Hotel Khayyam Tehran

... pro šest lidí, které teda vypadaly poměrně ošuntěle - dveře se zavíraly obsluhou pomocí nohy ale stejně se nedozavíraly a vchod byl velmi úzký, velmi jednoduše mohl některým silnějším jedincům způsobit problém vůbec nastoupit. Stejně tak byl malinký i vnitřek. Bohužel nebyl při jízdě příliš vidět obrovitánský Teherán, proto ...

... risk in protesting this way &#8211; each night the Basij militia would patrol Tehran listening out for anyone chanting pro-Mousavi slogans. Any protester unlucky enough to get caught would face serious reprisals at the hands of the militia.<br><br>The second day we were in Tehran was another landmark for Nikki and Heath &#8211; the day all their freight from NZ finally arrived. Sim and I got busy helping Nikki unpack the mountain of boxes in their hallway, the ...

... flight to Tashkent (Uzbekistan) on Friday morning. It&#8217;s just Mike, Glen and me left now. Sadly for Glen, he and his wife, Chrissy, will be separated for the next week. Her Letter of Invitation to Turkmenistan was processed, but his wasn&#8217;t. Go figure? I can understand why ours weren&#8217;t &#8211; they probably put our passports at the bottom of the pile while they tried to figure out where New Zealand is. <br> <br><br>After 2hrs, we ...

... Il était 16h30, le jour tombait et il n'est plus la peine de chercher des musées ouverts à cette heure ci (ce qui frustre). Je repris le marathon le lendemain de bonne heure, prenant la direction de ce qui n'est pas un musée mais que j'aborde ici tout de même : le monumental mausolée de l'Ayatollah Khomeiny, l'homme de 1979 à l'éternelle gloire duquel on a ...

... button before hauling myself out of bed and getting dressed. Worry not dear reader about my bypassing of the shower. I had cleansed myself the night before knowing that I would be in no fit state of consciousness to take command of a shower so early in the day. It was a good thing I didn't make too much use of the dear snooze button as father arrived at my back door half an hour earlier than scheduled. I had decanted the expertly packed, but snug suitcase (well it's more of a sports ...

... Palace is the first modern palace that I have ever seen. It mixes the 60s style with traditional Iranian architecture. After visiting Farah Pahlavi's mixture of modern and ancient art collection, I got the feeling that she was the main intellectual force behind the Palace. Surprisingly, Tehran has a British School that is larger than the Brit in Istanbul. How could the anti-Western establishment allow this? However ...

... as well. So I would quickly answer whatever question I was asked and then point to the teacher as if to say that we should be listening. I forgot how it felt to be a student again. At 7 pm, Fatima suggested that we leave the class immediately and head out to a restaurant to celebrate the end of the fast. I felt bad skipping early but they assured me it wasn't a big deal. So off we went. Majid, Fatima and myself squished into Hasti's little car and drove across the town to a ...

... waiter. I was pretty quiet in the cab. I was a bit frustrated with not being able to do what I really wanted to do. I guess it is why I travel alone. I hate compromising. I suspected that my silence may make Ali uncomfortable so I just started talking to him in English knowing that this would trigger the cab driver's curiosity about me which would make Ali happy as the cab driver would then ask Ali about me. Everything unfolded as I expected. Ali was happy again and I was getting ...

... for fear of their lives...so they rebel in private amongst their trusted friends. Change will be slow. It is really fascinating learning about the politics, religion and beliefs of the Middle East, especially Iran. A lot of the people are very bright and educated and incredibly hospitable. We have been bought so many meals and taxi rides plus everything is really cheap so we are living on an average of £10 a day, (not bad for the overall budget). A litre of ...

... marking on my face. And how should I respond? I can't possibly make meaningful eye contact with everybody, much less nod or say hello. But I didn't want to be rude either. Of course I don't blame the Iranians for gawking at me. Later in my travels I grew used to this constant curiosity and even relished in it after infusing myself with a modicum of self-importance. Now I know how laowais feel when they're in China. I took the subway first to the grand bazaar ...