It was with a touch of disappointment that I flew out of Iran yesterday.  I really had a delightful three weeks in the country, yet it was also one of my most profound travel experiences.  It wasn't just that it was a great travel destination – a really "different" part of the world with, Read More

Sorry this’ll have to be a quick entry but I’m just about to duck into a taxi and make my way back to the airport.  I’m in Mashhad, in the far north-eastern corner of Iran, near the Afghan and Turkmen borders, and will be catching the once-a-week flight to Biskek, Kyrgyzstan, on a dodgy, Read More

Persepolis was absolutely INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!  Easily one of the most impressive ancient sights I’ve ever seen – right up there with Tikal in Guatemala or Mt. Nemrut in Turkey. The site of the ancient royal city of Persepolis is about 50km north of Shiraz.  It’s the remains of one of the three Achaemenid capitals and, Read More

Yesterday was my last day in Yazd and I had one more, and slighty eerie, sight left to see – the Zoroastrian "Towers of Silence".  Here's a little more info about Zoroastrianism: they're followers of Zoroaster, who was born about 550 BC in what is now Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, who postulated a single, omnipotent God, Read More

I was really keen to get out of the cities and explore the countryside and deserts of Iran, and a day-trip from Yazd gave me just that opportunity. We started off in the town of Meybod nearby and had a look at the Narein castle ruins, a Safavid-era ice house, and a quirky pigeon, Read More

I caught a five hour bus east from Esfahan across one edge of the Dasht-e Kavir desert to the picturesque city of Yazd.  I'd been told by a few different travelers that Yazd was their highlight of Iran, so I was really keen to settle down for a few days and explore the city, Read More

I'm in Esfahan and LOVING it – THIS is the Iran I came to see!  The city is Iran's masterpiece, the jewel of ancient Persia and allegedly one of the finest cities in the Islamic world.  And it hasn't disappointed!!!     Imam Square. No I'm not boasting about seeing half of the world – not, Read More

I got up early this morning and raced back up to the Chinese Embassy at 9am opening time.  I wanted to get the visa cranked out that day and knew I was against the clock (consular diplomats are lazy the world over and only work a couple of hours for a couple of days, Read More

This city is REALLY doing my head in!  It's either the noise or the pollution from the traffic but I get a cracking headache every time I go outside.  On top of that I haven't had a decent meal in a couple of days as I've been really crook the last couple of days, holed, Read More

After a day and a half of traveling from Van, I made it!!!  I can hardly believe I’m here in Tehran, the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran!  Woohoo!  It was quite a journey here though…  I left Van early yesterday morning on a bus that would take me over the mountains of, Read More