Here we are on the last full night in Iran. It is time to head back to Tehran to catch out flights home to the US tomorrow night. And I find that I really have learned so much and enjoyed this tour far more than I ever could have imagined. Iran is an amazing country to say the least and the people are friendly and just as interested in us as we are in in them.
A few things happened today to remind me of that. In the main square boys riding in the horse drawn carriages would wave at us and hope we would take their picture. Families visiting the square would watch us pass by then smile and wave or say hello. When we were visiting the river bank to see one of several majestic bridges in the city, two men riding bikes by us suddenly stopped and asked on of the group if he would pose in a photo with them taken with their camera (I got a photo too, so we would have a copy as well!). The woman who is in charge of the computers at the Abassi Hotel learned a new term from another of our group today - she asked for his signature on the interent usage bill and he called it his John Hancock, which required explanation. Now she is trying to use the term with all the Americans she talks to today - please bive me your John Hancock on this bill! Yesterday she said something was "cool", when I was talking to her.
And for all the talk of sanctions, well, just take that collander you might have in your kitchen and try to fill it with water - that is about how effective the sancations are to the average Iranian. Where it is hurting them is in things like no spare airplane parts for their domestic fleet - not a pleasant thought at all! We all have changed money here mostly at the start of the trip, only to find that almost everything can be paid for in dollars and change often given in dollars. ALmost like Lebanon where the conversion and acceptance of the US dollar is prevelant and there is almost no need to exchange money. Maybe a few of the vendors in small out of the way shops might prefer rials, but that's about it.
The food has been very good to excellent. Fish is much more common here than I expected as well as shrimp dishes. Fresh water and farmed fish, as well as seafood from the Gulf are available throughout the country. Of course we often had what became known as "very special chicken kebab" but also mutton and beef dishes were available. My favorite so far is a chicken dish with pomegranite paste and ground walnuts over rice- yum! Lots of stews and grilled meats, rice in a variety of styles, and soups. The best being the barley tomato soup. Safron ice cream is a treat too, and we had that several times for desert. Food was never in short supply on this tour and I know that we all probably ate too much! It will be time to hit the gym when I get home!
Once back home I will have more to write, and go over the tour some more and the sights we have seen. Now its time to go rearrange my luggage and make sure I can fit everything in my bags and get them on the airplane! Oh boy. I still have pistachios to buy- the best pistachios come from Iran- I don't care what the California nut people say with their odd new commercials!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Isfahan, city of poets and engineers
Here we are in the beautiful city of Isfahan, recently designated as the Islamic Cultural Capital of the World. While it has many amazing works of Islamic architecture and the population is predominanlty Muslim, we visited the Armenian quarter today and the Vank Cathedral. On the way to and from this church, we passed at least 2 synagogues.
The highlight of the day, however, was the Blue Mosque. It is a georgeous mosque with striking blue tile work all throughout. Our local guide, who is also a poet and an engineer, gave a great presentation on the history of the building and a demonstration of the accoustics. Being an engineer he came prepared with a diagram of sound waves and the effect of them bouncing off the dome at various angles - it really was very interesting and informative, and to further demonstrated the sound carrying qualities, he recited a poem. After he was done, a young man applauded him with us then apparently offered to also demonstrate the accoustics of the building by singing- turns out he was a very well known vocalist who also happened to be visiting the mosque. In just a few seconds the small crowd that had gathered to watch and hear our guide's presentation quadrupled in size when the Iranians visitng realized who was now singing! There were probably a hundred cameras all pointed to the center of our circle we had formed. It was really quite a treat and very amazing. Even our guide, who was quite humbled to see this man ( I forget his name now!) was excited to have him participate in the demonstration. I noticed he made a phone call to someone and held the phone out to capture the singer's voice - probably calling a friend and saying "you won't believe who is here at the mosque with us right now!".
