Shiraz & Kerman

23rd May: I just visited Persepolis today!!! Whoa oH! It's one of my 'countdowns' to the many places I wanna visit and I have done it! Gosh. It's majestic and awe-inspiring... The HUGE columns of more than 100metres are amazing... Imagine the ancient Achaemenid empire that used to span across Persia, built by Cyrus the Great. I have taken aerial photos at a high point and I will post them online. It's not hard to imagine the grandeur of the entire palace and place. I tried to visualise everything and the nearest description I can give to you would be something like that of the great buildings u see in 'Lord Of the Rings'. Yeah, it's that magnificent.

I arrived at Shiraz yesterday after taking a domestic flight from Tehran. It costs me only S$60 for a 1-hour flight. Reasonably fair. I was back in Tehran again after taking a night train on 21st from Kerman. It took about 13 hours. Comfortable. And I made a new friend again on the train, Maryam, who's doing her PhD in Urban Design in the Uni of Kerman. Whoa. We chatted and had a great talk; both of us understood each other's cultures better and I definitely had an interesting viewpoint from her on the country's politics. More on that later.

I was so happy to get my passport back yesterday! I was so worried that they would not give me a 2 week extension after reading the horrible reviews from Lonely Planet. They gave me a 1-month extension till 17th June! I would love to stay on even longer till then if only I need not start work on 6th June! Argh. It would be back to reality then.

The train actually took off from Bam, the city that destroyed the Arg (Citadel) of Bam. Gosh, I have seen photos of it and saw how bad it was. I wanted to take a day trip from Kerman to the place, but seeing how bad the destruction was, I decided not to. And I kinda regretted now. Cuz there were 4 other ladies in the cabin with me who experienced the earthquake. Maryam translated for me saying that they had actually experienced a few minor ones the night before the major ones. People were afraid and were already sleeping outside their homes. Then the unexpected big one came along at 5am in the morning, which caught everyone by surprise. Gosh. And that's why so many lives were lost. One of the ladies in the cabin actually lost her young cousins in the cabin and her auntie has gone slightly delirious. Sad. They also asked me about the tsunami and whether Singapore was affected or not. I was kinda embarrassed to tell them that we are very lucky. We are sheltered by Malaysia and Indonesia. Geez.

Maryam asked me my view about earthquakes. There was one that measured 5 on the Richter Scale just the week before in Kerman! Ah! If I were there earlier, I would have experienced it! People are afraid and there's nothing they can do. Although Central Iran lies on some tectonic plates, but for thousands of years, there were no earthquakes and certainly not as frequent as these days in Central Iran. Bam had stood safe and strong and proud over the years. So why the recent flux of earthquakes?

Maryam and the people in Bam, and maybe Central Iran, believe that it's due to the nuclear activities that the Iranian government is conducting. They denied, but the United States have so many satellites that can detect. So they cannot be wrong. Interesting theory. And why does USA also keep threatening Iran? Of course it's because of the natural resources the country have. If u look at the map, u will find that Iraq is to the left of Iran and Afghanistan to the right. Both were already invaded and it's now Iran's turn! It's always about the money. Today during the trip to Persepolis, my driver was a very open-minded driver who criticised his government and told us about even more interesting things. A traveller said that he read somewhere the total exports of Iran last year totalled 36billion USD!!!! The country is indeed very rich, but why are most of its people still struggling to live?

Over the course of my travels, I have heard much about the viewpoints of many common men who do not approve of their government. And also of the relationship between Iran and the other European countries and USA. Very insightful. Once again, Im appreciative of my life in Singapore.

20th May: It's a Friday when I arrived in Kerman on the morning train. Geez. Have I mentioned before that Friday is a Sunday to the Iranians? Our weekends are on Sat and Sun but theirs is on Thurs and Fri. So when I 1st got to Tehran on a Tues, I did not realise and many of the museums close on Thurs afternoon and certainly Fri. Argh.

The streets were like a ghost town and it was quiet! There was no shops that opened at 8 in the morning. Most shops start late at 8-9am. I walked to the bazaar and met a tour guide who actually wanted to be my guide for the day at a whooping S$30! Whoa! And I had wanted to get a car to go the desert to see some natural formations of the sand, but it costs another whooping USD50! Crazy! So decided to go to some other small towns outside Kerman and use the public transport which would be very cheap. Hossein insisted on guiding me and he reduced the price from $30 to $20 to $10. But I insisted on going myself and he drew up some instructions for me.

He did help me get my train tic for the following night and my air tic from Tehran to Shiraz. As all shops are closed(well, almost), he knew of places that were opened and brought me there. After he gave me directions to get me to Mahan and Rayen(the 2 places I wanted to go), I gave him a fee for helping me. Wanted to give just S$2, which is a green coloured piece of note, but he demanded it's not enough and then I pulled out another one, and then he said onemore. So a total of $6! Just for helping me get the tics! ARGH! As for directions, LP guide has it. I don't really need his help!

Things happen for a reason. I got a shared taxi, but ended up in a couple's car who were going to Rayen as well from Kerman. I went to the Arg which is just a quarter of the size of Bam, but still beautiful. As it was locked, I had to call up Hamid Reza who was the caretaker of the Arg and the couple helped me. I paid them the fee of what I would pay for a savari(shared taxi) to Rayen and they were so happy. Think they did not expect me to pay so much.

Hamid got his daughter to bring me around and opened various doors for me. I gave him a tip after that and also a pen for his daughter. He was so appreciative of it and he drove me to the place where I would get a savari to Mahan. Who knows he met his friend, Reza, along the way and then I just gate-crashed on the family's picnic on the outskirts of Rayen where they have a HUGE(read:HUGE) pistachio farm!!!! WHOA! I was so happy and grateful that I am yet 'taken in' by another Iranian family. The entire extended family was there and the kids and the mothers all loved me... Geez... Many photos, many laughter, much tea, much bread and I even tried the qalyan! The waterpipe or nargile. It actually tastes just like the flavour they have inside the pipe. Nice. I like it. :) I had planned to try it when my 'would-be' travel partners came to Iran, but I still got the chance!

