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| cave homes in the village of Meymand |
I wasn’t looking forward to Meymand. It’s a small, remote village of cave homes
with only one place to stay, the Meymand Guest House. Meymand is a UNESCO World Heritage Site,
which will preserve the buildings and fast-fading culture they represent. The Guest House met my lowest expectations,
but was an experience to be remembered—and enjoyed—nonetheless.
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| our cave room in Meymand |
We spent the morning at Persepolis, the ancient city built
by Darius III over 2500 years ago (more on that in another blog), so we were
late getting started on our long drive to Meymand. Most of the route is over craggy desert
mountains and through wide valleys planted with corn, wheat, pistachios,
tomatoes, kohlrabi and other crops. It’s
beautiful and stark.
We arrived at Meymand after dark and too late to see the
town. An old man, probably no more than 55 but already bent
over, showed us to our room, a former cave home that is now a guest room,
complete with blackened walls from centuries of cooking and uneven stone floor
covered with dusty Persian carpets.
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| dinner on the kitchen floor in Meymand |
There were other colorful cotton sheets in plastic bags and
folded fluffy wool blankets and cotton-stuffed pillows on the beds. Our first job was to make our beds. I’d already found the bathroom, down the
dusty hill about 100 yards. Happily,
this contained a functioning toilet as well as the squat variety, placed one
behind the other, and a sink with a mirror.
Next door was the shower. It took
about an hour to scare up a towel, but after dinner I tried out the
shower. It had plenty of hot water,
thankfully. The only deficit was having
the shower head right over an old toilet that was stored inside the shower, making
for rather cramped quarters.
Nonetheless, after a dusty, hot day at Persepolis, I was grateful to be
clean.
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| our hostesses in Meymand |
Our hosts served us dinner on their kitchen floor. The wife of the man who’d greeted us and a
widowed neighbor sat on the floor with us and gossiped with our guide and
driver. The widowed neighbor, who has to
have a really hard life as a widow, did all the work. She is only 55, but looks 75. A German couple joined us for the night. Dinner was rice cooked with a few vegetables,
very coarse, but fresh, flat bread, yoghurt and tea. I know this is what the family eats for most
of its meals, so I was happy to share their way of life for a few moments. Every day, I know how lucky I am to live in
America!
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| mountains between Meymand and Mahan in the early morning |
Back in our cave room, I didn’t sleep very well, but got to
listen to the wild jackals howl while I planned our Iran tour in my head. We left early the next morning, just as the sun
was rising over Meymand, and ate some raisins and nuts for breakfast as there
was none to be had at the guest house.
Last night, we were in Mahan, having stopped in Kerman on our way. The highlight here is the Shahazade Garden,
one of the most beautiful Persian gardens in Iran. The water for the garden comes from a gushing
spring on the side of the mountains above the garden. The garden itself slopes down to the valley,
with views across to the rugged desert mountains beyond.
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| GS and new friends in Shahazade Garden |
As we enjoyed tea in the Garden, a group of young women
asked us where we were from and wanted photos with me. Across a narrow pool from us stood a group of
young men, very interested in the pretty girls, and in getting a selfie with
Don. One of them came up to me to speak
English and have his friend do a video of our conversation for his English
class. These were all students, just 18,
and getting close to going into the army for their mandatory 21-month military
service. They are so filled with
excitement about life. I can only hope
their time of military service is peaceful.
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| taking selfies with Don |
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