The contrast between Iran and Armenia is huge, which made crossing the border between the two countries a pretty bizarre experience. One is an Islamic country that bans alcohol, and the other proudly boasts being the world's first Christian nation and making, according to locals, ...
Archives for 2014
A Road Trip Through Iranian Kurdistan
After seriously exhausting my eating and dancing abilities during Nowruz celebrations with Mina and her family in Tehran, I was excited to get back on the road and explore more of Iran. Luckily for me, our trip to Isfahan seemed to have given Mina a bit of the travel bug as well, ...
Isfahan, Iran: Visiting Half of the World
When Mina and I met for lunch in Tehran, I told her about my plans to visit Isfahan (or Esfahan) for a few days, and she confessed that she had never visited Persia's former capital city. "Persians call Isfahan Nesfe Jahan, which means 'Half of the World,' " Mina told ...
Kafka and Cigarettes in Tehran
I've heard so many words used to describe Tehran - bustling, cosmopolitan, smoggy, traffic-clogged, dangerous - but after spending about a week in the city one word sums it up best for me: cool. I'm not even sure what it was about Tehran, but looking around at the people, the ...
Alone in Iran – What Was I Thinking?
I have never had people express so many opinions about my travels as when I decided to backpack Iran solo for two weeks. Everyone seemed to have something to say about it, with responses ranging from "That is amazing, I would totally join you if I didn't have a U.S. passport," to ...