Iran!

“you can’t be serious- Iran, of all the places”, “the police will arrest you”- these were some of the reactions that  friends had when we let folks know that Sunita and I along with five other inteprid traveller couples were planning a ten day trip to Iran this May. It didn’t help that our travel agent and tour operator was a 25 year old lanky guy who agreed to all the unreasonable requests that my group made- “we shall move out of the hotel if the room is not good “or “we shall order a la crate meals” or “for the group of twelve we need a forty  seater bus etc etc. ” I had nightmares of being stranded at Tehran airport on landing!

Neverthless we took the biweekly Iranair  flight on a Tuesday. It was a comfortable 747, though a trifle old. Obviously there was no liquor on board and as soon as Iranian airspace was entered women were ordered to wear a scarf- big brother is watching even in space! After an interminable wait at immigration our group was shepherded into taxis for the one hour ride into Tehran.

First impressions- clean open city with drab architecture but lots of gardens, trees and lawns; even the traffic islands are impeccable! The hotel was comfortable and our dinner that night was an outdoor buffet with several salads, bread a smattering of meat and saffron rice.

The tour leader came in the next morning. Articulate, poised and reasonably fluent in English she was the antetheses of the Iranian women prototype that CNN had drilled into my head. She had a cousin/assistant in tow who apparently was an intensive care nurse in a cardiac care unit and was tagging along for fun!

The bus really was a modern air conditioned 40 seater and it devoured the smooth Iranian road at speeds of more than 70miles per hour. The freeway system almost looks like the USA. Large dual carriageways with good signages obviously in Farsi but on occasions English names did creep in. Rest areas were nice but toilets- only Indian style wcre available, stink. Running water, soap and paper towels are in good supply.

in quick succession we saw

1. Tehran- the large magnificent but aging city. The jewellery exposition of the Shah era was mind boggling.
2. Isfahan- the bridges across the river were breathtaking; the gardens along the river even more .
3. Yazd- the first and oldest Zoroastrian fire temple
4. Shiraz- all I remember in this city is the fabulous ‘faloodae’- sweet fruity and syrupy drink topped with ice cream
5. Mashaad- lovely city in the northeast of the country – great cuisine

Though a a significant proportion is dry and arid the country appears to have made marvellous use of its natural resources. Gardens with fountains and well-maintained greenery are in plentiful in the cities. The effects of being an international pariah are obvious- old cars, no credit cards and no US$. But it appears that the common man has coped reasonably well is and is phlegmatic about it. Basics of life- food, healthcare, housing are fairly inexpensive and accessible. Cities are safe. The single working lady returning back home at night alone is safe.

What really impressed me the most was the gender equality. One saw women taxi drivers, tour guides and restauranters. Local folks told us that several women are successful phycisans, phycists and politicians. Parents encourage their daughters to attend university. On the overnight train from  Mashaad to Tehran the sterwardess-yes they have uniformed stewardesses for each sleeper compartment!-was reading Carlos Castaneda!

Iranian food was a revelation. Of course there was lots of meat-usually lamb-but vegetables were fresh and in plentiful. The rigid vegetarian needed to be careful because often the vegetables were garnished with a little meat. Saffron and orange flavoured rice and meats were so good.

In Iran  men can’t wear shorts in public – unless it’s a beach or a pool. Women must cover their hair- but few strategic wisps could escape from the scarf. It also meant that the front face of a lady especially the eyes, nose and lips are seen prominently. Rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty for the eyelids and face lifts are very popular-in fact a status symbol. Affording plastic surgery meant that one is well heeled and rich. We were told that folks often apply a rhinoplasty dressing on the nose without surgery being done-“I can afford it” is the message!

The return flight to Mumbai was the same aging Iranair 747. As soon as the stewardess made the announcement that we have exited Iran air space, almost all women-including the Iranians -removed their headscarfs or hijabs. Telling observation.