Mozart on the run

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If a hotel is recommended by the Lonely Planet, it is NOT CLOSED! An inclusion in the travellers' bible" is a licence to print money for a hotel owner and, usually, an excuse to raise the price. In some places, additional premises open with similar names to confuse the traveller and skim the extra business generated. When I arrived in Shiraz, the (evil) taxi driver took me from the bus station to a different hotel to the one I asked and the man stood outside told me that the "Hotel Zand" was closed. Bullshit. I asked to be taken there anyway and so the driver took me to a building that looked like it used to be a hotel and said that this was the Zand. Clever, but still bollocks. I asked him to take me to the castle (which was very close to the Zand) and he had to drive me half way across town! I stayed in the Zand.

Back in Tehran: Flew from Shiraz for 20 quid which I thought was sod all until I found out that 2 months ago it was 40% cheaper!

Visited the Emam Khomeni shrine which is 20 miles out of town. I say shrine, but, apart from the actual shrine in the middle, it is more like a theme-park with restaurants and shops and a huge, airport-style, car-park. With few modifications, and if they added some rides, they could call it "Khomeni-Land". On this mini-pilgrimage, we experienced yet more Iranian kindness: one of the guys from the metro walked us to the bus stop and paid the fare to the shrine (okay, it was peanuts, but nevertheless...). The bus stopped 2km away and we got off onto a dual carriageway - but the shrine complex was so big that it looked like the approach to the Emerald City. As soon as we got off the bus, the first car to pass screeched to a halt. Thinking it may be an unofficial taxi, I entered negotiation mode with the driver. However, it was just a random bloke in a car who wanted to give us a lift. On the way "home", I was given a book as a gift which was nice. I won't be reading it anytime soon as it is written in Farsi.

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Photos

Well scripted
I wanted some arabic calligraphy to take home. In Shiraz, I happened upon the calligraphy institute and the rest is history.

Hello, Mum!
I got interviewed for a travel telly program made by an Iranian company. I thought the complete tosh I was talking would only go out in Iran, but I was told afterwards that it was to be broadcast in N.America and Europe too (shit). However, it will go out on satillite, so my anonymity is assured.

Persepolis
Something very old

Khomeni-land! [under construction]
A lot of (usually older) people have a lot of respect for this guy, so I cannot figure out why his shrine is becoming like a theme park.

Disaster in the making
I count five on this motorbike!

Rush hour, Tehran
Iran has the 2nd highest traffic death rate in the world. During rush hour, it spills over onto the pavements.

Comments

[Savage]

Great stuff!!
haha... fantastic! That is great that people are being so nice to you over there. Keep on writting, I love your entries!!

[anonymous]

my 2 cents
Nice to read your stuff. I just returned from Iran (back to the USA) after 3 weeks of visiting my mom and brother there. I found Iran very different than even last year. However, peoples opinion is the same as 100 years ago. You might want to visit the Water Museum in the city of Yazd. I bought a book and a VCD from them. The air fair is durt cheap there. Also, taxi fair is next to nothing. However, I try to sit in the back when riding in the Taxi, fearing the traffic there :( Thanks God, drivers have to use seat belts in the highways now. I noticed the girls there to be amazingly beautiful. Iran's population is very young and couldn't figure out the culture of the young population there. I found many Net.Cafes that are full of young. Oh well, I am back now and try to adjust to my old life now. Thanks, Mike-

[anonymous]

spelling
Fair: Just, even-handed, acceptable Fare: Price, fee, payment for passing Airfair is NOT A WORD. Airfare. Jeez.

[Sken like a Ribble fluke]

RE: Spelling
It is now. It means the same as Airfare.