On April 30th was my birthday. I had to figure out how to get from Muscat to Nizwa that day so I posted in the group on facebook the night before if anybody was travelling that way and could take me. Prem from India replied to me that he was going the same way and he would pick me up from my host's place in the morning. I offered to pay him but he refused because he had a fuel card from the company. We left Muscat around 9am and we had to hurry to Nizwa because I had to continue travelling to UAE the same day. We drove there 2 hours and I admired the landscape, the road was surrounded by mountains which were dry and without vegetation. You can watch the video here.
When we arrived in Nizwa we went immediately to visit the fort. Nizwa fort is one of the oldest forts in Oman. It was built in 1650's while its underlying structure goes back to the 12th century.



The fort is fascinating with a great view on palm plantations and mountains. When I walked there remembered the game Prince of Persia.                                                 

After visting the fort we met Rommel from couchsurfing. He was from Philippines but he worked in Oman. Prem had to go back to Muscat because of his job but I went to Rommel's flat. We talked and he prepared rice and chicken, it was very tasty. He had two cats. I wanted to visit the city but he didn't want to go out because the temperature reached 38°C that day. It was around 15:30 when we went out to look for a bus which would take me to UAE. We went to several bus ticket offices but everywhere we were told that there were no bus from Nizwa to UAE and I would have to go back to Muscat. I couldn't afford going back because I didn't have enough time so I decided to hitch-hike to UAE. Rommel was strongly against it and recommended me to take a bus to Muscat. I waited until he left and then I went to the road and hitch-hiked. Drivers were obviously not used to seeing hitch-hikers in this part of the world, two of them stopped and asked me for money to take me to Emirates which I refused. Finally a guy Youssef stopped and took me around 10 km to a highway. He was nice and he told me to be careful because when it was dark people became bad. He asked me why I didn't take a private car with a driver to UAE and I told him that I had no money. Then he gave me 5 Omani Rials which is nearly 11 Eur and dropped me on a highway. I got a lot of attention there and soon after a couple stopped and asked me where I need to go. They said they were going to Bahla which was around 30km far away but it was on the way to Emirates so they took me. The couple was around my age but they didn't speak English much and they didn't pay any attention to me. There was loud music playing in the car and I didn't even attempt to talk to them as they showed absolutely no interest in me. They stopped in Bahla and while I was just dragging out my suitcase of the car another driver pulled over. His name was Ahmed and he was 27 from Badiya. He said he was going to Emirates for work. He took me Al Ain which is on the border. He was apparently very delighted about his hitch-hiker but he didn't speak English well therefore he used a translator in his phone. He was typing while the car was speeding on the highway. We were driving over 100 km/h and several times I was scared that we would drive out of the road. I just prayed that we didn't crash. We drove through a storm and then Ahmed stopped to buy me a cup of a tea and a thin pancake with cheese. I heard strange noise from the back of the car and he showed me a box with two small rabbits. He told me their mother was killed by a cat and he was going to give them as a present for his small son.

We crossed the border and Ahmed said that he would continue driving to Abu Dhabi the following day because he wanted to stop overnight in Al Ain to visit his family there. I was invited too but I couldn't stay because I had to continue to Abu Dhabi the same day. There was a bus after 9pm and it costed 25 dirhams. I got to Abu Dhabi at 23:30 and I sent SMS to my host Shady from Palestine. I waited in front of a shopping mall and he picked me up there. 

We went to the sea and we took photos with the buildings illuminated at night.

Then we went home and I went to sleep soon because I was tired after spending all day travelling.

