Fish Overdose on Maru Island

Bushehr Travelogue
January 2023 (Dey 1401)

We kicked off our trip in Bandar Genaveh with a quick spin around town. Stopping by a street kiosk, we had the greasiest falafel and samosas of our lives, which surprisingly were not tasty at all.

For the night, we stayed in a small settlement called Vahidieh, nestled between Bushehr and Borazjan, on a friend's farmland where he had built a cozy little cabin. The next day, we drove into Bushehr city. We had lunch at Amoo Hossein Restaurant, enjoying shrimp and fish ghalieh stews alongside herbed rice with fried fish (wipe that grin off your face!). We caught the sunset at one of Bushehr's scenic beaches under mild weather and partly cloudy skies. The air was filled with gulls gracefully soaring above; gulls are the birds people often mistakenly refer to as seagulls. After snapping photos against the sunset glow, we grabbed hot chickpeas from a beachside stall. They boil standard chickpeas with salt and black pepper, which turns out surprisingly delicious! For dinner, I went to a self-service falafel joint that ended up tasting far better than our lunch.

Our entire diet rotated between falafel, samosas, fish, and shrimp. Thinking about it right now makes my mouth water!

We spent the night at a friend's place and set off east the next morning under pouring rain. We had to skip several landmarks along the way, including the Jashak Salt Dome, but we made sure to see the coastal yardangs (Kaluts). We pulled over and took a long, refreshing walk in the rain right alongside these wind-sculpted formations. If you want to see what they look like, look up "Camel Kalut."

Around midday, we reached Bandar Dayyer. There was a tiny street stall run by several Indian brothers. It took serious hustle to manage that spot given the massive crowd waiting outside. What were they serving? Palm-sized mini samosas and freshly fried falafel patties sold by the piece! They also prepared sandwiches, but most customers bought them by the piece. They would hand you homemade spicy sauce tied in a tiny plastic pouch. We ate our fill and loved every bite.

After Dayyer, we drove into Kangan for some light shopping. We really craved Lebanese shawarma, but our stomachs were completely full.

We intended to camp on the beach, but relentless rainfall drove us to Siraf, where we booked a room at a local ecolodge. I asked the host if he had a camping stove I could use to cook a meal. He replied, "Sure, just wait half an hour until my own food is done." I was sorely tempted to ask, "Then why does your food smell like pure opium?!" :)))))))

After breakfast, we headed toward Asaluyeh and the village of Haleh. Along the route, we passed coastal mangrove forests: trees standing half-submerged in tidal waters with their lush green canopies reaching upward into the sky! Similar mangrove reserves can also be found in Qeshm and Govater Bay.

In Haleh village, we stopped for lunch, and I ordered Khasak. Khasak is cuttlefish cooked in a rich onion and spice stew, served hot over steamed rice. People say it also serves as a drinking snack, though I had not tried it that way! However, on this trip, I did add the experience of tasting date liquor to my travel résumé: a smooth, potent spirit that hardly needed any chaser.

The skies opened up again with torrential rain, prompting us to drive straight to Bostanu, where we booked a room for two nights. Around Bostanu, we visited Lovers' Pass, Sourakh-e Sheikh, and the striking rocky shores of Mokassar Beach. Tour operators generally refer to this entire scenic stretch as Parsian.

Our next stop was Bandar-e Mogham and Maru Island (Shidvar), accessible via a thirty-minute boat ride. It is an uninhabited, completely flat coral islet so compact that you can walk around its entire perimeter in roughly half an hour. On our first night, not a single soul was on the island, letting us soak in the pure silence beneath a glowing full moon.

Early in the evening, a local fishing boat approached the shallows. I called out that we were looking to buy fish. Without asking for a dime, the fisherman gifted us thirty fresh fish of various sizes! You often hear stories of gifted catches from seasoned travelers because local fishermen are incredibly generous.

We cleaned the catch right on the sand and enjoyed fresh fish over three hearty meals, practically overdosing on Omega-3! :))))

On our third day on the island, the boat returned to pick us up, and we began driving north toward Yasuj. Along the mountain passes, we ran into heavy snowfall, stretching what should have been a thirty-minute drive into two hours and forty minutes on slippery roads through thick fog and heavy snow. We spent the night resting in Yasuj and drove back toward Tehran the following day, arriving home early Wednesday morning.