فارسی Farsi |
About an hour before our flight, we went to our gate for our flight to Tehran. Besides myself and a British girl, the flight was totally all Iranians.
Having had grown up in a small town, spent time living in Spain and the past several years in LA, I already knew what people thought about Iran.
There are three types of reactions:
a. wow, so exciting!
b. I would *never* go there.
c. that's cool, but I'm worried. Don't you have to cover your hair?
Honestly, I understand each and every single scenario listed above.
We've grown up in this society where news lumps Iraq bombings, ISIS and Iran into one category. I was guilty of it, too. (Hell, when I met Mo he told me he had a camel that he rode to school and I believed him for a couple of years. Seriously.)
I've always had a strong interest in other culture's and over the course of 9 years, Mo and his family taught me so much of Iranian culture and Farsi language that I had this undeniable desire to travel there.
As far as attire, you'll see the different styles over the course of these posts from some women wearing a black chador while others prefer jeans, a tunic and a scarf loosely draped over their hair.
I wasn't scared of going to Iran. I had actually no fear whatsoever.
I wanted to see the Iran that Mo knew and told me stories of.
I was nervous for one thing though - that damn 28 hours of travel.
Flights
LAX-Dubai = 16 hours
Layover in Dubai = 5.5 hours
Dubai-Tehran = 2 hours
Taxi
Tehran - Isfahan = 4.5 hours
Emirates Airlines is no effin' joke. The plane was a DOUBLE DECKER. Yes, seriously. I have never seen a frickin' double decker airplane in my whole entire life dedicated to first class cabins...with showers...and beds..and all things bliss.
(Once in my life I will buy a first class ticket on Emirates. Just putting it out there...)
We arrived in Dubai fresh after those 16 hours of travel. Dubai airport is ginormous. It's like a shopping mall, with showers, warming toilet seats, prayer rooms and a plethora of recliner chairs for travelers.
I heard that there was a Shake Shack in there. I tried out this place back in NYC and fell in love with it (it's like the equivalent of In and Out for you West Coasters.) After asking where Eshake Eshack was (seemed like I was understood better that way), 2 trams and 3 elevators later, we arrived.
We ordered 2 hamburgers, one soda and one fry. The total? $33. It was not yummy. Poor Mo was starving and was expecting some delicious meal and we got something worse than McDonalds.
There are three types of reactions:
a. wow, so exciting!
b. I would *never* go there.
c. that's cool, but I'm worried. Don't you have to cover your hair?
Honestly, I understand each and every single scenario listed above.
We've grown up in this society where news lumps Iraq bombings, ISIS and Iran into one category. I was guilty of it, too. (Hell, when I met Mo he told me he had a camel that he rode to school and I believed him for a couple of years. Seriously.)
I've always had a strong interest in other culture's and over the course of 9 years, Mo and his family taught me so much of Iranian culture and Farsi language that I had this undeniable desire to travel there.
As far as attire, you'll see the different styles over the course of these posts from some women wearing a black chador while others prefer jeans, a tunic and a scarf loosely draped over their hair.
I wasn't scared of going to Iran. I had actually no fear whatsoever.
I wanted to see the Iran that Mo knew and told me stories of.
I was nervous for one thing though - that damn 28 hours of travel.
Flights
LAX-Dubai = 16 hours
Layover in Dubai = 5.5 hours
Dubai-Tehran = 2 hours
Taxi
Tehran - Isfahan = 4.5 hours
Emirates Airlines is no effin' joke. The plane was a DOUBLE DECKER. Yes, seriously. I have never seen a frickin' double decker airplane in my whole entire life dedicated to first class cabins...with showers...and beds..and all things bliss.
(Once in my life I will buy a first class ticket on Emirates. Just putting it out there...)
We arrived in Dubai fresh after those 16 hours of travel. Dubai airport is ginormous. It's like a shopping mall, with showers, warming toilet seats, prayer rooms and a plethora of recliner chairs for travelers.
I heard that there was a Shake Shack in there. I tried out this place back in NYC and fell in love with it (it's like the equivalent of In and Out for you West Coasters.) After asking where Eshake Eshack was (seemed like I was understood better that way), 2 trams and 3 elevators later, we arrived.
We ordered 2 hamburgers, one soda and one fry. The total? $33. It was not yummy. Poor Mo was starving and was expecting some delicious meal and we got something worse than McDonalds.