Kicking our heels in Fuman

We're kicking our heels under a wall-to-wall blanket of low stratus cloud in a pokey town called Fuman, in hilly, forested rural Gilan. Today we tried and failed to get to the ancient mountain town of Masuleh.

 

The day started early in Rasht, after a delicious breakfast of naan, cheese, eggs, honey and multiple cups of chay. We found the minibus to Fuman with no trouble and jammed ourselves in on the back seat beside the other passengers. Seconds after I'd taken my seat (beside Aisling, who was at the window) there was a musical chairs moment because there was no seat available for another lady passenger which wasn't beside a man. I switched places with another guy, into his single seat and then vacated the seat he'd just left so that a lady in chador could take the seat. It's a funny arrangement - like dominoes, with just two types of piece - male and female. Male beside male, female beside female, unless you have a piece on which the mail end is 'married' to the female end. A culturally-imposed packing problem.

 

The little blue minibus rumbled to life and clambered over the bumpy, muddy road as the rain started to bucket down outside. The windows behind the tassel-trimmed, blue-and-white patterned curtains quickly steamed up. Aisling rubbed away the condensation to reveal a heavy sleet falling. Two (gorgeous) young women a couple of rows ahead of us started playing a game of 'tug the veil', which consisted of the girl on the rear bench pulling back the hejab of the girl in front so that most of her head was visible. The girl in front reflexively tugged her veil forward again, only to have it pulled back by her friend a moment later, amid giggles and shrieks.

 

During the journey, the sleet turned to snow, though it wasn't sticking on the road. The hilly, deciduous tree landscape was covered with a thin layer of snow and the heavy overcast meant we coundn't see the mountains at all. We arrived in Fuman after about half an hour and quickly organised a taxi to take us to Masuleh, a journey of 25km.

 

The taxi driver didn't have a word of English so once again I was glad of my minimal Persian. We could negotiate the destination and price with ease. The manky old Paykan car swung around long looping roads, climbing into the mountains between forested slopes as the snow got heavier and heavier, now sticking to the road. Sometime after Aisling's ears had popped, the car was struggling to make it up a straight incline. Shortly we came to a standstill, wheels spinning. The driver indicated that we should go back to Fuman (no language skills required here) and I didn't argue. The driver turned the car around and soon we were back on (wet) black tarmac. We stopped for a quick chay in a shack by the side of the road - the driver insisted on paying for our chay - and then resumed our journey. I strung together the Farsi for "Do you know anybody with a Jeep?" to which the driver replied that the minibuses which make the journey have four wheel drive, but that there wouldn't be any more today. Talk soon turned to finding a hotel and getting lunch. I didn't believe that the canned phrase I'd learnt: "We're going to go and have lunch, would you like to join us?" ...would be any use, but amazingly this was a situation which required that I reel off the entire construction a couple of times. Our driver declined. His contract with us concluded in a most friendly manner with us paying marginally more than we'd originally negotiated amid smiles all around.

 

Fuman has one hotel, built recently by successful local business man and concrete engineer, where we're now booked in for the night. We'll be up early tomorrow to find out if minibuses will be going to Masuleh. In the meantime, we have the rest of the afternoon and evening to kill. The family who run the hotel are celebrating Eid tonight, which is a festival that crept up on us unawares. We may get invited, but despite the fact that I'm sure we'll be welcomed by the family, I'm squirming at the thought of having to diplomatically answer questions about children (lack of), religion (lack of) and international politics.