Posted on 10/05/2006 8:03:29 PM PDT by Coleus
SHIRAZ, Iran -- Honking horns. Gridlock. Crowded stores. In the United States, camping offers an escape from the sounds and hassles of city life. Here, families from surrounding villages and towns travel into this city of nearly 4 million to pitch tents right in the middle of the urban hustle. It's vacation, Iranian style.
Increasingly popular among families seeking a change of scenery, but more and more irritating to city officials who must handle the influx, urban camping has changed the face of Iran's cities during the warmer months of the year. Earlier this month, brightly colored tents dotted the busiest thoroughfares of the city, the street medians and public parks. As the workaday world marched past them, campers relaxed, cooked and enjoyed their foray into the asphalt jungle.
"It's free. It doesn't get easier than this," said Ahmad Berenti, a mechanic and the father of three young girls, as he took idle drags on a cigarette in Azadi Park, the largest public park in the city. "The kids think it's fun so we stay until our money for food runs out." In dozens of interviews, Iranians like Berenti said they use Azadi Park -- or Freedom Park -- because it offers an alternative to expensive hotels and because they were more comfortable, with large families, to spread out and roam free.
The Berentis' tent was one of at least 500 in the shadow of what many consider to be the grandest hotel in the city, Hotel Homa. In each tent was a family or a couple on their honeymoon, living off stews made on camping stoves, sleeping on thin mattresses and playing games through the night by the light of lanterns.
(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...
Enough with the gay page stories. ;)
According to the Iman they are not allowed to "pitch tents" during Ramadan.
The mullahs allow brightly colored tents? I'm surprised that's not punishable by being thrown off a cliff!
Someone needs help with something (research and tech), can you help them? Or do you need details? LOL
This is an oxymoron. This is MSM PC for the koranimals who are victim of said book.
They are actually survivors (refugees) who exist in spite of Sharia law.
Homeless muslims, in other words. The fact that they are not bulldozed into a mass grave is a really good sign.
For more than 10 years I have been thinking that a good business in some of our large urban tourist destinations would be multistory camping garages, with areas for tents, and areas for RV's and trailers. Variable rates, rest rooms and showers, good security, bring in more lower middle income families to see the sights and spend their money at restaurants, etc.
With the child on her hip, she walked to a nearby spigot and filled a red plastic tub with water to soak rice for a later meal. For the time being, she would work on a tomato-based spaghetti sauce.
Her husband, a car mechanic named Zali Rezae, sauntered over with their 15-year-old son, who bore a striking resemblance to his dark-skinned, chisel-faced father.
Rezae asked his wife for a cup of tea. Khorshidian already had let the tea, or chai, steep for a good hour. She served her husband a glass on a dented silver tray.
"We do what we want. It's vacation. The weather's nice at night and the children enjoy sleeping under a tent," Rezae said, attempting to sip his too-hot tea. "We do this every year and it's great."
But the city government and park rangers don't share the same rosy opinion. They call the tent-dwellers a burden and complain about misuse of public space.
This type of temporary camping in the cities is typical of the pilgrimage towns - I suppose Iranians have made it a custom everywhere.
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