Reza only drove back home to Kerman at around 8pm and I was dead beat. Fell asleep on his very comfortable car, an Iranian produced Khodro. He detoured to Mahan to show me the Prince's garden which I had wanted to go earlier in the afternoon after Rayen! And he paid for my admission as well. Oh dear. It was really very, very thoughful of him.

Dinner was really late at 11pm at his house. And if u have not already guessed it, yup, I stayed overnight at his place! His 2 dear daughters wanted me to stay. So I slept on the younger daughter's bed and it was a very good sleep. My guesthouse in Kerman really sucks and the toilet outside stinks big time. Im so glad that I got to stay overnight at such a nice place. Did not bath though! :p

Next morning, after breakfast, Reza sent me back to the guesthouse. I really don't know what to say of the hospitality that I have received here. Although Kerman is a desert town, but the people are certainly very warm. Iranians are a jovial and loving bunch, showing their love outwardly and there's always lotsa hugs and kisses. They love dances and singing too, especially so during their private parties. I have 1 more week here, but Im sure Im going to miss this place dearly.

Day trip to the outskirts of Yazd and its surrounding towns

It's a hot day and I took a day trip with a driver and 3 other travellers to the outskirts of Yazd and also the nearby towns. The travellers were a couple from Estonia,Mari and Oeit, and a guy,Sean from Ireland. We 1st went to Kharanaq and then to Chak Chak, followed by Ardakan and then Meybod, and finally the Towers of Silence just outside of Yazd.

Kharanaq is a deserted and crumbling town north of Yazd and we actually entered the fringes of the desert in order to get to it. Whoa oh! My 1st encounter with the desert! It was amazing! The landscape to my right was of mountains and there was a very low 'mist' which must be caused by the dust and sand lying around the base of these mountains. To my left, there was just endless land, with no boundaries that was visible to the human eye. There were those tall huge cable lines, which supply electricity to the towns in the area and they stretch for miles. It reminds me of the landscape in Star Wars. Kinda surreal. Totally mesmerising. Hot too.

After Kharanaq, we made our way to Chak Chak, a very important pilgrimage site for the Zoroastrian religion. Guess what? Our small mini car went off the road and onto the sand! It was so lucky that we did not overturn. A small car(im not into cars, so do not know the model unfortunately) with 5 full-grown adults in it 'derailed' and went off-road onto the sand. The car was stopped by a huge stone underneath it and it was dented in some parts with some of the metal parts of the tyres dropping out! Geez. Luckily there were 2 guys on the trip and they seem to know much about cars. Sean was really initiative and he helped the driver dig out the sand which surrounded the rock under the car and then the driver raised the car so that it can facilitate the removal of the huge rock. Great. Now to get the car back onto the main road. Not much of a problem, except that the driver was not as talkative as before anymore.

It was really an experience. Being 'derailed' in the middle of the desert and with no cars and no lives in sight. Surrounding us were just mountains and mountains and endless roads that lead to nowhere... Amazing. I feel really thankful that we did not overturn! Otherwise, it would be unthinkable.

Ardakan was just a small town that we passed by to go to Meybod. There was an old castle in Meybod and a 'Pigeons' Tower' in town. They used to rear pigeons in it and then would collect their droppings as fertilisers. YUCKS. Just in case u dunno, pigeons' droppings are poisonous and it's against the law to feed them in Singapore! But I guess in the past, Man really know how to make use of what Nature can offer and use it to the best they could.

We had a really late lunch at 430pm and I was famished! It was great, having had my 1st decent fish in Iran(ie.not just canned tuna) and rice!!! There was tea and salad too, but it was definitely expensive! Cost S$10! Whoa!

The last stop was the 'Towers of Silence' at the outskirts of Yazd. The people of the Zoroastrain religion believed that they should not contaminate the Earth and hence their dead bodies were being carried to these towers and left to be fed by the vultures! Yikes! The priest would sit by and watch to see which eye the vulture would pick out 1st. The left eye would indicate a bad future for the soul while the right eye would indicate a good one. And these towers were still in use in as recent as the 60s!

Checked my email and I was supposed to be joined by 2 friends from Singapore this Sunday, but their boss cancelled their leave last minute! ArgH! Sad case. My expenses' going to be high! :p

From a very HOT YAZD,
Eunice

Yazd

Im right now in Yazd, somewhere in Central Iran. According to UNESCO, the old city of Yazd is one of the oldest inhabited towns on Earth. Every building in the old city is made of mud bricks, with straw and mud replacing the modern cement that is used in our buildings nowadays. When I walked through this old city, it's so easy to get lost as the walls are high and the entire town seems so quiet. It really gives a good feel of the country's rich hstory and culture. Getting lost is part of the fun in this old city and I certainly did!

Having gotten here yesterday after a sleeper train from Tehran, I was rather tired. The cabin had 6 beds, 2nd class. Geez. It was cramped man. No space for bags. Luckily only 5 beds were occupied and there was one bed left for placing bags on. I took the centre bed and i cannot sit up straight as the ceiling's too low for me! The ride took almost 12 hours! But it did not seem that long as the train ride was very comfortable and I spent abour 6 hours sleeping? Yeah, could have slept more if not for the 2 old ladies in my cabin who woke at 6am! ARGH. And the train only arrived at its destination at 930am!!! Sigh. However, the 4 other ladies in the same cabin as me are really friendly and considerate people. One of the old ladies even offered me half of her sandwich the night before as I looked really pathetic eating only my banana and orange. I only managed to decline her offer by letting her know that I do not take beef.