I really wish I could download the photos from my camera but I don't have the right cord so the photos will have to wait until I get home. The sights we have seen the last week and a half have been amazing- ancient Persian to more recent sites and sounds. It is hard sometimes to wrap my head around the expanse of Persian history. And many things which we have thought of in the west as Arab, actually came from Persia. I just learned today the Sheherazad and 1001 Nights is originally a Persian tale! Chess and Backgammon - not Arab, but Persian! And there is more.
I really wish that more Americans could see and experience this things we have done on this trip - particularly our elected officials and diplomats. I am glad we have moved away from the previous administration's policy of not talking at all to Iran, but our two countries actually have many shared interests (opium from Afghanistan is a huge problem in Iran, for example) that it would make more sense to be allies rather than enemies. We have much in common, too. And both have much to learn from each other. And as allies it would be much easier to reslove the nuke issues.
OK, more to come later, and I will definitely do a recap once I get home. There is so much going on that I can only sit here for a few minutes and give you a brief picture of what we have done and my impressions for the day. I hope to be able to give a more thorough picture of the tour and our experiences once I am at home with unlimited computer time. Bye for now!
The highlight of the day, however, was the Blue Mosque. It is a georgeous mosque with striking blue tile work all throughout. Our local guide, who is also a poet and an engineer, gave a great presentation on the history of the building and a demonstration of the accoustics. Being an engineer he came prepared with a diagram of sound waves and the effect of them bouncing off the dome at various angles - it really was very interesting and informative, and to further demonstrated the sound carrying qualities, he recited a poem. After he was done, a young man applauded him with us then apparently offered to also demonstrate the accoustics of the building by singing- turns out he was a very well known vocalist who also happened to be visiting the mosque. In just a few seconds the small crowd that had gathered to watch and hear our guide's presentation quadrupled in size when the Iranians visitng realized who was now singing! There were probably a hundred cameras all pointed to the center of our circle we had formed. It was really quite a treat and very amazing. Even our guide, who was quite humbled to see this man ( I forget his name now!) was excited to have him participate in the demonstration. I noticed he made a phone call to someone and held the phone out to capture the singer's voice - probably calling a friend and saying "you won't believe who is here at the mosque with us right now!".
I really wish I could download the photos from my camera but I don't have the right cord so the photos will have to wait until I get home. The sights we have seen the last week and a half have been amazing- ancient Persian to more recent sites and sounds. It is hard sometimes to wrap my head around the expanse of Persian history. And many things which we have thought of in the west as Arab, actually came from Persia. I just learned today the Sheherazad and 1001 Nights is originally a Persian tale! Chess and Backgammon - not Arab, but Persian! And there is more.
I really wish that more Americans could see and experience this things we have done on this trip - particularly our elected officials and diplomats. I am glad we have moved away from the previous administration's policy of not talking at all to Iran, but our two countries actually have many shared interests (opium from Afghanistan is a huge problem in Iran, for example) that it would make more sense to be allies rather than enemies. We have much in common, too. And both have much to learn from each other. And as allies it would be much easier to reslove the nuke issues.
OK, more to come later, and I will definitely do a recap once I get home. There is so much going on that I can only sit here for a few minutes and give you a brief picture of what we have done and my impressions for the day. I hope to be able to give a more thorough picture of the tour and our experiences once I am at home with unlimited computer time. Bye for now!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Shiraz is not just a kind of wine!
Hello from the beautiful city of Shiraz! This is the city of poetry, celebration, gardens, and more. It was once the capitol of the Persian Empire before it was moved to Tehran. We have been seeinf some really amazing sights on this tour. From Kermanshah where I last checked in, We have seen palaces and temples, shrines and mosques. The main highlights of our visit in Ahwaz, a city in the southwest of Iran, are the sites of Susa and Shushtar, and a Temple of Anahita. We also visited another Jewish sight at the Tomb of Daniel, in Susa. The tomb is revered by both Jews and Muslims, who visit it as a pilgrimage sight. On the day of our visit there were many people there as it was a Friday. The women and men enter through separate entrances to view the tomb, pray, wish for blessings from the prophet Daniel, and reflect.
