Iran 5（ISBN=9781741042931）

     When deciding when to go to Iran you must first work out where you'd like to go. Temperatures can vary wildly: when it's in Tabriz it might be in Bandar Ahbas, but for most people spring and autumn are the most pleasant times to visit. At other times, the seasons have advantages and disadvantages depending on where you are. For example, the most agreeable time to visit the Persian Gulf coast is during winter, when the humidity is low and temperatures mainly in the 20s.

     It was at the end of a long day exploring ancient Sassanian cities that Kazem suggested we stop for a picnic by a lake south of Shiraz. 'A picnic? What with?' I asked. 'Don't worry, I have everything in the car,' he replied. And he did. Kazem proved to be a veritable professor of the picnic, producing a plastic blanket, hot water, tea, coals, qalyan, biscuits, sugar and a wire cage in which he swung the coals until they lit in a sea of sparks. We sat, smoked, sipped tea and just enjoyed life as the sun settled behind the hills...it was pure Iranian hospitality.