I hired the same English speaking cab driver who drove me from the airport to my hotel in Tehran for the rest of my four days trip in Iran. The whole deal sounded great and it cost me like 25 US dollars a day. Gasoline was only a couple of cents a litre. After downing a bottle of red wine on my own the night before, I slept very well and was wide awake early in the morning.

I always blend into any new environment by walking around and talking to the people in the streets. Rahmin, my driver was waiting in the lobby when I got back to the hotel. We set off for Shiraz, a seven hours long journey to the southern part of the country towards the Gulf. As soon as we were out of the City, Rahmin pulled over to unscrew the light box from the roof of his cab so that he would not be annoyed by people who wanted to be picked up. The whole job seemed like a chore to me .He offered me a cup of tea from his thermos which I obligingly accepted.

After washing his hands in a nearby shop. He walked back to the car, plucked a rose flower and gave it to me. I felt even more obliged to accept a flower from my cab driver!!!!

He said that it would be fine not to wear my scarf while traveling in a car since I was a foreigner, but he was harassed by two other men in their car for two hours on the road.

It was already dark when we arrived in Shiraz.I found a small hotel and feeling really jet lagged I spent the evening reading till I fell asleep. Rahmin slept in the cab in a sleeping bag which he has taken along with him.

The next morning we drove to Persepolis, an ancient capital of the Achaemenid Empire of Persia (559BC-479BC) this complex has been restored, only leaving some areas with colonnades standing independently.

This complex's purpose had been intended primarily as a ceremonial center and treasury, secured by its remoteness from the risk of plunder. Ambassadors bearing tributes from all over the empire can be seen depicted on the facades in low relief carvings. Its carvings shows Medes, Assyrians, Babylonians ,Lydians ,Indians and others bringing a parade of treasures like gold and ivory along with exquisite animals, among them a lioness and cubs from Susa, horses from Scythia and two-humped camels from Central Asia. However, this complex was plundered and razed to the ground by Alexander the Great in 330 BC.

I could see from a high point that Rahmin was looking out for me. He was getting overly friendly and I was beginning to feel very uncomfortable with him around. He looked up and finally caught a glimpse of me and struggled up the steps towards my direction. I was very naughty to disappear just before he reached the top, leaving him panting breathlessly on the steps.