Before coming to Oman I had done research about places to visit and Wadi Shab was definitely one of them. I couldn't figure out how to get there as I couldn't find any bus going there from Muscat. The only possibility seemed to be renting a car which I couldn't do because I haven't driven since I got my driving licence and that's been 7 years already. Another option would be renting a car with a driver which was too expensive. Therefore I posted in a group of facebook for the people from Muscat and I asked if anybody wanted to go there with me and I could pay for fuel costs. I found a Pakistani guy Sam who lived in Muscat since many years. We arranged a meeting on 29th April at a shopping mall, I hitchhiked there, two girls took me firstly but I was upset because we wasted a lot of time when they tried explaining me that it wasn't reasonable to go to Wadi Shab at this time because it was too hot and already around noon. Finally they dropped me at a road where another guy took me to the shopping mall and he called Sam who came to pick me up. We went inside the mall because he wanted to buy a swimsuit but I was wearing sleeveless T-shirt and short skirt and someone came to tell us that I was inappropriately dressed. At the entrance to the mall there were pictures warning tourists against inappropriate dress code but I had no other clothes with me so I couldn't change.

Then we drove towards Wadi Shab but it was a long way, it took more than one hour to get there. We passed Tropics of Cancer while driving in the mountains. We didn't manage to find the Binmah Sinkole therefore we went directly to the Wadi Shab. We took a boat which took us across the river.

Then we had to walk nearly for one hour on the rocks along the riverside to amazing natural pools with a turquoise water colour. It was already 4pm when we got there and the last boat was going back at 6:30pm so we didn't have so much time to spend there. I enjoyed swimming in these pools and the water temperature was very pleasant. Then I swam into the cave with a waterfall, there was a rope which could be used to climb the waterfall and jump in the pool but I wasn't courageous enough to do that. 

After spening amazing 2 hours in Wadi Shab we had to hurry back to the river in order to catch the last boat and we arrived there just in time. It was sunset when we got to the car and we heard a muslim prayer Allahu Akbar sang by Muezzin. You can see the video with this prayer here.

Then we drove back to Muscat and we stopped in the mountains above the city to take some photos. We had a great view on the city with all the lights. 

Then Sam took me to a local restaurant where we had delicious dinner, we ordered soup and also rice with lamb and salad. 

After dinner Sam took me to my host's place and I had to ask my host Harout if I could stay for one more night at his place and he agreed. I got to his home around 11pm and when I announced him that my birthday would be coming in a few hours he baked a cake with honey for me and we ate it together. 

I arrived in Dubai on 26th April in the evening and I found out immediately that I had no place to stay that night. I had a contact with several potential hosts from CS before coming to UAE but due to bad arrangement nobody was available to host me. After some hours of waiting at the airport I managed to contact an Indian guy Mohsin who lived in Dubai and he came to pick me up. He hosted also an American girl at that time but he was leaving to Saudi Arabia the following day and even though I could have stayed at his place longer I decided to travel to Oman for 3 days. My host told me where to go to get a shared car to Muscat but when I got there I found out that it wasn't a right place. I had to take a taxi to Deira where we found a bus which was departing at 3pm so I got there just on time. The taxi to Deira costed 50 dirhams and the bus from Dubai to Muscat costed also 50 dirhams. The bus driver spoke English very well and also many other people in the bus. We had some conversation about Oman and everybody told me to come to Oman in summer and visit Salalah because it was very green at that time and obviously it was a popular holiday destination.
While we travelled towards Oman the landscape started to change and it was hilly.
When we got to the border I just found out that the cost of a tourist visa for Oman just quadrupled. I had to pay 20 OMR for tourist visa which was around 50 Eur.

I captured a sunset while travelling in the bus. I ate one meat sandwich during the journey so I wasn't hungry. I had to take a taxi to my host's place. My host Harout was an Armenian guy born in Syria. We talked together and we bought some food but then he had an Indian guy coming to visit him and I spent some time on the internet before going to sleep.
In the morning I wanted to go out to visit the city while Harout didn't want to join me because it was too hot for him. I went out and I hitch-hiked to the old city Mutrah while my driver stopped at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque to take some photos.

When we got to Mutrah it was early afternoon and the temperature reached 35°C that day but it was very humid. I went to the Mutrah Souq but it was too early and most shops were closed. I took a photo with Ismaeil who worked in one of these shops.

Then I went out again and I admired the panorama of Mutrah. I tried to go for a walk but the sun was so strong that it was almost unbearable to stay outside and streets were empty. 