It's really hot here, more or less like Singapore's weather, only not as humid. I perspired so much when I was out walking yesterday. It's a small town, and I have managed to visit most of the sights listed in the LP guide already. This old city reminds me of Hoi An in Vietnam which is well-known and liked by many foreigners, but not me as I found it too touristy. But Yazd is different. Although the town sees more tourists than the previous towns that I have been to(I have seen German and Indonesian tour groups here yest), yet it's not just 'MADE FOR TOURISTS', whereas Hoi An is! People here are, as usual, friendly but not overly inquisitive.
As this area is near the deserts, there's a very interesting way of storing water here. They call it 'qanats', which are underground channels which are dug to irrigate crops and supply drinking water. This ancient method has been in use since 2000 years ago and it's certainly very hazardous and tough. U 1st need to find an underground water source, which might be more than 100m deep but must be at a higher level than the point at which the water is to be collected. Then a tunnel is dug just wide and tall enough to crawl through to carry the water across a very shallow gradient. Narrow wells are dug down through to the tunnels at regular intervals for ventilation and to get rid of the excavated soil. There's a Water Museum here in the town and it was certainly interesting. How innovative Man is. It also goes to show how we take for granted the water that we get everyday by simply turning our tap on.

The other intersting feature that u'll see in this town is the 'badgirs' that dominates many roofs of houses here. They are actually windtowers which is a form of natural air-conditioning. The air shelves would catch wind and direct it down to a pool of cool water which will cool te air inside the house by evaporative cooling. Somehow, warm air will be caught too but redirected upwards through a different shaft so that it does not enter the house at all. Very interesting. I have taken photos of this and will post them online when I get back.
Some other sights I have seen are the mosques, an old house, the prison of Alexander the Great and a temple of the Zoroastrainism religion, where a sarcred flame is said to be burning for the past 1500 years. Something thought-provoking I have come across in the country is the topic of religion. I had entered into a somewhat debate-form like conversation in Qazvin at Laleh's house, if u remember the lady that I mentioned about in an earlier blog. I've learnt to say that I'm Buddhist since the topic of religion is very commonly talked-about here. When I said that I did not have a religion ealier although my parents are Buddhists, the 2 parties whom I have entered the conversation into do not understand why. I was asked questions like, "Who is Buddha?" and "Why do u not believe in God?" Ermmm... I did not want to sound rude so I always say that I do not see the need for a religion in modern Singapore which is where I come from. I would then tell them also that I love Nature and it seemed like a mistake in one of the conversations. The opposite party said that who created Nature then. Ermmm... I'm not arguing who created Nature, but simply saying that I love Nature and it never fails to sooth me in the most troubling times that I have. So does it mean that by loving Nature, and perhaps putting my faith more or less in Nature, I have to ask who created Nature, and hence believe in the One that create Nature? Sorry to say this, but it's ridiculous.

The 'debate' actually got quite heated up as it was from an old man who was askin all these. Did not want to sound rude, but I felt it was certainly rude for them to question me this way since I was in invited guest to their house! :p I really do not see the need for a religion in my life, and I do not have the time for it as well! So many others in Singapore do not have a religion as well! In answer to the question of' "Why do u not believe in God?", which I was unable to answer when asked, I have given mush thought to it and this is my answer: It does not need one to believe in God and believe that he created the world in order to love the world. When I say that I love Nature, it can be said that I love the world and its beautiful surrounds that Mother Nature has created. It's not as if those people who have a religion or who believe in God would love this world and Nature. Just look at how much rubbish is thrown out of the window in this religious country. I'm certainly not targeting anybody with a religion. Maybe just that old man and the other guy who challenged me into believing God. Geez. When I kept the sweet wrapper in my pocket, the guys actually asked me to throw it out as the place is already filled with rubbish! So much so for loving 'God' eh...

I don't know if u guys understand my argument but I'm certainly not against anyone with a religion. Never okay. Perhaps only those who really know me will understand my stand.

That's all for now! Am going for lunch!

Still in Tehran (getting sick of it)

It is 7pm right now in Tehran and I’m in the internet café again to pass some time before going back to the guesthouse to shower and then make my way to the train station. Museums close at between 330 to 5pm in this capital, so when i exited the museum just now at 5pm, there's really nothing much I can do anymore.

It’s been a tiring day, having walked such long distances to get to the visa office today. By the way, they call it the Disciplinary Force for Islamic Republic of Iran Department for Aliens Affairs building. Horrible name eh? And yeah, getting a bit tired of this big, sprawling city which is so polluted and living expenses are so high here! I'm forced to come back here again and again! U'll understand what I mean when u read on...

It took me 45 minutes to get to the office from the nearest Metro station cuz I needed to find my way and asked around from people for directions. Some gave me the wrong way. Geez. The guards at the door were friendly enough and there were so many people at the place. There are bound to be Central Asians as I saw a few Mongolian faces and some Afghans as well, as I have heard that there are quite a lot of them seeking refuge in this country. There are quite a number of Africans too, as there are in this internet café that I am at now. One said ‘hi’ to me the very 1st time I was here and said that he was on business trip here. Well, many Africans are Muslims, so they might be here for hols or work or pilgrimage?

