A bridge between TWO WORLDS- Turkey

So there is the Phil Collins song "Two Worlds" from the Tarzan soundtrack, where one of the lyrics goes as:
"Put your faith in what you most believe in 
Two worlds, one family 
Trust your heart 
Let fate decide 
To guide these lives we see"

Having an EFES beer in FREEDOM! Welcome to Turkey and the end of Between the Lines of Asia!

Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey.

I have often thought about these lyrics, as the cartoon is one of my favourite. But how could this cartoon relate to my adventure across the heart of the Asian continent, it did not hit me until I awoke on my night bus in Turkey, crossing the bridge of the Bosphorus strait that connects Asian Turkey to European Turkey in Istanbul. It was here that I realized just how far I had come. I have seen communism in its purest form in North Korea, danced the night away in Bangkok, crossed the worlds highest border between Pakistan and China, made the trip of a life time in India with Jenny Jricka, survived Afghanistan, crossed Iran to see an old friend, and the list could go on. It just HIT ME! Right there at that moment, on that bridge, that bridge between two worlds.

The Bosphorus strait has historically been the small gap of sea that separates vastly different cultures and civilizations, and having a few days in Istanbul to think about what I had done was a welcome respite. As many of you know, I rarely relax, but I remember getting to that hostel in Istanbul, grabbing a few beers with my friend Angie and saying, HEY, I MADE IT! Now what do I do next?

Chilling out on the Bosphorus.

I sit here now at the end of my journey, boarding a plane in a few hours that will take me Europe and onwards to Calgary. Back to the Catholic School Board, back to the Keg, back to my family, back to my friends, back to the life I know. But will I ever be the same? What impact will this trip have on me? What will I do next? I shall have many questions to ponder, and the 30 hour bus between Iran and Istanbul was not nearly enough, it only opened more questions about what to do in the future, and I know this trip on my five year anniversary of international travel is only the beginning of grand adventure to come.

Some potential may lie in:

Discovering Three Africas- A trip through ARAB, BLACK AND WHITE AFRICA'S. Going from Morocco to South Africa by land.

Going Down on America- Driving from Canada to Argentina, and going to Antarctica in the process.

Good bye ASIA! It has been a slice.

RTW ONE MORE TIME- Round the world one more time, to re- live my first trip, but more in depth, and cover the spread of the countries I have missed, seeing some of the worlds most isolated communties ranging from Papua New Guinea to Myanmar, Tibet, Bhutan and Siberia.

Stay tuned for the future, as I assure you this blog is only the beginning.

God bless. Stay true and what an adventure it has been!

Sincerely,

William Delaney

The "Other" Iran- Western Iran- the last stop.

Ali Banki's mother said to me in Tehran, "You have not see Iran until you have seen Tabriz". So needless to say, the offer was on the table for one final stop in one of Iran's most fantastic cities. Ali booked me a flight and I hopped on a domestic carrier, and landed less than an hour later in Iran's western capital, the homeland of the Azeri people, and it was here that I now know my trip across Asia is coming to an end.

Boarding the flight for Tabriz.

I did not realize at the time how far I had come, crossing from North Korea in April to be sitting here in September at the furthest edge of Iran, smoking a hookah pipe with some fine lads about to board a bus for Turkey.

But this long waiting game, all to common on my trip was a good opportunity to write this blog and reflect on this lovely city and its surroundings.

I have been so blessed in my life to have such good family and friends and every so often these skills they taught me transfer into my travels. I have learned to be outgoing, for back in my early days I was not, so dad if you are reading this, thank you!

I just kept running into incredible people, taking me out for dinner, showing me their incredible cities, taking me outside the city to see beautiful villages, dance to Persian traditional music, dine on fantastic foods and learn about some of the most ancient cultures in the world.

Kandovan village, Western Iran.

