(Daniel) Oh my god!  I really struggled to wake up this morning at 4.45am and get showered and ready, but somehow I managed.  I had left my bags in Rowan and Gabbies room, and checked out the night before to save time.  The night receptionist Dariush had also made an arrangement to meet us in Garme, but wasn’t leaving until later, so I said goodbye to him, and then walked out to meet Bobek and Saumon on the street.  They had both managed to get up in time and we drove to the footbridge at the end of the main street to meet Abed.  After 10 minutes we realised that something was wrong, and phoned him, but no answer.  We continued to call, and after 30 minutes decided that he was still fast asleep.

We called his friend Essy, but got Essy’s brother who was not happy at being woken up so early!  He agreed to call Abed's house phone though, and after an hour of trying we finally got a very tired sounding Abed on the phone.  After this we went and picked him up from his house and drove to a place for breakfast.  Everyone was very amused by Abed’s choice of breakfast spot, and it was only when we walked in that I realised that Callipacia is 'sheep’s head', and when I say sheep’s head, I mean that the head is cooked in a broth, then the meat is picked off by two men, and put in a bowl along with the eyes, brain and tongue, and then served hot with bread.  I think that the boys thought that I wouldn’t be able to eat this Iranian delicacy, and so did the rest of the very busy restaurant, but anyone who knows me would realise that this is the kind of challenge I like, and I ate the brain, tongue and eye first before starting on the bread, much to the amazement of the surrounding crowd!    I think that once you have drunk the blood from the tail of a live king cobra, as I did in Malaysia, there isn’t much that holds disgust for you!

After breakfast we headed out onto the highway and fueled up for the long journey ahead.  As we drove the roads became more deserted and the landscape changed to endless plains of sand.  After about an hour on the road, I spotted some wild camels, feeding on the patchy desert flora.  We stopped the truck, and walked back to them.  The boys were as excited as me, as they do now often see camels either.  As we walked towards the animals, we weren’t sure if they would attack us or run away.  But like children, when we got close enough to see them properly, we ran after them and chased them across the sand.  A futile act, as Camels can run like the wind!  After our childish game, we walked back to the car, and I let the boys have a cigarette break before we headed on.  By the way I don’t allow and smoking in the Wolf, as I don’t smoke, it is the only place I can get away from it! 

As we drove on, the Police stopped us several times to check where we were going, I think that they just wanted to chat, but it worried me a little knowing that we were carrying alcohol on board.  Eventually we came to a small town just past Anarak, and stopped for lunch.  As it is the Hossain festival, we were able to get the Hossains lunch, a major part of the festivities.  Being a foreigner, I was welcomed with open arms, and drew a small crowd.  The people wanted to ask me so many questions, and the boys all had their hands full translating to the men from the village.

One of the men was keen to tell me that Iranian people loved Americans and Europeans, and that they were not in control of their government.  Again I was saddened by the fear that these people are obviously feeling under the pressure of Americas gaze, and that of the UN sanctions recently imposed.  As we talked the procession returned to the mosque.  To an outsider the procession looks very daunting, the people beat themselves in memory of the sacrifice of their ancestors, and one man asked me how I saw the festival, as a celebration of religion, or a necessity of their religion, I would have liked to reply, but Bobek answered for me, and told them that it was about religion.  I would have answered differently however, and said that it was about community.  As in a country where you can’t hold a party, or get together, this was an opportunity for the people to come together regardless of the reason.

As the procession passed by a man came over with a Video camera and interviewed me asking where I was from, and what I thought of the festival and Iran, I answered as best I could, then the old men of the town ushered me into the mosque, and we all sat down for lunch.  The men kept asking for more food for me, and it was lucky that the boys either side kept helping me, as I would hate to have left any.  The food was Camel stew, and rice with a sauce, it was excellent, and still remains one of the best meals which I have eaten in Iran.

Another part of the festival is that families slaughter sheep and camels for the food which they give away, and in rural areas like this one, sheep can be seen being slaughtered on every street corner, and the blood stains from these acts are covering the streets.  I presume that this is also a symbolic gesture to do with the festival, and does certainly have an effect as you drive through a town spattered with blood.  Again I will reiterate, that I did not find this festival disturbing, merely interesting, especially as the martyr Hossain died over 1400 years ago. And so much has happened since.  The memory of this lunch will be, amazing hospitality, as it has been all over Iran.

After eating we left the mosque, and said goodbye.  I noticed that someone had pinched my blind spot mirror from the Wolf, which I was not happy about, but I have a spare so it isn’t too bad!  Kids wanting a souvenir I am sure!  We drove on to Garme, and stopped in the village at a spring, and then at a house where an artist lives.  He was away from town at the time, but his Camels were outside and were very friendly if a little smelly!  After playing around with them for a while, and taking some photos, we drove out of the town and into the desert behind.  This place was amazing, there must have been at least ten miles in any direction with no people. Building or anything, just desert.  I climbed a hill and took a photo of the Wolf in the expansive bowl before we found a suitable spot to set up camp.

Then we left Abed there while Bobek Saumon and I went to get some firewood.  Luckily we found plenty outside a cave nearby, and loaded this onto the Wolf to transport back to camp across the open desert.  When we returned Abed started to chop the wood, while we set up the rest of the camp and poured some drinks for everyone.  I hadn’t drunk any amount of alcohol for some time, and got very drunk, as did everyone,  we played music into the desert night, and being drunk I fell asleep very early, but woke up again at three in the morning, and found the others still awake, we sat up and watched the moon set over the desert, before retiring to sleep again.

Distance Driven   300 miles

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