HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1970-04-02, Page 144A ODgftlilt SIGNAL -STAR; THURSDAY, Ala'RIL. ,1970
nu wick Canadians
Oo
R'•
an
Mos.Iems:
ntinued • electrician arrived dressed . like In such ° a dry ' country one middle of an intersection. Then During the last year in Tehran n copper, brasi , and silver
• o
tiie peasant 'labourers, in striped became almost dehydrated and' you risked your life getting out we visited the various palaves•of filigree. Other artists were
By' LQRNA VINCENT 'skull capd rope we longed for a chance to go and finding another cab. Some the Shah, then travelled over the creating the exquisite Persian
Y pajamas,
' he had forgotten his swimming. When we heard, of a of the , drivers dropped you dusty mountain roads to the miniatures, famous throughout
. � sandals,
.iceilings small deserted hotel. with. a . several blocks from your Caspian Sea where the foliage the world. We glimpsed ti small
'After � seven months n a noisy ladder. The ,ceilings were very .. ..: ; •; ,�� .�.�.. , , w s
hotel on a diet of heavy Iranian high becauseof the extreme heat. swimming pool, we decided to destination, and unmoved by was lush and bearidl �• L , • earavansarais up narrow alley
foot Our morale had reached a . insummer, and the only thing I. have a picnic. The caretaker protests, informed you that they -.,We stayed at the unique where the tradesmen could find
IOW. ebb. The Department Of d find to replace a ladder lived there with his family., and ' were° not allowed to drive in�that Ramsar Hotel, built high up on a lodging. A caravan of cartels
External Affairs, wit a timely v s myironingboard. Holding for a . few rials allowed . area. ' , hill and•surrounded by beautiful arrived, loaded with produce and
gesture,' announced that the
this wobblytch a in place, I ' recommended people into the One day, I took a woman, gardens with' ugly • pieces of they stared at us with a camel �s
P.
Official plane' carrying Mr and made him climb up find attach compound. who ..had lust arrived" from sculpture among the flowers. We, superior contempt. Donkeys
Mrs* Diefenbaker on a world the fixtures. ' ' We were delighted with the Canada, downtown and I'm sure slept in the , room •formerly passed, driven by the owner each
tour, would stop over at Tehran. , For six weeks we lived like large tre-covered garden and the' she never forgot her .occupied by the -.Shah When he , bearing a burden of goods for
r• t"wo .hours. The visit desert nomads with a small stream meandering- among" the °iintroduction to" 'Tehran. When visited this area, and I was sale.
,, fo the d se . ,�
-ow ve was unofficial and the•ru i'Y, surprised to. see how .simply, it • We went on to' visit the old
e r`' s �i` d that of flock
was even though cluttered with palace where earlier .; monarchs
• entire. -.staff met them at , the 1 � g
airport where' we . all had, too much furniture. Since then,: sat cross-leggedon a bejewelled
rP
breakfast in a private room. Our p a �, a summer palace had been. built platform in the courtyard, to
e homesick d th' h Besides that, all in the vicinity. review their troops. Some of the
Canadians .had ,tears of nostalgia
in their eyes when the beautiful
jet with the big maple leaf
touched down as gracefully as a
bird. The Iranian "_Minister of
Protocol and a- few other
dignitaries joined the party for ,
breakfast. With warm and
unassuming " charm the
Diefenbakers gave us the feel-
ing that we were meeting a
next-door, neighbour, and after
seating ° ourselves informally at
the long, breakfast table, the
waiter began placing a, large
mound of black caviar in the
middle . of each ' plate. I saw
kerosene stove for .cooking, a
rusty refrigerator that Constantly
leaked, a table and a few chairs.
We shopped at little stalls along ,
the back streets, iia every in °
had to be • carried, up three long
flight's of stairs. There were no
elevators' in Tehran apartments,
,or air conditioning due • to a
shortage of electric power. Our
six rooms covered an. entire flat,
and balconies ran the full length
of each side. French doors
opened off every room which
made pleasant. outdoor living.
Our back balcony overlooked
the garden of the Iraqi Embassy,
and, it interesting one evening
to watch the guests arrive at an
official reception, :Many: of the
women wore beautiful saris and
other exotic eastern costumes:.
