Tehran May 2010

Here I am in Tehran again (May 2010). I really love Iran, beautiful people, beautiful land, excellent food, sweet language. Tehran is such a delightful city, a bit crowded but nice roads, greenery, trees and fresh water rushing through the streets from the surrounding ice top mountains.

Weather is wonderfully cool & pleasant. I was expecting it to be hot though. I am staying in Grand Tehran Hotel situated right on Wali Asar Street, the longest and the busiest. There are three more colleagues staying with me, from Nepal, Denmark & Jordan each.

I am the only one who could read, speak & understand a bit of Persian so I take the honour of ordering when we go out for dinner. We went to Mansour Restaurant where I had been before. Food was just as good as before but surprisingly when I asked for sheerni (dessert) afterwards, there was none, disappointing!

Tehran trees were bursting with white Mulberries (shah-toots), I made full use of these while walking around, just reach for one & eat, unbelievably sweet.

People are well mannered and polite. Buses don’t carry any conductor, just the driver. People pay their fare to driver at the end voluntarily before leaving. This is even better than the west where everyone has pay fare upfront.

I was shocked to see a small lion staring at me from a car when I came out of my hotel one morning. Then I realised it was only a dog, perhaps cross breed with lion! 

I had little time for sightseeing but managed to visit the famous old Bazaar & bought dry fruits, dates and Sohan Halwa. Riyal or Tuman was still confusing but less than last time (1 Euro = 12,000 Riyal, or 1200 Tumaan). Official currency is Riyal but unofficially Iranians call 10 Riyls a Tumaan. Prices are sometimes quoted in Riyal & sometimes in Tumaan. One need to ask to be sure.

 I also visited Golastan Palace (Rose Garden Palace), built around 1524 it is one of the oldest monuments. This breathtakingly elegant Palace was used a state reception place for foreign dignitaries, now turned into a museum.

 Glass work is simply stunning, seen nowhere except Iran. Takht (throne) is also visible in this photo.

I also saw a meteor on display in the palace. It was gifted to one of the rulers. This is first time I have seen an object from the out space. It was about 1.5 feet long and a foot wide, blackish in colour.

Click here to Read sotry of my first vist to Iran

Also, Read Funny Iran Here