ISO containers (the sort that go on container ships); no sign of any food or coffee. Already hot enough for a tee shirt.Four and a half years ago, (26th December 2003), most of Bam was destroyed by a devastating earthquake; magnitude 6.6, leveling 70 percent of the buildings according to news reports at the time. Spent some time walking 
around the 'modern' part of Bam - I can see now that the ISO containers are being used as temporary shops - presumably replacing buildings destroyed in the earthquake. Some rebuilding work was evident - but the people involved in this seemed to be hopelessly ill-equiped - e.g. shovels and spades, no heavy earth moving machinary. The dust was pretty bad - it's so arid here.
around the 'modern' part of Bam - I can see now that the ISO containers are being used as temporary shops - presumably replacing buildings destroyed in the earthquake. Some rebuilding work was evident - but the people involved in this seemed to be hopelessly ill-equiped - e.g. shovels and spades, no heavy earth moving machinary. The dust was pretty bad - it's so arid here. On a more everyday note, found a supermarket - in a more regular building. Not big, the sort we used to have in the 1970s in the UK. Managed to spend the remains of my Iranian currency - 
I am followed around the store by staff afraid that I am acting in a suspicious manner. (I get this in all shops I go to, nothing specific to Iran! The best sort of shops are those on two floors - I go up and am followed up; then I go down and am followed down; up and down, up and down...keeps the shop staff fit.) Anyway, managed to buy cans of tuna, cookies, tins of pineapple and some cartons of juice. Also, managed to find an ISO containerised shop selling Iranian music CDs - have been trying to get a CD of Iranian music since Tehran - but difficult to make myself understood - there are lots of CD shops in Iran - but they seem to be selling computer games or perhaps videos rather than music - after much hand waving etc managed to buy something - goodness knows what sort of music it has on it - clearly not a proper CD but something homemade - I mean it's a CD-R disc with something written in Farsi in a marker pen.
I am followed around the store by staff afraid that I am acting in a suspicious manner. (I get this in all shops I go to, nothing specific to Iran! The best sort of shops are those on two floors - I go up and am followed up; then I go down and am followed down; up and down, up and down...keeps the shop staff fit.) Anyway, managed to buy cans of tuna, cookies, tins of pineapple and some cartons of juice. Also, managed to find an ISO containerised shop selling Iranian music CDs - have been trying to get a CD of Iranian music since Tehran - but difficult to make myself understood - there are lots of CD shops in Iran - but they seem to be selling computer games or perhaps videos rather than music - after much hand waving etc managed to buy something - goodness knows what sort of music it has on it - clearly not a proper CD but something homemade - I mean it's a CD-R disc with something written in Farsi in a marker pen. Later in the afternoon we moved the truck to the older part of 
Bam, near the historical Citadel of Bam, Arg-e-Bam. This is a giant complex of buildings made from unbaked mud bricks, clay, straw and trunks of palm trees, dating from something like 300 AD. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Arg-e-Bam was seriously damaged in the 2003 earthquake and is under the process of reconstruction. (High resolution satellite images before and after the earthquake ) Spent about an hour walking about the site. Once again, like so many sights in Iran, we pretty much had the place to ourselves.
Bam, near the historical Citadel of Bam, Arg-e-Bam. This is a giant complex of buildings made from unbaked mud bricks, clay, straw and trunks of palm trees, dating from something like 300 AD. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Arg-e-Bam was seriously damaged in the 2003 earthquake and is under the process of reconstruction. (High resolution satellite images before and after the earthquake ) Spent about an hour walking about the site. Once again, like so many sights in Iran, we pretty much had the place to ourselves.2:37 pm. We have left Bam and are en route to our final Iranian city, Zahedan, in southeastern Iran, located near the borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan. Sat in the back of the truck - it's just too hot to do anything other than sit and feel hot. 44 degrees C in the shade (according to my digital thermometer on my alarm clock). 
Driving through seemingly endless desert terrain. Really nothing much here at all other than the road, desert and the sky and the heat. We have a police (or army) escort.
Driving through seemingly endless desert terrain. Really nothing much here at all other than the road, desert and the sky and the heat. We have a police (or army) escort.4:56 pm. Two shots fired - from our escorting patrol's 4x4 pickup. We were directed by the patrol to pull over to the left - 
something to do with a third vehicle the patrol had pulled over on the right hand side - this vehicle then sped off whilst being shot at. Apparently the fugitive vehicle was something to do with Afghan drug smugglers - they did not have the correct documentation or something when questioned by our escorting patrol.
Incredibly hot - now the thermometer reads 49 degrees C - that's about 120 degrees F, out of direct sun in the back of the truck. And then you get the odd even hotter blast of air in from outside. No habitation or anything on this desert road - except once when we stopped at some sort of army base, and got some ice cold water. Very welcome: we have nothing cold on the truck.
something to do with a third vehicle the patrol had pulled over on the right hand side - this vehicle then sped off whilst being shot at. Apparently the fugitive vehicle was something to do with Afghan drug smugglers - they did not have the correct documentation or something when questioned by our escorting patrol.Incredibly hot - now the thermometer reads 49 degrees C - that's about 120 degrees F, out of direct sun in the back of the truck. And then you get the odd even hotter blast of air in from outside. No habitation or anything on this desert road - except once when we stopped at some sort of army base, and got some ice cold water. Very welcome: we have nothing cold on the truck.
No comments:
Post a Comment