Seyed Rokn Addin Mausoleum, Yazd, Iran
I think we have too many clichés and preconceived ideas about Iran. Obviously, it is a infamous dictatorship that violates human rights and treats, above all, women as a impure object who must be controlled", begins the couple behind the blog ** We are leaving **.
"On our trip, this idea was constantly present: Ruth had to wear a handkerchief to cover her head throughout the tour, she could only remove it inside the room. But we also realized that Iran is a country that wants to open up to the world , with hospitable people, who want you to have a good trip. Also, it is a safe country; at no time did we feel unprotected during our trip".
That discovery, the hospitality and the beauty of the country ("Iran was the cradle of the great Persian civilization and has an impressive ** cultural heritage **", they indicate), was what prompted them to write ** Iran, vacation spot **, a book that seeks to publicize the other face of ancient Persia, the most smiling and tourist:
"We have traveled by public transport without knowing the language. We have stayed in affordable hostels. We have eaten at their restaurants. We have walked their streets. We have gone into the mosques when they were praying . We have seen how they celebrated Ashura, which is like our Holy Week", they comment on the page where they encourage you to help them with financing of this original travel guide.
Iranian cultural heritage is amazing
The volume will be taken care of in detail , with beautiful photographs like the ones that illustrate this article and full of practical information of these two experienced adventurers, who have spent years traveling the world.
In addition, it will certainly be useful for Spanish-speaking travelers -because, according to bloggers, There are hardly any manuals about the country in Spanish. and even for the Iranians themselves:
"We think the sustainable tourism it can be a tool to help open up Iran. We know that it's a dictatorship where human rights are violated. Therefore, from our commitment , let's donate our profit from the book to an entity in favor of human rights in Iran, especially women's rights", Ruth and Juan explain.
What can be done to understand a little more about of the Iran that does not appear in the news is to explore a little the essay, the novel or even the graphic novel who leaves the country.
Therefore, the couple flew there with some books that they consider basic: "To learn a little about the recent history of iran it seems essential to us The Sha or the excess of power , by Ryszard Kapuściński and it is interesting Lolita in Tehran , by Azar Nafisi.
we had read the doctor by Noah Gordon, since part of the novel takes place in Isfahan. Also Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi, a wonderful graphic novel that we recommend to everyone", they explain. The awakening of Iran, of Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi is also exciting.
Sustainable tourism can improve the lives of Iranians
However, as is often the case when traveling to an unknown land, nothing fully prepares you for reality of the place.
They were surprised, for example, the situation of women, "very bad", but, at the same time, different from what they expected: "The veil thing is only a visual manifestation of what the null recognition of iranian women as a subject of rights; they depend on her father until they marry, at which point they depend on her husband. But I think that there is some progress."
And she continues: "For example, there are female taxi drivers (we saw them in the capital). There are others who work in some sectors and they can go to college if the father leaves them (half of the students in the university are women!) This is perceived much more in the cities, since, in the villages, progress is scarcer. You see it even in the color of the clothes: in the cities they use more colorful scarves, but as soon as you get into the villages, that it's turning black ", they explain.
Despite all these findings, without a doubt, what most caught their attention in their long journey through the ancient Persian Empire was, as they already pointed out, the hospitality of the people
"All the time they were worried about you, how they treated you in Iran, if you were liking the country , etc. They take every opportunity to talk to you; after all, we are one uncensored source of information ", clarify the travelers.
The Iranian woman, "impure object"
They can speak knowingly, because they were three weeks back and forth behaving practically as a native would:
"We usually travel without much preparation , little more than the first night booked, and from there we go on the fly. We try to move as much as we can in Public transportation, to share the experience of traveling with local people and we avoid tourist transport as much as possible", they comment.
Despite what you may think, these transports are in very good condition, as the authors of We are leaving were able to verify: "In Iran internal flights are fine, they are cheap and help to cover the great distances that separate the main cities. We took one to return from Shiraz (in the south of the country) to Tehran: it costs about 40 euros and you do in an hour by plane what would take you almost twelve by bus. However, it must be made clear that the buses to travel around the country are very comfortable and very cheap", they detail.
Persian treasures
They were very useful to them to go from the capital to Qom "one of the most religious cities in the country" . From there they headed for Isfahan, "what they call "the middle of the world" and one of the most beautiful places what we saw," they indicate.
They also saw "Yazd, the desert gate and Shiraz, the closest city to Persepolis". And they even had time to visit, between cities, Abyaneh, Natanz, Kharanaq, Chakchak and Meybod.
Getting around Iran thus seems quite easy: all you have to do is plan your arrival well . "Necessary obtain an entry visa before traveling if your stay is going to be longer than 15 days, as was our case. They usually take a long time in giving it, so it is advisable to request it at least 30 days before of the trip, otherwise you may stay on land", explain the travellers.
For them, the wait was worth it, because they were amazed with your particular anniversary gift , despite the fact that everyone told them that they were crazy to plant themselves in such a country.
"The idea of writing this book is also help break down prejudices, and that at least people who are interested in Iran can receive travelers advice who have been there. Afterwards it will be your decision to visit it or not, but, in any case, you will have more information than they get from the news ", they conclude. You can help them get it .
The beauty of Iran rivals that of some of the most coveted destinations
*This article was published on June 28, 2016 and updated on June 20, 2018.