They were received by the
ambassador,' who stood on a
richly patterned Persian rug,
which had been laid on the grass.
During the party, servants
collected trays of used cocktail
glasses, and took them behind
shrubbery, but the swimmingwe hailed "a taxi and got^iii,.we
pool gave u a ,real 'thrill. In 'tib isco`vere ' one the o
time we had stripped down to boards was.nlissing and we could
our swim suits which were worn watch to road going by,
underneath our 'clothing. I underneat . si es a, the
thought t the'very- ---- u byte Iv s tgoffe-iro`rn the
gb,
the • Diefenbakers' eyes bulge
. more than usual, then,
disgustedly looking at the person
next him, who fortunately vvas a
Canadian, he remarked, "What's
this stuff?".
Iran is supposed to have the
woiliFs finest caviar-tak�eri fiflm = •the-•-the-vv-here they were the ..other ,_:end of .the ' pool,
green but the embassy chauffeur'seat, and an old persian rug had
assured us that it was -safe. When been folded and laid across the
we all dived in with a big splash, springs. When we realized our
I felt several cold objects strike predicament the car had started
my leg and I surfaced in a hurry. and the driver ignored our
On examining the water closely, protests. This time when the cab
we discovered that it was full of stopped short of our destination,
polliwogs.' The • chaufeur it'`was a heavenly relief to get
remitided us that these little out. • We had bounced
creatures, kept the *water clean ' ,unmercifully, and no doubt bore
and the algae from growing. It. an, indelible pattern . of the
was so good to swim again that springs on our anatomy. By this
we were - ready to believe time I was very angry, especially,
anything,. but this time we since the driver demanded the
continued with our heads above highest fare. for such a shattering
the surface. Most of the trip. As we argued, a crowd
polliwogs were so frightened by gathered and anyone. who knew
the commotion that they went a, word of English. joined in.."
to the bottom and stayed„there. They seemed amused at the sight
of a . small . foreign woman
At the •height of our ' shaking her fist in the face of a
enjpyment, several children from ;large bearded Moslem, while the
the caretaker's other woman stood by shaking
.withu..fright Firallya._policeman,
:136-1)1111".`�:ti Md a er :�iilsped . �r wig-,°.paii7of -cold- - -car/Ting, A sloe) of: dirty. dishes,
distinguished guest is honoured water. Afterwards, hastily dried -which they began to wash. That
with this dish regardless oft} with a, dirty piece of cloth they was a bit too .much, and we all
hour' at which it is served. A were replaced on the"trays,•and climbed„ out to continue our
problem presented itself when,• taken back to be used again. picnic under the- trees., -The.
the .Iranian �' 1 P's could speak Sometimes_ at_ Tehran cocktail Moslem driver was quite shocked
only French as a second parties, I carried the • glass at oiii brier western 'bathing
language,' e.• and •c�ouldn t around, gradually ,pouring its :
suits, and the fact that we.didn't
communicate, with the contents on the Brass as I 'change into our clothes for
k - reflected on this scene. lunch..But we did make the. tea driver's face livid with rage' while that vast body of water,
The' people here wore t br' vialis '---v ere-` made of -
colourful regional costumes and m1rror fragments which created
they' worked on the plantations a dazzling effect, rather hard on
and in the tea factories. We the eyes. The harem contained a
didn't see the poverty or disease beautiful music room with
of the drier areas. intricate and decorative
The charming thatch=roofed acoustics, where the wives. were
villages were almost hidden,.. given lessons on various
among the lush foliage. ' •inslruinents.
