In the morning Mamy buys us a lot of dried herbs, vegetables and nuts in a spice shop near the bazaar. She insists we take them to Holland with us because ‘they don’t have them there’. There are a lot of herbs against colds because, after all, ‘Holland saard-eh’ (Holland is cold). I am starting to worry about the space, if not the weight, of my suitcases. After shopping we drink tea, accompanied by a waterpipe of course, in the teahouse in the bazaar. I am going to miss those teahouses! Later that day Farhad shows us around in Kerman. We go to the Zoroastrian temple and the park, which has been laid out against a hill. There is a sandstorm going on. The sky is light brown of flying dust and you have to shield your eyes. In shirini Hamid (a pastry shop) I am in awe of the display of sweets. Beautiful cookies, pastries and cakes on trays in glass show cases. During all those tea visits I have had the pleasure of trying many kinds of cookies. Fortunately most are small so that you can eat more than one, like you are always urged to do. We go home with 4 pounds of kolompeh, soft cookies filled with date paste, a little bit like Fig Newtons; a specialty of the Kerman province.

For dinner we have been invited at Roshanak’s brother’s house. He receives us dressed in his pajamas while all guests are dressed up for a party. During tea, served before dinner, electricity is interrupted. Now I realize why most Iranian homes have gas lamps sticking out of the walls. Thanks to those lamps we don’t have to sit in the dark now. After an hour or so the lights spring back to live and dinner is served.