2020.2/17 (Mon) Mashhad Purchasing Day 5
We visited various homes in a village near the Afghan border where the Baluchi people live and were shown how rugs are normally woven.
Actually, during the trip, Maeda looked suspicious because he was wearing a GoPro, probably because there aren't many Japanese people like us here...
They told me to come to the police station and tell them my story!
My First Police in Iran
Perhaps because we were near the border with Afghanistan, a local resident was surprised to see us and reported us to the police.
When I was told that I had to go to the police station after this, I was a bit surprised, but since I hadn't done anything wrong, I gradually became curious about what police stations in Iran were like!
We head to the police station in our car, reluctant to leave behind the warm chai and cozy time with our adorable baby.
At the police station, we were told to leave our smartphones and cameras in the car, so of course we couldn't take any photos.
Text alone would be a bit lonely, so here are some photos of sheep and goats in my garden.
We enter the police station, which is more like a small factory and has premises similar to a grand building.
We were led into a small building and all sat in chairs lined up in a row, but no police officers came to listen to our story...
It was lunchtime at the time, but to my surprise, the police were having lunch and asked me to wait.
When the door at the back opened briefly, I saw everyone eating at the tables and realized that they really were waiting for food.
It's a valuable experience, but it's a waste of time!
None of us had eaten lunch yet, so we were hungry and wanted to hurry up, so we practiced saying "I'm hungry" over and over again while waiting. After that, we explained the reason for our visit to the never-laughing boss police officer and his playful subordinate police officer, who had finished their lunch, and were released safely.
As we left the premises, we all took a commemorative photo.
The playful police officer was happy to take a photo with us, which was pretty funny.
Finally dinner
It was already well past lunchtime and all the restaurants were closed, but we found one place that still served us food just in time.
Classic burnt rice and tenderly stewed chicken!
This is a classic, hearty Iranian meal that is perfect for when you're hungry.
After filling our stomachs, we head back to Mashhad, glancing past the impressive flock of sheep and saying goodbye to Shahrbanu and his friends who had taken care of us.
On the long drive home, we stopped at a convenience store-like place with cheerful older men. They were playing musical instruments and seemed to be in a very welcoming mood, but apparently I was so engrossed in the chocolates in front of the register that I didn't really hear them. Terrible...
It was already dark when we arrived in Mashhad.
Still not hungry, we headed to Mashhad to try our favourite ice cream!
It's really cold, but if you come to Mashhad you absolutely have to try this ice cream.
I ignore the glittering sweets and instead opt for a rather plain-looking giant saffron, cardamom, pistachio and chocolate ice cream.
Maeda also ate two of his favorite fardeh (a mysterious thin Iranian ice cream).
Your love for Falde is amazing!
I'm sure Golamy and his friends were surprised at how much ice cream we ate.
On our last night in Mashhad, we wandered around exploring the bazaar.
I bought a spice crusher that I haven't used yet, and some sweets as souvenirs. The people of Mashhad are all so friendly!
In Mashhad, I had many interesting experiences, such as meeting the people who have always been kind to me, visiting a Baluchi village, and experiencing the police for the first time.
Well, tomorrow we'll leave Mashhad and head to the next town!
The journey is still on.
to be continued