Yes, I’ve booked onto Wild Frontiers’ recce tour to Iran in April/May next year.
I decided that:
(1) it isn’t going to get any safer to go there any time soon, and the chances are it might get even more difficult to visit – so better to go sooner rather than later/never;
(2) I needed something to look forward to over the winter, and to help out on the “work-to-live” ethos; and
(3) If I didn’t book asap the trip might get booked up, or I’d become too stingey to shell out…. either way I’d be missing out on (what I anticipate will be) an excellent trip to a destination that has long been on my travel wishlist.
My Amazon Wishlist has been updated accordingly…. for those of you wondering what to buy me for Christmas (hint).
Outline itinery is:
Day 1: London to Tehran
Day 2: Tehran
Day 3: Tehran to Hamadan/Hamedan
Day 4: Hamadan/Hamedan
Day 5: Hamadan/Hamedan to Kashan
Day 6: Kashan to Yazd
Day 7: Yazd to Bazm
Day 8: Bam to Persepolis
Day 9: Persepolis to Shiraz
Day 10: Shiraz to Yasuj
Day 11: Yasuj to Isfahan / Esfahan
Day 12: Isfahan / Esfahan
Day 13: Isfahan / Esfahan to Tehran
Day 14: Tehran to Bandar-e-Anzali
Day 15: Bandar-e-Anzali to Tehran
Day 16: Tehran to London
Maps of Iran:
Iranian Cultural & Information Center – “Sensitive” map
Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection – Iran Maps
Taken by Rob and now available on his Rob’s Journeys Flickr pages. So we get to enjoy his Skardu adventures (vicariously at least).
I quite often meet friends for a drink near London Bridge, and we always have a conversation along the lines of “where shall we meet?”, “mmm, don’t really know anywhere round there”, “OK, how about [insert randomly selected venue from BeerInTheEvening here]”.
So I sought recommendations from friends for pubs near London Bridge/Monument, “ones that serve good beer and aren’t always rammed to the gills”. Here are the results:
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The Rose
The Royal Oak
Market Porter
The Southwark Tavern
The Wheatsheaf
The Boot and Flogger
The George Inn
The St Christopher Inn
… and available in my imaginatively named “Hindu Kush Adventure” set on Flickr.
Day 1 (28 September 2006): Depart London on overnight BA flight to Islamabad
Day 2 (29 September 2006): Arrive Islamabad, drive to Peshawar
Day 3 (30 September 2006): Peshawar
Day 4 (01 October 2006): Khyber Steam Train up the Khyber Pass
Day 5 (02 October 2006): Drive over the Malakand Pass to Dir
Day 6 (03 October 2006): Drive over the Lowari Pass to Ayun
Day 7 (04 October 2006): Ayun town tour and into to the Rumbur Valley, staying with the Kalash at Balanguru
Day 8 (05 October 2006): Balanguru and hike to the Nuristani village of Shakanande
Day 9 (06 October 2006): Balanguru and hike to Pelaga, the Wild Frontiers hideaway
Day 10 (07 October 2006): Balanguru to Chitral town – sightseeing and shopping!
Day 11 (08 October 2006): Chitral town to Hindu Kush Heights hotel
Day 12 (09 October 2006): To Mastuj, via Buni Zom, for dinner with Colonel Khushwalalt Ul Mulk
Day 13 (10 October 2006): Over the Shandur Pass to Phander
Day 14 (11 October 2006): Phander to Gilgit, then on to Karimabad along the Karakoram Highway
Day 15 (12 October 2006): Karimabad (shopping!) and the Eagle’s Nest Hotel
Day 16 (13 October 2006): Karimabad to Chilas, back along the Karakoram Highway
Day 17 (14 October 2006): Chilas to Islamabad
Day 18 (15 October 2006): Early morning flight to UK
Note: those links will take you to the photos for each day – but they display in reverse order. If you go to my “Hindu Kush Adventure set, you’ll see my photos in the correct order.
Here is what to do if you want to download a copy of any of the photos:
1. Click on the photo you want to download so that only it is displayed on the page. Just above the photo and under the title, you’ll see a magnifying glass icon with the label “All sizes”. Click on this.
2. You’ll now be on a page for that photo that lists all the available sizes you can download it in. Click on the description of the size you want. It will display in your browser. I would choose “Original” – especially if you are planning to print the photo – as this will be the best quality. But it will take up the most room on your PC.
3. When you have decided which version of the photo you want, click on the “Download the X size” link.
4. Your PC will ask you where on your PC you want to save the photo. I’d create a new folder somewhere called something like “Mary’s Photos from the Hindu Kush Adventure”. Click on OK and the photo will save onto your PC.
And if you want to put faces to names:
– Ali
– Amanda
– Ann
– Annie
– Benedict
– Joan
– Thelma
– Trisha
– Rob
– Stanley
– Zafar
Previously….
More Hindu Kush Adventure photos
Back from the high Hindu Kush
This most recent Aurelio Zen mystery proved a bit of a disappointment. I’ve missed out on Medusa, the novel that covers events between And then you die and Back to Bologna, which turn out to have been pretty key in relation to Zen’s romantic life. I dislike reading things in the wrong order – it spoils my enjoyment of the discovery of what happens in the book I’ve missed out.
Another aspect of Back to Bologna which irked me was the cast of 21st century stereotypes: celebrity chef, rich kid football hooligan, illegal economic migrant, oligarchical football club owner. It felt like I was reading reportage in Grazia or Hello, “with the names changed to protect the innocent”. And Zen didn’t seem to contribute much to the final outcome; in fact he did’t appear to do much apart from mope about his failing love life.
Buy it: Amazon link