I had to return to the Souq after a while and stay there till 3 or 4pm when the weather got more pleasant. I did some shopping that day in the Souq, I bought 4 different kinds of incense as the Omani incense is one of the highest quality and its smell is very intense. 

I walked along the coast and I watched Al Riyam Park Observation Tower which looked like an alien spaceship. I looked for a place to swim and finally I found a local beach with families. I swam in bikini there but it wasn't a good idea because everybody there was conservatively dressed and women usually wore a hijab. I even asked someone to take a photo of me but one woman told him off, she didn't even seem to be angry at me but apparently she was upset that he talked to someone like me. 

I went to the water and I stayed there also after the sunset and during twilight. Then 6 modestly dressed women came and sat on the beach just a few meters far from my bag. I am usually not a shy person but I became very insecure at this moment, I watched them for about 5 minutes and hesitated to go out of water. Finally one woman read my mind and she brought me my plastic bag which I used to cover my body while getting out of water. Then I got dressed and I walked towards Mutrah while the sky was jet black. 

I walked in the Mutrah Souq and it was very crowded in the evening, you can see the video here. I went to shops, I bought some souvenirs and I talked to Indian guys working in these shops. I bought some meat sandwich but I didn't like it very much. Then I wanted to hitch-hike back to my host's place but I had to take a shared bus instead. The first bus I got in was going in a wrong direction so I had to get off and wait for another one. The bus driver was 21 years old and he didn't speak English well. The bus was crowded at first but then people were getting off and at the end I found out that I was alone with the driver. He was watching a porn on his phone which wouldn't really bother me but then he took us to an empty secluded road and started to make indecent proposals which I didn't agree with. After a brief but vigorous fight I pulled down the window and I threatened him to kick his mirror to pieces which made him come to his senses and he took me to my host's place. It was a scary experience but I was glad that nothing worse happened. 

We got to Bandar Abbas on 24th April just around the sunset. It was hot and very humid. We spent some time looking for a hostel, we found one but the receptionist told us we couldn't stay in the same room although there were 3 beds, I had to get my own room. Then we went outside and we walked in the city and bazaar. I was wearing a straw hat instead of the scarf, I received many strange looks but noone told me anything. We found a restaurant near to the coast where we ate rice with fried shrimps. I removed my hat because the restaurant was empty when we came but after some time it started to fill up with people. Nobody paid attention to me but when we were leaving some young girls were greeting me and laughing.
Kynsley was tired and he went to the hostel while me and Mohammad went to the coast. Mohammad smoked shisha and I asked him to sing and I recorded it, you can listen to him here. The sea was smelling really bad and there was a rat on the rocks but the atmosphere was great. There were many families around enjoying their evening at the coast.
When we returned to the hostel we went to sleep and I set on air conditiong to 20°C but the room got so cold at night that I was waking up even though I slept under a heavy blanket. I was too lazy to get up and increase the temperature.
In the morning we got to the port to take a ferry to the Hormuz island. We met Sadegh from couchsurfing who hosted us the following night. When we got to the island we saw tv crew who was shooting live TV. Kynsley wanted to make fun so he jumped in screaming but they were very upset about it.
We rented a tuc-tuc and the driver took us to the red stone fortress. We didn't enter because it didn't look very interesting. Near to the fortress there were local women selling souvenirs to tourists. Women in the south of Iran dress in the same way as women in Western Sahara. They wear long piece of fabric which they wrap around their body. Some women wore traditional masks on their faces. You can watch a video which I took there.

Then our driver took us to beautiful mountains. This island is called also the rainbow island which depicts it very well. There was salt everywhere on the ground and also in big crystals on the mountains.

I felt like in a fairy tale. We took many photos but they can't capture unique beauty of this place. It was very impressive.

Then we went to a rock which is on the cliff high above sea. It was a bit dangerous to go there but we couldn't miss an opportunity to take photos in such a wonderful scenery.

