trip #2

i was able to take an overnight trip to visit some friends in another city. it was great to check out what it is like in their neck of the desert-ha! it was also fun to learn some interesting history and let them tour me around their city as i was able to have them to my city about a month before.

here is the bab (door) into a pretty swanky golf course. i was told that even the king plays here! fancy!
here is me and my riding buddy. we took all the sites in via horse drawn carriage. it was a fun way to see the different sites and was ultra convenient as the guy would stop at all the sites to let us out and take tours and photos. it was a perfect way to stay out of the 104 degree F sun.
this archway was at a mausoleum we visited. it was an interesting set up as we walked through several rooms to get to the actual holy site. the tile work and architecture is just so fabulous. this was the mausoleum of a king that claimed this particular city as the capitol of the country for a period of time. he was part of different dynasty than the one currently ruling today.
so much interesting stuff!






we were also able to visit the stables and granary that once held/served thousands of horses. the inside part was naturally cooled and our guide called it natural air conditioning. and these stalls in which i am posing with in the photo were set up so that from one spot a person could see every stall--not sure how they did it, but great minds were at work here.

it was a blast to of course see friends, but i also enjoyed learning more about the culture and life here in another city. cool!