Blogs from North, Iran, Middle East - page 14

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Middle East » Iran » North » Tehran October 15th 2007

One day I was walking around in Tajrish Square, north Tehran, looking for things to do. Started flirting with the idea of riding with one of these crazy motorcycle taxi guys. So started hustling with one of them to get the cheapest rate. He was a very pleasant fellow, whom I began to like. After we agreed on the price, he gave a me a tour of rich neighborhoods of north Tehran. Moshtaba is a 24 year old migrant from Borjnurd, small town in Khorasan, north east Iran. When I asked him if ever any of those pretty Tehrani girls get behind the motorcycle is replies, not a chance. He is married with a small child and lives in North Tehran. His family have been farmers, but their land holdings are small, which has prompted him ... read more
N Tehran
N Tehran
N Tehran

Middle East » Iran » North » Tehran October 8th 2007

Brief History and city layout First thing I get asked by poeple here is what I think has changed in the past 27 years. First things that comes to mind is is that there are twice the number of poeple in the country, (times 4 in the capital), and twcie the number of cars. I leave the rest up to you to imaginge how things have changed. Modern Tehran has never been a historical town. The original Tehran which was made Capital by the Qajars a century a two ago was confined the central and southern parts of the city which contains the only remaining monuments in the city. The areas is one of the only regions of the city which has retained its historical flavor and architecture, even that is under assault now by the ... read more
Park of "Dialogue"
Vali Asr Ave.
Tower of Milad

Middle East » Iran » North » Tehran October 6th 2007

Day 4 Tehran to Demavend. The Demavend peak is a spectacular site to watch. On clear days it is easily seen in the Tehran's northeastern skyline. It stands above 18000 feet and even in this latitude and beginning of the fall it is covered with snow. It is a cone shaped structure and is an active volcano. It is a about 60 km north east of Tehran and the road that takes you there cuts though the Alborz mountains which is quite scenic. Huge barren mountains surround the road on every side. There are countless small villages and settlements along the way up. My destination is the village of Reineh, which is a launching area for the climbers to the Demavend peak. A small windy side road off the main high way takes you uphill towards ... read more
Enroute to the peak
Ritual Mourning procession
Rudehen

Middle East » Iran » North » Tehran October 6th 2007

Cream and Honey After the 4 hour hike ending around 1030 am, arrive back at the rented lodge, quite hungry. Being the fasting month, all restaurants are closed. Many small convenient stores are open all of which are owned locally. The region is also known for its honey and cream, (asal-o-khameh) a favorite breakfast item in Iran. The cream is taken from 100% pure milk, from non-pasteurized, grass fed cows that receive no growth hormones. The honey is also grown locally, the surrounding mountain meadows which provide a heaven of nectar for pollinating bees. The honey is thick and dark. The lodge next door Before departure I rent a private bath filled with hot local spring water from the guy next door who ends up being my self-appointed driver and guide for the remainder of the ... read more
Ab garm
Ab garm
Ab garm

Middle East » Iran » North » Amol October 6th 2007

Detour to Chelav As we get closer to the coast the vegetation changes and lush green forests fill the land scape, very similar to entering western Washington when crossing the cascades. On the way up we take a small excursion to a small mountain village called Chellav. As we climb the windy treacherous road he takes out a cigarette empties the tobacco, mixes it with some other ingredients, sucks the tobacco back through filter into the cigarette and starts smoking it. To my utter amazement all this is done while he continues talking non-stop, and driving with his knee and elbow, albeit very slowly. Once we reach the village a local tells us of a pretty house on top of the hill which belonged to an Imam-zadeh, (descendant of a Shiite Imam), with great views of ... read more
The lodge next door
The lodge next door
Leaving Ab Garm

