A Redhead in Iran
Jun 12th, 2018, 06:46 PM
#23
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Great start IR--can't wait for you to continue.
Did you find that it was hard to remember to put on the scarf if you left your room? I feel like a lifetime of not covering would make it hard to remember to cover after, say, taking a nap in your room then stepping out to dinner. Not that you'd forget for long but more in the way of stepping out into the hall and then *forehead smack* "Oh yeah, scarf." And your magnet tip is one I had never heard and very clever.
Did you find that it was hard to remember to put on the scarf if you left your room? I feel like a lifetime of not covering would make it hard to remember to cover after, say, taking a nap in your room then stepping out to dinner. Not that you'd forget for long but more in the way of stepping out into the hall and then *forehead smack* "Oh yeah, scarf." And your magnet tip is one I had never heard and very clever.
It was either the scarf I had just taken off or it was the one I planned to wear the next morning. Either way, there was always a scarf on the door so I couldn't screw that up! I haven't forgotten about this trip report and will continue, it just might be a little bit before I have a chance.
Jun 12th, 2018, 07:04 PM
#24
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I found this recipe for Diza, does it sound similar to what you had?
Abgoosht (Lamb Chickpea Soup) The Persian Pot
Abgoosht (Lamb Chickpea Soup) The Persian Pot
Here's a recipe that looks simple enough (and would let me use beef instead, which is far easier to get here):
https://www.196flavors.com/iran-abgoosht/
Jul 4th, 2018, 04:47 PM
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Hello from your neighbor to the north, Iowa_Redhead. I hope you will be coming back to your TR soon as I am kicking around the idea of a trip to Iran in 2020. The idea of being on a group tour sounds like travel hell on earth to a fiercely independent guy like me but I can accept it as coming with the territory. I also have no doubt that Iran is very safe from a people and “street level” aspect but any American should rightly have pause about its government and the unpredictability of what it could do for any reason. Was that a concern for you and if so, how did you make peace with it?
Jul 5th, 2018, 01:37 PM
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I'm going to Iran in October with a small group tour. Thanks for your encouragement, confirming the same reasons for choosing Iran that motivate me. I know credit and debit cards are out. Will bring American cash. No dress code for men, far as I know.
Jul 6th, 2018, 04:45 AM
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Hello from your neighbor to the north, Iowa_Redhead. I hope you will be coming back to your TR soon as I am kicking around the idea of a trip to Iran in 2020. The idea of being on a group tour sounds like travel hell on earth to a fiercely independent guy like me but I can accept it as coming with the territory. I also have no doubt that Iran is very safe from a people and “street level” aspect but any American should rightly have pause about its government and the unpredictability of what it could do for any reason. Was that a concern for you and if so, how did you make peace with it?
I generally agree with you that group travel is not my favorite thing, but there are many ways you can improve that. A small group is FAR better than a large group. You probably won't be at lucky as I was to get a group with just one other person, but a small group definitely helps. There's also chances to go about on your own to a limited degree. That will just depend on you, your guide and the political climate at the time.
To deal with the geopolitical nonsense and the instability in the relationship between US and Iran, I bought trip insurance with a cancel for any reason clause when I booked everything. That way I could cancel everything up until 2 days before I left and be reimbursed for 75%. Finances wouldn't be a factor in my decision to go or back out that way so my decision could be based purely in safety within the region.
Once in Iran, I was simply careful to follow the dress code for female tourists. I don't want to offend anyone anyway and not breaking dress code goes a long way towards that. As it was so obvious I was loving my visit and trying to follow the rules, everyone treated me accordingly. I never felt any unease from any of the officials, checkpoint guards, police, etc. The was never a feeling that anyone was waiting for me to screw up so they could yell at me or any such.
Jul 24th, 2018, 06:53 PM
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The People
I really can't say enough about the people I met in Iran. Because we were in such a small a group of only two visitors with a guide, people found it very easy to approach us. From school kids smiling shyly and waving or trying a "hello!" (generally at inappropriate volumes from the little boys), to elders who spent time in the US pre 1979, people from all different walks of life welcomed us. Matt and I are both relatively young for western tourists to Iran, we're both redheads (purely an awesome coincidence) so we were blindingly obvious as non-locals, and we were both clearly interested, fascinated and having a great time in Iran.