Ahwaz is in the oil center of Iran. We passed by numerous refineries and pipelines and noted that while Iran has no shortage of oil and deisel (which it exports to Iraq) there is a shortage of gasoline for cars. There is a push to get more vehicles converted to CNG or LPG, and in several cities we have encountered congestion due to massive construction projects for new subways and other infrastructure. Gas is rationed based on the type of car you own, so for your ration you would pay only about $.16 per gallon (or maybe its liter, but still it is very cheap!). Once you run out of your ration of gas then you pay market price which is similar to what we pay in the US per gallon.
Speaking of similar to the US, it is really amazing how many similarities there are between Iran and the US, and how little we as Americans know if these things. Speed traps are common on the highways- something I think most Americans can relate too! Also, there isn't universal health care in Iran, but they do have a system to help those who cannot afford their own insurance. Liability insurance is mandatory for all car owners. Unrationed gas costs the same in Iran as it does in the US.
SOme other little known facts we have picked up over the last several days - chess, backgammon, and polo come from Persia. Thursday night is wedding party night. Coincidentaly, Thursday is also funeral day. Thursday is actually treated like Saturday is in the US. People are off of work or only work a very short day, then they spend the rest of the day and Friday with friends and family. Many take the opporunity to get out of the cities and get some fresh air in the country.
Cyrus the Great made the first declaration of human rights law, dictating how prisoners of war were to be treated, how people of other religions were to be treated - which he declared they were to be allowed to practice their religion without hassle. The Jews looked on him as a liberator after he freed them from Nebakenezer (sp?).
There are still many nomads in Iran and they have become an integral part of the economy. So much so that the government provides them with mobile health clinics and teachers. The nomads provide meat and other products from their sheep and goats. We had the opportunity to visit a nomad tent the other day, which was a really great experience. We watched the woman baking bread which she was kind enough to give us a taste of and it was great! The kids were about as fascinated with us as we were with them.
On the whole, we have been really well received and people are always eager to talk to us. Many people speak Englsih extremely well. We had a local guide the last 2 days in Shiraz and her name is Niloufar. She was excellent and gave everyone another opportunity to ask questions about women in Iran and how they are treated and must act. Quite interesting! More on that in another post!
OK, well, I think I need to try and get into my email again. The interent has been somewhat challenging here, but no less than expected. I can log into Blogspot, but sometimes not Yahoo email. I have yet to get into Facebook, no surprise there! Hopefully we will have internet access in Yazd or Isfahan.
More to come!
Ahwaz is in the oil center of Iran. We passed by numerous refineries and pipelines and noted that while Iran has no shortage of oil and deisel (which it exports to Iraq) there is a shortage of gasoline for cars. There is a push to get more vehicles converted to CNG or LPG, and in several cities we have encountered congestion due to massive construction projects for new subways and other infrastructure. Gas is rationed based on the type of car you own, so for your ration you would pay only about $.16 per gallon (or maybe its liter, but still it is very cheap!). Once you run out of your ration of gas then you pay market price which is similar to what we pay in the US per gallon.
Speaking of similar to the US, it is really amazing how many similarities there are between Iran and the US, and how little we as Americans know if these things. Speed traps are common on the highways- something I think most Americans can relate too! Also, there isn't universal health care in Iran, but they do have a system to help those who cannot afford their own insurance. Liability insurance is mandatory for all car owners. Unrationed gas costs the same in Iran as it does in the US.
SOme other little known facts we have picked up over the last several days - chess, backgammon, and polo come from Persia. Thursday night is wedding party night. Coincidentaly, Thursday is also funeral day. Thursday is actually treated like Saturday is in the US. People are off of work or only work a very short day, then they spend the rest of the day and Friday with friends and family. Many take the opporunity to get out of the cities and get some fresh air in the country.