The place that excited me the most on this short stop over in Western Iran was the village of Kandovan. It is similar the exotic Cappadocia in Turkey, except in this village the locals still live in their traditional homes, and there is no western tourists to be found. I bought a wool sweater for my friend Santanna, as she is hipster enough to pull off a fantastic traditional Iranian sweater.

Meeting New Friends in this amazing city.

The city is bustling with incredible markets, beautiful mosques and churches and a central plaza, with a man made lake that is romantic as any place I have been, and Persians and their Azeri cousins love night life, exploring the evening with their families, dining on fantastic ice cream and enjoying good comedy.

I have to say, Ali's mother was right, if one is ever to visit Iran you must see Tabriz, for it is an opportunity to get a different look at how diverse Iran truly is, a different language, different customs, but many similar vibes. Iran is so diverse, with places such as Balochistan, Kurdistan, the gulf Arabs, Turkmen and many more found within its vast borders. I cannot wait for the opportunity to return and see them all one day in the future.

To those I met in Tabriz, I thank you so much, as this was my final stop in Iran, I could not have ended on any higher of a note.

Last hookah pipes in Iran. What a bunch of great hosts.

Cheers to an amazing trip in Iran and one of the most amazing countries I have ever visited in my life!

Time to board that bus for Turkey, HAZAAAA!

-William Delaney

The border with Iran and Turkey. What and adventure!

The "Other" Iran- Where old friends reconnect, TEHRAN!

"It all begins when you plant an idea in some ones head, that idea can grow and grow until it becomes real"- Inception.

Having dinner with my good friend Ali Bank and his cousins.

One of my favourite movies applies very clearly to my mission to get to Iran. Five years ago while travelling the world with Ali Banki, I got the IDEA to go to Iran, the INCEPTION was planted and the game was on. I have travelled Iran for a few weeks now, but the goal of reaching Tehran was always in the back of my mind. Getting to meet Ali's family, learn about the modern Iran from his perspective, and experience a side of Iran few tourists get to see.

Learning to dress like one of the many tribes of Persia

Ali never disappoints, and much like his countrymen, his hospitality is second to none! We dined at some of Tehrans finest restaurants and much like five years ago Ali got me to break out of my shell and try some different things, including Sheep brain for breakfast, and I have to say, I like it much more than the traditional bangers and mash of my ancestors in Ireland.

We toured around Tehran, Ali took me up in the North suburbs to have dinner with is family, we explored the inner markets where I was able to buy some lovely gifts for my loved ones. We went up the Tehran tower, 6th tallest building in the world, offering an incredible vista of what appeared to be all of Tehran from up there.

Tehran proved to be so very modern, the city was hosting the summit of the "non-aligned", ironic as the film Argo by Ben Affleck about the Iranian revolution was about to be published. I have to say that Tehran for having nearly 17 million souls live up to the Persian standards of cleanliness, efficiency and beautiful. Gardens and trees a plenty, beautiful homes, clean roads, well paved, Christian churches, muslim mosques, train stations, multiple airports and so much more.

Me and Ali up top at the Tehran Tower.

Who ever would have thought? As the only images I grew up with are of an Iran that hates the west, expels the US and condemns Israel to death, yet here in Tehran today I feel not a threat, no angst, just a relaxing cool air that pervades the high mountain top city.

I have always taught my students to never judge a book by its cover, and often what we initially see of believe can be turned on its head so very quickly by just the slightest turn. One such moment happened in central Tehran, as I see a sign with bombs saying death to America, and yet behind it stands proudly an Armenian cathedral, in the centre of Tehran, one of its most iconic landmarks, the church of St. Sarkis. We are so often told that muslims are taught to hate Christians, and that they associate Christians with the west, yet here in Iran for hundreds of years Christians have lived side by side with Muslims, and it was here in Iran that the Armenian's fled from persecution and genocide at the hands of the Turks during World War I.

The beautiful Saint Sarkis Cathedral under the close watch of the supreme Ayatollah.

So this is the picture the west wants to paint of Iran, it could not be more un-true.

Iran is full of suprises and Tehran is no different.

