Blogs from Tehran, Tehran, North, Iran, Middle East

Darband was formerly a village close to Tajrish, Shemiran, and is now a neighbourhood inside Tehran's city limits. It is the beginning of a very popular hiking trail into the Alborz mountain Tochal, which towers over Tehran. A chair liftis also available for those not interested in hiking. To be far away from the center of this crowded commercial city, Darband is such a good experience for those tourists who prefer the nature rather than shopping or visiting touristy places in heart of the Capital city. The initial start of the trail at Darband is about 250 metres long and is dotted with a n... read more

I had been wanting to visit Iran for a very long time. Last year as I set out on my cycle trip around the world, Iran featured at the top of my 'must visit countries' list. I had met a few Iranians on my way through Europe and had made some tentative enquiries about what their country really was like. In the early stages, my limited knowledge of Iran was that portrayed in the media. On reaching Istanbul in Turkey, I tried to seek advice from the British consulate on whether everything in the media was being blown out of proportion. The consulate stuck with the party line telling me that they did not advise me to visit Iran. I had read an article on the internet produced by HM Border Agency, which I have to ... read more

Teheran var vild, hektisk, kaotisk, anderledes, meget spændende med meget venlige og imødekommende mennesker. Vi blev budt velkommen af præstestyret i lufthavnen paa store plakater, 2 x Khoumeni. Møntfoden var vanvittig, og vi blev indehavere af 2,9 mill rialer for blot 100 dollar. På hotelværelset var vi sikre paa retningen mod Mekka !! godt for det !! Fru Koudal var hele tiden behørigt indhyldet i gevanter, her ses i nydeligt aften dress. Smukt foto fra Goldenstaen Palace med chaddor klædte kvinder. Over alt i Tehran var der propoganda paa husgavlene, gerne i mange meters højde, både præstestyret, militær og ikke mindst USA. Billeder fra Tehran vartegn samt Milad Tower, hvorfra vi kunne se hele denne enorme by med 17 mill indbyggere ! På gaderne var der indsamlingsstandere til fattige, børn og ældre.... read more

I'm just going to summarise Iran as oppose to a day to day account as there was quite alot of driving and to honest I can't really remember what happened! We left early in the morning for the border us ladies looking stunning in our full on muslim gear including headscarf and my gay wizard outfit! We said goodbye to our european bus driver Martin and crossed over into Iran which was surprisingly easy just more fingerprints and luckily no searches! Got our new bus and drivers and our Iranian guide who made us feel ridiculous as she was wearing jeans, a hoody and a scarf casually draped over her head! First night we stayed in Tabriz and to be honest not as scary as we all thought it would be and everyone here and in ... read more

Day 39 - Tuesday 21st March Yet another cold snowy wintry day. Heather is still feeling very unwell and so we will not be leaving Teheran today. As it is New Year, all of the tourist sites are closed and so nothing to do. The day's highlight was a long hot shower (extra fee !) but after it finished it was back to the cold bedroom. I finished my book and wrote some letters to friends in UK. At lunchtime we went to our regular cafe for an enjoyable soup but there seemed to be a slight atmosphere from the staff. Maybe they thought that we spent to little cash but sat at their tables for too long - both true. Once again, no coaches had managed to get through to Mashad due to the heavy ... read more