Having aPersonal Guide during my 1st day in Tehran
Trip Start
Apr 21, 2008
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139
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Trip End
Apr 20, 2009
Tehran,
Iran
Sunday, September 7, 2008
We reached Tehran at 10:30 am. I couldn't believe we finally made it. The first thing you notice is the traffic. There are cars everywhere and people drive like mad men. I was looking around trying to spot a woman without a head scarf but it was impossible. I told GQ Ali what I was doing and he laughed. He asked that I sit next to him. I thought he wanted to help me spot an "offender" but instead all he did was point out the pretty women. This game was actually better. The Iranian women are in fact very beautiful. I enjoyed seeing them with their stylish sunglasses meanwhile they had these black head scarves that they had to wear. To me, the designer sunglasses clashed against the head scarves. It was like they these two "accessories" were each sending a totally different message to the world. The headscarf was saying "I have no choice. This will always be a part of me and it sucks." Meanwhile, the sunglasses were saying "I am a woman. I am strong and beautiful and I want to be free." The message of the sunglasses was clearly stronger.
Nick was the first to get off. He asked one final time if I wanted to go to his home and I said no. I was happy to finally see him get off the bus. Before reaching the bus terminal in Tehran, Ramin gave me his phone number and email address. He suggested that I try my best to have dinner with him and his wife. I said I would try to find the time but that it would be difficult as I didn't plan on staying in Tehran for too long. At the very least, he said I should use the number if I ever needed help. Nice guy that Ramin. It was funny when he looked at me and said that he was very sad that he was saying goodbye to me. He was being very genuine. It was like we were breaking up or something. I didn't know what to say so I just told him I was sad to see him go as well. Iranian guys are definitely in touch with their feelings. Nice Guy Ali also made me promise that I visit him in Tabriz once I made my way back to Turkey. I told him I would try my best.
Overall, I was really happy that I met these guys. They were super nice and made my journey to Iran an enjoyable one.
Just before getting off the bus, Nice Guy Ali asked me what my plans were once I reached the terminal. I explained that I would probably go directly to a bank to change my US dollars into Iranian Riels and then head over to the Syrian Embassy and start the process of getting my Syrian visa. From there I would go to my hotel. Nice Guy Ali couldn't believe I was going to do this all on my own in a city like Tehran. I said it was ok as I was an experienced traveler and that I would be able to take care of myself. I explained to him that if I could do East Africa by myself, I could do Tehran. To that he replied in a bewildered manner, "But Tehran is not like East Africa." This made me laugh. I explained that I would have an easier time here but he insisted that he escort me. Why not? It would make things easier. I didn't underestimate what a nice thing he was doing for me. He just completed a 36 hour bus ride and I am sure he would have preferred to go home to sleep, eat and shower but instead he chose to help me out.
The first thing we did was find a cab to take us to the Syrian embassy. He paid for the cab ride which made me uncomfortable as he wasn't a working man. I toldhimI wasgoing to p ay him back as soon as I got my hands on some Iranian money but he said it wasn't necessary.
When we reached the embassy, I filled out all of the necessary paper work and submitted it along with a head shot of myself. They were surprised that I was Canadian and seemed a bit confused on how to move forward. One gentleman picked up the phone and called somebody. When he was done, he told me that I needed to also get a letter of recommendation from the Canadian embassy. Damn! So close but yet so far. I was afraid they were going to tell me this. I told Ali where I needed to go and he offered to lead me there. Before we took off, I reached into my bag and grabbed a bottle of water as I was dying of thirst. I asked Ali if he wanted some but he refused. So I downed some water into my body. I could see that Ali was looking around uncomfortably. That's when I realized it was Ramadan. I had totally forgotten. I quickly put the bottle back into my bag and hoped the other people in line would not hate me too much for what I just did.
