15.10.09 Shiraz

First thing in the morning, after a chaotic breakfast, we went to see the Kareem Khan Fort. Chaotic breakfast means, at least 150 – 200 well to do Iranians, trying to grab all the food at the buffet breakfast. The waiters could not keep up with the demand.
This lovely fort is fortunately made of bricks, not like the other forts in Iran which is made of mud and straw. There was a lovely courtyard inside with orange trees all around, and we even got to see the marble bathing area. The place was packed with Iranian tourists and a few tourists from India. From here we went to the bazaar, with the guidance of our tour guides, and got totally lost in this mad, chaotic place. This reminds me so much of City market or Russel Market. The smells are the same. Susanne and Ulrikka went wild and bought a scarf each. Most of the goods in the Bazaar comes from India, what irony. When we finally got out of the bazaar, the chief tour guide Michael, again had to find his way back to the hotel, and after asking about 5 Iranians who all pointed in the same direction, we finally found our way back to the hotel. We had lunch at our favourite restaurant, which serves fabulous grill chicken, and one of the waiters even spoke Hindi. In the evening we went to one of the most westernized shopping malls we have seen in Iran, it is exactly like Forum mall, in Bangalore. On the top floor there was an amusement arcade. We all drove racing cars, and I let Daniel win once and I had to beat him the next time. Susanne and Ulrikka of course had no chance, but we enjoyed our selves. This mall has some of the shortest, sexiest dresses, and a good food court. Prices are the same as in India. After a great dinner at the mall, Chinese and Italian, we caught a cab home to play cards. Daniel and I felt so bad for the girls that we let them win this evening.

Efter indtagelse af et kaotisk organiseret morgenmåltid, gik vi hen og så byens vartegn, Karim Khan Fortet, i modsætning til mange af de andre bygninger vi har set, er fortet bygget af mursten og består af en ringmur med 4 tårne, et i hvert hjørne. I indergården er der et vand bassin og citron træer. Derefter gik vi i basaren, hvor vi igen indkøbte tørklæder, denne gang et hvert (altså Ulrikka og Susanne). Basaren er indendørs i nogle gamle bygninger, nærmest som en labyrint, så vi kom ud af basaren på et for os ukendt sted, men vi fandt dog let hotellet igen, efter at Michael havde spurgt om vej mindst 20 gange. Vi spiste frokost på stam grill baren, og Daniel og Michael fik grill kylling mens Ulrikka og Susanne fik kyllingesandwich. Så købte Ulrikka og Daniel kager, man kan få rigtig meget kage for 5 kroner, nogle var så gode at Daniel måtte tilbage og købe flere, og nogle var så gode at Daniel drømmer om at Mormor kan bage samme slags. ( sådan nogle makron/kokos toppe). Efter middagsluren tog vi ud for at få en dosis Vesten. Vi var i et indkøbscenter, hvor der på øverste etage var en spillearkade, her startede vi ud med at køre om kap i racerbiler. Daniel kørte som en Iraner og vandt, til stor fortrydelse for Michael og Ulrikka. Efter en tur rundt i indkøbscentret som først åbnede kl 17.00 ( vi tror butikkerne her, holder lukket fra 12-17), hvor Ulrikka og Susanne bl.a var inde i en undertøjsbutik, ikke fordi vi skulle købe undertøj, men fordi vi ville ind bag forhænget hvor mænd ikke kan gå ind. Og vi kan godt afsløre at de Iranske kvinder gir den gas inderst inde. Efter indtagelse af kinesisk mad og is, tog vi tilbage til hotellet og spillede kanasta og endelig vandt de Gode.