Postcards from Sistan and Baluchestan: Chabahar, Beris, and Pasabandar

I’ve gotten a few messages asking if I’m going crazy because I can’t really travel these days. Other messages have asked me to write about what it’s like to be a travel blogger during a pandemic/quarantine. But the truth is, these quiet days have simply highlighted my introverted nature more than ever. Also, I don’t really consider myself a travel blogger. And if I’m being completely honest, what I miss more than anything is the complete freedom to explore Tehran. I miss this city so much you’d think I wasn’t even here. I could really get into this right now, so I’ll go ahead and stop myself and save it for a later post. 

Like a lot of people these days, I’ve just been revisiting my photo archives. This past week, I was back in wonderful Sistan and Baluchestan in southeast Iran, reliving the incredible nature and hospitality of the warm people. So here, I’m sharing some photos (that don’t in any way do justice) of the stunning landscapes of Chabahar, Beris, and Pasabandar in the hopes that they will inspire you to visit this amazing province soon.

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The coast of Sistan and Baluchestan

Sistan and Baluchestan is a massive province. In fact, it’s the second largest of the 31 provinces after Kerman. So a mere 5-day road trip here only afforded me time to explore the coastline, starting at Konarak, going around the Chabahar Bay and heading east all the way to Gwatr Port near the border of Pakistan. There’s obviously so much more to see, so I look forward to going back and spending more time there. 

One of the things that I love so much about traveling in Iran is that you experience culture shock in your own country. In any given region, there’s a different ethnicity, a different language or dialect, a different landscape, different traditional clothes, or different customs. Sistan and Baluchestan checked off every last one of these.

But of course being the language geek that I am, what I was most drawn to was the language barrier. Ok, maybe not a barrier per se since locals I came across spoke Persian (although some did with a bit of difficulty). But I did appreciate that stark contrast. One evening, the owner at our hostel was teaching us a traditional Baluchi game. His young son sauntered into the room to watch and help us out by giving us tips on the next move to make. Only he was speaking Baluchi. “You have to speak to them in Persian,” the dad told him. “They don’t understand Baluchi.” The son mumbled something which made the dad laugh. “He says he’s afraid he’ll get stuck in the middle of his thought if he speaks Persian.” My friends “akhey”-ed, saying how cute he was. But this 10-year-old’s comment really hit home with me. He and I had a major concern in common. I wanted to turn to him and say, “I totally get it, friend.”

After the language, I’d have to say it was the nature and wildlife that blew me away. And among the unexpected wildlife we came across was a hyena and a mongoose, which I didn’t even know Iran had! While I wasn’t able to capture those little guys, I did go to town with shots of the beautiful nature.

Martian Mountains (Kuh-hâye Merikhi)

Secluded beaches

Beris

Pasabandar

Mud Volcano (Gel Afshân)

Funky rock formations

Adorable sheep

The sacred fig tree (Derakht-e angir maa’bed)

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