Shar-e hert
Trip to Iran. Part 2
March 15, 2004
iranian.com
 I wake up with the sound of the telephone at 9 in
the morning. It is Soheil, my good friend. Soheil and I have known
each other for a few years but
had not actually
met. He is calling to welcome me to Tehran and to set up a time
to meet. It's a crisp sunny day. I look from the window
and am amazed of the
satellite dishes sitting on top of most houses. In the background,
the majestic white
Mount Alborz embraces the city.
After a quick breakfast, and armed with my camera,
I am out to Valiasr Street. I
am in awe of the busy traffic. I have one day to sight-see and
meet
friends. The next day I am off to Ahvaz for an international conference
on
epidemiology.
As I am walking down the street I see a woman running
towards a dentist's
office and she seems to be sticking something in her mouth. Later
I find that she
is brushing her teeth, probably late for a dentist's appointment.
I come down
the street and reach Saie Park. The park actually looks much nicer
than I had
envisioned.
I have a problem. Crossing the streets seems like
an impossible
task as I see no realistic way of crossing. I find a gentleman
who agrees to
guide me across the street. Crossing the street will
give a person a
huge adrenaline rush as drivers are experts in stopping just
at one's toes
without actually running the person over.  Later in the day I have my second
amazing experience. As I am waiting for a
taxi I see a Paykan that looks a bit strange. After I look more
closely, I
realize the car's hood is practically lifted upwards making a vertical
wall for
the driver. Nevertheless, he is still driving. Amazing! Where
in the world would I have so much excitement in one day.
I meet with
Soheil later in the day. We have lots of catching up to do.
He invites me for coffee at Hotel Homa. As we are driving in
the streets I have
flashbacks to my childhood. Although Tehran has become a large
metropolitan
city, many of the neighborhoods look exactly the same. The apartments,
cars,
etc., even the shops. The feeling is one of nostalgia mixed with
unfamiliarity.
The day ends rather quickly. I am back at the
hotel and pack for my trip to
Ahvaz. The next day a taxi takes me to the airport. I rejoice
finding out my plane is an Airbus and not a Russian Tupolov.
I think this very fact may just have increased my life expectancy
by 50%.
The trip to Ahvaz is smooth. After 50 minutes
we land at the airport. I
see palm trees and many brick houses from the air. After picking
up my
luggage, I see a man holding a "Conference" sign. "That's
my ride," I tell
myself. To be continued...
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I wake up with the sound of the telephone at 9 in
the morning. It is Soheil, my good friend. Soheil and I have known
each other for a few years but
had not actually
met. He is calling to welcome me to Tehran and to set up a time
to meet. It's a crisp sunny day. I look from the window
and am amazed of the
satellite dishes sitting on top of most houses. In the background,
the majestic white
Mount Alborz embraces the city.
Later in the day I have my second
amazing experience. As I am waiting for a
taxi I see a Paykan that looks a bit strange. After I look more
closely, I
realize the car's hood is practically lifted upwards making a vertical
wall for
the driver. Nevertheless, he is still driving. Amazing! Where
in the world would I have so much excitement in one day. 