Tag Archives: Tehran

Laura’s Diary Entry: the bus to Tehran, Iran — June 23, 2010

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Daily Notes
Pizza lunch for two: 57,000 rials (~$5.70)
($1 US = 10,034 rials)
Bus from Quazvin to Tehran for two: 30,000 rials (~$3.00)

Chris and I got an expensive hotel last night for $66.00. We needed a little western feeling to re-coop and collect ourselves. We had Internet and BBC in the hotel room. It was glorious.

Today we decided to head for Tehran and skip the excursion to the Valley of the Castles. We didn’t have it in us to take a taxi on a winding mountain road for 110 kilometers and them be stuck in a small town. So here I am sitting on a rather hot, packed-full bus bumping along the highway to Tehran.

Northwestern Iran landscape, somewhere between Tabriz and Zanjan.

Hordes of young Iranians were gathered at the bus station. We had to push our way through the crowd to make sure we didn’t keep getting squeezed to the back of the line. A young man who helped us find the right bus to get from Qazvin to Tehran, was already on the bus. Chris and I were unsure about pushing and elbowing too much because we didn’t want to insult anyone. We slightly widened our stance, to keep from being pushed over as we stared longingly at the door of the bus. Seats were running out fast and this was already the second bus in the matter of a few minutes to fill up to the brim. What if the third bus to Tehran didn’t come for a while....or hours? This thought alone made me push and elbow a little more than usual. The heat of the day was hightened by the exhaust of the bus and my headscarf and hot, conservative clothing put me into a bit of “survival of the fittest” mode. Chris and I were going to get on that bus.

Suddenly, the man who helped us find the bus called out and waved. We pushed by a handful of people to get on. The man had saved us two seats. Relief and thankfulness swept over me. As we scooted into the dusty, sand crusted, torn seats, I heard him giggling and taking with his girlfriend and other friends.

In front of me a couple are cuddling and caressing one another. The young man has his arm around the woman’s shoulder. Her head is nestled in the crook of his arm. He gently strokes her face and the part of her hair that is showing. Kitty-corner from me, another young couple is doing the same thing, although I’m convinced they’ve snuck in a few kisses.

The bus is overflowing with hip, young Iranians; the new generation of Iran. Some young ladies have enough make-up on their faces that I could carve my name into it. This outward, public display of affection and western ideal of make-up is surprising to see but it also makes me feel like I could somehow communicate better with the individuals on this bus than the older individuals we’ve met so far in Iran.

This entry was posted in Iran and tagged June 2010, Tehran, traveling in Iran on March 3, 2011 by Laura.

Jaywalking in Tehran

Tehran

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Tehran is covered in murals. Yes, there are the famous anti-American ones, but there are many others as well: from religious or pro-military, to others that depict history or just plain beauty.

Some shots from Tehran. We spent six nights in Iran’s capital, enjoying the wonderful hospitality of Mr. Moussavi at the Firouzeh Hotel. This place gets high marks in the Lonely Planet, thanks to Mr. Moussavi, and we can concur. This gentleman is so nice, he not only helped us figure out our onward travel plans, he even lent us his cell phone for the day. The hotel also has wifi, a first for us here in Iran.

We enjoyed Tehran a lot, but also just enjoyed staying in one place for so many days. The city is a huge, sprawling mess, but in a good way. Walking across the huge distances of the city is impossible, but the underground metro is modern and excellent. We found foreign food for the first time since I dont even know when (Italy?), and enjoyed a meal at a Greek restaurant, where the steaks were the closest thing to Canadian home cooking we’ve had in months. We also ate at an excellent Indian place, and got to enjoy some mild Delhi-belly without even making it to India! Awesome!

Northern Tehran is rather chic, while the south is a bit mroe working-class.

Tehran wins the Chris and Laura Craziest Traffic in a City Award. We have a video of what crossing the street in Tehran is like. We’ll post it later. It’s possible we’ll have to re-award this prize once we get to Asia.

We have this thing for showing up at bazaars on Friday. Everything closes down on Friday, as it is the holiest day in Islam, and most people take part in Friday prayers and family get-togethers. This is what the Tehran bazaar looks like empty of people.

This is what the bazaar looks like full of people. The Tehran bazaar might be my favourite of all the markets we’ve visited (including the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, a number of souks in Morocco, and the street markets of Italy). There is something cyberpunk about the way it’s been built up over the centuries. The buildings are haphazard and tottering, like something from a gritty science fiction story.

