where a plate of food runs around US$.40 cents.
The world's largest exporter of caviar and where alcohol is illegal. Zero percent beer.
The land of rice paddies
And snowy slopes on the outskirts of Tehran
And home of the world's largest lake, The Caspian Sea
So, those are the clues revealed (and the end of other people's photography!). I think all of us can attest to what a difference a slight change in perspective makes. Photography can be very selective and so can our own prejudices. Something looks one way and when given a little more information it changes completely. Patiently waiting for more information is my goal for this trip- to not judge too quickly and look for the bigger picture without my own preconceived notions getting in the way.
We are in the land of pomegranates, dates and kabobs, the cradle of civilization and home of the sufis.
Ancient Persia to the Persian Gulf this land has seen so much and now it is our great pleasure for our eyes to see it. Yes, we are in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The most common question I've been asked before coming is, "Do you need to wear a burka?" The answer is no. We are not in Afghanistan. In Iran we do have to abide by Islamic dress code, which is hands and face may show. Most women wear modern western style clothing with a hejab, or head scarf covering their hair. A shirt or coat should hit mid thigh and hide any womanly curvage. The big sister turned 9 a few months ago so she is now subject to this law but all have assured us that it will not be enforced. The little sister can go scarfless.
We flew our last leg from Frankfurt to Tehran on Iran Air, which also required following dress code. I was definitely playing monkey see monkey do in line with the boarding pass. About 80% of women were covered but 20 were not, so I also left mine behind my neck like them. Then right before stepping into the plane they pulled it up over their heads. So I did too. Once seated inside, the woman across the isle from me left hers off. She flashed me a wide Lauren Hutton smile and said in German, "There's no moral police on the plane, leave it off. You don't have to be afraid." Then she pointed to her outfit and said again, "Don't be afraid." She was in her 50's, wearing tight black pants, knee high spiked healed boots and a short jacket. She seemed so sure of herself and bold. She's been living in Germany for about 15 years. I really thought she was going to walk out of the plane like that as well but just before we got off she secured her hejab and put on a ankle legth coat. Her demeanor changed dramatically the minute she put it on. She lost all attitude and turned to me politely and said in German, "Make good." the equivelant of have a nice trip.
It took us about an hour to get through customs and we were one of two parties in the "foreigner" line. The guy in front of us was a backpacker from Germany, who cruised right through. For us 3 Americans it was not so easy. The girls got off easy but me! The guy had a bunch of paperwork to do and then I was taken to a special police room for full fingerprinting- multiple shots of each finger. Then there was more paperwork to do and more waiting for us. Our visas took 9 months to receive which is why we are here at such an odd time of year. I was aiming for spring but the process is rather random with about 50% of those applying receiving one based on nothing in particular. You must have a passport that was valid a minimum of 6 months before you apply and may not enter if you have a stamp from Israel in your passport. You must apply for a new passport, wait 6 months and then apply. They did check each page. When he got to the page with Indonesia he gave his colleague a look. It has the highest number of Muslims out of any country so I think that may have been in my favor- but have no idea.
Finally we met up with our guide as Americans are not allowed free travel here and must be on a guided tour- so we hired a private guide rather than getting stuck on a bus full of people being herded on and off at scenic locales. She was positively lovely. A woman with perfect English likely in her late 20's with braces. We then hailed a taxi where we were treated to underground Iranian music- most popular musicans live in LA in an area known as Tehrangeles and send their music here via internet, but now there are annonymous groups here in Tehran putting out music from secret locations. It was late and dark but he highway was in good condition with tree lined greenbelts most of the way. There were lots of photos of Ayatollahs and mullahs and a few lite up mosques. Lane lines are definitely just suggestions here and the things I was mostly warned about before coming here- traffic in Tehran and BO have shown themselves to be true so far. Luckily, the weather is cool so it's not as bad as it could be! haha.
