tehran, pt. 1

driving i to tehran (we paid about 5 euros for a basically empty 9 hour VIP bus with infinite leg space) i got really excited. reaching the azadi tower had been my original travel goal before i extended the trip to kathmandu. the main bus station is right next to the azadi place, so we just had to go check it out.

then, it was time to say goodbye. stepan had been in contact with a lady from the czech embassy who offered him to stay there in safety as well as sending a private driver to pick him up and get him there. now alone, i had to learn that the cash metro ticket offices (foreign credit cards don't work in iran) close at ten, so i had to look for a taxi. i was down to 500.000 rial (~90ct) at this point, so i had to give the taxi driver a single dollar note on top, which he thankfully accepted.

arriving at the hostel felt like finally entering a real safe space for the first time in iran. i quickly bumped into uiyun again, who had been waiting there for me. i also met a young guy from afghanistan as well as a german bikepacking couple and we talked deep into the night.

uiyun, just how we know and love her, already had plans to visit the next city, so we didn't waste any time and explored tehran the whole day. it's a super vibrant city, a lot more liberal than you'd think. you see a lot of women without hijabs, certainly a lot more than in tabriz. people are also mega friendly and everything is insanely cheap. even eating during ramadan isn't a problem, scince travelers are exempt from the fasting. a good chunk of even the locals doesn't seem to follow the fast either.

we also went to the bus terminal, found the last seats on a night bus to kermanshah, and got on our way.Read more