Then Vajifdar, too, started feeling nauseous and vomited.
No sooner had they anchored at Bushire than a rainstorm broke with crashing thunder. The Persian coolies picked up the group's heavy baggage, and Baidul tipped them with bread and onions, which they seemed to relish. While hauling the baggage, they would utter, " Ya Ali ! Ya Ali !" in honor of the Almighty — much to the amusement of the mandali.
Baba and the mandali stayed at Ghulam Husain Lodi's house in Bushire. Their baggage was brought by mule, the most common means of transportation in Iran at the time. A Primus stove was lit and Baba warmed himself near it, for he was shivering from the extreme cold. Nervous brought charcoal and lit hearths to heat the room. Strong winds were blowing, and the cold atmosphere was gloomy and uncongenial. Nervous brought supplies from the market and Masaji cooked a meal. Water for drinking had to be bought, as there was a great scarcity. But the water which was purchased contained maggots and looked so milky that most people would not even have washed their feet in it! The mandali had to walk to the seashore to wash the cooking utensils.
Although the majority of the mandali were unwell, Baba decided to proceed to Shiraz — famous for its gardens and the tomb of Baba's favorite poet, Hafiz. A truck was hired at Rs.400 for the journey. But Padri fell ill the next day with a high fever and felt too weak to travel. At the same time, when news was brought that a ship had arrived from Baghdad on its way to Bombay, Baba suddenly decided to return to India by that ship. This change of plans shocked the men. He instructed Baidul and Behramji to disembark at Bandar Abbas and proceed to their respective homes in Iran, while the rest of the mandali would disembark at Karachi with Baba.
After only a few days in Persia, they boarded the cargo ship Baroja and left Bushire. Baba and the mandali would always travel by the lowest class and, accordingly, they occupied the deck. Most of the other passengers on board were illiterate Arab tribesmen. There was not much room for the passengers because the cargo ship was carrying cows, goats, chickens, donkeys, and horses — the animals' dung caused a terrible stench. The Arabs daily slaughtered goats and chickens on the deck for their meals, and their unhygienic habits shocked the mandali.