Blogs from Esfahan, West, Iran, Middle East
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A picture is worth 1,000 words Which means: (a) I have written a lot, or (b) I'm just getting lazy...... read more
So, these are the photos that went with the previous blog... assuming the internet is being more cooperative here!... read more
The city of Esfahan has been the highlight of our short time in Iran so far. Emam square is the second largest in the world after Tiananmen square in China. The architecture is incredible, it's too bad they didn't light it up very well at night. Our favorite part of Esfahan was walking along the river by the old bridges that were built back to the 1600's. The pathways and parks were full of families setting up their picnics for breaking the fast at sunset. So many strangers approached us simply to find out where we were from and what we thought of Iran. All of them greeted us with smiles and good wishes. An older lady even offered to take us to her home for dinner. It's really too bad we had to leave the ... read more
Day 21 Zanjan to Tehran (Sat 24th July) We left the hotel today at 0800 and our first stop was the Sultanamet dome, which is apparently the second largest of its type n the world. Its nearly 50m high and about 25m diameter, built in the 8th century. And of course, it was under restoration - which means scaffolding. Fortunately the scaffolding was only on the inside so it still looked very impressive. We were able to climb up to the top to get some lovely views of the surrounding area. It was a fairly short travel day today, and we arrived in the capital of Iran at 1400. For those not too sure of their geography - that’s Tehran! It is HUGE!! The population is somewhere over 12 million people. As we are staying in ... read more
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Chang and I arrived in a hot Esfahan in the middle of the afternoon. We entered Kavan bus terminal to find out the departure times from Esfahan. But if you don’t read Farsi (which is in Arabic script) things are difficult to find in Iran. Luckily we immediately saw a desk manned by young women with headscarves and copious amounts of makeup. She spoke decent English and helped us on our way. However, outside the terminal were the wolves - otherwise known as taxi drivers. Surrounding us as they jostled with each other and shouting out English words whilst trying to grab our bags; my guard was immediately up. This time I kept quiet and watched Yang do the talking. One guy started off by offering 5,000 Tomans (5 dollars) to our hotel before adding “very ... read more
Rucksackentführung - Welcome to Iran, my Frieeend
Published: March 3rd 2010Middle East » Iran » West » Esfahan(Dienstag) Nun, ich bin im Iran. Alles ist hier furchtbar normal. Die Einreise ist entspannend-unspanned. Nur eins fehlt: Mein Rucksack. All meine Befürchtungen werden war. Er ist in Kuwait oder Dubai, oder, inshallah, in Lampukistan. Würde man in Europa jetzt wohl einen hübschen Bericht ausfüllen, fällt es hier schon schwer, jemanden zu finden, der Englisch kann und sich einem annimmt.Mit Hilfe eines netten Grenzpolizisten und dem Iran-Air-Station-Manager kommen wir zu dem Schluss, dass mein Gepäck wohl am Donnerstag Abend in Shiraz sein könnte. Eher ein frustrierendes Erlebnis. Ich wünschtre, ich wäre Ryanair geflogen und hätte mich dazu gezwungen, alles feinsäuberlich in mein Handgepäck zu stopfen. Ansonsten mache ich das beste aus dem Abend in Esfahan. Die Stadt ist gewaltig, und das was ich im Dunkeln sehe, ist allemal vielversprechend. „Esfahan ist die Hälfte der W... read more
For more of my blogs about Iran, please visit The Real Iran and Fundamentalist Iran Believe it or not, there is a well-trod tourist trail across the vast country of Iran. Travelers generally enter by air at Tehran or, following the hippy trail from Europe to India, enter overland from Turkey and on to Pakistan. Nowadays on the road you meet loads of these adventurous overlanders, many of them tackling the route on motorcycle or bicycle. Iran is a rare country where high snowy mountains, deserts, and coastal beaches lie practically side by side, but unfortunately I was a little too early for ski season. The city of Esfahan is the pinnacle of any sightseeing tour of Iran. It is regarded by many as the most beautiful Muslim city in the world. ... read more
We drove over 440km from Shiraz to Esfahan, passing pastures and arid mountains resembling parts of Southern California. Although Iran has one of the highest accident rates in the world, it is well developed in certain aspects. When buses or trucks travel between major cities, they have to register with the police and get a GPS card, with which the speed can be tracked. At gas stations, refueling is done with smart cards, where each personal car is allowed three liters per day to curb over usage. Esfahan nesf-e jahan; Esfahan is half the world. The ancient proverb given by western travelers still holds truth. Once known as the richest city in the world, Esfahan rivaled Rome, Paris, and Florence. Even with wars ravaging the city for over 1,000 years until the end of Iran-Iraq war, ... read more
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