We then went to a bank to change money. I was really glad I finally got to do this. Next we headed to the Canadian Embassy. During each cab ride, the drivers would always ask Ali about me. They all seemed so surprise to have a foreigner in their cab. One of the cab drivers actually told Ali that he hated Canada because the embassy rejected his application for a visa. I guess I could understand that. When we reached the embassy, there were about 200 Iranian people in line waiting to apply for a visa. This surprised me but it didn't surprise Ali. He explained that many Iranian people wanted to live in Canada and if there still was a US Embassy in Tehran there would be a similar line as well. We ended up seeing an official outside the door and I told him what I needed. He explained that the office that provided letters of recommendation was already closed and that I would need to return tomorrow. The good news was that I would get my letter on the same day that I requested it.
Ali and I then took a cab to a hotel I wanted to stay at. He wanted me to stay somewhere else after I told him that Nick knew where I would be staying. I could have looked for another one but I couldn't have been bothered as I was just too tired. The cab driver, just like the other ones I met during the day, wanted to know all about me. The people here are very interested in meeting and talking to foreigners. And they all seem super nice. When the cab driver found out that I collected coins, he gave me one that he had lying around. Unfortunately the cab driver couldn't find the hotel I wanted to stay at so I stayed at another place nearby that was twice as expensive but still cheap - only 150,000 Iranian Riels (about $15 US).
Ali's plan was to stay at his friend's place. He was only going to be in Tehran for 4 days before returning home to Tabriz. To show my gratitude for everything he did for me, I told him I wanted to take him and his friend out for supper. I was glad when he accepted.
For the rest of the afternoon, I just relaxed. I decided to wait until tomorrow to do some sight seeing. Being on a bus for 36 hours definitely takes a lot out of you. I did end up going for a walk around my hotel and I even spotted the hostel I initially wanted to stay at. It was just down the street from where I was staying. I decided that I would switch hotels tomorrow as this place was much cheaper and had more foreigners that I could meet.
Nice Guy Ali came by at around 8:15 with his friend, Shayse, who had a car. He had a Mazda 3, the same car I drove back home. It was the first time since I left home that I even thought about my car. I told the guys I had a restaurant in mind to take them to but they said they had something else in mind. I was fine with that. So we ended up driving around Tehran for about 2 hours. I was wondering if we were even going to go out to eat. It felt like Shayse was more interested in demonstrating his reckless driving skills. He definitely drove like the rest of the people of Tehran. I don't even think the drivers in East Africa were as bad as the drivers of Tehran. I eventually learned that Tehran has more car accidents and street fatalities than any other city in the world. This did not surprise me. There are so many cars in Tehran and most of them looked like they have been in an accident.
Anyhow, I was starting to get a bit annoyed because we were supposed to go out to eat but meanwhile I was somewhere in the middle of Tehran and I had no idea what these guys had planned. Ali suggested we drive up to the mountains but I told him that I didn't think this was going to be a good idea. He saw that the thought of this made me uncomfortable so he said we wouldn't go. We then picked up a friend of Shayse's so we were now 4 in the car. We again just drove around without a plan. I kept asking Ai when we were going to eat and he kept telling me that it would be soon. I was getting frustrated and claustrophobic in the backseat. It didn't help that Ali kept touching my right knee and upper leg and moving his hand through my hair. This made me more uncomfortable than when he was doing it during our bus ride from Ankara to Tehran. I guess being in the backseat of a Mazda 3 in the middle of the night in the streets of Tehran with 2 other strangers in the front seat had something to do with it. He was just too touchy feely for me. It was too much and it was the first time I asked myself whether this was more than a cultural thing. This actually turned me into ice. I stopped talking and my body stiffened (maybe "stiffened" is a poor choice for the word I am looking for). What made matters even further worse was that he kept trying to convince me to sleep over at Shayse's place and he wouldn't take no for an answer. He then wanted me to promise him that I would spend at least one night at Shayse's place -any night. I said I couldn't promise him this as they had done enough for me already. Ali could see that my demeanor changed. It was clear that I was uncomfortable. He asked if I was "suffering" because of him. I said I was fine. I was just tired and wanted to get something to eat and go home. What else was I going to say?
We finally found a small fast food restaurant. Ali and his friends treated me to a plate of mini kebabs. So much for me treating them to dinner. After dinner, they drove me back to my hotel. I was more relaxed at this 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.
