Jeremiah's Strange Times

Its been a very very long time since I've done anything with this blog, and here I am, posting in it anew. Iran's been in the news, and I've been travelling again and so I felt I might as well finish what I started. The following is slightly different - this is mostly a direct transcription from my journals.  Most of the time I feel I need to elaborate (and I have actually done a bit of that here) to change and redraft the text I carry in my bag for most of my life, but in this case (mostly) is seemed good enough, one might even hazard striking the word 'enough' from that last sentence.  I'd barely started talking about Iran when I ceased writing last time, there is a lot more to tell. So enjoy the story of a trip a good few years old.  If you're new to the blog please feel free to look at some of what I've already posted.  Who knows if I'll manage to keep this up so enjoy it while its here! The Buzz and the Beauty Friday the 4th of...

I was in Tehran, physically beaten,  spiritually ecstatic.  The sky hung above the courtyard, grey and tawdry, wind shook the tree in the corner, occasional drops of ashen rain fell to stain the page. I had set to writing, fueled with tea from a battered samovar, perched on a little table with insectile legs buckling; wrapped up in cling film beside it were flat bread piles and fig jam.  By default I was first to this breakfast buffet, others arrived gradually as the hour grew saner and before long I was scattily engaged in chat with a French student and an accountant from Amsterdam. Idle pleasant chat watching bedraggled folk emerge from dormitories upstairs, they stumbled in turn over a large pool of shoes that spread from the door almost to the samovar at which they clutched, sleep feverish. All then sat, chewed and sipped - joined the growing chat.  It was the simple ease of the hostel. All looked well traveled in well worn loose fitting woollens, fa...

Date: Sat, 14 Aug 2004 18:14:01 +0000 Subject: Beyond the gates Hi everybody! (Hi doctor Jerry) I`m currently eating a Hama speciality, its called  halawat al jibna , basically its creamed cheese wrapped in uncooked dough with nuts and caramelised sugar on top.  The guy selling it to me made me use what little Arabic I have, which basically led to the three of us laughing back and forth at each other for about 10 minutes. Its nice, although after 2 pieces I'm beginning to feel a little full....in a queasy sort of way. Our friend in the Krak Hama , a town in Syria, we thought it was gonna be pretty small, it isn't. Actually everything we assumed about Syria turned out to be wrong.  Banish all images you ever had of Syria and let me paint you a picture of a country with religious tolerance, almost European amenities, a beautiful landscape going from reds to blacks, to deepest greens. And to top it off a people so amazingly friendly its almost too ...