Tehran

Tehran, Sunday, 26th September 2010

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Tehran is not nice. Apart form my visa run I visited a few museums and damaged my lung in the traffic fumes. Every evening I feel like I’m coming up with a cold because my throat is so sore.
However the traffic is a nice surprise after I heard so much horrible things about it. It’s quite managable and crossing the street is not so hard when you have some experience with other countries. Although I admit that it’s chaotic sometimes.

My inital euphoria is gone and after looking forward to my “first highlight on this trip” for so long I feel a little bit disappointed.
I didn’t have any particular expectations but I thought Iran would be more different. But it seems to me to be a modern almost western country. Granted, the women wear veils but they also get nose jobs. The police is driving Mercedes cars, the buses are punctual, and I haven’t heard a muezzin yet (despite my hotel being next to a mosque) and I pass as an Iranian.
Something that I’m often wishing for in India and enjoyed immensly now seems to be a disadvantage. Because I’m not seeing much of the fabled Iranian hospitality. Even when I’m sitting somewhere with my camera and my Lonely Planet people ask me directions (in Farsi) not where I’m coming from.

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The sculpture is called „reading ancient scriptures“

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Quran verses in arabic, persian and english at the Ministery of Foreign Affairs.

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Anyone remember MASK??? 😀

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Fitness gear in a park.

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Parsi instead of Pepsi, but you can also get the original.

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The buses are parked but if they drove they wouldn’t have more distance between them

Tomorrow I’ll head for Qom and then Esfahan.