On our way we saw many women without scarves. I felt like being in a free country. Later we went on the beach and I swam in bikini. The beach was empty but tuc-tuc drivers had good view on us from the road. We enjoyed to frolic on the beach and in the sea, it was sunny but not too hot, the temperature was around 35°C that day and the sea was around 27°C. 

Our driver brought us lunch which consisted of rice and chicken and we ate it on the beach. Then we had to leave because we had to take a ferry back to Bandar Abbas. After arrival I drank golab and we went to Sadegh's home. He couldn't speak English very well and he made an impression of rather reserved and not very talkative person but we spent nice evening together. We walked in the bazaar where I bough some clothes and we returned to Sadegh's home. 

In the morning I woke up early with headache but then I managed to fall asleep again for some hours. After 10am Kynsley and Mohammad woke me up because they were leaving to the north of Iran. I stayed alone with Sadegh, we went to buy a flight ticket for me to Dubai, I took it on 26th April in the evening. I wanted to visit Bandar Abbas but Sadegh didn't want, telling me it was a commercial city and there was nothing interesting to see. We spent all the afternoon at home, Sadegh cooked spaghetti for us and in the evening he took me to the airport and I flew to Dubai. I paid 125 Eur for the flight ticket which was quite expensive because the distance between both cities is around 300 km and the flight took around 40 minutes. The plane reached the flight height and it started to descend soon after. Many women who got on the plane with scarves removed them during flight. I had an impressive view on Dubai with all the lights. Just when I got there I had to start solving the issue where to sleep during that night. 

We arrived in Shiraz on Saturday 22nd April late in the afternoon. Kynsley and Mohammad found a host Reza on CS and I found another host for myself on CS whose name was also Reza. We could have stayed all together but none of us wanted to cancel our previously arranged accomodation. Fortunately they both lived close to each other so it was easy to drop me at my host in the evening and in the morning to pick me up.
When we arrived in Shiraz after 4pm we met firstly my friends' host. We left our luggage in his car and we explored the city. We went to the Pink Mosque which was close in the evening but a man nearby told us that the best time to visit this mosque was in the morning between 8am - 10am. I didn't know why but I learnt it the following day.
Then we walked in bazaar where we saw copper pots, wall clocks, various spices, Persian clothes and other goods.

We were very hungry because we spent a long time travelling and we didn't eat anything since morning but it took us a long time until we found a restaurant where we wanted to have dinner. We order pomegranate rice, chicken and vegetables. It was tasty but we ordered also yellow dessert which I didn't like because it the taste was similar to Khoresht Mast but my friends really enjoyed it.

Afer dinner we went to the citadel where Mohammad smoke shisha and I drank golab. 

We met Reza who took me by car to my host Reza. We talked for a long time about history and political situation in Iran and we went to sleep late. On Sunday we got up at 8am and Reza prepared breakfast for me, we had eggs. Kynsley and Mohammad came at 9am and their host took us to the Pink Mosque.
The morning sun shining through stained window cast colours colours on the carpet and walls. It is better to be there already at 8am when the light is across all room, but we got there around 10am when the sun was higher and the light shrank. We still had a beautiful view on rainbow colours and we took many photos there.

TThis is the view on the mosque from outside in front of the pool. It looks also astonishing. 

I have to admit that my choice of clothes was a bit unfortunate that day because there was a floral motif on the walls and also on my blouse and it matched very well :). I look like a chameleon on this photo.

I used to think that I have visited so many places that nothing can surprise me anymore, but there was one place which Iran which surpassed all my expectations. This place is called Shah Cheragh which is a funerary monument and mosque and it was a breathtaking sight. That's how I imagined real Persia. I walked inside with a tour guide who explained me everything about this mosque for free and she was very knowledeable. I also took a video inside the mosque, you can watch it here. As you see, the interior is decorated with the mosaic of mirror glass. Kynsley went also inside the mosque but I was in the ladies' part so we couldn't join each other there.

Outisde the mosque there was an imam lamenting and many guys surrounded him and they also lamented. I had to wear chador also on the courtyard. My host Reza joined us there and we walked together to the Umbrella Street which was nearby. There are several umbrella streets in Iran but I saw only this one. You can watch the video here.

