Shiraz Iran 伊朗设拉子 3/2018 (5)

14-16/3/2018. From Isfahan, I took a seven-hour night bus to Shiraz. The bus fare was less than USD 8, quite economical for a pretty luxurious bus. I was privileged to stay in a boutique hotel renovated from an old house. It got me into the mood right away.

14 – 16/3/2018 从伊斯法罕我搭上夜巴到设拉子（Shiraz），七小时后早上六点抵达。只花了八美元，很实惠，且是豪华大巴，真不赖。到后下榻这小酒店，旧房子改造的矮楼，别具风格，我马上进入状态探索这古城。

Hotel restaurant 酒店餐厅 — My little hotel in Shiraz 设拉子入住的小酒店

Iranian characters that looked like twisted worms plastered the streets; even numbers were in Persian. So walking around the streets of Shiraz was like a headless chicken. Due to the sanction, foreign ATM and credit cards were totally useless in this country, so all the anticipated expenditures had to be brought into the country in cash. So, on a hot desert day, I had hung around my neck a pouch stuffed full of 22million Iranian Reals. I felt like a milk cow with a huge swiss bell over my neck. Fortunately, it was much safer here than in many countries.

在设拉子街道盲撞找下个景点。这满街都是像蚯蚓般的伊朗字，连数字也是独特的符号，英语则少见，只能傻头傻脑东张西望。因为受到制裁，外国信用卡和ATM卡在伊朗是不好使的。只能伊朗全程的费用全带在身上，项上挂上一大包刚换过的两千两百万本币和外币，大热天的感觉像头挂着大铃的老奶牛。这么痛苦的享受值得吗？当然！但也是无奈的，眼睛退化, 现在不走，到时不但瞎撞，还会瞎说呢。

Shiraz street view 设拉子街景 — Walking mall in Shiraz 设拉子步行街

When I first read about the Pink Mosque, it fired up my imagination. A pink mosque? It definitely had more pink than I have seen anywhere in Iran. I could see rays of pink, shades of pink, nothing overwhelming though. A little pink is appreciated; it makes things dance a bit.

粉色清真寺，一个诱人名称，的确很期待。一个严肃宗教场所，撒些跳色，轻轻的，淡淡的粉色，薄如粉色雾气。外边晨光，穿过窗面，以粉线进入室内，在沉重气氛里一切都跳起了。

Before the sun disappeared for the day, I visited the tombs of two revered Persian poets, Hafez and Sa’di. There were no magnificent monuments. But at this moment—the quiet sunset, the dry earth, the cloudless blue sky—it was beautiful and magical. They did not feel forlorn. This was just the right tone for these poets—no glamour, just poetry.

太阳下山时抓紧参观两个著名波斯诗人哈菲兹（Hafez）和萨迪（Sa’di）的坟墓。他们不需要富丽堂皇的建筑或雄伟的纪念碑。此时此刻此景- 那寂静的夕阳，干枯的山，无云的蓝天，看似寂寞但多麽诗情画意。

Park of the tombs of the poets 哈菲兹和萨迪墓公园

Tomb of Hafez 哈菲兹西拉墓 — Park of the tombs of the poets 哈菲兹和萨迪墓公园

One of the main reasons I came to Iran is its great past. Today I took a car for an hour to come to this pride of Iran, the ruin of Persepolis. Unfortunately, it was really quite ruined. Thanks to Alexander the Great, what was left were pillars and walls. The most one can expect today was an artist’s reconstruction. Still, what’s left was still quite something. Combined with my fertile imagination, this was still a trip well worth making.

到伊朗也是因为久仰古波斯帝国历史。今天坐车一小时到这伊朗最为自豪遗迹，波斯波利斯（Persepolis）。国内那些天天压力山大的上班族总该听过亚历山大这个人吧。就是他把这原本好好的都城毁得面目全非。这就是古波斯一个王国都城的遗迹。波斯帝国可是人类历史最大帝国之一。就看这废墟就不虚此行了。

Four of us, a Finnish lawyer based in London and two honeymooners from Tehran, were chauffeured around for the entire outing from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. I paid USD 50, including entrance fees and lunch, for my share of the excitement.

It had been miles after miles of desert; it was spartan. Not a thread of cloud in the azure sky; it was stunning. The sun was intense; it was glorious. The temperature was still bearable this time of the year. This was how I wanted to see Iran in. Let’s go.

After leaving Persepolis, we headed for Naqsh e Rostam.

I stood a the foot of the hill, in front of me, high on the cliff faces, 4 royal tombs, of Dariush the Great and other well-known kings, side by side, were cut out. Their illustrious life stories are depicted by the reliefs on the cliff faces.

