Die zwei Wochen die ich gemeinsam mit meinem Vater und meiner Schwester verbringen konnte hat mein Vater dokumentiert und wird jetzt hier als Gastautor ein bisschen Abwechslung bringen ;)


I've made it to Teheran and met up successfully with Leander and Norah,

   Day one: I arrived safely with the 2 motorbike tyres at about 3 o'clock in the morning at Teheran Airport. In fact the computer at theTurkish Airlines check-in desk mistakenly thought I'd already paid so they ended up taking them for free. But no Leander in the arrivals terminal! I waited for about 30 minutes with an insistent taxi-driver who wanted to drive me into town, before I realized I was at terminal A - so was there a terminal B? There was, and it was buzzing with people and there was Leander waiting for me! We had so much to talk about in the taxi into Teheran (almost an hour's drive even at night) so we didin't get to the hotel until about 5am. Then Leander discovered that in all the excitement he had lost his camera - an expensive one he had borrowed from a friend for the trip. He tried phoning the airport but they couldn't help. It seemed like a bad start.  

Day two:: At breakfast the hotel manager came to our table to announce that the the driver of the taxi that drove us from the airport had just phoned to say that he had found the camera and would bring it to us in the hotel!! We were gobsmacked!! Since then we have found again and again that People are not only friendly and helpful but also amazingly honest. It's just as well, because the currency here is a mine-field of potential misunderstanding. Example: I wanted to buy a small bottle of mineral water in a kiosk. The vendor told me it cost 1. That, Leander told me, means 1000 Toman, which means 10000 Rial, which in turn is worth about 30 Cents.
 When we left the hotel we discovered that there was a whole row of tyre shops opposite, but none of them could change the motorbike tyres. However they told us how to get to a workshop. This involved strapping the tyres onto the side of the motorbike, both getting onto the bike (without helmets) and then taking courage into our hands, we plunged into central Teheran traffic! It's a crazy experience of a kind of surreal order in total chaos! Fortunately most of the big roads are one-way, except for the far-left lane which is a kind of free-for-all for mopeds, taxis and buses in both directions. It's not surprising that Lonely Planet lists among dangerous sports to be tried out in Iran hanggliding, rockclimbing, canyoning  or just crossing the road in Teheran. The amazing thing is how quickly you get used to it! In the evening we took the metro back out towards the airport. There is a compartment for women only but in fact it was all completely mixed. The only places for men only seem to be the mosque and the traditional tea-rooms where you are served wonderful tea and water-pipes. We arrived in time to meet Norah at 11.30 pm and this time no problem with the terminal...

 Day three (Easter Sunday): Abbas, a friend from Roisdorf who is Iranian, had put me in touch with his brother-in-law. He has found a place for Leander's motorbike for the 2 weeks we travel by public transport. The whole thing is complicated by the fact that Meqdad speaks no English and we have about 10 word of Farsi between us. Through a friend who translated we got  the idea that he would come and pick us up at  the hotel at 10 am. Sure enough he came on his moped, so off we went, me on the back of his moped and Norah and Leander on the motorbike! The fact that Meqdad has driven a moped for years and survived suggests he's quite an expert and he was quick to show it! This meant Leander had to try to keep up on his much wider and heavier bike while we weaved our way for about 30 minutes through hair-raising traffic. In the middle of it all we skidded to a halt.

Meqdad asks me if we wanted to visit. I wasn't quite sure what, but I said yes. It turned out to be a kind of palace with wonderful courtyards, painted tiles, shady trees and cool arcades. Meqdad gave us a kind of running commentary via his translator friend on his mobile phone. It was totally surreal, but a token of such friendliness and hospitality. When we reached North Teheran. where the city sprawls up into the mountains against a backdrop of snowy peaks, we stopped at a small garage where we met Garzem, our translator, and exchanged the moped for a car, before setting off again - destination not quite sure! We stopped in front of a very beautiful marble villa with big security railings. This was where Leander could store his bike in an underground carpark that was tiled wall and floor in gleaming marble. We were also introduced to the caretaker who had his office in the carpark and promised to keep watch day and night! Then on, now all 5 of us in the car, out into the mountains north of the city to a traditional restaurant. Here Meqdad invited us to an unforgettable experience: seated on low cushions and carpets, we were served starters of sweet-sour fruit with different fruit juices, followed by different kebabs, fish, rice and ab- kusht(?) a special Iranian dish made with meat, chickpeas, vegetables and potatoes mashed with a sauce and eaten on a kind of thin fresh nan-bread - delicious.  To finish off there was fresh water-melon, a tea to die for and we tried out a water-pipe, the most exotic, civilized and attractive form of smoking I've ever experienced!

When we got back to the hotel, I could give Meqdad and Garzem the chocolates and some Easter bunnies for their children as a small token of our gratitude. We were so full,both physically and mentally, that we have had a long siesta. This evening we want to head for the bazar. Tomorrow we take the bus to Isfahan where the adventure continues.  This is an amazing country and such an antithesis to the prejudices we have in the West. We will be returning to Europe, but I believe it will be with a heavy heart!