Cyrus the Great made the first declaration of human rights law, dictating how prisoners of war were to be treated, how people of other religions were to be treated - which he declared they were to be allowed to practice their religion without hassle. The Jews looked on him as a liberator after he freed them from Nebakenezer (sp?).
There are still many nomads in Iran and they have become an integral part of the economy. So much so that the government provides them with mobile health clinics and teachers. The nomads provide meat and other products from their sheep and goats. We had the opportunity to visit a nomad tent the other day, which was a really great experience. We watched the woman baking bread which she was kind enough to give us a taste of and it was great! The kids were about as fascinated with us as we were with them.
On the whole, we have been really well received and people are always eager to talk to us. Many people speak Englsih extremely well. We had a local guide the last 2 days in Shiraz and her name is Niloufar. She was excellent and gave everyone another opportunity to ask questions about women in Iran and how they are treated and must act. Quite interesting! More on that in another post!
OK, well, I think I need to try and get into my email again. The interent has been somewhat challenging here, but no less than expected. I can log into Blogspot, but sometimes not Yahoo email. I have yet to get into Facebook, no surprise there! Hopefully we will have internet access in Yazd or Isfahan.
More to come!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Darius, Xerxes, Achemedes, and more...
OK, if I didn't spell them all correctly, my apologies! It has been another full day of sightseeing as we continue our adventure in Iran. Yesterday we departed Tehran for Hamadan, which is a great city nestled up to the Zagros Mountains. We drove through some amazing landscapes, and the mountains here are really high! One pass we went over on the way was over 9,000 ft - just about where people start to feel really dingy from the altitude. Luckly we didn't stay at that elevation for very long and descended into the valley and Hamadan.
Our visits included the tomb of Ester and Mordechai, in a synagogue. Yes, there is a Jewish population as well as a Christian population in Iran. They are allowed to worship freely and in Tehran we passed several churches. While the numbers are small, they are not harrassed and there are places where on one block there might be a church on one corner, a mosque on another and a synagogue on another corner.
Today we learned a little bit about pre-Islamic Persia and the various kingdoms that shaped the empire. From archelogical digs in Hamadan, to viewing bas- reliefs carved into the mountainside and depicting the coronation of the a king with the blessing of the god Ahuramazda, the history of this country before Islam is very complex, rich, and interesting. We will be seeing many more pre-Islamic sites over the next several days, and I can't wait. Persia was a powerful and far-reaching empire at it's peak.
OK, time in the computer is at a premium, and people are waiting so I need to cut this short. To sum up our tour so far, it has been amazing, and we have been welcomed by the people we meet, and also met with as much curiosity about us as we have about the Iranian people, their culture and their country. I hope this will help to dispell some misperceptions people have about Iran. It is a wonderful country to visit and I highly recommend it!
Hopefully I will get some photos up when I have more time, otherwise it will have to wait and I will post them at the end of the trip.
More to come later! If anyone has any questions or comments, you can post them here!
Our visits included the tomb of Ester and Mordechai, in a synagogue. Yes, there is a Jewish population as well as a Christian population in Iran. They are allowed to worship freely and in Tehran we passed several churches. While the numbers are small, they are not harrassed and there are places where on one block there might be a church on one corner, a mosque on another and a synagogue on another corner.
Today we learned a little bit about pre-Islamic Persia and the various kingdoms that shaped the empire. From archelogical digs in Hamadan, to viewing bas- reliefs carved into the mountainside and depicting the coronation of the a king with the blessing of the god Ahuramazda, the history of this country before Islam is very complex, rich, and interesting. We will be seeing many more pre-Islamic sites over the next several days, and I can't wait. Persia was a powerful and far-reaching empire at it's peak.
