Today it's about 115F outside; good thing I didn't leave the house! It is so hot that all I want to do is lay around reading my book and sleep. A/C in Iran, or the "cooler" as they call it, is not like the central A/C I am used to. There is no wall mounted computer to program with desired temperatures for different times of the day and night. There is no thermostat and no elaborate vent system. It is simple, each room has one air outlet which is either on or off. To help circulate the air, I turn on the fan. If the "cooler" becomes to cold I open the window a bit. The on/off button controls the "cooler" for all bedrooms, so I must be careful not to make anyone else too cold or too hot. I am extremely grateful for the A/C. I had envisioned hot sweaty nights spent sleeping on the rooftop being attacked by bugs, but, alas, A/C has become man's best friend (sorry to all the dogs out there, but truly A/C's are better friends).
Yazd is the kind of place you can imagine ancient kings and warriors roaming around. If I sit in the hyatt (front yard) and close my eyes, I (think I) can hear the neighbor singing ancient songs or reciting poems from the eternal lover, Rumi. There under the shade of the fig tree with my fingers drawing lazy circles in the tiny pool/pond I have the feeling that many things are the same as they were hundreds, maybe even thousands, of years ago. The little Nowruz (Persian New Year) fish that has managed to stay alive hides under leaves that have fallen in the pool and waits for me to remove my hand from his home. I can imagine stories from the Bible coming to life in courtyards like this one with little fish in little ponds and big fig trees. After all, it was a courtyard much like this one where Esther would have spent much of her time.
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