Often people would approach Kurosh and ask where his tourists were from. When he told them America, they would often exclaim happily "Amerikia!? Welcome! Welcome!" Sometimes they would be able to have full conversations with us in English, and sometimes Kurosh would translate for us. There were two general themes for how we were welcomed. 1. "We hate Trump/your president, but we like you! Would you like some tea?" or 2. "We love Trump/your president and we like you! Would you like some tea?" I love how the people completely separated how they felt about us vs our government/president. I think that the Iranian people have a bit of experience with the population not necessarily being in full agreement with their government.
It was fascinating to me to see women in full black chadors wearing bright purple sneakers or fancy heels. I never did figure out how on earth they kept the chador under control and go about their lives. I couldn't even keep it controlled in very limited settings in holy shrines. Imagine draping a black sheet over the back of your head, over your forehead and letting it billow around you. Add a chunk of elastic that goes under the back of your head to hold it in place. Fashion sleeves, but often not full length ones. The sleeves are often only about as long as your lower arms, but are meant to go to your wrists so you somewhat have to keep your arms close to your body. Now... hold the sheet closed around the front of you so people can't see your body and go about your day. Women often are seen holding their chador closed at their chin with one hand or many actually hold it closed with their mouth. Many women tuck the sides around their waists or under their arms.
Every time I went into a holy shrine and had to borrow a chador, some lady would take pity on me and dress me. On the way into the holy shrine in Qom, I went into the security tent for women and looked lost. A young woman in there spoke to me in English, brought me a loaner, and then very politely and nervously asked me if I would like help, as if she was afraid of offending me. She lost her nervousness when I laughed and begged for help! At another holy shrine, the security lady laughed and had me completely remove the chador so she could dress me properly (I think I managed to get it on sideways somehow). Half a dozen older ladies simply laughed with me at my clumsiness and reached over to tug and tweak the chador further into place.
While we were in Shiraz, we visited Bibi Dokhtaran Mausoleum. There were ladies sitting outside the front door and Kurosh told us that the women's group meets on that day every week to sing chants/prayers. I could go inside, but they would wait outside for me. The ladies inside were gathered loosely around an old woman who was leading the chants and a bright green banner with gold designs on the floor. As they were obviously in the middle of a service, I didn't want to risk interrupting but a lady who was sitting near the entrance waved me in. I looked around inside briefly; it's beautiful, with red carpets covering the floor and a large wooden shrine lined with green in the center. Unlike most locations we visited, the walls were very simple, giving the feeling of a dignified elegance rather than the over the top, and extravagant feeling of the mirror work and mosaic. The ladies sitting around the green banner waved me over to have a seat on the floor with them, but I wanted to leave quickly since the guys were waiting outside. As I turned to leave, the guys were escorted in. Apparently their status of tour guide and tourist had more importance than their status of men!
The women in the group smiled and waved me back over, clearly understanding why I had been hesitant to linger before. That mix of women from around my age through quite elderly, all dressed in their severe black chadors and literally in the midst of their prayers, took the time to offer kind smiles, laughs and welcoming gestures to a stranger. They didn't even blink at welcoming someone who was obviously non-Muslim, wearing just a headscarf (and rather badly) rather than a full chador, into the middle of their group. All that black cloth looks rather unfriendly and it could easily be assumed that the women within those folds of fabric would be unwelcoming towards someone like me, but it was the exact opposite. This was one of my favorite moments in Iran. Every stereotype about how this group might be expected to react to me was proven false with crinkling smiles, quiet laughs and simple waves and nods to come and join them.
In Isfahan, Kurosh was convinced to let me spend the afternoon and evening playing in the giant square on my own after I promised to behave myself, not let myself be taken advantage of, take a taxi back to the hotel and ask the hotel staff to call him so he knew I returned safely and he wouldn't worry. As the guides are responsible for us, he wanted to be very careful for me! He was definitely more concerned about me on my own, than about Matt on his own. After wandering through the bazaar surrounding the square for a few hours, chatting with shopkeepers and poking around at all kinds of trinkets and treasures, I wandered through the giant open square itself. All afternoon while I was on my own, people kept stopping me politely to ask where I was from, if I was enjoying myself and to offer me tea. I spoke with one lady sitting on a bench for 30 minutes or more while we watched her two young kids run around the open area, burning off energy. It was such a simple and wonderful afternoon! The taxi driver was extremely polite and charged me appropriately. He didn't speak English, but he was gesturing for me to look at things and smiling at my enjoyment.