It was an honour and privilege to be re-united with my good friend Ali after so long, the man that was responsible for the inception that grew into the trip "Between the Lines of Asia".

Wishing well to all those at home and abroad.

God Bless.

William Delaney

The "Other" Iran- The Christians of Persia

The “Other Iran” The Christians of Persia

The Historical square in Esfahan.

Welcome to Esfahan, a city littered with the history of ancient Persia, from the mosques to the squares, to the food, the pottery, the literacy’s and the people. Despite the vast historical potential here in Esfahan, I discovered something very unique, a part of Iran that I did not know existed, at least not openly. This was the Christians of Iran.

Esfahan is known for being the cultural centre of ancient Persia, its historical bridge, squares, universities, gardens and palaces were all pillars of Persian society, yet the ones that designed and built these magnificent structures were as I found out, Armenian Christians.



Brian and Patrick, cruising the streets of Esfhan.



The Shahs(Kings) of Persia were so impressed by the skills of Christians artisans from the parts of historic Armenia that they conquered that they felt they had to bring these people to build the heart of their empire. The Armenian area they conquered was called  “Jolfa”, a town that still is located in Northern Iran, and is home to one of the most impressive Christian cathedrals in the middle east I am told. The Shahs gave a section of the city to the Christians, this area of Esfahan is also called Jolfa, they gave them religious freedom and exempt them from certain laws that Muslims must obey, such as the consumption of alcohol.

Amazing blue mosque in Esfahan. What a great first day.

The relationship between the Persians and the Armenians thus grew, and flourished, where today despite being a strict Islamic Republic, the Christians of Iran are guaranteed seats in the Iranian parliament and are allowed to follow their faith openly, and are still exempt from certain state rules, again including the consumption of alcohol and they are permitted to hold mixed sex parties and play mixed sex sports. I am even told they have their own night club in Tehran, which I suppose I will have to look up later on in this trip.

Main Mosque of Esfahan, truly beautiful.

Regardless, Esfahan is a beautiful place, the weather was warm and the light summer breeze made walking around this magnificent city a true pleasure. I explored the ancient square, visited the old city mosque, saw the dozens of shops selling fine Persian pottery, designed with the intricacies of Islam and ancient Persia, I sipped countless cups of tea and discussed my love of Iran with many of the Persians I met, it was a great first day.

Inside the mosque complex.

Day two, I made it my mission to explore the Christian section of town. I headed for Jolfa, not far from my guest house. When I arrived I saw cathedrals a plenty, designed very similarly to the mosques throughout the country. And then it struck me, many of these mosques were designed and built by Christians and resemble Christian churches, AMAZING! I had noticed a vast difference between Persian mosques and others in the Arab or sub-continent worlds, but it made sense now. Truly remarkable!

I also discovered that this area of town is not only protected by the government in Tehran, but it is celebrated, as the Christians of Iran hold a special place in society. The same as the Jews in Shiraz, their roots run deep in this land, and contrary to our beliefs out in the west Christians, Muslims and Jews have been living side by side in this country for thousands of years, it’s  not new to them it’s just new to us, lol.

The Christian quarter of Esfahan.

Outside Vank cathedral(Which is the Armenian short form of Holy Saviour cathedral), the main church in Esfahan stands a proud statue of an Armenian inventor, Khachatur Kesratsi ,  who brought the printing press to the Middle East! An invention claimed by Persia, and as such they celebrate it, even though it was a Christian who invented it. I walked about the church complex, visited by Armenians, Persians and other tourists. People come from all over Iran, not matter what their faith to see this historic place. I was amazed! It was here that I learned more about the Armenian genocide of the early 20^th century, at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. The exhibit was moving and Iran shows support for their Armenian minority in displaying it.

It was an emotional day, to see all this history before me, celebrated by people I am told hate Christians. How can we have this misconception? When it is so open to see here in Iran? I puzzle about this, as the more I learn about Iran, the more I discover it is not as cookie cutter as our government portrays it, and why should it be? This country has 7000 years of history! We in Canada and the States a mere few hundred.

