Iran III, Northtrip (Masal, Mosule)

At midnight I was waiting at Tehran's Azadi Square, some strangers would pick me up there for a trip with many uncertainties. I had only two cell phone numbers and knew it would be a 3-day trip to the north of Iran.
The minibus arrived delayed slightly from Kashan and there were problems to meet at the huge Azadi Square. After we overcame that problems, I was introduced to my fellow passengers around one in the morning. Shortly after the well-stuffed minivan had set in motion a CD with Iranian dance music was played. The bass sound of music was supported by clapping and so began a bus tour, which I will not soon forget. The minibus was an island of pure joy for the next few hours and thus was a counterpart to the restrictive public life in Iran. Scarfs were set aside and wild dancing started. After a while I could put my typical German skeptisism against the wild, not alcohol-induced party aside and was part of the celebrating crowd.
When we arrived in Masal, the mood was down somewhat after about 10 hours (for many 13 hours) bus ride and several shopping stops, and no more than an hour of sleep. But when the bus slowly went up from the valley in the direction of our quarters, on the mountainside, you could see smiles on the faces getting bigger with every meter height we climped. The densely forested slopes and vast alpine meadows provide a stark contrast to the barren landscape of central and southern Iran. For many of my fellow travelers, this has been a new and exciting landscape. Even I could not escape the fascination for the ubiquitous green.
On the evening kebabs were grilled and eaten together. Until well into the night we talked, sang and played games.
The next day we went hiking. In bright sunshine, I went with shorts and a T-shirt. On the second climb I was in the first group, however not for long, since the majority of our group passed us on the back of a pickup. Now it was up to us to find a ride, we managed to do it in a short time. But we went past the rest of our group without seeing them. After about an hour trying to contact the others, we left our refuge and turned around. The weather had changed to dense clouds, which brought cold and wet weather. A ten minutes drive later we met the rest of our group. The picnic was scheduled to take place then. While others prepared a picnic or relaxed, I relied on my instincts. In a rush of testesteron I started a fire against the cold.
On this evening, some of our group met me a group of men in their 50s and 60s. They assured me that not only young people reject their government. The atmosphere was nice, probably due to the fact that the eight men almost drank two bottles of Smirnoff vodka. The remains were generously given to us.
On the third day we went back to Tehran and Kashan. But not without first visiting a few places. In addition to places famous for their biscuits and olives, we went to the village of Masule. It is situated on a steep mountainslope. The roofs of low-lying houses are the court for the next higher houses. In addition, there was the iriee silence of a beautiful car-free resort. After lunch in Masule, another bus ride party was started. This was the end of these magnificent three days.
I started out with a little information on a journey into the unknown, and turned back three days later with many great adventures and new friends.

Busride

Mosule