The people behind the counters were not friendly at all. I was queuing up for nothing behind a whole row of men until someone told me to go to a counter and the lady told me the procedures. I had to go to the bank 300metres away to make a payment of about S$20 and then make photocopies of my passport across the street, then take passport sized photos of my face in the headscarf and finally hand over everything with my passport. Luckily I can cut queue, most probably because im a lady! The lady behind the counter informed me that I can only collect it 3 days later and gave me a small piece of paper which can go missing so easily! ARGH. I asked if I can collect it 1 week later and she said it’s fine. I decided to ask again if I can collect it 2 weeks later when I m back in the capital for my flight back on the 29th May. She mentioned something about the visa being lost and what… Bleh. It’s so troublesome! Now I have to change my travel plans and make a trip especially to Tehran! And I have spent so much on transport and accommodation and this visa that I would be better off if I had gone to Van in Turkey which was what I had planned initially! ARGH! I was afraid that I would not have enough time for the remaining cities if I had gone to Turkey, but look at what’s happening now! Wasting my time revolving around the capital! ARGH. Regrets.

Visited the Golestan Palace which was used by the Qajar rulers in the past around the 19th century. Spectacular. There were several buildings and they were housed in a big garden. Some of them are actually art photo galleries and the paintings were beautiful. Photography was not allowed in most of them. What a shame. The high ceilings, domed roofs and coloured windows could only be registered in my memory. I got a good idea of how the kings used to live in Persia.

Rushed back to my GH to pack in order to check out at 2pm, after which was lunch and then I went to the National Jewels Museum. This must be the most expensive museum to visit so far, costing around S$6. But it was really impressive as it housed all the jewelleries that were recovered and passed down over the centuries which were adorned by the shahs and their horses! Yes, their horses had lots of decorations to beautify them! All these were made of precious stones such as rubies, turquoise, emeralds, ivory, jade, as well as diamonds! Lots of them! The entire museum is heavily guarded with armed soldiers and it’s housed in an underground vault. There was this Globe of Jewels that weighed 34kg, made in 1869 using 51,366 precious stones! The seas were made of emeralds, the land from rubies and Iran, England and France were set in diamonds. No photography allowed of course and I had to leave my bag at the counter and go through a detection system to detect for any metal objects, like those that we walk through in the airport. All the items were either made in Iran itself by the order of the shahs or presented to them by kings of other countries. To think how the royal family lived so lavishly while the commoners toiled for their daily lives in the past, it is so unjust. A crown can weigh 4kg and the king actually gotta put it on his head! Wonder if he gets neckache?

I met Felicity at the museum! It was great to see an old friend again and we shared our travel experiences so far after having parted for 1 week. We went to different cities and here we meet again. She’s got 5days left in Iran and is flying out on this Sat. It was great to see her. We left the museum after it closed at 5pm and adjourned somewhere for tea. She went to the park and I came to this internet café. I’m going to go back now and shower before making my way to the railway station with my heavy backpack! Tired! Gotta get a good sleep on the train tonight! I love train rides!

On to Yazd!

Back in Tehran after 2 weeks

Im back in Tehran again after 2 weeks in this amazing country of friendly people. Sometimes, they are over-friendly! Well, Im back here to settle some visa issue and would be on my way to Yazd tomorrow (16th May) on the night train. There’s simply too many things to write about my experiences here in Iran that I dunno how to organize them! I shall just touch on the more memorable experiences I had over the past 2 weeks.

6th-8th May:I went to Ramsar from Tehran from the last time I emailed. Ramsar is a small town and the drive from Ramsar to Tehran got to be the highlight of the trip there. I changed a total of 5 savaris(what they call shared taxis here) in order to a village igh up in the mountains and it was bloody cold! It rained just before I arrived. The main ride which was about 3 hours took me through the Alborz Mountains and I must be at least at an elevation of 2000metres and above! Cuz there was SNOW!!! And yes, the 1st time in my life that I have seen snow! The car actually went up into the mountains and I could feel the height elevation as my ears were getting blocked. There was already snow on the sides of the mountains as we passed by. Then we went though a very long and dark tunnel and when we exited, the landscape was WHITE! It even snowed for a very short distance as we drove on!

Ramsar itself was a small town in which there are friendly people and the men there are not disgusting. And I mean they do not bother you with irritating looks nor comments which u don’t understand. In fact, Tehran has not many tourists nor foreigners, so that’s why people here are very curious and would always turn around for a 2nd look when u walk past them.

8th May: I left Ramsar to take a minibus to Rasht and I would not have gotten to the minibus stand if not for the help of a young man who was very kind enough to walk me 1/3 of the distance and then borrowed his friend’s scrambler bike to take me to the minibus stand which would be a very, very long walk if we were to go on foot! With my 12kg backpack and my 7kg daypack, I was really thankful to him!

From Rasht, I took a bus to Qazvin. In Qazvin, cinsiudered the Northern part of Iran, I had a walk around the town and then met a lady, Laleh, who could speak very good English who actually invited me to her home. She introduced herself as a teacher to me, and as a tour guide to a German lady who stayed at the same hotel as me. Her English was really very well-spoken with a British accent, but it seems to me she was trying too hard to be better that what she actually was. That’s the same thoughts as what the German lady had too.

We were invited to her uncle’s house for dinner the following night and the children were so happy to have us as guests. They seem to love foreigners and we took several photos. However, the scary thing about Iranian dinners is that they are served very very late! When we arrived at the house, it was already 8pm and they have only started preparing! I had a great talk with the German lady, Felicity, aged 56, who had traveled to so many countries before! Dinner was finally served at 10pm and we only took off to go back to the hotel at 1130pm! :p

Throughout the course of the dinner, many questions were directed towards Felicity about getting a work permit to work in Germany and also about applying for scholarship programs in the University there for the younger brother of Laleh who speaks very good English with an American accent and is the top student in his course of studies in some engineering course. A math genius too. Geez. It seemed to me that there was an agenda to this whole dinner. Laleh was asking me about applying for scholarships to Universities in Singapore the moment we met. She wants to further her studies in English language in a foreign uni but she needs financial aid. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the dinner and both Felicity and I certainly have bonded well. I have learnt much more about Germany and the countries she has traveled in.