In the afternoon we took a taxi to Naqsh-e Rustam which is an ancient necropolis with ancient Iranian rock reliefs cut into the cliff. Kynsley managed to enter Persepolis and Necropolis with an Iranian ticket but I had to pay full price.

Then we visited Persepolis which is located 12 km far away from Necropolis. It is an archaelogical site which depicts the history and culture in the Persian empire. The site is large and it was very hot there early in the afternoon. The ruins were amazing and there are wonderful wall carvings and statues like double-headed Griffin statue still remaining. It was definitely worth visiting.

On the way out we met this cute little girl :). I got her parents' permission to take a photo with her.

We returned to Shiraz in the evening. We found a restaurant where we ate rice and meat and then we joined our hosts. We left Shiraz on 24th April in the morning and we took a bus to Bandar Abbas which is situated on the Persian Gulf coast. It was a long way there (more than 8 hours), we left Shiraz at 10am and we got to Bandar Abbas just at the sunset. Once we stopped on our way in a restaurant where we ordered rice, meat and vegetables but we had to eat very quickly because the bus wouldn't wait. Here you can watch the video which was taken in the bus, we talk about our trip there.
The landscape was delightful with trees and mountains. I watched it for some time but then I got tired and I fell asleep. The seats in the bus were comfortable and I slept some hours. I woke up when we were approaching Bandar Abbas.

I arrived in Yazd on 20th April in the afternoon. It was very hot and I had to wait some hours at the bus station. I wanted to buy some food but the shop assistant couldn't speak English and he was getting upset with my questions so I only drank black tea. I couldn't reach Kynsley on the phone and I called another couchsurfer Jamal instead who picked me up by car. We visited a beautiful Dowlat Abad Garden firstly. There is a long pool which is surrounded by tall cypress trees. There is also a high wind tower which works as a cooling system. These towers are called badgirs or windcatchers which funnel the wind indoors usually through some water to provide natural air conditioning.

After leaving the garden we went to explore the bazaar. We saw this cosy cafe on our way.

Jamal bought golab with vermicelli noodles and poppy seeds but I didn't like this one so I bought golab with saffron and basil seeds. While we walked in the bazaar we could observe people making some traditional professions, here you can watch videos of bakery and smithery.

Then we entered a shop with paintings and traditional Persian carpets. 

In the evening we went to the Jameh Mosque. I took also a video there. Then I bought a straw hat on the square which I found more comfortable to wear than the scarf. It costed only around 50 cents.

There was a bazaar on the square and I bought a handbag and purses there. 

Jamal called Kynsley and Mohammad who joined us for dinner. We went to a local restaurant where we ate kebab. It was tasty but it was very hot in the restaurant. After dinner Kynsley and Mohammad went to the hostel where they were staying and Jamal took me to a hostel which belonged to his friend. He let me stay for free the first night but the second night I had to pay 400 000 rials. Kynsley and Mohammad moved also to my hostel the following day because it was closer to the city center and it was easier when we were all staying at the same place. 

On Saturday 21st April we explored the historical city center of Yazd. There were many wind towers as you can see on the photo.  

Once I removed a hijab for a little while in front of a group of tourists and one old German woman told me off. She came to me and told me: "You have to wear this!" in a threatening tone. I would have never expected other tourists telling me off for not wearing a hijab.

Later we visited Jameh mosque where we admired beautiful architecture. There are traditional ornaments with mosaic patterns with blue tiles. 

On the picture below there are traditional door handles. The man's door knocker is rigid and heavy and it makes a strong sound and the woman's door knocker is curly and ring like. It informs the people if there is a man or woman behind the door. This system is used due to Islamic tradition.

We had Dizzi for lunch and afterwards we wanted to visit the Zoroastrian fire temple. It was closed when we got there but they shortly opened a door to let someone in so we shortly caught a glimpse of it. 

