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