10th May: I was making my way to a particular tour agency to get train tics to go to my next town, Tabriz, on the morn 10th May when I walked into a drug store(aka pharmacy) to ask for directions. If I should summarise my experiences in Qazvin, it would be one word: ‘DRUGSTORE’. Why, u might ask? Cuz this drugstore, I can confidently say, would be one of the highlights of my trip here. It seems fated that I should just walk into it to ask for directions when I was actually in the right path to the tour agency and as a result, I met the most amazing people in my entire life. They are the warmest and most hospitable people I have come to known. Oh dear. Giti, the pharmacist, who owns and runs the drugstore, is simply like my mother! Even better, I may say! Her daughter and son are studying in Manila right now, and she travels quite widely too. I reminds her of her own daughter and she was very sweet to bring me to a travel agency to help me buy my train tic and even to a café for coffee after that!

We made our way back to the drugstore after that and I had a good talk with some of the people working in there. There was a doctor, Dr Azizi, who invited me up to his house for lunch. His daughter teaches English and his son-in-law teaches computer. Both could speak good English. Just like that, I spent the early part of the afternoon at their house, which is more than a 100 year old and is really BIG! Dr Azizi then brought me around to the bazaar where he has friends running a shop(& I got to eat free ice cream!) and then to the museum which I requested to go to, and he paid my entrance fee for me! Oh dear! So paiseh! U can see that he’s really well-respected as everybody who knows him would stand up to greet him as he walks past their shop.

I made my way back to my hotel to get my bag and then to the drugstore again, where Giti drove me to the railway station. She asked me to drop by back in Qazvin as I made my way south later after Tabriz. I promised her that I would be there.

11th May: Arrived Tabriz, the 2nd biggest city in Iran, at 7am in the morning after a night’s ride on the train. I love train rides! It was so comfortable that I slept almost, well almost, if not for the cold wind that woke me up in the middle of the night, throughout the night. A very helpful local tried to get me to a particular hotel that Giti recommended but we could not locate it. Hence, I went to another hotel which LP recommended.
There were interesting sights to see in Tabriz. The most striking thing about this city is the number of students who can speak English and would love to speak to u in order to practice their English. Many times when I simply paused to look at my map, someone from behind would pop up and asked if I need help and then would walk me to my destination. Then the normal ritual would be to ask for your email address or yahoo messenger ID after that. I have given out my email address so many times already in just 2 weeks of travel in Iran.

There was this 20-yr-old boy from Tabriz University, which is the 2nd most famous Uni in Iran(afterTehran Uni) who was with his friend and both of them takes Eng Lit now. They have an American accent and I walked through a part of the bazaar with them. What shocked me was that he said that things in the bazaar were ‘low-classed and too traditional’ for them. He does not buy things from the bazaar. He does not come from Tabriz nor the Azarbayjan region(which Tabriz is part of) and he does not identify with the people there cuz they speak Turkish. Well, the Azarbayjan province shares borders with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey. Turkish is taught in the school curriculum since young for the children.

I actually met a few others like this boy who seems too keen to impress and wants to eave the country in future for better prospects elsewhere. Some have the financial ability while others do not. Yet there are some who are humble enough to want to learn from u sincerely. Coincidentally, it’s the ones who speak really well who expressed interest in leaving for overseas. Could it be the influence of the media or is Iran really such a lousy place that they do not want to live here? I have yet to reach a conclusion to this.

13th May: I made a trip to the Armenia church of St Stephanos in the border town of Jolfa. Actually, the church has to be reached by a 25minute car ride from Jolfa town and it was one of the most amazing journeys I have ever undertaken. The ride passes through winding roads and on the side of the Aras River were towering red canyons which is actually Azerbaijan! U can see many police posts along the way, as well as a continuous fencing around the area which separates Iran and Azerbaijan. It was awe-inspiring as I was straddling the road which was just beside Azerbaijan! The world seemed so big then, and I am really just a little girl hoping to explore it in my whole lifetime! Exactly what divides countries? The cliffs over the red canyons could simply belong to Iran, and I’m sure many battles have been fought over the land.

I took quite a lot of pics and a couple of videos as the car winds along the road. The car was even stopped by a police post as he thought I was taking pics of the border post! :p

14th May: Back in Qazvin after a night’s ride on the bus from Tabriz. I was dropped in the middle of the expressway as the bus was making its way to Tehran and I was supposed to catch a taxi back into town. Argh. Dangerous living man. Hah.

Anyway, managed to call up Giti as the driver helped me and she met me at the drugstore. I arrived at 750am but the store only opens at 9am. She came to piack me up and then off we went to her mother’s place. At her mother’s place, her sister and her sister’s daughters actually came up to say ‘hi’ to me. Such is the politeness of the locals.

We went to the drugstore after that and then I hanged around for a while before Giti’s hubby, Mustafa, fetched me and her sister-in-law, Ely who works in the store as well to her house. Ely’s hubby bought fishes (ie. Guppies, goldfish) from Singapore and breed them to sell in Iran and the region. Interesting! We went to the fish farm outside of Qazvin and then to her house near the farm. I had lunch there with Ely’s family and Giti and her hubby.

Simply while the afternoon away at her house chatting. Giti forced me to take a nap too as I looked very tired. I was indeed very tired as I did not get much sleep on the bus ride the night before.

It was almost dusk when I finally woke. Mustafa came to fetch me to the drugstore where they closed at almost 10pm and we went to Mustafa’s borther place. Had a light dinner of soup and bread there as I told them I was still very full from the lunch earlier. It seems like they must introduce me to all their relatives. The family ties here are so strong. By the way, Ely’s husband is Mustafa’s brother. So there are 3 of them in the family. And on Giti’s side, there is only 1 sister. I have met all of them.

