Shiraz Tehran

... maybe that an engine was missing. Of course all looked ship-shape from the outside, so climbing inside I again gave the plane a once-over. Other than Cyrillic script on all the emergency exits and some very 70's decor everything looked just like they would on a western airline. I could now only hope that all the other passengers had checked in 15kg under weight. Thankfully we had a very uneventful flight back up to Tehran, and we were soon in the back of a taxi ...

... Shah Mohammad Reza Phalavi spend the last 10 years in royal rule. From there we walked through the sophisticated northern neighborhoods looking for this Silk Road Photography Gallery. After wandering in circles for what seemed like hours we finally found the gallery. Sadly it no longer did photos (and apparently they never were of the Silk Road) and instead there was a small modern art exhibition on. <br><br>That afternoon we visited Heath at the New Zealand Embassy. It was a nice ...

... understand why. <br><br>If you thought the Crown Jewels in London were sight to behold, then think again. There are so many crowns, head pieces, swords, scabbards, necklaces, vases, robes etc literally dripping with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, pearls and gold that you wonder where it all came from.<br> <br><br>There&#8217;s the Peacock Throne encrusted with almost 27,000 precious stones and a jewelled globe of the world containing over 52,000 ...

... que propre à donner le vertige, ayant passé la visite (très encadrée) avec des étudiants militaires avec certains desquels je discutai longuement. La prison, dans le même état qu'il y a 30 ans, sent vraiment la mort. Débarquer soudainement dans l'Iran de Khamenei (successeur du premier Guide Suprême, mort en 1989), dans un tel environnement, fut aussi ...

... bags, told us to clear off and reassemble at 7.30pm. Quick trip to the gents where a European sit-down was greeted with appreciation. Washed me hands. No dryer or towels, so lots of flapping and trouser wiping (once the degree of wetness - from the washing, from the washing! - had subsided so as to avoid unwanted attention) later it was time for a sit down (on the seats), yarn with Great, Stephen and Paul before boarding. IranAir is pretty good in my reasonably well ...

... or busking/begging sessions upon the streets of Tehran were ideas that soon vanished as we were introduced to the head of the house, Dr. Haghighi. One long visit to his enterprise - which helps Iranians flee the country and make a new life for themselves in Australia - and we were unofficially employed as English teachers for a week. Seven two-hour intensive classes later and we had received enough payment to easily pay our way through to Pakistan; or so we thought...

... ended up being the translator. I was asked all the common questions I expected from them: -What is your name? -Where are you from? -How old are you? -Do you have children? -Are you married? -How long have I been in Tehran? -How long will you be in Iran? -What do you think of our country? It is always funy to see their reaction when I tell them people from this area of the world that I am not married. They always look like they feel sorry for me. They always ask "Why not?" as ...

... disrespectful to the others who are really fasting. Two, the police will say something if they see you. Three, you want people to think you are fasting (even though many people don't fast anyway). It seems like many people just pretend to fast. So we had a dilemma. Ali was trying to get me to go to his friend Shayse's house so we could go eat but I wasn't interested for many reasons. One, I wasn't hungry. Two, I wanted to see the sights. Three, Shayse's place was an hour away. But ...

... are still several million old models circulating around the city. The pollution levels in Tehran are truly suffocating. It is amazing how much resentment and bad feeling there is towards the Iranian government. Everyone we have spoken to have said they want change, freedom and a new liberal government. Sky TV is amongst many other things illegal, but a lot of people break the laws. The police sometimes do checks and anyone caught with a satellite dish is sent to ...

... to others. Surprisingly, there was a complete absence of road rage, with the exception of a constant tidal wave of blasting, beeping, tooting, screeching, clanking, rumbling serving quite aptly as accompaniment to the urban chaos. The Hotel Arman is close to the Mellat subway station and not too far away from the big bazaar. I chose it for its convenience as my one-day base in Tehran. The hotel is a 5-storey concrete box of 1970s vintage. The young woman at the ...