Inside the Vank Cathedral complex.

Of course, it is important to pay attention to the reality of the situation. I discussed at length the relationship between Christians and muslims in Iran with Persians and they explained that even though Christians are allowed, if a muslim converts to Christianity, they can be executed. So it is not all rosey cheeks, but the notion that Persians hate Christians is not true, of all the Persians talked to, they embraced the Christians in their country as brothers, not outsiders, and even I as I have said before have been celebrated for being a Christian by muslims.

Soon I will head north to the beating heart of Iran, Tehran. Here I shall go to visit a close friend, Ali Banki and I am so glad that I have seen so much of his country to discuss with him. Iran has many treasures, many of which I have yet discover. Those that take the time to come to Iran know that the rewards far outweigh the price of getting here. I encourage everyone to come to Iran to see for themselves what is not being told of this incredible country.

Inside Vank Cathedral. Amazing art, and who knew?

Cheers to all for this incredible and surprising portion of Iran.

William Delaney

The "Other" Iran- A glass of Shiraz Anyone?

Shiraz, Iran.

Me, Fabs and the Persian Army.

August 2012

Well here we are, in the famed city of Shiraz. Legend has it that French crusaders brought grapes from Shiraz back to France and formed the modern say Syrah or Shiraz that I so love to enjoy on an evening out.

One of the many beautiful gardens of Shiraz.

Regardless of whether this is true or not, Shiraz the city is a must see when visiting Iran, it is right at the heart of the ancient Persia and is one of the mostly lively and liberal minded cities in Iran. Although many come here to visit the mighty persopolis and the surrounding attractions, the city of Shiraz itself is a gem, full of gardens, tombs of grand poets and offers up opportunities to meet some of the friendliest people in all of Persia.

Ancient gardens in Shiraz.

I have to say, the irony of how many Persians are in Vancouver did not set in to me until visiting Shiraz. Time after time while traveling in Iran I am asked, where are you from? I respond, Canada, and then they ask, ahhhh are you from Vancouver? I have an uncle there, or a cousin, or brother, sister, friend, etc. And the truth is, I am from Vancouver, and as I mentioned in my earlier post, I have some very good friends that are Persian in Vancouver. So immediately I have been able to establish a bond with so many people around this country, simply by just growing up in a place so many of them know or wish to live. A cool connection indeed.

Henry, Fabs and I stayed at a lovely little guest house in the centre of Shiraz, within walking distance of the famed undercover night market. We ate some fantastic food, and Fabrizio's couch surfing contacts guided us all over Shiraz. We visited lavish gardens, the beautiful tombs of the Poet's Sadi and Hafez, and saw the impressive gate that one enters into Shiraz. One quirky experience we got was when Fabrizio and I were stopped by a few soldiers outside the gate of Shiraz, the young men were dressed in full uniform, and I have not seen soldiers act so serious since I was at the Iran border with Afghanistan. The soldiers wanted nothing more than to take pictures with us and were thrilled to meet us and speak to us through our friend. Ironic indeed it is, an army that is supposed to hate me taking so much joy in having their photo taken with me. And one of the guys was a straight reincarnation of the Persian King Darius, I have said it before and I will say it again, Persians are dam good looking people.

Watching the sun set over Shiraz with the couch surfers of Iran.

The next day, Henry, Fabs and I embarked on our journey to visit the Tomb of Cyrus the Great, one of the most famous Persian kings. We also visited Necropolis, which I would describe as Iran's version of Petra(The famous Jordanian city, featured in Indiana Jones' Last crusade), and of course the mighty Persian imperial capital of Persepolis. Being a guy who loves history, this was a day that shall last forever in my mind, rivaling even the experience I had five years ago in Egypt when I first saw the pyramids. Persepolis lived up to expectations and the other sites were just the icing on the cake. Iran is truly a marvel for one to explore, and I have merely scratched the surface of its historical potential. I know now, that due to my time frame I will not be able to see all that is in Iran, not even close and am already planning on a return trip!