Fun times often happened when Kurosh left me without supervision. We were at a park for lunch one day and he left the small building where we were seated to go check on the status of our lunch as it was taking a while. Matt and I had been entertained watching a group of middle school boys play a makeshift version of volleyball and the boys, in a fit of bravery, came over to ask Matt if he wanted to join them. He didn't want to leave me on my own (and may not have wanted to play anyway) but the boys were excited, confused and up for a lark when I asked if I could play via gestures. Since I was joining Matt joined and the boys were thrilled! Their teachers somewhat explained the rules: stand in a circle, pass the ball to someone else and if they miss it they have to sit in the center. If you're in the center (remember this is a game modified by middle school boys) you become a target for the ball to be chucked at your head now and then) and the passing and chucking continues until only one person is left in the circle. We were all shouting with laughter, grinning like fools and having a great time! The teachers were videoing the crazy Americans playing with their charges and the boys were obviously taking it easy on us. At least once for each of us, when we made an error and should have sat in the circle one of the boys would 'sacrifice' himself claiming in Farsi and gestures that the error was his fault rather than ours. I'm sure a female joining the group was somehow scandalous, but everyone was laughing like hyenas until Kurosh came to fetch us back for our lunch like naughty children. Poor Kurosh! We just didn't behave like his normal tourists and he always tried so hard to make sure we had the best time possible. When we left the park, we left to a chorus of "good bye!"s from the boys.
One of my absolute favorite memories of the entire visit to Iran, was at Abarkooh, an ancient city in the middle of the desert. We stayed in a newly renovated section of Aghazadeh Mansion (staying across the alley from the main house). While we were touring the rooftops, admiring the beautiful two story windcatcher (or badgir) that is featured on the 20,000 Rial note, we were invited to join the family for a traditional concert to be held in the courtyard that evening. The courtyard was being filled with plastic chairs all around the sunken area in the center for the flower garden, and a music group was setting up their instruments in a raised area at one end. The music group would only be performing that evening and was a special event. We later found out that the city mayor was there, the general equivalent to a senator was there and the regional Imam was there. The seating was arranged so that the men were at the front and in a single line down one side of the garden, with the women along the back and up the other side of the garden. We were seated at the very front along the women's side (the seats were still available and were quite good), with me as the barrier between Matt and Kurosh, and the other women.
A young girl around age 12 was seated next to me with her mother. Her name is Movina and she quickly decided we were to be friends. She practiced her few words of English and rolled her eyes at the rather long winded speeches given by the officials. When I took pictures that happened to catch the bald spot on the back of a man's head she pointed at it and giggled, and just like young girls worldwide she rolled her eyes in exasperation at the antics of the similar aged school boys on the other side of the garden. In an excellent move, Matt brought up a drawing app in his phone and played tic-tac-toe with her in front of me while we waited for the speeches to be over. Long winded speeches are hard enough to sit through at times, but when it's in a different language and nobody is translating for you (Kurosh was on the other side of Matt and thus out of whispering range) it can get unbearable quickly. The school boys sang a song and then came the star attraction of the traditional group.
The music was not something I would choose to listen to, but it was fascinating to see the different instruments and the completely different music and singing style. Matt took his camera and went into the center garden area and I eventually went and sat on the ledge at the feet of the women at the back of the garden area. They offered me a seat that was momentarily empty but I was happy to sit and dangle my feet and not block anyone's view. I happily watched the musicians, and laughed as Movina ended up with Matt's nice camera while he was left taking pictures or videos with his phone. One of my favorite photos from the entire trip is Matt standing with his phone and Movina standing next to him with his fancy camera. The older ladies (who I later learned were actually the family who owned the mansion) laughed at my obvious enjoyment of the evening and clear attempts to not bother anyone.