Met these fabric sellers in the bazaar.

Laura in the empty bazaar.

Laura’s favourite things in Iran: a banana milkshake and baked goods sweetened with rose and honey.

Laura ordered a “capuccino” in a cafe in Tehran. This thing was some sort of ungoldy mix of Nescafe and Smurf-blood that tasted somewhat close, but not exactly, entirely unlike a capuccino.

Cuneifrom script in the National Museum.

A mosque near our hotel in the automotive district. We had to walk for 500-800m each day to escape the small shops stocked with hubcaps, windshields and all manner of car parts, just to find food or other amenities. The Firouzeh Hotel was worth it though.

Minarets from the mosque. The number of minarets on a mosque are a major sign of distinction.

Night market in the same neighbourhood. Things are open and bustling much later than we’re used to in Canada.

The Imam Khomeini’s mosque and mausoleum. This thing has been under construction since Khomeini’s death, and is one of the largest public building projects in the country. Iranians use the building in a somewhat relaxed and casual way, for picnics and get-togethers. Apparently this is inline with the final wishes of Khomeini, the father of the 1979 revolution.

The Behesht-E Zahra cemetery, the main resting place for men who died during the Iran-Iraq War (1980−88).

This entry was posted in Iran and tagged Iran, Photos, Tehran, Tehran bazaar, Tehran traffic on July 3, 2010 by Chris.

Photos from around Tehran, Iran

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We are most likely in Esfahan as you read this, but all of these photos are from Tehran. I haven’t felt very comfortable pulling out my SLR here, so I’ve been using the point-shoot camera. Perhaps that feeling is irrational. Either way, all the photos I have posted here are from our little point-shoot, which makes taking indiscriminate photos incredible easy.

We visited the Behesht-E Zahra cemetery, the main resting place for men who died during the Iran-Iraq War (1980−88). There are also regular citizens buried here. The graves stretch on for kilometers. Many have corrugated metal roofs constructed over them to protect them from the blistering heat. It was stifling when we were walking around.

A glass case containing some flowers and a photo of the soldier who lays to rest just below. One of the many men who lost his life during the Iran-Iraq War.

The holy shrine of His Holiness Imam Khomeini. The building is massive and even contains stores and restaurants. The four towers are 91 meters high. They symbolize the age of Khomeini when he died. We entered and saw Imam Khomeini’s tomb.

We met this old man in a park. He asked if we would sit and speak English with him so he could practice. He is entirely self-taught. He showed us his “News Week” from 2003, which he is reading to improve his English. He had various words and sentenced underlined that he doesn’t understand, simply waiting for the opportunity to ask a native English speaker the meaning. He was truly amazing and inspirational for his skill with language.

One of the door ways of the enormous Tehran Bazaar.

The Imam Khomeini Mosque is located within the Tehran Bazaar. As we stood in front of the mosque an attendant approached us and offered us a complimentary pastry. The baking here is simply phenomenal. I was more than happy to take one.

An interesting doorway within the Tehran Bazaar.

Chris walking down the main corridor of the Tehran Bazaar. Unfortunately it was closed, so we made sure to come back the next day when it was packed solid and impossible for me to get a shot like this.

This entry was posted in Iran and tagged Behesht-E Zahra, Holy Shrine of Imam Khomeini, Imam Khomeini Mosque, Iran, Iran-Iraq War, June 2010, Photos, Tehran, Tehran bazaar on June 30, 2010 by Laura.

National Museum of Iran in Tehran

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It had been a while since we’d visited a museum. I was beginning to itch because of it. So to enterain ourselves during our first full day in Tehran we decided to checkout the National Museum of Iran.

It’s the perfect size for a visitor to look at the entire collection in 2-hours, meaning you’re satisfied and content when you leave rather than overwhelmed and tired.

You’ll never believe how much it cost to visit the museum! It was .50 cents per adult! So Chris and I spent $1.00. Unbelievable.

The museum very professionally displays its collection of bone tools, Palaeolithic lithics (stone tools), metal and clay carvings from animals to humans and grand artifacts from the famous site of Persepolis, which we’ll be visiting at the end of our trip. I’m simply in love with the Persepolis carvings. I love the way they carved the beards, hair and turbans. I couldn’t tell you why. I just really like it.

One shocking thing on display is this man’s preserved skull. He died in a salt mine 1700’s years ago. Scientists have concluded he was around 37-years old when he died. There is extensive damage to his skull and eye socket, estimated to have occurred before death.