Shiraz by night.

The scorching hot day in Persepolis gave way to of course a fine round of ice cream covered in pistachio nuts, a Persian staple. And smoking a hooka pipe, hanging out with some other young Persians watching the sun set down over Shiraz was the perfect ending to such a glorious part of this country.

I maintain that if anyone of you reading this plans to visit Iran, a trip to Iran is not complete without seeing Shiraz and its surroundings.

Me and Henry at the Tomb of Cyrus.

The tomb of Cyrus the Great.

Henry living the dream in the Iran heat.

The only thing I have missed out on is the opportunity to have a glass of Shiraz in Shiraz! I was told by my contacts here that on my next visit to inform them in advance and they will contact some of their christian or Jewish friends(Shiraz has a large and thriving Persian Jewish community) and make it happen! I am stoked and cannot wait for my next visit.

Glorious Petra.

Entrance to Persepolis.

Necropolis.

Henry, Fabs and I are about to part ways. I will be heading north to Esfahan tomorrow, Henry will be catching a domestic flight up to Tehran and Fabrizio is heading off to see some desert castles in Bolochistan, near the far east of Iran.

Top View of Persepolis.

Henry reading about Persian history.

Thank you so much to all those that made Shiraz such a special stop. I will always maintain that a "Glass of Shiraz in Iran, is always HALF FULL". I am more historically armed, and I know now that I will be back to Iran again, and I haven't even left yet!

Team AWESOME, we shall meet again Mr. Tindal.

Cheers and god bless.

William Delaney

The "Other Iran"- The Ancient Home of the Three Wise Men

Yazd, Iran.

Grand Mosque, old town Yazd.

August 2012.

The adventure continues here in Iran. I left Mashhad with such a positive first impression of this vastly misunderstood country. I have now discovered here in Yazd, it ain't just Mashhad that was special, the people all over this country are incredible.

When I arrived in Yazd, I stayed at the Silk Road Hotel. This place is literally the backpacker Mecca for south central Iran. I met Europeans from Spain, Ireland, Italy, Germany, even Lithuania. It was a vastly different crowd than I expected, and all these people were just beyond excited to be here in Iran. Most of these other travelers had come to Iran via Turkey or Armenia, and some from Central Asia. I was the only one to come the other land route from Afghanistan, so we swapped stories and traded ideas and places to stay.

Zoroastrian Fire Temple. The ancient home of the Three Wise Men.

I met many people who were "couch surfing" in Iran. Now couch surfing is a great way to travel, I have done it in Europe before and it is an excellent avenue to get local information and guidance and usually make some great friends in the process, and I have hosted people from overseas in Calgary before. I have never used this site  in the developing world, for various reasons,  but all these other Europeans informed me that Persians due to the increasing sanctions placed on them are all the more ecstatic about hosting foreigners. They are keen to learn, and I managed to meet up with a number of Persian couch surfers, thanks largely in part to my good friend Fabrizio, from Italia.

Inside the fire temple.

For those of you interested in couch surfing in Iran, check out this site:

http://www.couchsurfing.org/

Regardless. Yazd is a special place and when I was making my plans for visiting Iran, a recurring thought kept popping into my head, the three wise men of the bible are said to be from Iran...... I NEED to find where they are from. Now I played one of the three wise men in our school play back in the 4th grade, and ever since then I have had a fascination for understanding more about these mysterious men than crossed half the known world to see our lord and savior be born in the most humble of places. I visited Bethlehem last year and right there staring at the art work of the nativity scene I kept contemplating the fact that these men went on foot and by camel all the way from IRAN! I dream of being able to make that journey myself, hopefully Iraq and Syria will one day stabilize and I may be able to pull it off.

Playing Volleyball in the middle of the night.