Movina soon came to sit with me and the ladies seemed somewhat shocked when I laughed with her, draped my camera strap around her neck and showed her how to use the camera before sending her off to have fun. I think I ended up with dozens of blurry photos of the garden flowers, her mother, various men's bald spots and Matt making hilarious faces at her. After the concert was over, I was tightly hugged by a wonderful little girl who will hopefully remember the evening with as much enjoyment as I do.
There were so many things to love about Iran, but the people were truly the best and most memorable part. No matter what the situation is regarding the government and laws, the people were amazing and the most welcoming and hospitable I've ever been lucky enough to meet. It's the little things that people just did naturally that really struck me as so openly friendly. It was the teen girl in Spongebob Squarepants shoes who laughingly offered to trade them for my sandals when I admired them at a tourist site and the Imam sitting at a tiny table helping little girls color in a corner of a mosque courtyard. It's the boys who laughingly 'sacrificed' themselves for the visitors in a game with friends, the old man sitting under a tree who insisted I take a handful of mixed nuts from his lunch, and the construction worker who swung a shovel at the branches an old tree in a courtyard to get a couple oranges down in case the tourists might want them. Iran's not just the beautiful mosques, stunning history and architecture, but the people responding with a smile and simple kindness.
The rest of the report (info on where we went, what we did, etc) will be coming eventually but life got a bit hectic recently. Eventually I'll get photos dealt with and share a link to those. I have a few sorted out and cleaned up, but that's it so far. Again, if you have questions please ask and I'll address those when I can.
I really can't say enough about the people I met in Iran. Because we were in such a small a group of only two visitors with a guide, people found it very easy to approach us. From school kids smiling shyly and waving or trying a "hello!" (generally at inappropriate volumes from the little boys), to elders who spent time in the US pre 1979, people from all different walks of life welcomed us. Matt and I are both relatively young for western tourists to Iran, we're both redheads (purely an awesome coincidence) so we were blindingly obvious as non-locals, and we were both clearly interested, fascinated and having a great time in Iran.
Often people would approach Kurosh and ask where his tourists were from. When he told them America, they would often exclaim happily "Amerikia!? Welcome! Welcome!" Sometimes they would be able to have full conversations with us in English, and sometimes Kurosh would translate for us. There were two general themes for how we were welcomed. 1. "We hate Trump/your president, but we like you! Would you like some tea?" or 2. "We love Trump/your president and we like you! Would you like some tea?" I love how the people completely separated how they felt about us vs our government/president. I think that the Iranian people have a bit of experience with the population not necessarily being in full agreement with their government.
It was fascinating to me to see women in full black chadors wearing bright purple sneakers or fancy heels. I never did figure out how on earth they kept the chador under control and go about their lives. I couldn't even keep it controlled in very limited settings in holy shrines. Imagine draping a black sheet over the back of your head, over your forehead and letting it billow around you. Add a chunk of elastic that goes under the back of your head to hold it in place. Fashion sleeves, but often not full length ones. The sleeves are often only about as long as your lower arms, but are meant to go to your wrists so you somewhat have to keep your arms close to your body. Now... hold the sheet closed around the front of you so people can't see your body and go about your day. Women often are seen holding their chador closed at their chin with one hand or many actually hold it closed with their mouth. Many women tuck the sides around their waists or under their arms.
Every time I went into a holy shrine and had to borrow a chador, some lady would take pity on me and dress me. On the way into the holy shrine in Qom, I went into the security tent for women and looked lost. A young woman in there spoke to me in English, brought me a loaner, and then very politely and nervously asked me if I would like help, as if she was afraid of offending me. She lost her nervousness when I laughed and begged for help! At another holy shrine, the security lady laughed and had me completely remove the chador so she could dress me properly (I think I managed to get it on sideways somehow). Half a dozen older ladies simply laughed with me at my clumsiness and reached over to tug and tweak the chador further into place.
