Day 92 Cave Village
SYNOPSIS: A visit of Kandevar and more. Cave dwellers and cave tourists.It was dark, but not too dark and I stared that cockroach directly into the eye – it was crawling up my arm approaching my face! I almost jumped out of bed. I had barely gone to sleep when a slight tickle had caught my attention… I should have known that they don’t just live in the bathroom, but do come out at night and go everywhere. What was a Western Madame supposed to do when attacked by cockroaches? Run out of the room screaming? Ask for another room? Move to another hotel? I was in no mood for any of that, so I grabbed one of my bathroom slippers and started to hunt. But it was pointless. That thing was gone before I could move the bed. Back to sleep! But that was impossible. Now I felt tickles everywhere even though there was nothing! I opened my eyes every few minutes looking for a big brown spot where there should be none and about an hour into this, there it was – crawling up the wall right in front of my face. I slowly grabbed that slipper and zapped it! Sorry, if there are any animal rights activists out there. I zapped it and it felt good. Even though I knew that this was not the end of the cockroach population in my room, I finally could go to sleep. I don’t know how many more of them came to visit during the night. I don’t want to think of it. I keep telling myself that they don’t bite and that it’s all in my head. Just one more night. Perhaps, I should have chosen the scarf and the inconvenience of the other hotels after all…In the morning, I asked the hotel to call me a taxi with a preferably young driver who could speak some English. They sent a middle-aged guy who was so big that he needed almost a seat and a half, who could not even understand “stop”. But I taught him that one. And “picture”. I am sure he already forgot. To visit the village of Kandevar one needs to have private transportation. Kandevar is the more famous of the two rock-cut villages of Iran. It is far more touristy than Meymand which I visited over Easter. I am glad that I chose to stay in Meymand and not in Kandevar for my cave experience. Meymand’s primitive, small guest house was closed when I got there, Kandevar’s fancy hotel and restaurant were open and the staff was eager to show me around. I would not believe it had I not seen it: About 20 caves had been turned into deluxe hotel rooms. The royal suite which I was shown was the top of the line with TV, bar (non-alcoholic beverages only), air conditioning, alcove seating area, and a Jacuzzi, going for a whopping $300 per night! A full, first class restaurant was attached to the hotel serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Rock terraces provided a view of the valley, the river, and the rolling hills and if ever I am rich, that’s where I will go for a few days! The simple rooms went for a mere $150 per night. May be next time. I bet you there are no cockroaches there.The historical origins of Kandevar are still under debate. One thing is clear, it’s old! Sadly, over the last few decades newer brick buildings have been added right in front of the old conical cave dwellings to provide stores, bathroom facilities, and more modern living spaces. And across the river a whole Disneyland area of stalls and entertainment for the tourists has developed. But behind the new brick buildings, there are some older stone dwellings, and hugging the mountains is the old part, the bizarre looking zigzag skyline of rock-cut Kandevar. There must be a reason why most of the dwellings are conical. I wonder if that is the natural erosion at that part of the mountain which was just used as is, or if it was carved that way to provide for better insulation. Some of the dwellings reportedly have up to four stories. The lower ones are animal shelters, the higher ones living spaces and the rest are used for storage. I just strolled around for a few hours taking pictures.I climbed up to the highest point of the village – a tricky affair. I realized that it is even more dangerous to go up a steep road which is made up of loose debris than it is climbing down the mountains at Abyaneh. The difference is only that if you fall on such a road, it is unlikely that you break anything. I have no idea how the villagers get up those irregular, unpaved, steep roads with something in their hands, like groceries, or perhaps a piece of furniture. The photo opportunities were endless. One thing became clear; the villagers are not amused by all the tourists crawling around taking their picture. I had to be very discreet photographing people. My zoom lens helped.Back in Tabriz I strolled through the bazaar and visited the Koran Museum. Wonderful pieces of calligraphy were exhibited there. A most unusual object was an undershirt fully covered with tiny script of quotes from the Koran. Some exquisite implements used by calligraphers such as pen boxes, scissors, and ink wells made for a good understanding of this uniquely Islamic art. The exhibit was housed in a beautiful old mosque with some wonderful brick minarets.At the bazaar the most important section, the carpet section, was still closed for the weekend. But I found a store that sold Tabriz Kelims and I just had to buy one…And so it got late again and it is time to go to bed… I am trying not to get freaked out over those cockroaches. They do not bite and it’s all in my head!Good night.