The Internet was still out.

At breakfast in the hotel dining room we saw five men with large bandages on the backs of their heads. We were curious and Nate explained that Shiraz was a popular center for hair transplant operations.

Prior to leaving for the airport, Nate and Philippa came down to say good bye to us, Nancy, Sheldon, and Miah, who were taking the same plane as we were. Catherine from Malaysia also saw us off.

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The five of us left the Karim Khan Hotel around 8:30 on Mori’s bus, with Vahid along for the ride. At the airport we went through several checkpoints without incident. As in other airports, there were various security measures we went through before getting on the plane.

The flight to Dubai took about an hour and fifteen minutes. We saw some really interesting geological features from the air: Iran looks to be a young country in terms of geology, a subject worth looking into further.

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This was a truly fabulous trip! Of course, we only got the most fleeting of glimpses into the country, its people, and their history, but we did touch the tomb of Hafez. Suzan says she hopes Hafez keeps his promise and we will come back. And Tim agrees. As the American TSA agent said to us, we can truly say to others who may want to visit Iran, “I’ve been there. It’s great! I love it!”