Tehran Enghelab Hotel

... adjacent mountains.<br><br>The Shape of Alamut Fortress<br><br>This stronghold is behind and within a huge virgin rock that looks like any other rocks in the range to the extent that it could be easily mistaken with the rest of them. You get to the foot of the hill where the rocky fortress is and you still have difficulty to see it. You have to walk around it and climb some very difficult cliffs to be able to see the entrance.<br><br>Now, put yourself in the ...

... staying the hills in the north. We sat on Persian carpets overlooking the park and James and Nikki ordered a Dizi each. The Dizi is a traditional stew-like dish made in a small clay pot with meat, a few potatoes and a huge glob of animal fat. Apparently the trick is to pour out the liquid and then mash the stew with a pestle inside the clay pot so it forms a meaty paste. You then dip your bread in the leftover liquid. From it vegetarian perspective it looked and smelt horrid but the ...

... br><br>Not a problem when you have a room with an ensuite. BIG problem when you don&#8217;t! I stepped out of the shower and it suddenly dawned on me that all my clothes were dripping wet and I had to walk across the hallway to get back to the room. I doubted that a foreign woman wrapped in towels would meet Iran&#8217;s stringent dress code, so on went the wet clothes. We soon put our request in for a room change.

... ses limites, je me bornerai à faire un brut listing qui permet je crois de prendre la mesure de l'ampleur des choses. Samedi matin : le Palais Golestan, un complexe sublime construit sur ordre des Qajars (dynastie qui a géré le pays entre 1800 et 1925 ; l'ère moderne persane caractérisée par une ouverture incontrôlée aux capitaux donc à l'influence étrangère ...

... Our store owned by someone related to a chappie Stephen got into conversation with in the restaurant last night was a paragon of good taste. Their Norouz and birthdays must have come at one as 18 shoppers descended on their store. We were sure to find it as we had picked up the store owner's brother (or some such relation) on the way there. I did purchase after initially denying myself. For those of you following the story of my financial concerns by this stage I had ...

... sized painting by a local artist: a self portrait with her hand cupped behind her ear, as if to say, "Sorry, I didn't hear that. Speak up." US$100! Oh! What with my possibly impoverished state after the suggested food spend requirement enunciated by our tour guide earlier in the day, the purchase of a painting might not be on the cards. We diced with death twice on our way back to the hotel and the delights of a bed which I could enjoy for more than two and a half hours!

... classroom. People just aren't free here. The cab driver as well as the 2 other passengers were pretty happy to have a foreigner in their presence. It is really nice to be in a country like Iran. There are travellers here but not so many. The people make you feel like you are the first foreigner they ever met and that makes me feel a bit like a trail blazer coming to a country like Iran. We eventually made our way to the building that housed the english classes. Majid knocked on ...

... noticed. When I was safely away from them, I asked Ali if they were the religious police and he said yes. I thought that the religious police no longer existed but I guess I was wrong. We arrived at the Canadian Embassy at 2 pm. Unfortunately, my Letter of Recommendation was not ready. I needed it as soon as possible as the Syrian Embassy closed at 3. I had to wait until 230 to get it into my hands. While in the waiting room, I met another Iranian man with his young 11 year old ...

... point. Ali said he would meet me at the Canadian embassy tomorrow at 9 am and then spend the rest of the day with me to see the sights of Tehran. I had enough of Ali at this point and really didn't want to see him again. He smothered me way too much. I was grateful for everything he did for me but it was time I saw Tehran on my own. I decided I would see how the morning went with him and if he continued to make me uncomfortable I would somehow lose him. Tomorrow should be interesting.

... the hotel early, took a cab to the airport and waited five hours before I boarded the plane back to Tehran. The flight was packed with sweaty men and burka-clad ladies. A mother held her severely deformed boy throughout the flight, his moaning and groaning accompanying the droning of the jet engines as we flew north toward Tehran in the darkness of night. I was glad to be stepping into the arid heat of the north when we arrived well past ...