Tales from the Dark Side: Day 6

I awoke to my alarm going off at 7am and reset it for 7:30 (local time, which was 10pm CDT, which my phone is still on), then reset it for 7:55, then 8:10, but I got up at about 8 and turned it off. Baggage had to be outside the door by 8:30, and the bus left at 9. I got ready, let my phone and backup battery charge, then went to breakfast just after 8:30. I didn't see anyone from the group at breakfast the whole time I was there, and I ran through possible scenarios - that the time changed to leaving at 8:30 or even earlier, that they ate breakfast somewhere else like the rooftop, or that everyone ate breakfast even earlier. It turned out that everyone ate earlier, which was the most likely explanation, but I still considered the contingency plans should the worst scenario be true.

We boarded the bus and left the city.

Each image links to a different video from this drive.

Just some neat, colorful things on the side of the road, no big deal.

Each image links to a different video from this drive.

After an hour or more, we stopped at the ruins of a castle in a city called Meybod. Information about this city and castle say that it may be as many as 7,000 years old, but at the very least, dates from the pre-Islamic period.

In the photo on the right, you see our drivers.

This, I believe, is the view from the window our drivers are standing in above.

After going into the castle on one side, I went out and to the top.

Click the photo to see a video from up here.

I watched our drivers to make sure that we weren't leaving, and when they went down, so did I. It wasn't until the castle doorway that they were able to communicate that my group was still in the castle. I went back up and found them just heading up to the top of the castle. They told me to see the other tunnel, so I did.

We then began to leave the castle, but first went to the WC.

Click this photo for a video from leaving the castle.

We then walked back along the street a little and got some photos of the nearby park.

We were then driving, driving, driving until we stopped for lunch. I will be asking one of our drivers where this was and updating later. The drive is certainly along route 71 through Yazd province, but I don't know the town where we stopped for lunch.

Update: He answered, and we went to lunch in Nain, which is an intersection of the two roads mentioned in this post.

	Looks gross; tastes great.

Then we went to another historic mosque. I'm going to ask the driver where this was as well, because I can't find anything on the internet that seems to match my photos. It is likely to be along route 62 in Isfahan Province.

Update: Apparently, this was also in Nain, and I can't remember, for me the life of me, that we didn't get back on the road after lunch before we got here.

Click the image in the middle for a video of this.

Click the image on the right for a video.

These stairs were really steep. My purse is at least eleven inches tall.

A few of us stayed down here to explore in the dark. These photos were taken with flash.

Grade A bathrooms here.

I bought some post cards from a guy standing outside the mosque who asked what my job was and then said that I was very friendly and personable. Those weren't the words he used, maybe he used the word "communicate", but I can't remember exactly what. Then we were back on the road for more driving.

Soon enough, we began to enter a beautiful green city, and this was our destination, Isfahan.

Yes, this place really exists. I wish I could go back every year.

Each image links to a video.

Even the construction projects are gorgeous in Isfahan.

Then we got to the Abbasi Hotel, which was the most stunning hotel I've ever stayed at. But damn, I'd stay in a tent on the side of the road if it meant I could be back in this beautiful city.

We then had dinner at the hotel. I don't think I ate everything that was on my plate, and the soup wasn't that good. It certainly wasn't as good as the soup we had at lunch. Don't be fooled, however, the food was good. During conversation, I learned that it might be worth turning on the TV when I got back to my room and about the books that members of my group had written. Near the end of the night, we got a visit by the hotel kitty, and as I left, I took a video of some musicians performing inside.

After dinner, I found the Quran and kit, and got on my Chromebook. I was unable to connect my phone to the computer, however, or download anything from Google Photos. I could not purchase additional storage space for Google Drive from Iran either, so all of the photos and videos I took from there on out were only stored on my phone, and limited to the storage space available there. I turned on the TV and watched some CCTV, then Al Jazeera. I was about to go to bed when I heard the news, and yet could hardly believe it. Prince found dead in his home at the age of 57. What? No, really, what? Why? How? Oh my gawd, Prince is dead? What the... I had to text some people. I watched the report, but they didn't know anything. The autopsy would be done Friday morning in Minnesota. Seriously, it's now 20 days later, and I still can't believe it. But back on April 21, 2016, late at night in Iran, I had to go to bed. We had to be at the bus by 9am.