Travel Tips

The following travelogue is much shorter than the original due to VT gives limited space for this category. My full length version will appear in my hometowns newspapers within the next 6 weeks.

Persia, called Iran since 1934, has long fascinated and daunted most travellers. The outside world views Iran as a land of mystery and danger. A majority of Iranian images displayed across the globe usually consist of anti US marches, nuclear crazed politicians and women covered from head to toe in black robes. Iran is still a very conservative country with strict regulations regarding dress code, religion and social conduct but after backpacking Iran for 3 weeks in 2005 I can honestly say that post revolutionary Iran is by far one of the most fascinating, visually dazzling and welcoming countries in the Middle East.
Strict social conduct and segregation is usually the standard in Islamic societies but Iranians shatter the social conduct of segregation. Women do walk the streets in chadors but the youth of Iran (70 % of Iranians are under the age of 30 years) are quite remarkable. I witnessed couples holding hands in the parks of Tehran to women rollerblading around the streets of Esfahan. I watched women smoke waterpipes in restaurants to men and women chatting in the streets of Shiraz. I have dozens of great memories of Iranians such as the time young girls bought me ice cream just so they could talk to me and practice their English. They asked me questions ranging in topic from Jennifer Lopez to why men cheat! I’ve had my meals paid for by Iranian families to being a guest lecturer in a grade 7 English class. The teachers in Iran encourage students to speak to travellers so they can improve their English and learn more about the world. My favorite Iranian hospitality story took place in the bus station in Tehran. After arriving at the huge station, a young local man insisted on helping me and not only did he help me buy my ticket, he guided me to my bus and even adjusted my seat and AC ! After shaking hands and saying goodbye I turned around to give him my fare for the ticket and he shouted back Welcome to Iran! After reading about terrorist threats, I remember with clarity a statement I read on a United Nation’s website a few years back. It stated that more people die annually from lightening strikes than global terrorism. I think this statement brings the media and the world into perspective. After backpacking nearly 40 countries (including Pakistan, Yemen, Lebanon and Syria) I can say without hesitation that Iran was probably one of the best experiences of my life. It is a sin that it receives the reputation it does today but hopefully in the future politics and propaganda will not stop people’s eagerness to get out there and experience fascinating destinations for themselves. If I believed everything I read in newspapers or seen on the BBC then I probably would have never left my home in Nova Scotia which would have been a shame because the world has so much to offer.