Storehouses for grain and corn The King and his courtiers
' often sat on a balcony to watch
were raised on snits to 7teep out
marauding animals. The head polo games played !in the"huge
waiter at the Ramsar Hotel square below. We saw one of the
invited us. to visit his house. It world's most beautiful mosques
contained the. . usual. furnishings reflected in a- canal bordered
of only rugs, bedrolls and a. few with bay` trees. The domes were
small tables. We were„ treated to covered with fantastic patterns
freshly -picked corn roasted over of turquoise and:.' gold - tile.
a charcoal brazier. Afterwards, _Inside, theological students sat
the waiter took us to a tea on the floor around the Mullah
factory which looked clean and who taught from the Koran.
modern. We bought big plastic Sometimes, they chanted verses,
bags of tea for a few rials, but but when the tourists arrived,
we had some misgivings when we they forgot what they were
watched a worker shovel it from doing to watch..ihe. crowd.
strallecl�ver,�,and...keaxang.� o ..a 'huge mound on thefactoryFrom here we�aveent on to the
story through an interpreter, floor. Shiraz, supposedly the city of
ordered the driver to take us to The Caspian Sea is usu ally nightingales and roses, but the
the. end of our route at a more fc u:gl " itr has a' dangerous, public gardens were closed to
visitors at that time, ...and we
didn't hear even,one'nightingale;
but We saw the majestic ruins of
ancient Persepolis, a short drive
away. The impressive carvings on
the palaces had survived
centuries of wind and weather.
reasonable fare. There Was no
alternative but'to get back into
the dreadful• taxi with"tius angry
man. •It ., darted and jerked
through heavy traffic, the
undertow. Each; summer took its
toll of -swimmers who went out
and. never returned. Many of, the
beaches 'were black sand. ' It
seemed strange to look. across
Diefenbakers. Althou h many of the in 'a samovar and everyone
we clung desperatelyto the seat, knowing that beyond the
Mr. D. s secetary>_ Mary g P we arrived'. at our
McDonald, and his folksy well-to-do had swimming pools, enjoy d the" quiet p eacefulness When horizon were the shores of
of this 'shady retreat destination, he stopped. so Soviet Russia. But vve.revelled hi
farmer had accompanied the July and August, a shortage of ° ,, ' TAXIS suddenly that we were nearly the quantities of gorgeous black
party. Elmer was a perfect water' occurred, and the pools w thrown out. of the cab-: -Before caviar which we consumed' every
brother Elmer, a Saskatchewan - during the hottest • months of•
•and they told a graphic story of
life at that time. A wide stairway
lead been designed so that the
King's cavalry might climb in
formation to an.' upper
courtyard.. It was saidt that sortie.
of the inner palace walls and
doors had been covered with
pure .. gold leaf, . carved . in
beautiful designs. The tall white
columns, still standing, soared
majestically into the deep blue
sky. One. could imagine the days.
of its grandeur. The cellars of
the old city had been excavated,
and you could follow the lines
of the 'various streets.. `Here
Darius, the Great, and Cyrus had
ruled,: and gone, to battle their
enemies.'
Not far from here, the tombs
of these Persian kings had been
gouged from solid rock, and the
well-preserved 'carvings above
told ,. the story of their life. We
were able to enter one of them by
climbing a very high ladder.
When the' dim light engulfed me
and I could smell the musty
atmosphere of a thousand years,
it gave me such an eerie
Stant.
!but
sensation that I made a hasty
exit into the sunshine. Darius i"
the Great, who was considered
' the most benevolent of ,the
Persian kings, had been buried
here., , (7 --
Persia reached its heights of
glory centuries ago, and through
many onquerors fallen into the
abyss of time: At had once been.
the . cradle of civilization; , and
now it ; was , merely an
underdeveloped nation `)receiving
handouts from the United States'
and Russia, ,But, -who knows, in
some distant future:, its 'star may •
rise' again. In the meantime, our
western civilization which seems
to have reached its zenith, has
begun to -slip--into- -a different-
abyss; and so „History lives, out its
little day and descends into the
dust.
,SMOKERS' RULES
To prevent forest fire, never
smoke ' while walking through
• the woods. Always stop and sit
down to smoke. Douse matchtis
and butts in water or rub them
out between the fingers.
NINTH ANNUAL
SAUERKRAUT SUPPER
IN THE
_Zurich Community Centc..
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8
5:30u P.M: to 8 P.M.
