I was not supposed to be here. Even as I planned for an Iran tour some years back, Tehran did not feature in the scheme of things. Tabriz in the North West to Shiraz in the South was how I wanted to travel in Iran, and even if Tehran seemed to be the inevitable transit point I was looking at ways to skip it totally. Here I am in Tehran and its already past 24 hours and I am sure more than 24 little moments at which I have smiled about being here.
My day started with finding a sim card, where the interesting part was a google translate conversation, which involved me only saying yes and no, both mostly in head motions. The lady on the other side insured I got the sim and the recharge I wanted and I remember as I sat in the taxi saying to myself, “it wasn’t as tough as I thought it would be at the end”.
How to buy a sim in Tehran?
Essentials – Passport and some time on hand (although I got done in less than 30 mins)
Where and How? – Ask a taxi to take you to an MCI or Iran Cell center, be wise and arrange this through the Hotel.
How much? – 50,000 Riyals for the Sim and 300,000 for the Charge gave me, 2 GB data for a month.
Tip – Do not be embarrassed to ask for help.
The driver knew where to go next, but as we maneuvered slowly through the infamous traffic of Tehran(it was a holiday but still), I started thinking, ‘do I keep him for an entire day?’ I was at the end of my visit to the Golestan Palace grounds and I think I was already giving myself an entire day on the road. So when I got out and the driver asked me, ‘Hotel’?, I just said later, to which he smiled and drove.
The ticket to the Golestan Palace?
Even multiple rooms and small palaces have different prices, it is hardly that much. Buy a complete ticket at 1 million riyals, which is not more than $$10.
I can write about all the highlights I saw in Tehran on the first day and although they were all crowded, it never felt overwhelmed. From the Azadi square and tower to the 280 meters tall Milad tower everything I went to had 95% local tourists and I guess only 5% of foreigners and even in them, there were mostly small groups or individuals. I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to be in a touristy place and not feel overwhelmed by tourists. I always feel even if a place is crowded with locals, it only enriches the character of the place. The same with tourists?!! No!
This blog is not about the sights of Tehran, it is about the impression. Moreover, the first impressions of a city like Tehran, and by the impression, I do not mean visual only. My impression on my first day has to start and end with Shahin, the driver of the taxi the hotel arranged. From sharing a meal with me to sharing his views on Islam, in the first real 10 hours on the road in Tehran, I come to think that I could’ve not done it without Shahin.
When I asked him to take me to a place for tea and sheesha, at first I questioned his driving me all way out to the outskirts of the city. Sure, it was out, but it was also out of the world. He let me sit and enjoy the smoke, and also helped me converse with the many waiters that kept coming to help. When the bill came, he offered to pay his share.
As we left the first sight of the day, the Golestan palace and I told him not to take me to the hotel so soon, he already had an itinerary figured out in his head. Sure, many taxi guys have done it in the past, but this was different. There was no hard selling, in fact, there was a lot of effort into saving. From swiping his Iranian credit card for buying a ticket to trying for better exchange price on my dollars even when I was ok with the one offered, Shahin did it all for me on my day one in Tehran.
As I get ready for day 2 and my flight to Shiraz in the south, I have a strong feeling that Iran is made of up many such Shahin’s.
