The Persian Gulf

As an avid sand collector, I really wanted to add some sand of the Persian Gulf to the collection. You might not know this, but one of the things I started long time ago, actually when Kim and I got married in Australia in 2008, is to collect sand from all over the world. At home I put them all neatly in the same little glass jars and this gives a great collection and memories from all over the world, especially as the sand ranges from white to black and everything in between.

On my way I found again some incredible places to spend the night and the scenery is as always interesting and ever changing.

Finally! The Persian Gulf!

I really did find some great spots to spend some time swimming and hanging around doing nothing but read, sunbath and watching movies. Life is tough sometimes…

Ok, ok, what you can’t see in the pictures is how hot it actually was, so I made a mug shot just for you:

Yes, it says 55 degrees Celsius (131 F)! Maybe even hotter, who knows, my thermometer only goes until 55…

While staying at a lake, a couple approached and we started chatting. Khosro lives in Firuzabad and his lovely newly wed wife spoke English and not before long I was invited to their house the next day for a meal. I gladly accepted of course. They are part of the Turkish minority that lives in Iran and so their language and customs is different than the Persians.

But first a visit to Dokhtar Castle:

Before meeting Khosro, his wife and the rest of the family for lunch:

Of course, the family needs to check out the van:

Remember Alexis? The French hitchhiker that I met while canyoning? I stayed in touch with him and we set up a meeting to go to Qeshm island together, so he didn’t have to pay for the ferry. I gave him the coordinates of the beach I as camping at and he would try to get there. When Alexis finally showed up late at night, he told me that the last guy who gave him a ride was working at the university and if we wanted to come and say hi the next day. Having no particular plans, we thought why not and so we went.

In the end we stayed the whole day teaching English to kids from 8 years old to aldults that could have been our parents, it was just a great experience. The university offered us accommodation and a nice meal for our time so perfect deal!