Travel admin The clocks went back one hour last night with daylight saving finishing, so I woke “early”.  I chatted with an Australian man who had a zinc mining business near here, and his Iranian wife. I needed some more Iranian rials.  Banks here open at 0730 but it was still early.  I went to […]

[Edit:  I repeat this daytrip thirteen years later.  In the age of the digital camera, I capture a lot more in pictures. You can read about it here.] Excursion to Kharanaq I started with a good breakfast of fried eggs, cheese, various kinds of bread, coffee and fruits. Today I had organised to join a Dutch […]

Leaving Mashhad It was a short and interrupted night sleep.  I woke at 0515 and showered.  Prayers at the mosque were on and it was busy.  I settled my bill with the hotel and was pleasantly surprised that it was less than expected, partially because I didn’t take breakfast today. I got to the airport […]

Above:  Imam Reza’s shrine takes up quite an expansive area, as you can see from the two photos stitched up above. I felt shattered today and slept till 0800.  I decided to have the day off.  I couldn’t handle another day of long bus trips especially if the sights were only so so.  I took […]

With a little bit of Malaysian time in my system, I woke up early at 0630 and was downstairs for a delicious breakfast at 0730.  Crunchy cucumber, ripe red tomatoes, thick yoghurt, cheeses, bread, eggs, omelette and boring cornflakes. My plan today was to do a daytrip to Torbat-e Jam.  I took a taxi to […]

Above:  View of Imam Reza Shrine by night, from my new hotel room at Razavieh Hotel. About Mashhad The holy city of Mashhad is home to 6 million people, saffron and the Coca Cola factory. Yes, Coca Cola Iran trade embargo notwithstanding. It is in the far east of the country, near the Turkmenistan and Afghanistan border. […]

Introducing Tehran Tehran isn’t my favourite city because it isn’t the nicest city either with. It’s a concrete jungle with characterless blocks, traffic clogged with old and new Hillman Hunters (called Paykan) and sometimes stifling smog from these old technology vehicles. It has 14 million residents and 12 ski-fields, which is great for people who […]

Above:  Old phone in my room at the Naderi Hotel in Tehran. Leaving Singapore I woke around 0130 and dozed till 0500. My aunt insisted that I have some breakfast so I had a peanut butter sandwich before taxiing to the airport around 0540. The check-in desk for my 0745 flight to Doha was deserted. […]