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.