Surfing my first couch (Shiraz)

I met quite a few couch surfers during this middle east trip and finally decided to give it a try.  Instead of staying in a hotel, Ana and I posted open requests for a host to stay in the house in Shiraz. We bought a box of famous Yazd candy for our host before jumping into the 6-hr bus. 

I tried two flavors of juice on the bus.  The ride was smooth and we easily arrived at the host's flat. Our first host is very active in the couch surfing community in Shiraz and knows many other hosts. He received many surfers. We met a Russian backpacking couple who surfed there already 2 days, and left for the Persian gulf the next day. They are hitch hiking experts, and travelled around almost all by hitch hiking.  Ana is more experienced in hitch hiking than I. But we both agreed that it is not proper for females to hitch hike in Iran, unless we are invited by a female driver.

Our first host kindly invited us to join him and his friends for a 3-day island camping trip.  Unfortunately, we did not have enough time. The Russian couple  later emailed our host that it was pretty hot and humid there in the Persian gulf.

Our host took us and the Russian couple to downtown to walk around after late lunch. We bought some gifts to take home, and then got back to the flat to have dinner, tea, and exchange travel experience. Our host is a terrific cook, and showered us with homemade gormat dishes, tasty pastries, teas of his own receipt, various fruits, and inside info of his home town Tabriz and his current town Shiraz.  I felt so pampered. 

Shiraz is a treasure trove of Persian culture. It is also the former capital of Iran, during the Zand dynasty's era (1747-79), and also the celebrated birthplace of the great Persian poets Hafiz and Saadi. It is also been said to be the origin of one of the best wines in the world called Syrah. The city has a population of about 1,300,000.

In the middle of the second night, two female Polish couch surfers arrived at 4 am. Ana and I were then prepared breakfast for all, and our host arranged a taxi for four of us to tour Persepolis.