[24/11/17]
After 5 days in the country I got my first impressions.
Somehow Iran reminds me of Vietnam. The madness on the roads is similar, lots of bikes... here they don't use raincoats, like the vietnamese people do, they install windshields with roofs, and even specific mittens for handle bar to keep the hands warm in wintertime.
A typical bike setup
Ground floors in many buildings are used for shops, often grouped by the content - like an entire street solely for auto parts and so on.
Pros:
- Great cuisine - lots of kinds of bread, served with most of the dishes. The dishes themselves often include some sort of meat, which they cook masterfully.
- Iranians themselves are mostly polite, friendly and welcoming. But not officious like indians, for instance.
- I don't stand out much among locals (until I open my mouth) and they often try to talk with me in farci. But unfortunately in farci I only know a few phrases and numbers (۰۱۲۳۴۵۶۷۸۹).
- Iranians make great hookahs.
- On the streets (of Tehran) it's always clean and tidy, everywhere is lush green grass, even in the late Novermber.
Cons:
- Islamic theocracy with all the consequences (which mostly concern locals and women).
- Half of the Web is blocked: Facebook, Youtube, you name it. Somehow, Google still works. I have to use VPN or TOR all the time, which is rather inconvenient.
- Toilets. They're terrible, no seats, usually no paper as well. Only a basin in the floor and a waterhose.
Tomorrow I leave the capital to start a loop around the country.
Previous post: Welcome to Iran
Check out my travel blog:
Iran: 11
Tajikistan: 7, 8, 9, 10
Kyrgyzstan: 4, 5, 6
Kazakhstan: 1, 2, 3