Tashkent – Sunday, September 3 The overnight flight from Moscow left me feeling dopey. At the Tashkent airport I saw people filling out a form, but I was in a hurry and got in the customs line without one. When I got to the front the agent looked at me and asked, “Declaration? Where is [...]
First stop: Moscow – Friday, September 1 There is one image of Moscow that sticks in my mind – St. Basil’s. It’s that cathedral on Red Square with the delightfully screwy onion-shaped domes – I’m sure you have seen pictures of it. When I found out I would be passing through Moscow on my way [...]
For the Western tourist, Iran is a cash economy. While I did hear rumors that you could use a credit card (I believe they said Visa was accepted) cash is still the preferred method of payment. I was also told that traveler’s checks could only be cashed at banks. I took only cash so I [...]
Working with Iran Tours Corporation of Tehran Years ago, when I first saw a picture of those magnificent blue-tile domes in Isfahan, I knew I would have to go to Iran. Then came the 1979 revolution and Americans were no longer welcome. I watched from afar and wondered if I would ever get a visa. [...]
The Abassi in Isfahan This was a really lovely hotel, a converted caravanserai with a huge garden in the center. A lot of tour groups pass through and the staff can be a little distant. Make sure you get a room that faces the courtyard. My first night I had one in the front that [...]
Iran is a country with a dress code. The rules are quite simple: for men, no short pants or short sleeve shirts. For women, your head and hair must be covered. You must also wear something loose to cover your body to mid-calf. So much for the rules: what was interesting was the variations I [...]
I got a taxi from the hotel in the morning. I asked to be taken to the Glass and Ceramic Museum: I had read that it was one of the few museums open on Tuesday. Instead the driver stopped at the Islamic Museum which is just down the street and which my guidebook said was [...]
I took another pass at the bazaar and mosques in the morning, but my heart wasn’t in it – I was ready to leave. I ended up reading in the hotel lobby while waiting for my noon flight to Tehran. At the entrance to the airport I stepped up to the x-ray machine expecting to [...]
One of the main reasons travelers come Shiraz is to visit Persepolis. The city was the capital of the Persian Empire and was burned to the ground by Alexander the Great, some say in revenge for the Persian’s burning Athens. Anyway, all that happened in the 3rd century BC. I had arranged with the hotel [...]
Free Again When I arrived in Shiraz I noticed that there were black flags throughout the bazaar and even in some mosques. When I inquired, I was told that they were in observance of the death of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, in 680. One night as I was lying in my room, [...]