Sponsored by Zurich and ' District Chamber of Comnnoroo
p P closing the door, he s at on the day
:�..,,., ,•pnrf ra i t, o .,the. r �.toa st vi .,.were eft....empty,. Exen.,..ou.r. to psi— . Ariyne . woui v to a M.. ... _. � ._ j ,�•n•_.. ..� ... .o ,.
a tweed cap on his head,• a would be dry for many hours some of the Tehran taxis to sidewalnear us, c ing out Another trip took us in a
sporty jacket, and two or three without any `° previous notice. believe they existed. Most of some farsi obscenity which small rickety aircraft to Isfahan,;
differentcameras slung over his 'One - morning,' • my husband them were very small European fortunately, we didn't 'the ancient Persian capital of --the
understand. My friend appeared "Thousand and one nights": We
shoulder. He amused us all with shaved, using a bottle of soda cars and 'their only advantage. g
-his homespun comments on water, and”( r supply .dwindled was the cheapness of the fares. be, almost on the verge of a walked 'miles through the
everything he saw. -,_„rapidly when we had to open a Many also, were' in the . final ,. nervous collapse, and she vowed labyrinth of their famous bazaar
„ dew mire of"'them to wash and stage of decrepitude and had a , never to enter an Iranian taxi where we watched skilled
After breakfast, l .was happy clean our teeth. habit of breaking down in the again. `� . A.. artisans. making beautiful designs
to take Mary Me Donald around,
the airport to' do some shopping
while the rest of the party went
out on the balcony tti.lateli aq
four military aces. Theybuzzed
the roof in formation and
everyone on - ' the balcony
ducked. Even indoors the noise
was deafening, and .I sensed that
the Diefenbakers� were not
impressed with ,Tehran. It was a
sad' moment when the official
plane-, took off, leaving us to
stand forlornly on the . tarmac
and wave goodbye to this bit of
Canada, disappearing into the
sky. Eighteen more months of
service in an alien land -seemed
like -r =long -.and- rather grim
journey, .
Within the next month we
discovered a new apartment
building: on a cobblestone back
street which looked more like a
lane. As our furnishings were
still en route by sea, we decided
to rent enough .iequipment to °
move in. Although we like this?
spacious six -room apartment
there was pothing inside but the
walls dividing the rooms, and
one electric Cord hanging from
the middle° of each ceiling; no
wardrobes, .. no shelves' or
cupboards of any kind. Getting.
workers to do anything involved
a major operation that lasted for
. days. They 'always arrived
without enough tools and then
left, assuring us that- fardah,
(tomorrow) God willing, they
would come back. After several
days we usually had to send the
embassy car after them. Of
course they couldn't turn down
a ride in, that. When the local
.e�
It:s the sportiest Ctztls of
Sports Coupe styles, both with ”
sweeping lines that make
Cutlass S the freshest fastback
on the road today. .
Sporty new hood with rased
pods. Splendidly sculptured
rear bumper. Streamlined
vent less side windows on the
Holiday Coupe for windows- •
down looks with windows -up
comfort.
Standard Rocket V8 engine,
With Positive Valve Rotators
to prevent carbon -build-up and -
deliver longer, more efficient
engine operation. Or a standard
Action -Line 155 hp six.
Smooth coil springs at each
wheel. Spritely 112-inch,wheel-
base. Sure,steady handling
that makes drivinwand parking
,a•snap! Standard GM safety
features, Whelp you7travel.
in confidence. ° .
See; the Cutlass S. Shift into
Oldsmobile status via Cutlass S
... you'd expect to pay more,
but you won't. Olds Cutlass S -
you r•S-cape from the ordinary.
Experienced
Decorator
INTERIOR AND
EXtERIOR
PAINTING
AND
LLPAPERI NG
.Reasonable Prices
Free Estimates
Radius of 15 Miles of
Coderich
W. Pedersen
167 Brock,Stroete.
Phone 5244667
° . After Six
28tf
SEE Yowl L 'CAL. iun-HOC.I ate olas aniphALeR
11A1Rfiri
'UNITED
263 Huron Road Goderadh,
1(1
MARK OF
EXCELLENCE,
624-6271
•
f
PANT
SET INTO ACTION
This go -everywhere, step-in, zip -top pant suit that
loves accessories or looks, great as is ... stunning
siiits in stock in depth. If a jump suit is what you
want ivve have many. '
ti
1r
st-
.3
H 0141-
ricumicti