Mashad Hotel Tehran

... on admin, including posting the carpet we bought in Shiraz back to Sydney. As good a buy as we think the carpet was, it made a poor travel companion so we were both happy to see it boxed up and taken away. <br><br>That night I was helping Heath put out the rubbish when we caught the sounds of chanting on the still evening air. From where we were the voices were very faint, but we could just make out the words that were being repeated over and again - "Allahu akhbar ...

... of things we could find at the Iranian supermarket) and we all ate at the new dining room table, which had arrived that day. We celebrated with New Zealand wine, which is like gold in Iran. We dressed in our normal western clothes, eating homemade food inside Nikki and Heath's beautiful home, we felt transported once more to a far away land. The simple pleasures we enjoy so freely in the West became so magnified to me at this point, there are so many basic freedoms we take for granted every day.

... There are some beautiful pieces and the exhibit is well worth seeing, if only for its overwhelming extravagance.<br> <br><br>We decided to walk back to our hotel and the streets were already starting to show signs of another protest march. It was apparent that 4pm was about the time to be heading indoors and staying there. Men stopped their motorcycles and advised us to get off the streets now. We walked faster, much faster. <br><br> The ...

... bijoux)... des pièces incroyables, d'un luxe inouï. Je découvrai par la même occasion les premiers collègues (=touristes étrangers) ; un guide, lorsque je passai près d'eux, leur expliquait qu'il ne servait à rien d'essayer de calculer la valeur de ces oeuvres : elle dépasse toute indication "humaine". J'eus le souffle coupé de cette visite ; je ne le retrouvai ...

... on about' card. Mohsen had checked the bags in and probably had whatever he was after anyway. Incredulous with my obvious Western stupidity he dismissed me to the freshness of the night air in Shiraz. Mohsen, bless him was wrestling with a young army looking chappy who was trying to manhandle Mohsen who had re-entered the building using his mobile. Mohsen continued his call, doing his best to ignore the said manhandling. Just another facet of Iranian life. Great stuff. Love it.

... a giant billboard or a 1965 Judd at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Despite the sanctions, many American corporations, such as Coke, operate here through local partnerships. Ironically, mosques are scarcely found and the Khomeini Mosque near the Bazaar is not impressive at all. From the people that I have spoken to, I got the impression that Ahmedinejad is unpopular. Perhaps he will not get re-elected in 2009. I saw a ...

... look. We were finally allowed in the classroom. I didn't sense that the teacher was happy with my presence. I think it posed as a distraction to the class and he was right. People stopped listening to him and just wanted to know who I was and why I was in Tehran. As soon as the teacher continued his lesson immediately after the break, an older gentlemen raised his hand and told the teacher that it would be a good idea if the guest of honor (that would be me) would introduce ...

... would bring up an argument for why I should go. SO I just said yes. I put on a fake smile and we grabbed a cab to his friend's place. I said that there would be no way that he would pay for the cab ride as he paid for almost everything at this point. I didn't like this as he was a student. He didn't like this. I was starting to realize that he was very uncomfortable with me paying as it made him look bad in front of other Iranians. It seemed like being a good host was an ...

... Khatemi won the presidency and hopes were high that much of his promised social and economic liberalisation would be carried out. However the very conservative Guardian Council made up of 12 members - 6 Muslim clerics &amp; 6 Islamic jurists appointed by Supreme Leader Khameini - (different former president with similar sounding name to both Khomeini and Khatemi) did their best to stop this reform and vetoed a third of the more daring pieces of legislation, thus ...

... an Iranian bathroom combo of shower/squat toilet/sink of my own, and limp orange towels that filled the room with sweaty B.O. I quickly settled into my abode after opening the windows, discovering the minarets and dome of the neighbourhood mosque just a stone's throw away. The streets around Hotel Arman are filled with auto parts shops, mechanic garages and machine tool retailers. As I dodged my way through the sidewalk strewn with bumpers, headlights, pump jacks ...