Back to Tahran / Last Days in Iran

I arrived in Tahran in the morning and went directly to my house in Tahran. I met with Younes' wife, who had gone to her hometown visiting, and his father-in-law. I think I had started to stink since I hadn't showered in three days. I took a shower, cleaned up and spent the rest of the day resting and chatting at home. The next day I went to the travel agency I had visited before to get my plane ticket to India. Ladies at the agency were very affectinate towards me. First I got the same answer from them as I had from all other travel agents, that they could not sell me a one-way ticket, I had to buy a round-trip ticket. For some stupid rule I couldn't comprehend the purpose of, they're not allowed to sell one-way ticket to tourists. Cash I had on me was only enough for a one-way ticket, I was having financial troubles since I wasn't able to use any of the credit cards or travelers checks I had with me. Ladies made a few phone calls to help me but no one answered. It was only 3:00 pm but all the offices close at 2:00 pm in Iran. They told me to come early the next morning, that they would find a solution to my problem. I arrived early the next morning at the agency. They greeted me with the same warm welcome, sat me on a chair, and started working on arranging a ticket for me. In the four hours it took to make the purchase we constantly joked around and chatted with the ladies. The most sincere conversations I had with the other sex in Iran took place with these ladies. It was the most pleasant shopping experience I had with the compliments we would make to each other, marriage proposals I received, and non-stop laughing. Whenever the boss would come out of his office everyone would keep quiet, put on their poker faces, fix their head scarves, pretend to be working while I pretended to be reading a book, and the fun would continue as soon as the boss would go back into his office. With the ticket I bought from the agency I was supposed to fly to Delhi with a lay-over in Sharjah UAE the next day, but destiny had other plans for me. One who laughs a lot will cry a lot; I was to pay for the hours of laughing my buttoff at the agency very soon.

The very first day I arrived in Tahran I noticed an airport next to the bust terminal and later got it confirmed with Younes too. On the day of my flight I left home on time based on my calculations of the amount of time needed to get to the airport and two hours of waiting time before the flight. As I was taking the bus and the subway I kept asking people and got it confirmed that I was going the right direction, but it wasn't until I got to the airport that I found out it was for domestic flights only, and the one I needed to go was at the other end of the city (actually way out of the city). By that time it was for sure that I would miss the flight. I decided to go to the international airport anyway since my connecting flight was for the next day. After a long journey and hardcore bargains with cab drivers I arrived at the airport by night, spending the last penny in my pocket. I was too optimistic thinking I could catch the next flight out but there wasn't any flights to where I was going or even any ticketing offices of any airlines for that matter. Only good thing happening all day was the exchange office accepting to exchange Turkish Liras. I had 20 Liras (about $13) in my pocket left from Turkey, which was enough to get me back to the city. After another long journey I got home towards midnight. The family laid out my bed immediately after the first shock of seeing me at the door, and I felt in to a deep sleep hoping to forget this nightmarish day. Next morning I went to an internet cafe as soon as I opened my eyes, and started searching for flights. This time I got lucky and found a seat in a flight in two days that previously was full. I was able to use my credit card online since it was an Arab airline and didn't face the same embargo for the United States as Iranian companies did. It was my only chance of getting a ticket and was extremely relieved when it worked. I went back home with a peace of mind, showered, ate and rested. I spent the next two days resting at home. On the day of my flight I left home with the confidence of knowing the way, got to the airport in time and started waiting for my flight to UAE, where I will be spending a day before flying to Delhi.

Iran was a good starting point for my trip. It was a soft transition for me since their culture is very similar to ours. Thanks to the Iranian hospitality I didn't spend a single night in hotels in Iran, and amazingly spent only a total ol $130 in all three weeks of traveling. Transportation and museum entrances are dirt cheap in Iran, but can't say the same for food. They have many Turkish brand goods in the country, especially all the clothing and textiles come from Turkey. There's a big craze with getting nose jobs done in Iran, especially in Tahran. I don't think there's a single young Iranian girl who hasn't got her nose done. On any given day you're guaranteed to see at least 10-15 girls with their noses bandaged walking the streets. With all their bodies covered, only part they show are their faces, so there's a great emphasis on the beauty of the face, which results in nose jobs, plucked eyebrows and make up. Another thing one can't turn a blind eye to in Iran is the importance of their martyrs from the Iran-Iraq war. It's been 20 years since the 8 year long war between the two countries got over, but you can feel the tremendous impact it had everywhere you go. There're posters and signs all over the streets depicting the pictures of fallen soldiers (used as a propaganda material by the government) and pictures or little monuments in houses of the sons they lost.

Overall I spent three amazing weeks in Iran. People are unbelievably nice and the country deserves a much better recognition by the foreigners. It's one of the safest places to travel I think. I hope it will be explored by many more travellers, who can help to break the isolation Iranians are forced to live in.