I stayed the night at Giti’s and it was already 12am when we got back. Being the hospitable hosts they are, I bathed first and then all of us turned in at 1am, with me waking up the latest this morning at 830! Giti got to wake at 6 to prepare her son for school at 7. :p

I made my way back from Qazvin to Tehran to settle my visa problem and I am forced to stay the night here as I am only catching the train to the next town, Yazd, tomorrow. Accom here is really expensive. I miss Giti and her family and the ever-smiling people at the drugstore already. There were some problems at the visa office here and with the driver earlier when I arrived and Giti helped me resolve them through the phone. I feel so grateful to her for everything. It was only 2 days that I spent with them, but yet it feels like family already. I have never felt this way before with anybody overseas. The connection is there. God bless them for the endearing people that they are. Perhaps I would drop by Qazvin again before I fly back to Singapore on the 30th.

It’s already 2 weeks into my travels! So much have happened and so many new experiences I have encountered. 2 more weeks to go! Who knows what surprises I would further have!

Greetings from Tehran!

Greetings from Tehran!!

Whoa... I dunno where to start from... The time here is 3.5 hours behind Singapore time. I arrived in Tehran at around 4pm local time on 3rd March and was so tired from the long flight. I did not catch any sleep at home the night before and it was a mistake to think that I could get any decent sleep on the plane. The aeroplane was an airbus only and it was small! I sat in the middle row at the aisle seat and there was no one beside me. Lucky. Or else it would be so cramped. Slept a bit here and there. The plane was almost full and there were lotsa kids! So it was very noisy! :-(

Arrived Bahrain International Airport at around 9am and the connecting flight was 3 hours later! Wandered around, went to the toilet to wash up and then settled down to want to read my book or sleep, only to find someone sitting 2 seats away from me and he was a Middle-Eastern guy who holds a Singapore passport! He was born in Pakistan and then travelled quite widely for work as he hates his country and this region. I shall not go too much into that as we have indeed chatted a lot and I have learnt a lot from him too! He told me he saw me on the plane to Bahrain and was wondering what was a lone girl doing in the Gulf region. I told him I was going to Iran and that really surprised him. He though I would be on the same flight as him to London, as he's currently based in London, cuz that's where he works best(due to the weather). He does consultation work, has worked with NUS before and then the most surprising thing is he stays in Yew Tee in Singapore! That's like just a stone's throw away from me!

It was a very insightful chat and he was certainly someone who knows a lot about the region, about politics, about Singapore and the United States... We touched on everything being mentioned here and I almost missed my flight! Hah. He gave me his email address and I'll email him for sure!

Alright. I arrived Tehran but, but, but my shawl which was to be used as my headscarf was in my backpack! ARGH! So guess what?? I wore my jacket, which has a hood, and covered my head like that! I must be the most silly sight around! :p My dear Colombia jacket saved me...

Got a cab to go to the hotel I wanted to go to, but it was not without hiccups. An old man wheeled my trolley to his cab, but was intercepted by a uniformed guy very fiercely and he wheeled my trolley to an area where there was a concentration of men and their taxis wrote, "Airport Taxis". Guess that guy was not registered!

My hotel room was expensive! It's about USD10 per night and there's not attached bathroom! Only a pathetic sink that will vomit out choked water every now and then. Disgusting I can say.

It was late afternoon and there was still time for a walk out before the sun sets. The sun sets late here at around 8pm too. It's long day and short night now.

Seriously, there's so many experiences in just this 3 days that I really dunno what to type. What's to come will be random thoughts that just pop into my head.

When I arrived, it just rained and it was cold! Tehran is 1000 odd metres above sea level and it's very cool here! I was feeling cold when I got out of the airport! I hardly perspired here the few days as I was walking around town although there is the sun. The weather is so inviting. Haha. Have not washed my clothes from the 1st day thou. Planned to 'recycle' them! That should dispel all thoughts of Iran being a very hot city. The headscarf is keeping me warm!

In case u all don't already know, the ladies here need to be 'covered up', as in the hejab dressing. I saw all kinds of ways of wearing the headscarf. The ultraconservative will wear the chador and then the young and hip ladies would simply cover their hair for the sake of covering! And their scarves are so colorfuL! I would even say they are very beautiful scarves! When I walked down the uptown area where the rich go to shop yesterday, I sawso many pretty ladies! Their make up was so thick and they are well-dressed despite in a manteau. Without the headscarf, many of them would look like any other European ladies! Serious! Many dyed their fringes as well so that they can display it. Whoa! Trend-spotting man!

Even the manteaus come in different colours. If u are wondering what's a manteau, it's like a trench coat but of thinner material. Go type in yahoo.com to see waht it looks like. I went to buy one and it's not cheap! S$38! For the sake of blending in and reducing the amount of unwanted attention I get when Im not wearing one. I did not want to buy one actually and hence borrowed so many long-sleeved from friends. Now there's no need for them! And this manteau also keeps me warm cuz the wind is so chilly here at times! So im wearing a red shawl as a headscarf and a black manteau. Red and black goes well together!

Public transport here is cheap. However, a very interesting thing to note is that the male and female are segregated into different compartments. The female usually at the front and male at the back. That's the way with the Metro and buses here. But females can get on the male compartment on the Metro though. It's quite a sight to behold this morning as I step into the rush hour train where 99.9% of the females are in black headscarfs with me as the odd one out. :p Haha. And when it's rush hours, it's really amazing. Is that the right word to use? Hmph...

Yeah, did I mention Metro? They have a pretty good system of Metro here. Very good I can say. It's being extended to other parts of Tehran still and they really need it to curb the pollution. With a population of 14million in the city,this city is congested! But once again, which city in the developing country is not?

