On the whole we had a difficult time in Iran – it was only two and half years before the Revolution 1979 when the Mullahs took over and the Shah was deposed. There was therefore a lot of anti-Western feeling, especially amongst the young people – ‘students’ – and we were careful to appear very married, my curtain hook wedding band much in evidence specially when checking into hotels. In those days they didn’t take passports so didn’t notice the names were not the same! The contrast between that and being amongst some of the most magnificent buildings we had ever seen, and the remnants of ancient civilisations, as in in Persepolis, was unsettling. I was also quite seriously unwell the whole time there.
Sunday 18th April
Considering our circumstances we slept very well once we had changed compartments. In the morning, we discovered a restaurant car and went and had a drink as our mouths were very dry and I had a cold coming on. The landscape very similar to Turkey – mud houses with flat roofs, trees and blossom – only difference is that they have walled gardens here. We got several visits from Pakistanis and Afghanis and spent time playing cards.
We arrived in Tehran about 8 am and, together with Linda, set off to find the youth hostel – found a bus eventually but after a long walk to get there we found it was full. Exhausted, we took a taxi to Amir Kabir Street, found the renowned Amir Kabir hotel, also full, and several dispirited people saying everything was full up. So Lynda and J set off on a search – Lynda found a single bed in a four-room and we ended up sleeping on very hard benches in the Amir Kabir – didn’t sleep at all well as it was so hard. My cold by this time had got very much worse, and I felt very sorry for myself.
Monday 19th April
As we couldn’t get hold of Brian [a friend of Jonathan’s from Oxford, who was studying the Persian desert or goitred antelope], we managed to get a room in the Amir Kabir, and then ventured out in Tehran. It is a ghastly place, far too much traffic and very difficult to cross roads. We had the bus system under control and so managed to get about by bus – we went up to the Intercontinental, where J had a haircut; looked terribly shabby from the outside but ok inside. Pouring when we came out – no good for the old cold. Evening we tried chelo kebabs – so greasy and disgusting.
Tuesday 20th April
We decided to leave Tehran for Isfahan in the afternoon, and in the morning we went to the bazaar which is about the best bit of Tehran. J bought some very cheap corduroy shoes as his black ones finally came to pieces in the rain. I still feel awful but thankful to leave all the hippies to the Amir Kabir.
The route to Isfahan was very dull, mostly barren, desert-like, with occasional magical green patches of wheat where there is a well. Walled gardens are magnificent as are the domed mud-walled villages. We got here quite late and had a bit of difficulty finding a place to stay and even more to find somewhere to eat – all closed and much fewer lokantas than in Turkey. Eventually we found one and managed to get chicken and rice – no more chelo kebab for us!
Abyaneh village in Isfahan province
Wednesday 21st April
Woke up feeling really terrible so J did the washing while I stayed in bed until 1030. We walked along the main street to the tourist office, who directed us to a hospital, where I saw an Indian female Doctor, who gave me a prescription [I had a serious bout of bronchitis/chest infection by this stage], and I felt better by evening.
From there we went to the luxurious Shah Abbas Hotel, a converted caravanserai adjoining the Islamic school, and had drinks (mainly to wash the tablets down) and also to go to their loos! The hotel is beautifully done up in the old style, and the Islamic school has splendid mosaic tiles, towers and tiled interiors. The fruit trees in the courtyard were just out and the whole scene was breathtaking.
The Shah Abbas hotel now and in 1840 when it was a caravanserai
The bazaar was disappointing – old but converted into snazzy little tourist shops. From there we went to the Maidani Shah, where the shahs had a palace to watch the polo from. Two beautiful mosques in the Maidan, and it was full of activity: metal beaters and silver workers; looked at some miniatures from out of books but came to the conclusion they weren’t very old.
The Friday (Jameh) and King’s (Shah)- top left – mosques in Isfahan – Mum’s photos
We also visited the Chehel Sotoun Palace, which had wonderful murals of Persian battles on the inside and 20 magnificent columns from one tree. By this time we were hungry and exhausted, so we went to one of our sausage shops for a sandwich, then bought a ticket for Shiraz.
I much prefer the Turks to the Persians, the latter think themselves too clever by half and not overly helpful or even particularly friendly, and as for the barbarous custom of riding bikes and motorcycles on the pavement… It is very dangerous. In the evening we had lentil stew and rice, quite delicious and a relief to find the Persians do eat other things, apart from chelo kebab.
Thursday 22nd April
This morning we visited the famous Terraced Bridge, rather a disappointment but had lovely fresh orange juice to compensate. Sunny and warm and it’s a lovely place to walk around. We lunched at the same place as last night and decided not to be cowards any longer, so ate chelo kebab with butter rice and yoghurt – very good! At the bus station we met Lynda, (with a Yankee helicopter instructor in tow!).
The journey to Shiraz was supposed to take seven hours it took 10 and we arrived at midnight. As we were going along very fast there was suddenly a big bang and one of the tyres had burst – so that had to be changed. When we stopped next we were further delayed because the bus and driver had gone off to get a new tyre – and one more stop of 45 minutes later on; once it was past midnight and we were into Friday the four old men behind us led a prayer chant to greeting the holy day. They also chanted a prayer each time we set off!
The only photo of me – in Isfahan. J with the bridge in the background
The bus, once in Shiraz, went to the back of beyond so we managed to find a taxi which took us to some ‘cheap’ hotels. The second one we knocked up told us it was 16 Tomans together but we were slightly amazed as it even had a lift! Once left alone in our room we saw that he had really meant 60 Tomans, but I felt so tired and fed up with Iran and the Iranians who are very rarely charming, that we decided to stay there.
For more on Shiraz and Isfahan visit Travels with my mother a record of her trip there in 1969
Vicky's Big Adventure 