On January 12th, Steve and I embarked on a journey through the magnificent country of Iran. For 18…
Times visited: 1 (18 days in 2017)
Cities visited: Tehran, Kashan, Esfahan, Yazd, Meybod, Kerman, Bam, Bandar Abbas, Qeshm, Shiraz and Tabriz
Villages visited: Abyaneh, Kharanaq, Chak Chak, Rayen, Mahan and Kandovan
UNESCO sites visited: Bam and its Cultural Landscape, Golestan Palace, Historical City of Yazd, Masjed-e Jamé of Isfahan, Meidan Emam, Esfahan, Pasargadae, Persepolis, Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex, The Persian Garden (Fin Garden) and Lut Desert
How can I even begin to describe Iran? Never have I experienced a more culturally and naturally diverse country. Iran has so much to offer, and yet continues to be overlooked by the masses. When I first told people that I was going to Iran, I got mostly negative comments. Comments from people who believe anything that the (Western) media says. Of course, the way Iran is portrayed in the media couldn’t be further from the truth.
In January 2017, my friend Steve and I spent 18 days travelling through Iran. We gaped at colourful mosques in cities such as Esfahan and Shiraz, got lost in the narrow streets of Kashan, hiked above the red village of Abyaneh, walked on the roofs of the abandoned village of Kharanaq, watched the sunset over the Lut Desert, saw canyons and sailed through a mangrove forest on Qeshm Island, stood above the majestic Persepolis, spent a day in the troglodyte village of Kandovan and so much more.
I have to admit that I didn’t fully enjoy myself at the time. I think I was experiencing culture shock and it didn’t help that I was stressed about uni. It wasn’t always easy to travel in Iran either. Once, our bus broke down on a deserted highway in the middle of the night, resulting in a 19-hour journey instead of 7 hours. And once I thought I was being kidnapped as the bus drove off while I was going for a pee (it just had to turn around, I peed and all was good 😂).
But Iran grew on me and now I consider it one of my favourite countries.
