The day we arrive in Yasuj

14 April
After the thunderstorm of the night before we climb the pass without any difficulties and arrive early in Yasuj. We weren’t able to organize a Couchsurfing host in advance, but when we arrive in Yasuj and have internet coverage we discover that we have two invitations. While the muddy bikes are being cleaned in the car wash I contact Javad, who appears to be a very young couchsurfer of 17 years old, still going to school. He welcomes us with: ‘Benvenuti’ and also speaks English perfectly, he learned it by himself by watching a British soap on YouTube and has a very sophisticated English accent. He also turns out to be very sensitive and concerned about the situation in the world. We have some very good conversations with him and he gives us a small cross, that he carved out of wood with his own hands, to show to us that religions should unite people rather than drive them apart. We also come to speak about his future plans. He would be an excellent English teacher, but he is determined to go for military service first and then he wants to fight IS and is prepared to pay with his life. Does he really know what he is talking about? I explain to him that by being a couchsurfer he is already making a contribution to world peace and he is visible touched by that. But he still wants to fight IS.
A couple of weeks later I have contact with him again. He has figured out that by being a translator and tour guide he can earn good money and he admits that going in the army is probably not the best of ideas.

That is what we do with mud-spitting bikes

Since we arrive on a holiday (to celebrate that Mohammed gets appointed Allah’s prophet) there is a picnic organized in the mountains of Yasuj with all the brothers of Javad’s father and their families. We are invited to participate and we happily accept. The pictures below say enough.

Swinging

Literally everyone is swinging...

Sports and hiking

Even we did some skeet shooting (with bottles filled with pebbles), for me the last time as it made me deaf in one ear. Hiking with all of these clothes on for the women isn't very practical. 

Food
When the kebabs are ready they get removed from the pin by taking a piece of bread (which is a cloth like thing in Iran) and are pushed off the pin.

Herbs and plants
During the picnic and the hike a lot of plants and herbs were collected. Of the bright green ones one can peel the hard part from the stem and directly eat the stem. Very nicely sweet. One of the brothers is a homeopathic doctor. He explained some of the applications and said that in the mountains around Yazuj about 2000 different herbs can be found.

Granddad

Dawn