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Tale
4 - Pakistan/Iran/Turkey - by Malik
Into Iran from Pakistan
There was no change in topography as the train crossed into
Iran. The sun had set. A pitch dark pervaded outside. The smugglers
had now left, leaving me all alone in my train compartment.
I became terrified. Anyone could barge in through inter-connected
compartments. I am a chicken at heart and the fear of being
mugged haunts me. I had Travellers Cheques of $1,000, a credit
card and five notes of $50 each. All these were individually
wrapped and stashed in various places. One $50 note was capsuled
and dropped in a vitamin pill bottle. Another was tucked away
in the trouser-belt. I kept on roaming my hands back and forth
checking my inventory. The body language would deter any predator.
Zahidan, 20th April 1997
It was past midnight when the train pulled into Zahidan, 92
km inside the Iranian border. I was amazed by the flood lights
and water fountains. Soon I spotted a serie (inn). I was given
a comfortable room for only one dollar. The old man was with
me. I deemed it my responsibility to get him to his folks in
Tehran. The next morning we went to the bus station. First,
I got his Tehran address translated into Persian. Second, I
had him board a bus for Tehran, 1700 km away in 35 hours. Third,
I rang up his folks and alerted them of his arrival. Having
suitably disposed him off, I felt relieved and returned to the
city centre. I stayed there for two more days and spent seven
dollars in all. The purchasing power parity of dollar was surprising.
I figured out that prices were at least ten times lower than
those in USA!
Iranian Flag
Zahidan appeared a relaxed city with wide tree-lined avenues.
It was a good place to get a taste for Iran. It started from
breakfast with hot tea, cheese and local bread available in
abundance. In addition, one can have asal (honey), mast (yogurt),
khorma (dates) and khameh (soft cream) for breakfast. Halva
shekari is used as a sweetener. It is a kind of paste made of
sugar, butter and sesame seeds. Iranians eat hot and fresh.
I opted for honey and yoghurt. I sprinkled it with dry fruits
to make it delicious, hearty and wholesome.
After filling my belly, I roamed in the market. Iran's religiousity
was its most striking feature. Males were modestly dressed,
many wearing western clothing without a tie. Some wore aba (cloak)
of black colour. Females had covered their hair with scarves
and bodies with long coats. Only their face, toes and hands
were visible. "Women Only" was written at many places
making it "Out of Bounds" for all males. Despite the
hustle and bustle of the bazaar, there was calmness. By chance,
I went into a water pipe café and had a few puffs of
cooled down smoke.
Typical clothing for women
"If you haven't seen Shiraz, you have seen nothing,"
muttered the innkeeper, Agha Hussaini. "Shiraz is full
of artists, scholars, nightingales, poetry and roses. Go and
see the tomb of Hafez (a celebrated poet) and delightful Eram
garden," he continued. His chatters moved me, but Shiraz
was far away in the south, not on the road to Tehran.
Desert Journey
I took an early bus for my next destination- Kerman, some 600
km from Zahidan. The bus passed through a vast desert, Dasht-e-Lut.
It seemed impossible to cross it except through the single road
over which the bus was running at full throttle. Dasht-e Lut
was a sand and stone desert. It looked inhospitable and virtually
uninhabited.
"Aab, Aab", I heard someone saying over my head. When
I looked up I found the conductor with a water tumbler. He said
something clinching his throat and tilting his head to one side.
He meant that if I did not sip water, my throat would become
bone-dry from the hot winds, choking me to death. I grabbed
the container and took two big gulps. The conductor had to distribute
water every 10 minutes.
Kerman, 23rd April 1997
After 11 hours, I reached Kerman. It was an ancient city with
several stunning mosques and a ruined citadel. The town was
clean, no garbage in the streets. I got a room in a nearby guesthouse.
Soon, it was dinnertime. I was feeling awfully hungry and looked
for a good restaurant. Iranian cuisine was heavily based on
rice, bread, fresh vegetables, herbs and fruit. Meat was usually
lamb or mutton, minced or cut into small chunks. It was used
to add flavour and was rarely dominant except in kebabs.
Kerman Garden
Next day, I went to a museum. It was previously a public bath,
now a most interesting sight. The main doorway was covered with
murals of animals. Also worth seeing was the Art Museum containing
a large number of tile-work pictures. In another gallery, there
was a display of photographs depicting scenes from the Iran-Iraq
war and its effect on the civilian population.
Hafeez ur Rahman Malik, Karachi-Pakistan.
Submitted: 17
December 2002
Next: Tale 5 - Pakistan/Iran/Turkey
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Malik
- Pakistan
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