Lost photos
December 27th, 2007
Obviously, I’ve taken many more pictures than I’ve been able to share with you (or have been willing to share! I must leave something for slide shows when I return to Canada!) But, you may have noticed that I’ve been especially stingy with pictures since my arrival Iran. This is due to two factors. One – I left my laptop in Syria with my motorcycle, therefore, processing the pictures is difficult/expensive at Internet Cafes. Two – I left the charger for my good camera in Syria as well, so processing photos drains precious battery life from my second most valuable piece of equipment.
Fortunately, I’ve found a traveler with the same camera as me, so I can recharge at will, and… well. I’m bored. I’ve been in Yazd for way too many days – uploading photos seems like an excellent way to spend time today. (While in Yazd I’ve already re-read Hemingway’s classic, “A Farewell to Arms” and read for the first time Agatha Christie’s thriller, “Nigger Island.” Yes. That’s the name of the book.)
I’m leaving Yazd for Mashaad tomorrow (the holiest city in Iran). Once more, my timing is a little off. I should stay in the desert for another two days, because Ayatollah Khamenei is coming to town on Sunday and I’m told he’ll make a public appearance. Already, the town is abuzz with activity and preparations.
But, I’m off. I don’t know where I’ll go after Mashaad. I really feel like heading back to Syria to rejoin my motorcycle. (And now for a post filled with non sequiturs.) The picture above is from Persepolis (pronounced “Purse Police.”) It’s Xerxes Gate, or the Gate of All Nations.
A tomb, near Persepolis. It’s not that of King Xerxes, but it’s still fascinating. I had the foresight to include a large Australian man in the foreground for scale… he’s 12 feet tall.
Modern weaponry of the Iranian Military… I’m led to believe some branches of the armed forces have better stuff (by the same people that told me there are weapons of mass destruction in Iraq). Notice the finger over the barrel to prevent a stray bullet from doing any damage.
Yazd at sunset. It’s a beautiful town, in its way. See the tallest of the towers in the background? My hotel is basically at the foot of that building. And, the tower upon which I stood for this photo will likely be one of the locations for the public appearance of the Ayatollah.
Climbing buildings is a habit that dies hard. (Actually, some of my favourite photos have been taken from the roof tops in one city or another.)
In this photo, I’m pretending to ponder something of significance while gazing out over the city. Maybe I’m wondering if I should post photos that are obviously over exposed.
That’s me on the hill. I set the camera self-timer for 45 minutes and just barely made it into the frame before the shutter opened. OK. OK. That’s just another traveler I met on some mountain in the desert.