For this past 3 days, I have been meeting people who can speak English and they approached me once they know that I'm a foreigner. It was Mr Tariq at the Bahrain airport 2 days ago and then a local who studies in Cyprus yesterday. And yet another local today who took up 3hours of my time as we chatted and walked around Park-e Shahr today. A very pleasant park in Southern Tehran with fresh air and a chance to get away from the noisy traffic. It reminds me of Sultanahmet Park in Istanbul where the families would congregate at dusk. I actually planned to write my diary in the park just now. But I did not want to appear rude. Hence, my time to myself was gone. Geez. More on this another day perhaps. The cafe is closing! I ought to be going home too!

Pre-departure thoughts

Another 3 hours before I depart for the airport. Dad is going to fetch me there. Hopefully I will be able to check in by 415am. Feelings now? Tired, a wee bit excited and a sense of unpreparedness. (is there such a word? U know what I am driving at.) Haven’t read up much on the history and culture of the country. And the places I wanna go: Hmph… It was only skimmed through a few weeks ago! Have to read up more during my 3hour transition in Bahrain. I hope I will be able to fall asleep throughout the flight to Bahrain. :p

It’s always a feeling of guilt before I travel. I’m spending money to go have fun(albeit it’s my sponsorship money) while my parents are toiling here in Singapore. I did want to bring them to KL last week, but my Mum, being the workaholic she is, refuses to go. However, I am really very glad that they have always let me go. They have really let loose their reins on me the very 1st time I decided I want to backpack. And more so this time, since they know that I’m going solo. Thank you, Daddy and Mummy. It’s just a very Chinese thing, I will never say this to them in their faces. Sigh. But the gratitude I have towards them is ever so deep, for they allow their only daughter to go venture and pursue her dreams despite what they have gone through. I love ya both! How I wish I can hold them and give them a tight hug each.

Cancerians are supposed to be homely and motherly. I used to think that I will never be that a couple of years ago. Well, I was wrong… the older I age, the more I realize there are just some things I cannot let go off. I did thought of developing superficial relationships with people around me, be it friends or my parents, so that it would be so much easier to let go when the time comes. “Letting go� in the sense of not only leaving to go overseas, be it for travel or work in future, but also the kind of permanent ‘leave’ when u will never see the person ever again. It would not hurt u as much, compared to if u have a very close relationship with the particular person, right?

Easier said than done. Hah. I’m such a sentimental person. A person without meaningful relationships in her life, what would that constitute? Man are born to be social creatures. I do like to be around people, but love the solitude as well. That’s why I can travel alone, I guess. After all, I have been doing so many things in Singapore solo already.

Inertia. I just needa break out of it and then I will possess the drive to travel. It’s just 2hr 45mins time! I’m gonna miss my bed!!!

I must give a special mention to several people down here who have helped me make my trip preparations more bearable. Thank you so very much, my dearies. So much for the last-minute stuff… :p Love u girls!

Lili: For lending me 3 of her long-sleeved tops! I’m bringing the purple one along! Cuz the other 2 are simply too hot. Thanks, girl!

Xueling: For meeting me a few hours ago to pass me yet another long-sleeved top. It will really help a lot! :) Take care and hope u’ll get a reply from the various companies soon!

Annie: Thank you so much for helping me handle the travel insurance thingy. :) I know me always so last minute, I’ll change for the better! Love ya! Have fun in India! Don’t stress!!!

All the other friends who have emailed and smsed me… I know who u all are. I really do not have the time to reply everyone, but your wishes are with me! For those who are going holidays, have fun and take care!

I’m going to catch a nap now. Rather tired. Till the next blog! I’ll be a few thousand miles away from home!

To travel is to live.
--Hans Christian Anderson

Graduation trip

It’s official. I have gotten my air ticket and im making my way to Iran! Hope this is not too last minute and hopefully if any of u should reply me, I still have the time to read and reply u guys! Yup, im flying Gulf Air to Tehran, capital of Iran, on this coming Tues on the 525am flight. There’s a 3hr transition in Bahrain airport and then I will arrive in Iran at 315pm Iranian time. My flight back is on the 30th May and this time round, the transition takes 8hrs! Like when I went to Turkey… :p Well, will arrive back in Singapore on 31st May at 920am!

I know many of u are bound to ask, “Why Iran?� and “Is it safe to go there?� As some of u might know, I was supposed to go to Africa earlier in Feb and also stopped by Dubai! All my hopes were dashed when the organizer was too busy. And worse still, I had such high hopes for that trip, thinking I would be able to step onto the African soil earlier than I expected! Sigh. Hence, I did not tell anybody where I would be going this May. That is, until I got my air tic!

I had planned to go to Morocco for about 5 weeks but alas! I missed the NATAS travel fair for the $680 Emirates flight to Morocco! It was $1398 after that! More than double! I was logging onto MISA Travel website every single day just before the exam period to check out air tics and wondering where I should go. Something within my budget and yet also a place that is on my list of ‘to-go places’. I sent out so many enquiries to MISA Travel that they must have been so fed-up at seeing my name! *Chuckles*

Air tics to places that I had enquired about include Moscow, Sydney, Beijing, Cairo and Tehran. I also found out about a special fare for youths under 25 travelling to Tehran which enables a free stopover at Istanbul!!! How I wished im going back there! I actually booked a tic for that itinery, that is, I would be stopping by Istanbul on the way back from Tehran. But due to time constraint, I decided not to go to Istanbul (Do u hear my heart breaking??) and just spend my whole holiday in Iran. Sigh, sigh, sigh. If only my hols were 2 months, I would be spending time in Turkey, Iran and probably some other Middle Eastern countries. :( Nevermind, I keep telling myself, the chance will come one day.

