Blogs from West, Iran, Middle East - page 7

Tehran - Esfahan Tehran. Twelve million people crammed into a city carved out of the desert and ringed by towering mountains. The only city I’ve ever visited where you literally can’t see the ground as the plane taxis into land due to the intense, hack-inducing, mouth-drying pollution. You can actually see the dense hazy layer hovering just above the buildings... And the traffic. Having been to places like Moscow, Beijing and Hanoi, I thought that I’d pretty well seen the worst that the drivers of this world could throw at you. Nothing compares to Tehran. Sure, Moscow had those Ladas weaving haphazardly across six lanes as the dozy pensioner behind the wheel swigged on his bottle of vodka. At least the Russians have booze to account for the 25 000 killed on their streets every ... read more

My 54-year-old Japanese mother was inspired by my recent Iran photos to take me on a mother-daughter bonding trip to Tokyo Disneyland. Why? Because the mosques reminded her of Aladdin, and she was eager to experience the 'Arabian Coast' of Disney Sea and go on the 'Small world' esque ride called 'Sindbad's Adventures'. After ice cream and wearing ridiculous Aladdin and Jafar hats, we sat down for some fierce chainsmoking (hiding from Mickey and the screaming kids) to compare Disney and Iranian architecture. So then, speaking of huge colorful domes, sparkling tilework and magical fantasies all smooshed together on a grand scale, Esfahan would be the place. Compared with Paris by the French poet Reiner, with its eye-pleasing recreational promenades along rivers and parks, the famous epithet came about - Esfahan as 'Half of the world' ... read more

Lasciamo la sonnolenta Kashan, ed i suoi 42 gradi, in un caldo pomeriggio d'inizio agosto: direzione Esfahan. Questa citta' viene considerata la piu' bella dell'intera Persia, viene addirittura definita "la meta' del mondo", e folle di turisti da ogni dove la visitano ininterrottamente durante tutto l'anno. Ci saranno degli ottimi motivi per tutto questo, ma non saro' di certo io a raccontarveli... Mi limitero' a parlare dell'Amir Kabir Hotel, storico ritrovo dei backpackers che negli anni hanno percorso questa via. Situato in centro citta', offre diverse sistemazioni: camere doppie e singole, camere condivise e dormitorio, camera con tappeti e, in caso di pienone, il pavimento. I prezzi sono davvero contenuti e partono dai 30.000 Rials (1 euro = 12.500 Rials). Il fulcro di tutto cio' e' il cortile interno che offre riparo dal sole nelle ore ... read more

Imagine being in a sauna turned up to the max. Despite the marvellous sites to visit in south-western Iran, I was dying to the point that nicotine addiction didnt take effect, and locals (and tourists) were laughing at how beetroot red i'd become due to the scorching heat. I sadly don't tan due to my dad's genes, I just roast like a suckling pig. In the Persian language, '-stan' is translated to 'the place of'. Hence to this day, we have countries and provinces which used to be part of the humongous Persian Empire, ending with such (eg. Kurdistan - 'place of the kurds'...ok, you got me). My second trip to Iran focused on the west, where it seemed that majority of the provinces were called 'something-a-rather-stan'. Touring around national borders was absolutely fantabulous, as ... read more

The night we arrived in Esfahan, I prayed to any deity who would listen, to give us clear blue skies during our visit to Naqsh-Jahan Square in exchange for cutting down on cigarettes, booze (well that wasnt volountary) and the life of my ipod. Whoever it was, it worked. Our day exploring Isfahan was sunny as ever, the sky mimicking the colour of the beautiful blue domes and tiles. At last, I would be able to accomplish 2 points on my 'things to do before I expire' list: -Task#5: Moonwalk along at least half of the huge Square, to 'Billie Jean'. Yeoowww -Task#6: Sing Evita's 'Don't cry for me Argentina' - but for Naqsh-Jahan, from the balcony at Ali Capu palace. (luckily I dont have any photographic evidence for myself because I was so into ... read more