I wanted to get through these rock entrances to see the world on the other side. The guide uttered a flat no. Before these grand entrances, in these desolate and ancient surroundings, it was easy to daydream adventure as a tomb raider of a hidden treasure trove.

The bright desert sun shone brightly on the beige tomb façade and the reliefs, the kings and their life stories remain glorious even after death.

我们一车五人，早上八点转到下午五点，各付了五十美金，划算。车上一位伦敦工作的年轻芬兰律师，两位新婚蜜月的德黑兰人。导游二十八岁，未婚。她说伊朗女孩也看钱的，认为能嫁个钱多人傻的对象也是上选。

走了十万八千里路，蓝天啊，怎么在你底下到处都是沙漠。怎么无情到不能容忍一丝白云。但这一切都在刺激我视觉，对历史更敏锐的感触。离开波斯波利斯后一点路就到了波斯帝陵（纳什罗斯坦 Naqsh e Rostam），几个古波斯皇帝的坟墓，包括著名的大流士王。

Entrance to Naqsh e Rostam 波斯帝陵（纳什罗斯坦）入门处

Naqsh e Rostam, tombs of Persian kings 纳什罗斯坦的帝皇陵 — Entrance to Naqsh e Rostam 波斯帝陵（纳什罗斯坦）入门处

I have been having quite a few kebabs on this trip. After too much of a good thing, I am looking forward to something different. After visiting Naqsh e Rostam, the tour guide dropped us at a traditional restaurant for lunch. We were served basmati rice cooked three ways with herbs. I was spoilt for choice, but I would end up helping myself to all three. Being a bread person, I again could not resist tearing into the lavish bread on the table. To go with these staples, they put out quite a spread of table meat stew, yellow lentil soup, and an assortment of side dishes. I couldn’t hear the conversation while I was busy digging into them.

This lunch was my best in Iran so far. The guide said a local TV station wanted to interview me after lunch. What could I say, right? Good food, great history, the most friendly people, the bluest sky, beautiful desert, all good. Honestly, I wasn’t pressured.

这午餐是在伊朗至今最丰盛好吃的。吃完后导游说有电视台刚好要采访，请我表达在伊朗高见。我虽不是名嘴，也滔滔江水为伊朗赞不绝口。应该的。

Sumptuous Iranian lunch 丰盛伊朗午餐 — Sumptuous lunch on day tour 午餐

An honor and something to boast about, to visit and have one’s photos taken with Cyrus the Great, one of the greatest kings of the Persian empire, among the greatest in human history—even though he could not be physically present, and only represented by a pile of humble rocks. He is the pride of the Persian people even today. There were no other buildings around, just a bare, naked field; he was the one and only.

有幸拜访并跟名流千古伟人 – 居鲁士大帝合影是人生值得炫耀的大事，虽然他在安息而无法奉陪，虽然只是一堆叠起来的石块代表他的存在。伊朗人非常以他为豪。周围的建筑全没了，在这荒土他就是唯一。

After a day of fun-running around, I returned to Shiraz town but still felt the day shouldn’t end. So I went to visit the famous Shah e Cheragh Mausoleum. Actually, I was here yesterday, but I ran away when I was told at the entrance to deposit my two phones with them for safekeeping. And I would have to be escorted for the tour because they didn’t want me running around like a highly strung child. That put me off. Today, I was encouraged to come back by my tour guide. He suggested I could pretend to be a Muslim so I could avoid those restrictions.

玩了一整天回到设拉子市已是傍晚，但意犹未尽，跑到附近沙阿清真寺 (Shah e Cheragh) 参观。其实昨天来过，当时接待员要求把相机寄存，还要有指定人带看，不能乱跑，我听后就放弃了。导游今天劝说这陵墓值得一游，还给我出招，教我冒充为慕斯林，就会减少约束，也可到室内去参观。我也喜欢玩，可是有些东西真不能玩。

Dinner last evening was a chicken rice cake with gravy. Today it was lunch in bed—eggplant and lamb with rice. Conveniently, I could just lie down after a food coma. After lunch, I went to Eram Garden for a walk. This was a modest park undergoing renovation. Each of these spots cost US$3 to $4 for tourists—inexpensive, but it could feel like death by a thousand small cuts for the budget travelers. Locals, both men and women, were warm and friendly, often welcoming with a greeting of “Hello” or “Welcome to Iran,” making it unforgettable.

昨晚的晚餐是鸡丝，米饭和不知什么东东材料焗成一方块饭团，浇上鸡汁，还挺特别的。今天午餐吃茄子羊肉配米饭，就在床上大快朵颐。饭后到伊拉姆（Eram）公园走。这规模一般，排场低调, 在装修中。在公园不少人们经常打招呼，”哈喽” 或 “欢迎到伊朗”，包括女孩们，比亚洲女孩大方，也没太感觉到宗教的保守所约束，留下不少美好回忆。