Later we passed by a picturesque cafe and then we visited the Dowlat Abad Garden because Kynsley and Mohammad hadn't been there yet. I asked Kynsley to lend me his phone because I wanted to check a bus to Shiraz but he didn't pay attention to me for half an hour and then I finally got angry and left. I met some guy outside on a motorbike who took me to the Jameh Mosque but I had to pay him for the ride.

Later I walked back to the hostel and I met Kynsley and Mohammad on the way. Kynsley apologized but I was still upset for some time. We returned to the hostel and in the evening Jamal came with his family by car and we visited bazaar firstly and we went to check the night buses, but I decided to stay in Yazd till morning. We had a breakfast in our hostel and then we took a bus to Shiraz. 

I had to get up early on Wednesday 19th April because Mojtaba went to work. He dropped me at a hostel where I met Kynsley and his friend Mohammad who was 29 and he was from the Borujerd city. Mohammad accompanied us for the rest of our trip in Iran all the way down to the Persian gulf. He didn't speak English well and he answered yes to all my questions. At first I was glad that he agreed with everything what I said but after some time I became suspicious. Then I thought it was very funny and I asked him questions like: "Do you want that Kynsley leaves you a negative reference on couchsurfing?" Mohammad got a nickname Yes-man, but when he became aware that we were mocking him he stopped answering yes and he asked if he didn't understand.
We left the hostel and walked to the Hasht Behesht Palace, but it didn't look interesting from outside and the entrance fee was 200 000 rials which we found expensive and we didn't go there.

We walked on and we saw girls in traditional clothes. Their teacher agreed that we took a photo with them.

We went to the Naqsh-e Jahan Square which is one of the largest squares in Iran. Young women were paiting there.

We entered the Shah Mosque. We bought 3 Iranian tickets. Kynsley is from India and his skin is quite dark but he could get away with claiming that he was from the south of Iran. Mohammad said that I was his wife and we also got away with it.

The Shah Mosque is an excellent example of the Islamic era architecture. The ornamentation is very traditional and it is decorated in a blue colour. The acoustic properties at the central point under the dome enable the sound to reflect very well and everything can be heard. There was a man singing in the mosque and people listened to him. Mohammad was also a good singer and he sang often while we were visiting the city. His voice was melodious and strong. I will upload a video of him singing.
When we left the Shah Mosque we walked again in the square and we took a photo of the waterpool and the fountain.

On the way out of the square there was a bazaar. I bought a skirt there in one shop. I asked Mohammad to bargain but they didn't even want to hear about it so I had to pay a full price.
Then we decided to go to the Fire Temple. We bought a pie filled with meat and also golab.

I drank it in the bus on our way. We got to the Zoroastrian fire temple in half an hour. The way up the temple is very steep and we had to climb rocks to get on the top. There was noone around and it was safe to remove the scarf. It was hot but very windy.

When we were exiting the temple Mohammad only said: 'hijab' and I put it back on. There was a park nearby where we drank water. There was a meeting of disabled people who were lying on a blanket and there were wheelchairs around. They tried to talk to me but we didn't understand each other and Mohammad had to translate. 

In the afternoon we returned to the city center and we visited Vank Cathedral. There was a group of school boys going inside and Kynsley mixed into them and entered for free. I entered again with an Iranian ticket as Mohammad's wife :).

The interior of the cathedral is covered with frescos and gilded carvings. There is a depiction of the Heaven, Earth and Hell inside the Holy Savior Cathedral. In the courtyard there is a belfry and we visited the Museum of Khachatur Kesaratsi which is the museum of Armenian culture.
While we were visiting the museum Kynsley told me that for the first time in his life he was getting tired from travelling after having visited 50 countries already. I can understand it but there are still many countries that I want to visit.
Later in the afternoon we walked by the river again and then we were found a local restaurant where we could eat Beryani. The restaurant was empty when we got there and it was hot inside so I removed my scarf. Then some people entered including an elderly woman who sat at the table across the room. She smiled at me and beckoned me but she looked very astonished. After 15 minutes she showed me that I should put my headscarf on, so I washed my hands and I put it on because I didn't want to make any conflicts.

