Nomads

We arrived in Shiraz at 10 PM last night. The city has a population of about 1 million people. Lonely Planet recommends booking a hotel at the airport since there are often great discounts to be had. So, we did just that. Later, we found out we saved about 17%. Shiraz is a smaller city compared to Tehran, which means the center is much more compact, and restaurants and shops are within walking distance of each other. Overall, the city is much easier to navigate. It’s also the first time we've seen so many tourists—about 10 in total! Pars Travel Agency is one of the more experienced and recommended travel agencies often used by tourists. Shiraz is a great base for exploring the desert, hiking in the mountains, and experiencing the lives of nomads. A 2-day tour costs $110 per person, which includes an English-speaking guide, a driver, meals, and sleeping bags. At 1:30 PM, we met our guide Abdullah and our driver. We were set to drive a couple of hours to the foothills of the Zagros Mountains, where the nomads have settled. The mountains provide them with safety and ensure they aren't easily attacked—something that was crucial in the old days. We drove far out into the "countryside" along dusty roads, through small, primitive villages until we reached our nomadic hosts. Four tents on a desolate plain at the foot of the mountains were to be our home for the night. There were no trees or bushes around. Luckily, the landscape was a bit hilly; otherwise, we would have struggled to find a place to go to the toilet. A little privacy is nice to have in these moments :) Nomads don’t stick together in large groups. A size of four tents is normal. Our host was a small man around 55 years old with a wife and three children—one girl and two boys. One of the boys had a Mongolian appearance but still helped take care of the sheep and goats. Upon our arrival, we were offered tea and freshly picked apples. We brought a gift for our host family—some Iranian sweets. We also brought Danish licorice from Denmark. The nomads seemed to think it was the worst thing they had ever tasted :) A neighbor came to visit, and we offered him a piece of licorice. The host immediately jumped in with a splash of a smile to stop the neighbor from experiencing the "ugly" taste of licorice. Our guide and driver actually liked it, so they polished off the bag. Every morning around 6 AM, the men set off with all the animals to graze and get some water. By around 9, they return so the little kids can have something to drink—they are always left in the camp. The men head out again and return around 1 PM so the women can milk the animals. The milk is used, among other things, for bread. The women fetch water, cook, patch up the tents made of wool, and spin new carpets from their own wool, which are used as floor coverings in the tents. They also sleep under a pile of blankets to keep warm at night. The nomads come from Turkey. They wear colorful dresses, but all the women still wear headscarves. Out here in the mountains, with no shade, it makes perfect sense to have a scarf on to protect against the sun. In the evening, there was dancing and singing to the sound of an old boombox and a cassette tape. They also wanted us to dance Danish dances and sing Danish songs. We fell short there. Instead, we played Danish pop music from our mobile phone for them. It went completely silent. They didn’t know what to say. The tent was totally quiet except for Aqua blasting through the speakers: "I’ve been around the world." Everyone was very interested in discussing social issues and lifestyle questions. We mentioned that it’s quite normal in Denmark to have children before getting married. The guide translated our answers, and we immediately understood their response. Eyebrows shot up as they said, "Ohh." They were very curious about how much we drink, what we drink, and how often it happens. The guide seemed to be on good terms with us, as he started asking about sex. What did we think of their politics and religion? No question was too big once the conversation got rolling. For dinner, they asked if we wanted chicken. It wasn’t long before we heard a hen squawking as she was caught. We often regretted not just saying we were vegetarians. The meat is served with bones, and the taste is quite different from what you’d expect from chicken. All meals are eaten sitting on Persian carpets on the floor. We also slept on the floor in sleeping bags with heavy Persian carpets on top to keep warm. Still, everyone slept poorly due to the cold and animal noises. The dogs barked, the donkeys brayed, and the goats/sheep bleated until about 10 PM, and they started again around 6 AM. We all woke up countless times. The father always sleeps outside to protect the animals from thieves. There are only three days left before the nomads pack up to move 45 km further south/west towards Iraq. It’s getting too cold to stay here. Each nomad has a summer and winter dwelling. They are divi