Shiraz - continued

- Guided tour -

Naghsh-e Rostam: These are four burial tombs carved in to a cliff. The face of each tomb is about 100 feet high and 40 across. Richly carved, even though in soft sandstone. Additional works have been added over the centuries.

Fire temples: There are many of these small to large "fire temples" throughout the region. They are from the Zoroastrian religious period that predate Islam. The Zoroastrians believed that fire was a purifying agent. I recall going with Nikoo to a celebration around New Year (March 22) where we jumped over a series of fire pits, mouthing wishes for a good life, and transferring our unpleasant attributes in exchange for the purity of the fire.
Persepolis: (more later, where do I begin?)

- On our own -

Persian Bathhouse (now a restaurant): Very bad food, but our hearts to the owner for restoring this 400 year old Bath house (now a restaurant). Persians are very clean-conscious people; men entered the bath clean and upon returning to a resting place (usually to smoke from a communal water pipe and to eat) there was a smaller bath near the tables just for washing the feet. Even on this afternoon, many people were relaxing about to escape the heat outside.

Carnival: Just after dark, Nikoo and I strolled through this large park behind the hotel. It had fountains that shot water 50 feet in the air and many places to be quiet. There were however, hundreds of people in the park. At this point I was still self-conscious of standing out (towards the end of our trip I lost this feeling) and groups of people watched as we walked by. There was a kiddy carnival in the middle of the park with all the normal rides. The 'video arcade' contained about 30 TV's attached to individual computers. You paid for your time in the room, regardless of what you played. The most aggressive ride swung a group of 20 just beyond perpendicular on a pendulum. For me, it was odd to see the smiling faces and yells coming from a carpet of black chadors. Nikoo and I made friends with lots of little ones and a few of their parents.