OK, time in the computer is at a premium, and people are waiting so I need to cut this short. To sum up our tour so far, it has been amazing, and we have been welcomed by the people we meet, and also met with as much curiosity about us as we have about the Iranian people, their culture and their country. I hope this will help to dispell some misperceptions people have about Iran. It is a wonderful country to visit and I highly recommend it!
Hopefully I will get some photos up when I have more time, otherwise it will have to wait and I will post them at the end of the trip.
More to come later! If anyone has any questions or comments, you can post them here!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Amazing start to the tour
OK, back from dinner at the hotel (I am really glad we ate at the hotel tonight rather than a restaurant!) and I am about ready to fall asleep. But first, I have to write about our first day in Tehran. We went to the Golestan Papace and Museum complex. WOW! The artwork and the ornateness are very impressive. The tile and stone work in particular are really amazing. The palace was definitely built to impress. I cannot give any historical information here as my brain is getting ready to go to sleep, but the buildings are not that old by the standards in Iran - only a couple hundred years old!
We had lunch at a night typical restaurant and the food was delicious! Next stop, after driving by the old American embassy, we visited the National Bank and the special vault below that holds the crown jewels and other items from the monarchy. If you have ever seen the crown jewels in London, or the Hope Diamond, or anything like that, it doesn't even come close to what we saw today. The collection is simply amazing to the point of mind boggling when you think of the quantity and value of the pieces in this collection. But all were very beautiful and many were ornated and intricate so you have to appreciate the craftsmanship involved as well as the gems and monetary value. So many pieces, from crowns, daggers, scepters, buttons, sashes, and of course the Peacock Throne and the globe made from diamonds, rubies, emeralds. And it is huge- at least 24 inches in diameter! This is only a small fraction of what is on display, and it is well worth it to make the time to visit the crown jewels.
Tomorrow we leave Tehran for Hamadan, and hopefully I can post again from there. Now it is off to get some sleep for me! Maybe I will have dreams of tiaras with giant rubies, emeralds, diamonds, and pearls!
More later!
We had lunch at a night typical restaurant and the food was delicious! Next stop, after driving by the old American embassy, we visited the National Bank and the special vault below that holds the crown jewels and other items from the monarchy. If you have ever seen the crown jewels in London, or the Hope Diamond, or anything like that, it doesn't even come close to what we saw today. The collection is simply amazing to the point of mind boggling when you think of the quantity and value of the pieces in this collection. But all were very beautiful and many were ornated and intricate so you have to appreciate the craftsmanship involved as well as the gems and monetary value. So many pieces, from crowns, daggers, scepters, buttons, sashes, and of course the Peacock Throne and the globe made from diamonds, rubies, emeralds. And it is huge- at least 24 inches in diameter! This is only a small fraction of what is on display, and it is well worth it to make the time to visit the crown jewels.
Tomorrow we leave Tehran for Hamadan, and hopefully I can post again from there. Now it is off to get some sleep for me! Maybe I will have dreams of tiaras with giant rubies, emeralds, diamonds, and pearls!
More later!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Live, from Tehran!
We made it to Tehran very late last night and after extensive formalities, we left the airport and went to the hotel. Check in went quickly and smoothly and everyone got settled in their rooms for what remained of the night. Everyone on our flight was very tired but also excited to have finally arrived in Tehran.
We are about to go out on our first sightseeing tour in Tehran and will be seeing the Golestan Palace which I have heard is fabulous! I am sure the photos I have seen don't do it justice, and I will report more later today when we get back. I will also try to get photos uploaded once in a while, too.
Ok, since this is the first post there isn't much to report but everyone has been very nice and helpful here at the Laleh Hotel!
More later!
Brenda
We are about to go out on our first sightseeing tour in Tehran and will be seeing the Golestan Palace which I have heard is fabulous! I am sure the photos I have seen don't do it justice, and I will report more later today when we get back. I will also try to get photos uploaded once in a while, too.
Ok, since this is the first post there isn't much to report but everyone has been very nice and helpful here at the Laleh Hotel!
More later!
Brenda
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