometimes with white streaks of snow on the side that's in the shadow of the sun, peaked against the clear blue sky (for the days when we were there were sunny and cloudless).
"One night I tried to go to the mountains. Some Islamic chanting was coming through the air. I have no clue where it came from. There might be a mosque near the university where we stayed the night (the university is at the foot of the mountains). The mountains answered back. It sounded like voices that dropped down from the sky. It's an indescribable feeling to look at the distant mountain peaks, unmoving as if in a picture, dark blue and mysterious in the rapidly falling night, with that kind of sound in your ears. The mountains have secrets to tell, but they are dangerous to know. You can completely go back to the spirit of nature-worshipping primitive societies. The stillness and grandness all in a foreign land made me uneasy. I took some very unsuccessful pictures. (In fact now I have serious doubts regarding my photographic skills and the capabilities of my Pentax Optio.) The next day I tried to go near one but it was actually much further away than it looked. And I was finally stopped by a wide trench in the ground that looked like a dried-up river channel."
View of mountains from the plane
Persian style guest house I stayed in Isfahan University of Technology
波斯猫 near the university guest house
Chinese words in Iran! Feel the tinge of 2 ancient civilisations merging. But behold - those words are inverted according to the guesthouse keeper's own sense of aesthetics. The Farsi above says: Ring this doorbell if you arrive after midnight.
The 33-Hole Bridge in "downtown" Isfahan (Did I get the number right?)
Imam Square in Isfahan. Iranian flag in winter sun
The Imam's Mosque
To the mountains! Found a path leading to one of them.
Getting nearer!
Stopped by a rift.
Me wrapped in headscarf and holding coat on the rocky and barren countenance of Isfahan, Iran.posted by Azzurra | 9:29 AM
3 Comments:
Nice Pictures!! sounds you had good time in Iran. I didn't know you were in Iran till I saw your post...=)
Pics are great! Have more confidence in your camera skill =P
I mean those pictures taken in the dark were pretty bad =P
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