Iran has been on my list of ‘to-go places’ since I don’t remember when. Coincidentally, I actually wrote something about the country after Bush passed some comments that pissed me off. That was last year, but I only posted this article recently on my blog. Yup, I did not expect myself to step onto Iranian soil so soon. But, I’m quite sure this is going to be one very memorable graduation trip for me.

Regarding whether it’s a safe place to go to, I can assure u that I have done my homework and it is definitely safe! Several travelers even said that it’s safer than the streets of London, where muggings take place under broad daylight! Of course, I will still play safe and watch out. I won’t give anything a chance!

I would be spending a total of 28 days there and it’s the longest trip I have taken ever since Turkey/Athens in 2003. It is also the same number of days as my very 1st backpack trip with Zhixian to Thailand/Laos in 2002. Looking forward to spending some time away from home, from my comfort zone, but yet also with worries of missing home after so much have happened recently. Since Turkey/Athens, I have not taken a trip of more than 20days. The longest was Vietnam last May (18days). Hope I can get suited to life on the road again.

Like Serena had said, this is probably going to be the last time I can take a long trip before I start work. Yeah, I will really treasure it and I know it’s going to be a trip to be remembered. If u r wondering if this is a solo trip, yes & no. I will be spending 3 weeks by myself first before 2 friends MIGHT fly over to join me on the 22nd. Geez. Im not betting on that. They’re working adults and their leave is not even approved yet!

Oh yeah, and one more ting, my parents know that I’m flying there alone and doing the trip solo for the 1st 3 weeks! Dad did not say much, guess he’s very confident of his own little girl. Mum just kept on nagging incessantly, and it’s very irritating. :p

So u guys and girls know the dates that I’m not going to be in Singapore already, don’t flood my mailbox! I will email/blog as much as I can!
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I’m going to lay off running in these 28 days, and I know im going to miss it. Actually ever since school closes, running took on a new meaning to me. I realized that to me, when there’s so many other things to keep me occupied, running becomes a form of monotony. It’s because I have to stick to it amidst all the events happening around me. I still got to find time to go run. However, when faced with the daily gruelling monotonous life of shuttling between school and home, running becomes a form of variety to me. It adds colours to my otherwise tedious and boring life. And it certainly helps relieve stress too! What an interesting revelation. In future, when work becomes a monotony, I know I can always count on my outdoor pursuits.

One way to stop viewing running as a monotony in an otherwise exciting life would be to entrust oneself to the sport and see it as a commitment. That was how I managed to pull myself out to run even on those kinds of days. Difficult, definitely and mentally tired too, after spending the whole day out. However, no regrets. Just like the run I did just now after the rain. The weather was the perfect type for running, and my favourite as well. Feeling so good now.


You're writing the story of your life one moment at a time.
--Doc Childre and Howard Martin, The HeartMath Solution

On the way there... Charlyn, Jolynn and Bern! 

Charmaine, Clarissa and me! 

Welcome to Bintan! 

Our room! 

The view from balcony 

View 2 

Clarissa and her pasta! 

Jolynn & Charmaine 

Japanese curry! 

2nd day at kitchen! 

Charlyn and her fried rice! Yummy! 

Jolynn's salad! 

The sun slowly climbing up... 

Sunrise! 

Bern cutting her cheesecake! 

Celebrating Bern's bday with the sunrise in the background 

Our last dip in the pool on the last day! 

What's happening the past week?

Let me just review what had happened over the past week.

Saturday, 23rd April:
It was ZX’s birthday. Went down to Northpoint to meet her and some old NY friends. :)

Sunday, 24th April:
Went to catch a Film Fest movie at SHM and then down to Mustafa Centre to buy some stuff for my upcoming trip. Met up with classmates who would be going to Bintan.

Monday-Wednesday, 25th-27th April: BINTAN! (with several classmates)
Lotsa fun! I actually was raher hesitant in going for this trip cuz someone I dislike was going as well. But, but, but, I had so much fun that there’s no regrets! Kudos to my clique!

Thursday, 28th April:
Went down to SGH to fill in lotsa forms for pre-employment. Went down to Cathay Cineleisure to watch “Assassination of Richard Nixon�. The main character is played by Sean Penn and boy, was he good. It’s quite a depressing show depicting the life of the guy and what eventually leads him to want to kill Richard Nixon, the then president of the United States. Unfair treatment in society, a broken family, a salesman who don’t want to lie as his boss has taught him, the respect he does not get from society even though he’s merely trying to be a good citizen, an aspiring entrepreneur, a good friend who stands up for his black friend. Sigh. Makes you wonder even though Man has progressed so much ever since the Stone Age, the very nature of Man and society(which is in turn made up of Man himself) is the very thing eroding our fellow men. Although this was based in the 70s, look around u: Isn’t the same happening right now? When is Life ever fair?

Friday, 29th April:
Went down to SGH again for pre-employment checkup and they TOOK MY BLOOD!!! Argh! I hate needle pricks! But luckily, the lab technician was very skillful and she managed to make it feel really like an ‘ant bite’. :p Shuttled between clinics and wasted my whole morning! Alas! The stupid doctor who was suppoed to see me for some occupational health hazard evaluation was already gone when I came back at 11am. The nurses there were very sweet to help me get her but as usual, some doctors always have their airs around them. She refused to come down from wherever she was, so I have to make a trip down again when I returned from my holiday! HMPH!

Managed to meet my friend, Xue, near her workplace for lunch after that and then I made my way down to MISA Travel at Hong Lim Complex in Chinatown to purchase my air tic!

Saturday, 30th April:
Met MH in the evening after my swim for dinner. This lucky girl is going to U.S. for a work trip organized by some agency for tertiary students for 2.5 months and then she’s gonna go travel after that! Lucky pig! If I don’t catch her now, I can only see her in Sep!