The three wise men, are said to have been Zoroastrian priests, also called the "Magi", and were known in the ancient world to be the wisest of the wise, and made huge inroads in the fields of science, mathematics, astronomy and engineering. Yazd is the city where the Zoroastrian fire temple still stands, and the same flame has been burning for thousands of years. So I felt that going to visit this temple is a phenomenal way to connect with something that the three wise men took part in and helped create, the eternal flame of Zoroaster.

Henry at one of the desert villages.

I visited this temple on my first day in Yazd, and explored around the old city. It has a very ancient feel in the old town, but the modern Yazd has all the amenities of Mashhad, with a bit more of a small town charm. A fantastic city indeed.

Patrick, Brian and Lucia.

A brief background about Zoroastrians. Zoroastrians are said to be the first monotheistic faith in the world. The religion was coined by the man Zoroaster, who is from modern day Afghanistan. As I mentioned in the Afghan Posts, I visited his birth place just outside Mazar-e-Sharif eariler on this journey. Zoroastrianism was the faith of the ancient Persian kings, and the religion of Persian until the Arab conquests in the 7th century, which brought Islam to Iran. There faith worships one god called, whom they call, Ahura Mazda.

 As I have discovered in Iran, Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians are all legal religions in Iran, and have representation in the countries parliament. The city of Yazd, although very conservative houses a large population of all these faiths. I also discovered that the Israeli Minister of defense, Ehud Barak is apparently from here(common knowledge to all the locals, but definitely new news to me). It is fascinating what one can learn in Iran.

Chak Chak, Zoroastrian holy site.

I made a few new friends in Yazd, Henry, Patrick and Brian from Ireland, Lucia from Spain and Fabrizio from Italy. We went on a guided tour to Chak Chak, another Zoroastrian pilgrimage site around Yazd and visited a desert village and some of the numerous ancient Persian forts that surround the city. It was a very cool experience. But the high light of the experience was that our tour guide invited us out to meet her friends.

Learning how to make a Persian Carpet in Yazd.

We went to a hookah bar, met up with her husband, his friends and a whole host of other persians. Since she could speak English very well, she translated to all those we met, and they were thrilled to meet some foreigners and by no means felt threatened or disturbed by us visiting Iran. Weird, as I always am told by our media that Persians are evil and want to blow the world up..... hmmmmm, puzzling indeed. Our media really needs to start differentiating between the governments of countries and their people.



We also discovered that Persians tend to bend the rules a little bit. After the hookah bar we were invited to play volleyball in a park in the middle of the night. This has to have been one of the high lights for my trip so far, as in Iran, technically playing mixed sex sports is Illegal. But we played anyways openly in public, and had quite an audience gather to watch the foreigners play against the Persians. All in to much fun! What a great city.

Henry, Fabs and I dined nightly on fantastic Persian food at the guest house, but I have to mention that Persians have an acute love for Pizza and Burgers. Who would have thought? And ketchup is a staple for both those meals, I mean it, Pizza + Ketchup equals success in Iran. Also Persians LOVE ice cream and one cannot walk more than a couple blocks without seeing an modern ice cream shop. There is no Baskin Robbins or dairy queen due to the sanctions, but these guys know how to hit the spot on a hot summers day.

So as we close out Yazd and head to Shiraz tomorrow I have to say, I am discovering more and more that Iran is NOTHING like what we are told back home. I can only imagine the discoveries that await me as I continue to venture through this ancient land.

Next up SHIRAZ and the mighty Persepolis!

Cheers to all in Yazd.

Sincerely,

William Delaney.

The "Other" Iran- Persianify Yourself

Welcome ladies and gentlemen to Mashhad, Iran.

This eastern most city has been my first taste of this amazing country and at none other than one of Iran's holiest times, the Eid festival at the end of Ramazan.

Shrine of Imam Reza.