When we went out the owner of the restaurant asked me if Beryani was good. I answered that yes but hijab was not good and he laughed.
In the evening we walked in the streets and Kynsley asked me to remove my hijab for 5 minutes. I said that he had my permission to take it off and he did that but he got scared immediately and told me it would be better to wear it. I will cite his status on facebook because he described it very well:

"Had a bit of fun in Iran today. Anna challenged me to pull off her hijab (headscarf - mandatory for all women including tourists to wear outside the home). I pulled it off and she ran off while I chased her through the streets of Ishfahan. In those brief moments, we got so much attention, OMG! People started cheering and laughing. It was like a scene from a Bollywood movie. Later, our Iranian friends who were with us translated the cheers from the crowds. They said people appreciated it and kept saying, "It's cool, it's cool"! What fun!!"

We were lucky that there was no religious police around. Kynsley and Mohammad took a night bus to Yazd while my host Mojtaba picked me up in the city center. He hosted also one German girl that night. We both slept on the matresses in the living room. I knew that Mojtaba wouldn't work the following day and I expected to leave Isfahan in the evening, I already bought a bus ticket, but when he told me that they were going to hike I didn't want to join them. I changed the reservation and I left Isfahan by bus in the morning on 20th April. 

When you are travelling from Kashan to Isfahan then stopping in the village Abyaneh is a good option. It takes around one hour to get there from Kashan by car. This village is situated high in the mountains, its altitude is 2500 meters. It is dated back to 1500 years ago and you can admire its red mud brick houses. The terrain around Abyaneh contains iron oxides that's why the houses have reddish colour. It was cloudy and much colder than in Kashan, it was around 15°C on 18th April.
The Abyanaki women typically wear a white long scarf with a colourful pattern and under-knee skirt.

 You can wonder around the city and admire the beauty of this city, but many houses are abandoned and the population of this village is only 300 permanent residents. I took a video of old ladies dressed in traditional costumes sell souvenirs to tourists, you can watch it here.

We spent around one hour in Abyaneh and then we travelled to Isfahan. I was travelling with a taxi driver who worked for a travel agency in Kashan and we were accompanied by some couchsurfers. The landscape between Kashan and Isfahan is a desert and I didn't put a scarf on until we reached Isfahan. The taxi driver dropped me at a bus station where I waited around one hour for my host Mojtaba from couchsurfing. I asked him to host me and Kynsley but he replied that he hosted only girls which made me a bit suspicious but I had no time to look for another host so I accepted his offer. Kynsley stayed in a hostel with Mohammad from Borujerd who accompanied us for the rest of our travel in Iran. 

Mojtaba picked me up from the bus station around 3pm by car and we went to the Shahrzad restaurant where we ordered several Iranian traditional dishes.

These traditional dishes included Beryani which is made of lamb offal as lung and liver wrapped in a bread. If you are not put off by offal then you should definitely taste it because it is delicious.

Another traditional dish of the brown colour which is in the corner is called Fesenjan. It is chicken stew with walnut and pomegranate sauce. The sauce is sweet but it is also very tasty.

The only Iranian dish which I really disliked was Khoresht Mast (the yellow beef yoghurt desert). It is also sweetish but I found the taste similar to a burnt tyre and I could eat only a few spoons.

We drank also Ayran which is the white salty yoghurt beverage. I tasted it and it was ok but it probably won't become my favourite drink.

After we finished eating we walked along the river Zayanderud which is the largest river in the central Iran. There are famous historical bridges like the Khaju bridge on the picture. There were a lot of Iranian people near the river but we saw only a few tourists. Several Iranian people greeted me and tried to have a short conversation with me. I was also offered an apple and pumpkin seeds. Then we sat next to the river and watched the sunset. Khaju bridge is a popular meeting spot for Iranians and when it got dark they listened to a singer under the arches of the bridge.

Then we went home and drank black tea. We went to sleep late and the following date I got up early because I was going to meet Kynsley and Mohammed and we visited Isfahan together.