My favorite!! We arrived in Shiraz under water and asked our driver to drop us off in a hotel that I had just called and asked for...

Shiraz

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My favorite!!


We arrived in Shiraz under water and asked our driver to drop us off in a hotel that I had just called and asked for the rate for the dorm. We arrived to the hotel and it all started wrong, first with the guy at the front desk saying that he didn’t talk to me and he couldn’t give us the rate that I was told on the phone and then he asked for our passports and Marcos didn’t want the hotel to keep it so they started arguing, haha. We gave up on trying to argue the price down and I was mad because this guy was lying to me but since it was raining we decided to stay. I was taking a nap when Marcos figured out that we called a cell phone number and not a land line and that we should call back and see who we talked to. I dialed the phone number and it turned out that google had the owner’s cell phone as the primary business number and I told him what happened and asked us to go back to the front desk and he would clarify the rate.


That night we went out under the rain in search of a shisha bar that was recommended by our driver. We walked through the bazaar and asked many people but were unable to find it. We walked and walked in search of a restaurant but had a hard time finding one until a guy took us to a restaurant that was still open and the guys had dinner.
As we were walking back to the hotel we heard some music coming out of a floor below the ground level so we went down and peaked at the place. It turned out to be an amazing restaurant with live music and shisha. The three of us ordered a shisha an enjoyed the beautiful music and the ambiance surrounded by only locals. It was funny to see how when a whole table left the waitresses started smoking the shisha that they left, the waitresses got a little crazy dancing and making a loud screaming sound. It was all too funny!

Iranian traditional music

Marcos enjoying the shisha



The next day it rained, rained, and rained! Marcos and I decided to go out and find a cafe with good internet but after about 3 minutes we were completely soaked and we decided to go back to the hotel.

In the afternoon the rain stopped so we decided to go out. It was friday (the Iranian sunday!) and everything was closed, streets were empty and there wasn’t much to do or see. We walked for hours in the empty streets of Shiraz, we saw how locals came to the river and took pictures; it wasn’t until later that I learned that the river usually doesn’t have any water but due to the rain it was fully flowing so the locals came from all over town to take pictures.
At one point we saw a huuuge line of people and I said “This must be a really good restaurant” but it turned out to be an ice cream shop. Quickly the three of us lined up and got one of the special ice creams… yumm!
Always, always, always join the long line!


We all scream for Ice Cream!!!


Waiting for food is not easy

At night we had dinner at the hostel and after we went back to the shisha restaurant and listened to traditional music, this time the waitresses were not as crazy.
More tea for me!
With some Dutch girls we met at the hotel.


Shiraz had been under water for a week or so with floodings and really bad weather so I was a little afraid that it wouldn’t go away. I had been telling Marcos that the next day would be beautiful, with the sun shinning and we could explore the city. Unfortunately the first and second days my prayers were not answered but on the 3rd day (and my last in Shiraz) I woke up at 6:30am to find the sun shinning out of the window of our hotel’s dorm.

I had come to Shiraz to see the famous Nasir al musk with its beautiful stained glass windows that in the morning when the sun shines on them the s
At 7:45 there were maybe 20-30 people, all of us taking pictures and making sure we all had an opportunity to get pictures without people. Even when we took photos on our own or selfies we were careful to do it quickly in order not to bother others. At 8:15 a group of Chinese tourists arrived and there were no longer possibilities of taking pictures. As usual, the Chinese tourists took over the whole place, being loud and taking selfies. The mosque was no longer a place where we could enjoy the colors shinning on the carpets and making it special, it was now a place where people only cared about themselves and having their face on a picture. So sad!

 (Ok, i posted way too many pictures of this place!)









Admiring the outside








After spending almost 2 hours at the mosque I went back to the hostel and met up with the boys. We went shopping for a tent for them to go camping in Hormuz and then for lunch. After lunch they decided to go hike a mountain so I decided to stay in the bazaar and take some pictures. 




Beautiful work!
Immediately after they left I started taking photos and an older man selling nuts and dry fruits offered me some dry figs and we started talking. After trying about everything that the man sells he asked me to come with him that he was going to show me something.
Dry figs forever!


He made me try all the nuts!

Long story short I ended up spending five hours around shiraz with this man.

First he showed me around the bazaar and the different shops.






Chador fabric anyone?

Can you see the man in the shop?

Here we are! with the roof of the bazaar!






Then we walked out of the bazaar and into the streets of Shiraz. We ended up in a shrine where he took me inside and explained all about it. He was also my private photographer! haha He told me how to pose and he would snap a pic! Once he even laid on the floor to take my picture! The Shrine was so so so so beautiful! The walls were 100% made of little pieces of glass with different designs all over! It was like the Golestan palace in Tehran, only more compact, which made it seem even more impressive.
With the rain the day before this river was flowing like crazy!!

View of the shrine from the street


Teaching me how to read the Qur'an



Teaching me how to sit with the Qur'an... haha




After the mosque/ shrine (I don’t really know) he took me on a shared taxi to the starting point of a walk uphill to see the view of Shiraz. It was so  beautiful!
Nice view of Shiraz!



Before sunset I decided to go back since I had to meet up with the boys. We walked once again back to the bazaar and I invited him to have some asch before I left to the hotel. It is amazing to me to witness the generosity of Iranian people! They really go out of their way to make us feel welcome and at home. I never asked for him to show me anything, let alone leave his stand for five arounds and show me around but Iranians are just that way. Such a beautiful

Buying some bread for my bus ride


That night Richard, Marcos, and myself went to visit the big shrine in Shiraz. First we got a little confused about the entrance, when we finally found it we had to separate and go to the entrance according to our gender. I got into the female entrance and they made me sit, I was confused and didn’t know why I was waiting. The many ladies sitting there asked me the same question I always get “China? Korea? Thailand? Malaysia?” and I said “El Salvador, near mexico.” after about 10 minutes a girl came with a shadon for me to wear and said “You are from Mexico… Welcome” at this point I just let it go… I’m from Mexico!
We walked to the Shrine and it was very impressive!




Pigeon house, every night the pigeons can come here to eat and sleep.



Looking sexy with my chador!




I returned to the hotel and joined some friends... having some illegal brandy! haha
Then it was time to get on my 10 hour night bus to Qeshm.

Cheeeese! 



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About Post Author

Hi! It's me... Andrea! In 2016 I decided to drop everything and take a year to enrich my life and travel around the world. It turns out the world is just too big for 12 months! Still on the road and sharing my experience as a solo female traveler around the globe!

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About me




Hi! It's me... Andrea!

In this blog you can live vicariously through my journey around the world!

Please feel free to share tips or places to go!
Contact me: andreaheartstraveling@gmail.com