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A TOWN FULL OF MOTORBIKES OR YOU CAN LIVE ALSO WITHOUT PUBS AND DISCOS... DEAR FRIENDS, AS I PROMISED I SEND YOU OUR OBSERVATIONS OF TEHERAN. WE’VE BEEN IN IRAN ALMOST ONE WEEK AND WE HAVEN’T COME ACROSS WITH ANOTHER DRINK CONTAINING ETYL EXCEPT OF OUR WINE IN POWDER YET... TO SEE IF WE CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT WE HAVE DECIDED TO GO TO THE CAPITAL OF IRAN, TEHERAN. LONELY PLANET SAYS YOU CAN’T FIND TOO MANY THINGS IN TEHERAN TO ADMIRE BUT IT WOULD BE A MISTAKE TO PASS BY THIS BEATING HEART OF COUNTRY. HAVING IN MIND THIS RECOMMENDATION AND NOT SO MUCH BECAUSE OF CURIOUSITY AS BECAUSE OF NEED TO ARRANGE TRANSPORT TO YEREVAN FOR DURI, DURCO, MIRO AND ME AND TO ANKARA FOR THE REST OF THE TEAM WE HAVE SPENT ALMOST TWO DAYS IN THIS CITY... SO WHAT TO SAY ABOUT IT. ABOUT 15 OR 20 MILLION OF IRANIANS SWARMING IN CITY’S JUNGLE SURROUNDED BY SNOWY MOUNTAINS FROM THE NORTH. THE STREETS ARE BUSY AND THE FIRST THING THAT GETS INTO YOUR EYES IS INCREDIBLE TRAFFIC CHAOS. ONE CAR IS PUSHING OUT THE OTHER, CRAZY MOTORBIKERS DODGING BETWEEN THEM, THERE ARE MILLIONS OF MOTORBIKES HERE. AT PRICE 0.10 EURO FOR ONE LITRE OF PETROL IT IS NORMAL THAT EVERYONE DRIVES EVERYTHING AND SOME „VEHICLES“ COULD BE WORTH OF EXHIBITS IN THE MUSEUM OF TRANSORT. DRIVING STZLE OF OUR TAXI DRIVER IS A BIT STRESSFUL FOR US BUT FINALLY WE HAVE GOT USED TO IT. THE RIGHT REAR-VIEW MIRROS ARE MISSING ON ALMOST EACH CAR, DRIVERS PRECISENESS IS AMAZING, CARS ARE OFTEN PASSING BY JUST IN 5 CMS DISTANCE AND SOMETIMES THERE ARE 4 CARS IN 2 LANES OF TRAFFIC. THIS TRAFFIC CHAOS IS CONSTANTLY PULSATING IN TEHERAN’S STREETS AND SUPPLYING WITH PEOPLE AND FOOD THE WHOLE METROPOLIS. THERE ARE ALSO BUSES, METRO AND TROLLEYBUSES WHERE BACK PART IS FOR WOMEN AND THE FRONT PART FOR MEN. ACTUALLY, TRAFFIC IN CITY’S LIFE PLAYS VERY IMPORTANT ROLE, NOT ONLY „COMING NEARER“ BUT ALSO SOCIAL ONE. THE YOUNG PEOPLE CAN’T PUBLICLY GO ON A DATE, IT WOULD MEAN A TROUBLE WITH MORAL VIGILANTES/POLICE. SO THEY GO FOR A HUG ON MOTORBIKES. A GIRL IS SITTING BEHIND A BOY AND THEY DRIVE ALL THE NIGHT SNUGGLING TOGETHER. IN MY POINT OF VIEW IT IS A PRETTY ADRENALIN DATE IN THIS TRAFFIC ;) WOMEN GO VEILED HERE WHAT IN THE CAPITAL MEANS THAT THEY DON’T HAVE THE WHOLE BLACK HABIT, JUST COVERED HAIR AND CERTAIN CLOTHES WORN UPON THEIR TROUSERS. THEY TRY TO COMPENSATE THIS UNIFORM WITH A LOT OF MAKE-UP, GOLD AND JEWELLERY OF ALL KINDS, OR WITH STICKING OUT COUPLES OF DYED HAIRS. THE BRAVE WOMEN WEAR EVEN NOT BLACK BUT COLOURFUL HABIT AND THE ARTISTS FROM THE LOCAL CENTER OF IRANIAN ART WEAR EVEN THE COLOURFUL HEADSCARFS...SOMEHOW THE ORDER IS STARTING TO COLLAPSE THERE. I WONDER ABOUT AN IRANIAN FEMINISTIC REVOLUTION IN A FEW YEARS OR DECADES. THE EVENING WAS BOOKED FOR CULTURE, I MEAN FOR A VISIT OF LOCAL TEAHOUSE, OR BETTER SAID SHISHA BAR. WE SMOKED THE TYPICAL WATER PIPE... THE TYPICAL APPLE AND ORANGE ONE AND OF COURSE TEA. AND THEN SOME LOCAL MANAGER OF CINEMA JOINED US, ABOUT 23 YEARS OLD GUY, AND HE COMPLAINED A BIT ABOUT THE SYSTEM AND HOW DIFFICULT LIVING IS HERE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE... THE IRANIANS USUALLY GO FOR A FUN ACROSS THE BORDER, MOSTLY TO ARMENIA WHERE IS A LOT OF ALCOHOL AND "LOVE FOR MONEY..." WE HAVE GOT USED TO LOCAL TRADITION IN BUYING SO WE HAVE NEGOTIATED THE TICKET TO YEREVAN 1 EURO LESS ;). AT PRICE 28 EUROS PER PERSON IT WAS INSIGNIFICANT, HOWEVER BOTH THE SELLER AND WE WERE VERY HAPPY WITH THAT COMMERCIAL RITUAL. IN THE EVENING WE CAME AROUND THE FORMER US AMBASSY THAT USED TO BE THE CIA CENTER FOR THE CENTRAL AND MIDDLE EAST ... QUITE AN INTERESTING EXPERIENCE. AFTER OVERTHROWING THE REGIME IN ISLAMIC REVOLUTION IN 1979 THE AMBASSY BECAME A SEAT OF ISLAMIC MILITIA AND NOW THE WALLS ARE DECORATED WITH ANTIAMERICAN SLOGANS, GRAPHITES AND PICTURES. NOBODY LIKES THE AMERICANS HERE AND WHEN HEARING BUSH’S NAME THE LOCAL PEOPLE MAKE A LENGHTWISE MOVEMENT WITH THE FOREFINGER ALONG THEIR NECK... BUT WE DIDN’T WANT TO SPEAK ABOUT POLITICS. IT‘S NOT POSSIBLE TO WRITE MORE ABOUT TEHERAN, HISTORICAL CENTER OR BIG AVENUES ARE MISSING, BUT THERE IS NO DOUBT IT IS WORTH VISITING IT. IN THE MORNING LAST AHMADENIDZAD’S AND CHOMEJNI’S SMILES FROM EACH WALL AND BIGBOARD AND THE JOURNEY TO YEREVAN CAN START .... BUT THAT IS ANOTHER FAIRY TALE. Mato Posted at: 24.4.2007
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