Mashhad holds one of Iran's holiest shrines, the shrine to Iman Reza, one of Shia' Islams holiest scholars and leaders. It is here that muslims from around the world come to gather to pay homage and I was right there in the heart of the action. Getting into the action relates to the title, "Persianify yourself". When going around the shrine, anyone who looks foreign is immediately picked out by security and escorted throughout the site. I, being blessed with dark hair, dark eyes and one heck of a tan after being in Afghanistan decided to dress up like a Persian.

Outside the shrine.

Now I have to throw this out there, because this may be one of the biggest shocks about Iran. They dress, VERY WESTERN, in fact they are more stylish than most european states, and they are a very handsome people. So needless to say, no sweat pants, uggs boots, or hoodies rocking round this country. It was time to dress up and fit the mold, as the old saying goes, "When in Rome", or in this case, "When in Persia".

An amazing day to be here at Eid.

I succeeded in my venture and managed to walk around the shrine, at sunset freely and without hindrance, it was a special experience. And after being in Afghanistan, where security can change in the blink of an eye, seeing the calm, collected and relaxed feeling of the Persians gathered here gave me a very sober feeling. I am finally safe, and in a place where no one in the west would expect to be safe, in a country where the west wants to make war..... I kept pondering to myself.... Why???? How??? Not with these people? Not here?

Village outside Mashhad.

OK, let me give you a comparison of life in Mashad to life in Vancouver.... Both cities have about 2.5 million people. Both cities host a varied migrant population. Mashhad has many Afghans, Turkmen and some of the smaller tribes found within Iran. Vancouver may be next to Toronto the most culturally diverse city in Canada.

Stopping for Tea, Persian Style.

In Mashad, I walked around, alone at night throughout the city and I saw women sitting the park smoking hookah pipes and drinking chai together. I doubt for a second I would see such an activity in Vancouver. Despite Mashhad holding one of their biggest festivals of the year, there were hardly any police to be found, no riots(as is the case in Vancouver from time to time), and people were cheerful and joyful in their celebrating, not breaking police cars or stealing from shops.

Dinner, Persian Style.

Now mind you, Iran is still a dictatorship. If one lit a cop car on fire I cannot imagine what would happen to you, in Canada you'd be un-lucky to get any penalty at all. But in Iran, despite the governments apparent restrictions I did not feel a sense of tension out in Mashhad, there is tension without a doubt, just not in the form of social disorder.

Iran as I have discovered focuses a lot on their security, they are surrounded by hostile states, including Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and until recently the likes of Armenia and Azerbaijan. So almost as a reaction to all this instability around them, they themselves are very stable and safe, a pleasant surprise indeed.

I stayed here in Mashhad at Vali's homestay. It is a great little guest house, and Vali takes the whole experience to a new level while you stay in Mashhad. His son Reza was a gem and a computer whizz, and even though he is in the Iranian army, he did not want to lay waste to me, as so many of the news papers in the west will say.

Living the dream outside of Mashhad.

I went running with Reza and Vali's niece Behnaz, we went to explore outside the city to Vali's home village and catch some stunning views along the way. Any Persian I met who spoke english was glad to talk and very anxious to see how my experience was in Iran. Each night we would dine with Vali on his balcony to home made Persian food, some of the finest I have eaten and drink gallons upon gallons of chai.

It was a beautiful beginning to the Persian odyssey and I cannot wait to see what lies in store for the rest of the trip.

Behnaz helped me arrange my onward transport to Yazd. And as I sit here in the bus waiting to leave, reflecting on my first city in Iran. I ponder how this place can be lumped into a category with North Korea and Iraq. It is so safe here? So much more developed? Fantastic roads, near full literacy? Modern amenities at every corner? Everywhere has electricity... Even the small villages I visited.... You can drink the tap water.... You can go anywhere at anytime?

Iran is by no means a third world country. At least not so far.  We shall see what is up next.

I am now off to Yazd. The home of the Zoroastrian fire temple and the ancient home of the three wise men.

Cheers to all in Mashhad and thank you so much for an incredible introduction to Iran!

Sincerely,

William Delaney.