Tehran to Tabriz- You cant help but laugh!

Did i tell you i threw my ticket to Istanbul in the bin? Yup, just like that, scrunched it up and threw it in the bin. I vividly remember it as well, i had just arrived in Shiraz, i was sitting on my bed in the hotel, going threw all the shit you seem to accumulate when traveling. Scrunch and BAM, in the bin! I thought i threw the empty stump of my ticket from my Tehran to Shiraz flight i just got off. But instead i threw my future ticket out of Iran, my ticket from Tabriz to Istanbul!

Lucky i realised somewhere along the way (and not at the airport before i would board my flight) I organised another ticket to be issued when i arrived back in Tehran from Abyaneh. But, this is Iran. And my ticket was no ordinary ticket, it was an old school ticket with carbon paper behind it, no E tickets here. No, thats too logical. So my day of getting another ticket started at 8am. The travel company sent Ali, one of their workers to pick me up from the hotel and take me to Iran Airs lost or stolen ticket section.

Ali was my age, 23 and majoring in German at a private university in Tehran. His father is a minister for Iran and Ali was more then excited when he realised his customer was off the same age and explained that a majority of their clients that travel Iran are old German folk! Ali couldn't believe i threw my ticket out! The ordeal of getting another ticket was something like this:

We first went to Iran Air, where the woman said we needed a stamp from the local travel agent first, she gave us a piece of paper to take to them. We then went to the local travel agent, who said that the paper couldnt be stamped and filled out until tomorrow. (But i was leaving Tehran today to Zanjan) Today? Okay, she'll see what she can do. After a few phone calls, a few confused conversation with the other workers in the travel agency (who were all hot Iranian women mind you) and one cup of tea later, the paper work was filled out, with the correct stamp. We then had to take the paper to Ali's company for it to be signed and stamped by the director (Ali didnt have that type of authority) From there we then took the paper back to Iran air lost or stolen section. The woman sighted it, stamped it, and printed out some documents. We then went downstairs of Iran Air to the ticket issuing center, got a ticket and waited for our number to be called out. When it did, upstairs to massive room of female travel agents (they all had nose jobs) where we waited for another ticket to be issued from Tabriz to Istanbul. $50 dollars later (a slap on the wrist for being stupid and throwing my ticket out) i had a brand new ticket out of Iran!

During this ordeal Ali and i got to talking, he was a good bloke and suggested that i come to this uni for his afternoon lecture in German! We rang the bus company and i could leave for Zanjan at 6pm! So went past his house, got his car and went to Tehran University. Apparently it is one of the best private Unis in Iran. I blended in rather well, though Ali had to ask permission from his lecturer if i could sit in the class. I was waiting outside and when i got the all clear, i entered the classroom with 40 peering eyes on me! 3/4 of which where female! Apparently this is common in Iran, women out number men, and Iran has one of the highest percentage of female university students in the world (apparently?) In the lecture they were talking about Hafez (the famous poet again) and then they read a few passages in German (their accents sounded perfect!) then the class was over. We got some lunch in the playground (hamburger and chips Iranian style) where i became spectacle of Ali's group. "What is it like in Australia? Do you like Iran? How old are you?" After a while the group dwindled down and their was 6 of us. They suggested that we continue the conversation in a near by cafe. The 6 of us, Ali and i and 4 local affluent Tehran ladies hopped in the car and flew down the highway with Frasi music pumping! There was a party in the backseat! The roof top cafe was great, we smoked nalgeli and had an afternoon tea banquet! Though it was approaching 6 and i needed to get to Zanjan. After an exchange of emails and a quick goodbye to the girls, Ali drove me to the bus terminal where i boarded the bus intime for Zanjan. It was a great afternoon and nothing beats chilling with the locals!


I arrived at Zanjan at 11pm. Apparently i didnt miss out on much sight seeing in Zanjan, the day in Tehran made up for it anyway. When i arrived to the hotel it was very quiet and dark, i thought it was closed.
The man at reception was sleeping on the near by lounge, and was rather agitated that i was checking it at such an hour. I couldn't even get anything to eat in the hotel, and all the surrounding shops were closed too! And he was in no mood to answer my questions about my travels the next day.

So i woke up early at 8am, had breakfast, packed, and went to reception. The plan was to go from Zanjan to a village called Adrebil, on the outskirts of Tabriz, which is meant to be a pleasant city at the bottom of some big mountain. So i and asked the man at reception (much more helpful then the dude from last night) to call the Zanjan bus terminal to see what time the bus is for Adrebil. He called, and they told him that their is no buses direct from Zanjan to Adrebil, and the only bus to Tabriz left at 9am. Great so i missed it. The man behind the reception at Zanjan hotel told me to catch a taxi to the autostrad, and get a bus that has left from Tehran, or any other city that is going to Tabiz and get off before at a town called Bostan Abad, where i could then get a connecting Bus into Adrebil! Good idea yes!?

Ha!

