Bizarre Bozorg

Oh, what a day this was. If only I could upload pics from my outdated electronica you could hear, taste, see what I mean. Mota'assefam (sorry), it will have to wait until I return. Here are the pictures - and some pictures I wish I had taken - for you to envision in the meantime:

Aks #1: Back of the bus chock full of chadored women in black - and one 6' tall American woman dressed in white. I accidentally pointed my cane at one of them on my way out. Let's just say, a huge smile makes up for a lot. Bebaksheed, you know? (excuse me)

Aks #2: A pink ice cream cone held by a woman in full chador standing at the curtain of the woman's entrance to Masjede-Shah Mosque in Bazaar Bozorg. Khoshhal (happiness) comes in many flavors around here, but I didn't expect it in the mosque! Hey, maybe it was Baskin Robbins' "Pink Bubble Gum" flavor.

Aks #3: Young smiling man in the Bazaar Bozorg with scabs and scrapes on his face and arms. After we talked I found out he had a motorcycle accident too! I can relate.

Aks #4: Having chaee with the young hip carpet vendors, Ali and Mehrbad, at their wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling Persian carpeted office. There's an interesting backstory on this picture to come.

The list goes on, but there's a line forming for this computer so I must say khoda hafez (goodbye). Off to discover the beauty of Yazd, Shiraz, and Esfahan...