While we were in Shiraz, we visited Bibi Dokhtaran Mausoleum. There were ladies sitting outside the front door and Kurosh told us that the women's group meets on that day every week to sing chants/prayers. I could go inside, but they would wait outside for me. The ladies inside were gathered loosely around an old woman who was leading the chants and a bright green banner with gold designs on the floor. As they were obviously in the middle of a service, I didn't want to risk interrupting but a lady who was sitting near the entrance waved me in. I looked around inside briefly; it's beautiful, with red carpets covering the floor and a large wooden shrine lined with green in the center. Unlike most locations we visited, the walls were very simple, giving the feeling of a dignified elegance rather than the over the top, and extravagant feeling of the mirror work and mosaic. The ladies sitting around the green banner waved me over to have a seat on the floor with them, but I wanted to leave quickly since the guys were waiting outside. As I turned to leave, the guys were escorted in. Apparently their status of tour guide and tourist had more importance than their status of men!
The women in the group smiled and waved me back over, clearly understanding why I had been hesitant to linger before. That mix of women from around my age through quite elderly, all dressed in their severe black chadors and literally in the midst of their prayers, took the time to offer kind smiles, laughs and welcoming gestures to a stranger. They didn't even blink at welcoming someone who was obviously non-Muslim, wearing just a headscarf (and rather badly) rather than a full chador, into the middle of their group. All that black cloth looks rather unfriendly and it could easily be assumed that the women within those folds of fabric would be unwelcoming towards someone like me, but it was the exact opposite. This was one of my favorite moments in Iran. Every stereotype about how this group might be expected to react to me was proven false with crinkling smiles, quiet laughs and simple waves and nods to come and join them.
In Isfahan, Kurosh was convinced to let me spend the afternoon and evening playing in the giant square on my own after I promised to behave myself, not let myself be taken advantage of, take a taxi back to the hotel and ask the hotel staff to call him so he knew I returned safely and he wouldn't worry. As the guides are responsible for us, he wanted to be very careful for me! He was definitely more concerned about me on my own, than about Matt on his own. After wandering through the bazaar surrounding the square for a few hours, chatting with shopkeepers and poking around at all kinds of trinkets and treasures, I wandered through the giant open square itself. All afternoon while I was on my own, people kept stopping me politely to ask where I was from, if I was enjoying myself and to offer me tea. I spoke with one lady sitting on a bench for 30 minutes or more while we watched her two young kids run around the open area, burning off energy. It was such a simple and wonderful afternoon! The taxi driver was extremely polite and charged me appropriately. He didn't speak English, but he was gesturing for me to look at things and smiling at my enjoyment.
Fun times often happened when Kurosh left me without supervision. We were at a park for lunch one day and he left the small building where we were seated to go check on the status of our lunch as it was taking a while. Matt and I had been entertained watching a group of middle school boys play a makeshift version of volleyball and the boys, in a fit of bravery, came over to ask Matt if he wanted to join them. He didn't want to leave me on my own (and may not have wanted to play anyway) but the boys were excited, confused and up for a lark when I asked if I could play via gestures. Since I was joining Matt joined and the boys were thrilled! Their teachers somewhat explained the rules: stand in a circle, pass the ball to someone else and if they miss it they have to sit in the center. If you're in the center (remember this is a game modified by middle school boys) you become a target for the ball to be chucked at your head now and then) and the passing and chucking continues until only one person is left in the circle. We were all shouting with laughter, grinning like fools and having a great time! The teachers were videoing the crazy Americans playing with their charges and the boys were obviously taking it easy on us. At least once for each of us, when we made an error and should have sat in the circle one of the boys would 'sacrifice' himself claiming in Farsi and gestures that the error was his fault rather than ours. I'm sure a female joining the group was somehow scandalous, but everyone was laughing like hyenas until Kurosh came to fetch us back for our lunch like naughty children. Poor Kurosh! We just didn't behave like his normal tourists and he always tried so hard to make sure we had the best time possible. When we left the park, we left to a chorus of "good bye!"s from the boys.