Middle East » Iran » North » Tehran October 3rd 2007

On the plain ride from Dubai to Tehran sat next to a Pakistani emigrant to Dubai who regularly travels to Iran as a consultant for an IT company. He said the first time he set foot in Tehran he was surprised as he had conjured a completely different image of Iran. Instead of what he thought would be an underdeveloped backward and oppressive city, he found it to be surprisingly clean, with a vibrant commercial activity, and an efficient high-way system and modern infra-structure, set in a spectacular setting the Alborz mountain range. Indeed the proximity of the city to this mountain range with the highest peak of 18000 feet is its most remarkable feature. But much has changed since I left it in my early teen years.... read more
New airport
The samand

Middle East » Iran » North » Tehran September 28th 2007

Just a quick update to let my sundry following know that I'm alive and this time actually heading in the direction of China (yeay!) though I've still only made it as far as Tehran... but this is as far east as I've gotten in 3 years on the road, so it's not to be taken lightly. A major milestone. And what I really wanted to say is that travelblog.org seems to be blocked at most internet cafes I've been to here (this is the first one in 2 weeks where it worked), so I know I owe you all an Azerbaijan blog (still unwritten), and an account of what I was doing back in Turkey for the past 2 months (very little), and delightfully original insights and observations about Iran... Stay tuned (but don't hold your ... read more

Middle East » Iran » North » Zanjan September 4th 2007

Salam from Iran! Yes, we made it! We're now in Iran for one week! Before beginning to tell you our first impressions, we want to thank a lot Isabelle and her husband as well as Kianouche and all the people who took the time to give us useful advices about Iran. After many calculations (our visa allows us to stay 30 days in Iran and there is only one flight per week from Mashad to Bishkek, Kirghistan!), we crossed the border at Bazargan last Wednesday without any problem. The custom officer checked and stamped our visas in 30 seconds and meant "Iran border is cool, no problem!" and so we arrived in Iran!! We went directly to the little town of Maku. The idea was to have a smooth introduction to Iran before going to the ... read more
Iranian Rials make you feel as a millionaire!
Fortunatly this is not the main attitude of the people we met!
The bazaar in Tabriz

Middle East » Iran » North » Kashan July 28th 2007

Kashan, 3 ore di bus a Sud di Tehran, e' proprio quello che mi aspettavo dalla Persia: una citta' dal ritmo lento, segnato dal movimento del sole, che si ferma completamente nelle ore piu' calde della giornata per poi riprendere cautamente a vivere solo verso sera con l'oscurita', quando la temperatura ritorna a livelli accettabili. Scelgo come rifugio pomeridiano una camera alla Golestan guesthouse, non proprio economicissima ma accogliente e ben attrezzata: ho perfino un tavolo ed una sedia, gran lusso di questi tempi, e poi un frigo in comune che riempio subito con provviste per almeno una settimana. Passo cosi' i primi 3 giorni ad oziare, scrivere, mangiare meloni e guardare la vita del paese scorrere lentamente nella piazza sottostante. Ma la citta' offre molto di interessante, a partire dalla parte piu' antica che e' ... read more
Kashan: il colorato bazar
Kashan: Le mura e la ghiacciaia
Kashan: una delle case storiche

Middle East » Iran » North » Mazandaran » Sari July 24th 2007

Sono pronto per il mio primo viaggio in treno qui in Persia, e per l'occasione ho scelto una tratta che dovrebbe essere la piu' panoramica: da Tehran a Sariy si scavalcheranno e piu' volte si perforeranno i Monti Alborz. In otto ore si passa dall'arido deserto appena fuori la capitale allo spoglio versante sud dei monti; poi, d'un tratto, fuori da una galleria il paesaggio cambia completamente e si entra nella "giungla", cosi' come qui la chiamano: tutto e' verde, dagli alberi che rivestono le montagne alle risaie che tappezzano le valli. Anche il clima e' cambiato, sono nella depressione caspica e, pur non facendo un gran caldo, l'umidita' e' davvero elevata e si gronda di sudore per tutto il giorno. In treno una gentile famiglia, padre e figlio, mi invita a pernottare da loro e ... read more
Un tuffo nel Mar Caspio
La depressione caspica, inquinata
Sariy: un kebab in famiglia




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