Iran trip report from Antti

I've long wanted to travel from Helsinki to China overland via the southern route - through Europe, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, and India. (I did the Northern route through Russia and Mongolia four years ago). My friend Antti Mäkelä is making a similar trip this summer, and sent this fascinating e-mail about his experience in Iran.

Antti agreed to let me post this, and has also asked for the address of my blog, so maybe he'll even answer questions. I haven't edited this at all, so please disregard minor errors. Antti's English is excellent, but he probably wasn't intending this to be published when he wrote it.

---

Antti writes:

First of all, even though I had done some research before I departed, I was somewhat suprised about the general atmosphere in there. When you look at what shops along the streets are selling, the items are just similar than anywhere in the world. I was especially suprised of the availability of modern electronics, it appears that quite many actually actually can afford plasma tv:s and such, as they are so widely sold. Also womens underwear and other more revealing clothes that were widely shown and available made an interesting contrast with the fact that 80 % of women covered themselves with chador in public, and also the rest at least with scarf and jacket.

The cleanlines of streets and politeness and courteousness of people were something that I didn't really expect. Naturally I had heard about Iranian hospitability, but I expected it to appear more in Indian way, so that people would very loudly and in huge groups come to show their interest in foreigner and possibly also try to touch a litle, just for curiosity... This really wasn't the case. Everbody wanted to say hey and ask where I come from, but somehow this happened in more polite way than in India for example. And if they wanted to have a further discussion, they often asked for permission. As it comes to the cleanliness of streetsides, Iran definitively reminds more Europe India, which I didn't actually expect. Also transportation for example worked smoothly, the roads were wide and generally in good condition.

Thank's to the hospitability and helpfullness, getting around was suprisingly easy despite the fact that many of the signs were only written in arabic script and that very few actually spoke english. Instead, suprisingly many knew essential touristphrases and was willing to try help which is almost enough. Then in case of bigger problem some english- speaking local usually showed up to ask what the problem was.

Because of the lack of english-skills, I really couldn't talk about politics as much as I would have liked. However, I had some discussions, that gave me a kind of idea about what's going on. It appears for me, that the islamic governement really hasn't ever had real support of majority. Instead, of the various groups who united for the revolution, they were the one who played their game best and managed to claim the power. And then, as a gift for mullahs, Iraq invaded the invade the country, which naturally made it easy to unify the nation against foreign enemy, who also happened to represent the old religious enemy, the sunni-muslims. And then during the latest 16 years the country has been in progress as it comes to the economy and also to the practical freedom of people. There are some major problems that governement seems to have simply neglected, like corruption (alltough some say that corruption by money isn't a problem, but by the relationships between people). Then the public sector, including the oil industry, is very inefficient, and for example taxaxion machinery almost non-existant. There is no VAT at all, and the income tax works like a donation, it's voluntarly So the country is practically taken run by the oil revenues alone! However, right now it appears that majority of people are getting making progress both in economy and freedom from religious controll. Even though both seem to have been slowing down during the time of the new president, the fustration can't at least be widely seen, altough somebody speaking farsi and talking to right people might state otherwise.

Most of the people directly say they hate president Ahmedinedabad (or how ever you spell it...) And then there are those who say they love him... As he obviously is a good speaker and succesfull populist. Some of the people do go to mosques every friday, but most don't, and suprisingly many say that they don't care about the religion at all. And as you all have read, parties with alcohol and dancing are arranged in private villas, and if the organiser knows the right people, nowbody really cares. And then from the other hand, police keeps fining unmarried couples who show up openly in public. Interestingly, by the way, almost everybody claimed that arranged marriages practically taken do not exist, altough some other said they are the only decent practise... Anyway, finding a partner in this country is a challenging task indeed, as you never now when you get fined, or if you are very unlucky, and get caught from the bed, maybe hanged too...

Anyway, I also had a very interesting discussion with al carpenter, who talked exellent english by iranian standards. His profession might be onether, if he had not spend his youth during the years when all the universities were closed because of the war. Given that he could easily beat me by his knowledge about Karl Popper or Sigmund Freud, I was quite suprised as he openly admitted that he hopes USA to invade the country, and believed that USA attacked Iraq mostly by the idealistic reasons... So, the minority certainly does exist and is propably willing to act if the right monent comes. Still, one can ask if the hardly potential American invasion would even be the right moment, as nationalism still appears to beat boredness to the religious governement among most of the people.

In conclusion however, this country differs by any means from any other place in the world as it comes to the real moral or religious activism of the people. What makes this different from western democracies is that every legal or public issues has always as many sides as there are people you ask from. A simple truth of most things simply doesn't exist.

Then about the other highlights of the trip. I can now say that I have played chess in the iranian military camp against iranian conscipts. And that I have participated an anti-american / anti-israeli demonstration. I'll leave you without explanations about the first, but about the second I have to say that it was suprsingly warm occasion.... A mullah (or something like that...) held a speach in the middle of a square, and every now and then the crowd shouted "Down with America" or "Down with Israel" (The demonstration was actually on last Friday, you can guess why...) Altough I consentrated mostly on taking photos, I felt my self not at all threatened. As anywhere else, people came to ask me where I come from, and that was all. Also the TV-commentator came to say the same at the end of the occasion, and I have to admit that I was hoping to give some comments for the cameras... Well, that didn't happen after all.

So, in general Iran has been extremely easy and comfortable country to travel in. The iranians are suprisingly good at distinguishing between the people and the governement, so I actually believe that even Scott [ed. an American citizen] would feel good in here, if he only would be able to get a visa for an independent trip...

If Iran was short of real exotism and suprises, the same cannot be said about Pakistan, where I arrived yesterday. Last night's bus spend 14 hours on a road that was only 630 kms long, and mostly going straight in the desert. Anyway, in one of the few upphills I had to participate on pushing the bus for first time in my life... And I also saw dirtiest and smelliest road side restaurant I've ever seen... And I seen quite dirty ones in India and Indonesia. And the people in the bus: everybody wearing a shalwar khameez, a traditional pakistanian suite, and looking like they had not seen a shower for a week. Or well, most likely most of those haven't seen such ever in their lives, but even washing with any water would have changed the situation...

So, I'm now in Quetta, which despite all the dirt and smell still has an atractive atmosphere of a frontier city far away from everything. You know, sepherds going with their lambs on the main streets, donkeys pulling carts, afghani refugees occupying a whole bazaar named after city of Kandhar... And no, I don't think this is especially dangerous place, if I jus avoid being out in the middle of the night. So, if only suprise with Iran was a neutrality and some kind of sterility, the latter part of my trip in Pakistan is likely to give a good sense of adventure and exotism. And that's what I'm looking forward to.

Have a good summer, where ever you are!

-Antti, from Pakistan,