One of my absolute favorite memories of the entire visit to Iran, was at Abarkooh, an ancient city in the middle of the desert. We stayed in a newly renovated section of Aghazadeh Mansion (staying across the alley from the main house). While we were touring the rooftops, admiring the beautiful two story windcatcher (or badgir) that is featured on the 20,000 Rial note, we were invited to join the family for a traditional concert to be held in the courtyard that evening. The courtyard was being filled with plastic chairs all around the sunken area in the center for the flower garden, and a music group was setting up their instruments in a raised area at one end. The music group would only be performing that evening and was a special event. We later found out that the city mayor was there, the general equivalent to a senator was there and the regional Imam was there. The seating was arranged so that the men were at the front and in a single line down one side of the garden, with the women along the back and up the other side of the garden. We were seated at the very front along the women's side (the seats were still available and were quite good), with me as the barrier between Matt and Kurosh, and the other women.
A young girl around age 12 was seated next to me with her mother. Her name is Movina and she quickly decided we were to be friends. She practiced her few words of English and rolled her eyes at the rather long winded speeches given by the officials. When I took pictures that happened to catch the bald spot on the back of a man's head she pointed at it and giggled, and just like young girls worldwide she rolled her eyes in exasperation at the antics of the similar aged school boys on the other side of the garden. In an excellent move, Matt brought up a drawing app in his phone and played tic-tac-toe with her in front of me while we waited for the speeches to be over. Long winded speeches are hard enough to sit through at times, but when it's in a different language and nobody is translating for you (Kurosh was on the other side of Matt and thus out of whispering range) it can get unbearable quickly. The school boys sang a song and then came the star attraction of the traditional group.
The music was not something I would choose to listen to, but it was fascinating to see the different instruments and the completely different music and singing style. Matt took his camera and went into the center garden area and I eventually went and sat on the ledge at the feet of the women at the back of the garden area. They offered me a seat that was momentarily empty but I was happy to sit and dangle my feet and not block anyone's view. I happily watched the musicians, and laughed as Movina ended up with Matt's nice camera while he was left taking pictures or videos with his phone. One of my favorite photos from the entire trip is Matt standing with his phone and Movina standing next to him with his fancy camera. The older ladies (who I later learned were actually the family who owned the mansion) laughed at my obvious enjoyment of the evening and clear attempts to not bother anyone.
Movina soon came to sit with me and the ladies seemed somewhat shocked when I laughed with her, draped my camera strap around her neck and showed her how to use the camera before sending her off to have fun. I think I ended up with dozens of blurry photos of the garden flowers, her mother, various men's bald spots and Matt making hilarious faces at her. After the concert was over, I was tightly hugged by a wonderful little girl who will hopefully remember the evening with as much enjoyment as I do.
There were so many things to love about Iran, but the people were truly the best and most memorable part. No matter what the situation is regarding the government and laws, the people were amazing and the most welcoming and hospitable I've ever been lucky enough to meet. It's the little things that people just did naturally that really struck me as so openly friendly. It was the teen girl in Spongebob Squarepants shoes who laughingly offered to trade them for my sandals when I admired them at a tourist site and the Imam sitting at a tiny table helping little girls color in a corner of a mosque courtyard. It's the boys who laughingly 'sacrificed' themselves for the visitors in a game with friends, the old man sitting under a tree who insisted I take a handful of mixed nuts from his lunch, and the construction worker who swung a shovel at the branches an old tree in a courtyard to get a couple oranges down in case the tourists might want them. Iran's not just the beautiful mosques, stunning history and architecture, but the people responding with a smile and simple kindness.
The rest of the report (info on where we went, what we did, etc) will be coming eventually but life got a bit hectic recently. Eventually I'll get photos dealt with and share a link to those. I have a few sorted out and cleaned up, but that's it so far. Again, if you have questions please ask and I'll address those when I can.
Jul 25th, 2018, 02:55 AM
#31
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Thank you - for sharing a side of Iran that we almost never see or hear here in the U.S. I think you captured the essence of why we travel and the rewards that come with it. Such wonderful memories.
Jul 25th, 2018, 05:45 AM
#32
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful experience.
Jul 25th, 2018, 05:46 AM
#33
I was hoping you'd continue this report and I must say it was worth the wait! Great details and stories from what was obviously a marvelous trip. Thanks, and I hope to read more when you're ready.
Jul 26th, 2018, 03:17 PM
#37
I love a report that is as much about the people as it is about buildings. Thank you, I really enjoyed that. Do love the building in the picture though and look forward to more of them when time allows
