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Wednesday 2004-06-02 - Yazd, Iran
Getting lost
First priority this morning in Yazd is changing money - I’ve already borrowed some from Thom and Carla. So we head for the old town where the bank should be near the mosque and next to the post office. According to our city information, it’s very easy to get lost in the old town — and getting lost is exactly what we do. Not a real problem: the old town is quite beautiful and reminds me somewhat of the old town of Bukhara with its network of alleys and mud-plastered walls. When we finally find ourselves in a ‘real’ street again we find we weren’t even far off: we actually already passed the back of the Jame mosque (I even took a picture without realizing it was this mosque) and once we’re in the right street, the post office is easy to find — but where is the bank?? After walking up and down the street and asking several times we find we walked passed it at least twice already: the bank building is on the corner and they’ve just built a new wing; they are now renovating the main building - meanwhile neither building has a sign this is the bank!
We have to practically walk through a building site to get to the money-changing desk in the new wing. Changing money is a complicated affair with three forms, showing your passport, signatures and stamps, and then going back down to the other building to do the actual exchange at the cashier’s. While working through all the forms the bank employee who helps us chats with us a bit and tells us they actually do a lot of business with people from the Netherlands: Iran is importing a lot of seeds from seed growers in the Netherlands, such as for cucumber and carrots.
The Jame mosque, of which we already had a glimpse, turns out to be one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, with splendid tile work. It’s also a nice, cool space and we see how several students take advantage of this and sit around on the carpets and against the tiled walls with their study books.
Internet in the mosque
Near the Jame mosque we already noted a sign pointing to the “Y@zd Internet Cafe” and that’s where Carla and I head this afternoon (this time without getting lost). It’s only a small room with two machines though - both occupied. One of the young men we ask says to come with him, he’ll bring us to another room; he takes us inside the gates of the mosque, then to a side entrance where there turns out to be a library with a room next to it housing several computers where students can work. The machines are modern, with Windows XP, and the connection is reasonably fast, too — much better than in the backpacker’s hotel here in Yazd where we worked last night. First I help Carla to send an email, then I start typing away my backlog while Carla waits outside, shops, and later brings me a very welcome fruit juice: just what I needed since no drinks are sold here.
Discovery
On the way back from the Internet in the Mosque in Yazd we see again what we saw somewhere else before without knowing what we saw: white stuff scooped into a plastic cup, eaten with a spoon. It’s not ice (which Carla can’t eat I and I don’t like). We decide to try it when the friendly vendor explains: plastic cups stand ready with sugar syrup in it; into that the mysterious white stuff is scooped, then rosewater, a lump of ice, and some poppy seeds are added to it. “Stir” he says, when he hands us our spoons. We sit down at a long table where several women are already sitting, amused to see us trying something new. It’s delicious!
Later, we learn this specialty of this region is called faludeh and can be served with variations: lime juice instead of poppy seeds (fresh or from the ubiquitous bottles here since lime juice is used in many dishes), or flavored with saffron instead of rosewater. We’re immediately addicted to it: it’s a very refreshing snack, and not as sweet or sticky as ice. Something to try to make at home!
