Around the year 1320, due to the occupation, famine, and economic crisis, some of the people of Dorwan decided to acquire some rice. It was nearing the holiday, and I asked my father for permission to go with a few donkeys to Mazandaran and buy rice. He said, “You haven’t been to the north before, and this road is challenging, especially since people intend to go on foot. You’ll have to load the rice on the animals and walk back in this cold. It’s a difficult task.” I replied, “Just like everyone else is going, I want to go too.” Eventually, I persuaded him.
There were about five or six of us, each with a couple of horses, donkeys, and a cart. We packed enough food and supplies for the journey and set off. We stayed overnight every four 24 Kilometers and resumed our journey the next day. It took several days to reach Noshahr, where we went to a village called Kohneh Sara in the east towards Sisangan. We purchased rice from the villagers at a rate of 150 tomans per 300 kilograms, which was equivalent to five rials per kilogram. I bought a load of rice as well. We loaded each donkey with fifty kilograms of rice, and our journey began.
We had to pass through some parts of the road that went through the forest because the Russians did not allow rice to be taken out from the north. We traveled during the nights and rested in teahouses during the day, gradually making our way to Chalous. As we progressed, the journey became safer, and we finally arrived at our destination. I was very happy that I could successfully complete this challenging trip. Our round trip took twelve days.
It’s worth mentioning another memory from those difficult times, from the second trip we took in the same year, 1320, to bring rice.
This time, we went with villagers from our area. We completed our work and started our journey back. On the way back, there were many checkpoints and inspections by government authorities. To avoid these checkpoints and inspections, we traveled during the night. We had to walk for about seven or eight hours each night. One of those nights, heavy rain started pouring, and our progress was slowed down. The animals couldn’t walk more than 24 kilometers and were getting tired. We had to go through areas with dense forests because the Russians did not allow rice to be taken out from the north.
During the night, I fell asleep while walking in the rain, a habit I had. I would tie myself to the animals with a rope to make sure I wouldn’t stray from the path. When the animals turned, I turned with them. In the Makarood area, the path was very steep, and it seemed that my rope had slipped off my hand before. Suddenly, I dreamt that I was falling from the sky. The animals had turned, but I had continued straight and fallen from a great height. I landed on the thorny bushes of blackberry, and they acted like springs, preventing me from falling further. Although I didn’t get hurt, a severe shock had shaken me. I didn’t know where I was, whether I was awake or dreaming. Now the caravan was continuing, and I was left behind at the bottom.
It took me a while to realize what had happened. I had to pull myself up and make my way to the road. I couldn’t tell which way to go as I had lost my bearings. I remembered that I should walk against the flow of water because the river flowed north. If the destination was Kandovan, I had to walk against the water’s flow. It was so dark that I couldn’t see the direction of the water. I put my hand in the water to determine which way it was flowing. Eventually, I found the path and pulled myself up. The caravan had distanced itself several kilometers from me, but I managed to catch up with them eventually, though I didn’t mention anything about my fall or the rest of the adventure.
We continued the journey; a few kilometers away, there is a place called “Pol Zanguleh” where there were several coffeehouses where caravan drivers would stay at night. We also stayed there overnight to let the animals rest because the road was steep, and they were getting tired. Near dawn, my companions woke me up and told me to hurry because I had donkeys, and they were coming to catch up with me. The reason was that they had mule, and mules could move faster than donkeys.
In short, my friends helped me load my three donkeys and set off. Until we reached near the tunnel, it was still half dark, but it gradually became brighter. By the time we reached the tunnel, it was blocked due to maintenance, and we had to take another route. Next to the tunnel, there was a dirt road that passed over a peak and then descended downhill. It was quite challenging, but because caravans traveled frequently, the road was clear. I slowly climbed the slope. Not far from the peak, there was a place with a special terrain feature, and I didn’t know about it. The snow in that area would melt during the day and freeze at night, causing animals like donkeys or horses to slip and fall from the rocks. They called that place “Ain-e-Bandan,” which means “Mirror-like” in the winter. The old caravaneers who reached there used icebreaking spikes for their animals’ hooves, but I didn’t know about these things. When I reached Ain-e-Bandan, I saw that it was very dangerous, but I had to cross it. I decided to take the animals one by one. I helped the first one and set it on its way. It had only taken a few steps when it fell to the ground, slipped, and went downhill. I thought, “Alright, let this one rest here; I’ll take the second one.” The second one met the same fate, slipping and going downhill as soon as it reached the same spot. I took the third one, and I realized that I couldn’t bring all three donkeys up by myself. I had no choice but to wait for my companions. The donkeys were lying on the snow with their loads. I stayed there, halfway up the path. I sat on the road, waiting for my companions to arrive. The animals were lying on the snow-covered ground due to their heavy load. I was sitting there, waiting patiently for them to arrive.
During this time, a group from Karaj was passing by, headed north. They had come from the other side and had descended the mountains. Their carts had snowplows, which made it easier for them to traverse the snowy roads. Behind them was a tall and strong man. When he saw me, he was surprised because I was just a child sitting there bewildered. He inquired about the situation and I showed him my donkeys. He was astonished and started cursing my companions, saying, “Those so-and-so’s don’t care about leaving a child alone with three donkeys in the mountains. They should be ashamed.” He picked up the donkeys one by one, with their heavy loads, and brought them to the road. He carried them on his back with the loads, and then he helped the animals pass. Finally, he scolded my companions some more and left. I resumed my journey towards the peak.
When I reached there, the sun had already set. The descent on the other side was treacherous, but I had to continue. It was slow going, but the road was clear due to the many caravans that had passed through. As I gradually descended, the weather improved, and by the time I reached the foot of the mountain, the sun was shining. The descent was less challenging in this part. I reached the road, and my companions eventually arrived as well. We continued our journey to Gachsar, spent the night there, and the next day, we headed back to Dorwan.