.... So i caught a taxi to the highway, waited for a bus to Tabriz. Finally one came. This bus had been traveling since 3am in the morning from the East of Iran. So all the people on the bus where well equipped with snacks and food. I was given tea and biscuits, nuts and fruit! I had nothing to give the others in return but my Haringbow gummi bears which i found in Tehran for 2dollars! The bus driver, (who let me sit in the front seat, and got his co worker to take over driving while he practiced his english with me and showed me film clips on his mobile of his 6year daughter playing the violin) The bus driver recommended that i get off at Bostan Abad, and then catch a bus from Bostan Abad terminal to Adrebil. Okay sounds easy. He dropped me off along the highway of Bostan Abad, it was about 2pm... i waited along the highway for a taxi... no taxi.... so i got some lunch on the highway (did i mention how cold it was? its SOOO COLD up north here!!! I cant believe the massive change in weather within the different areas of Iran) while eating lunch, a taxi pulled up and offered me a lift to into Bostan Abad. So i told him my story and where i want to get too. He said he will take me into the city of Bostan Abad to catch a taxi to Adrebil which will be quicker, costing 70,000 direct to Adrebil. ($7) Okay i thought, i need to get to Adrebil. We went into Bostan Abad, and he found the taxi driver to take me to Adrebil. But this was a shared taxi and he said he will not be driving to Adrebil until 4pm!

Great! So 4pm... 2 hours driving to Adrebil, it was now 3pm, and i still had an hour to wait, and i would arrive in Adrebil at 6pm, only to find my hotel, eat, sleep, then leave the next day again to Tabriz? I thought this is not worth it. Considering i leave for Tabriz on Thursday, this would hardly leave me any exploring time. I changed my mind and thought I should go straight to Tabriz now, so i can atleast have a full day in Tabriz.

So i now had two options: 1) To catch a taxi back to the highway, then a bus into Tabriz terminal, then another taxi to my hotel. OR 2) there was a cab driver that offered to take me into Tabriz, to hotel i was staying at, The Azarbayjan hotel, for 70,000($7) ... Okay, i thought, its worth the hour drive in.

My goodness i was wrong. This cab driver. If i see him here in Tabriz i think i would... i would throw my shoe at his head! YES i would do just that. I would throw my shoe at him!!! Lets name him Mahmoud for the story to come. Let me give you a visual as well. Mahmoud was skinny and rather short, he had blue socks on with sandles, your typical over sized Iranian baggy grey woolen pants gathered tightly at the waist with a black belt and a green knitted jumper. He was around 55+ with a sunken, drawn in face.

So i got in Mahmouds cab (which was shared on the way to Tabriz dropping people off). Mahmoud at first was extremely friendly, offering me tea and apples, and cigarettes, informing the others that i was from Australia. We got into Tabriz an hour later, and he started asking people for directions to Azarbayjan hotel. He was driving and driving around and it became clear he didnt know the way. (Mind you i asked and showed him the address before getting in the cab, "YES YES YES Azarbayjan hotel". He wound down the windows and began to get directions from locals on the street. The locals all seemed to be pointing in different directions. He started to became rather agitated scratching his head and cursing Ya Allah. We began to stop every tom dick and harry and ask for directions.
I showed him the address another time and even the locals who we stoped to ask. I then used his mobile phone to call the hotel for them to give the driver directions! HE STILL HE COULD NOT FIND IT!

DO YOU KNOW WHERE HE TOOK ME AND TOLD ME TO GET OUT!? TO THE FUCKING AZERBAIJAN CONSULATE!!! IDIOT! When outside of the Azerbaijan consulate a policeman came over as he saw us arguing! I showed the policeman the name of the hotel and its address, he understood and gave Mahmoud new directions. We then got back in the cab, only for Mahmoud to drive around the block and now stop at the Turkish consulate!!! He buzzed on the intercom and was asking them for new directions (at this point i realised that Mahmoud probebly wasnt all that well in the head) A man from the Turkish consulate came outside "Are you turkish? do you need help?" "NO! I NEED TO GET TO MY HOTEL AND THIS IDIOT DOESNT KNOW WHERE HE IS GOING!" The man from the Turkish consulate gave Mahmoud more directions, of which i thought he understood as we seemed to be driving along a new highway now. We even stoped to pick up new fares. So we must be heading in the right direction now. Wrong. Mahmoud let the others out at their destination, drove for a little more, and cursed Allah a little bit more! Mahmoud got so mad at the end, that he stoped on the high way, wailed down another cab for me, put my bag into the other cab, and told me to PAY and GO!! I COULDNT BELIEVE IT! I only handed him 50,000 ($5) ! It was now a 2 hour journey, we had been driving around Tabriz for an hour looking for directions! He got soo mad that i didnt pay the full fare of 70,000! He was gesturing that i should pay him more for all the driving! So we comprimised with 60,000. Looking back i should have left him with just the 50,000 and not given him the extra 10,000. All the while the other cab waiting was laughing his head off, within 5 minutes of being in the new cab i checked into the Azarbayjan hotel.


This was my trip to Tabiz, after i checked in i found the nearest smoking cafe and had a whole nargelli to myself, i then had a very nice dinner of Dizi and ate it like a pro! You cant help but laugh in times like these.

Tabriz on the other hand is a very lovely city. Its a mix of Tehran in the sense that it is noisy and bustling, but rather atmospheric like Esfahan. Tabriz was the capital of Iran from 1500 - 1736. Its people are an eclectic bunch, with lots of Turkish and Armenians living here, being so close to its borders. I spent the next day exploring the Bazaar of Tabriz, which is probably the nicest ive seen in Iran. It had the BEST carpet selection! I think when im rich and famous i will return to Iran to buy a rug! I then had a siesta (from the previous days ordeals) with the afternoon spent at Egoli park watching Iranian pasagata!

Today i leave for Istanbul. My two weeks in Iran have been fantastic. Though the country is really not established for external tourism, it has been a fantastic journey with amazing sights to see, its defiantly well worth the hassle of getting here. Im Nathan Yazbek, reporting for sbs news, Good night-ch!

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