Welcome to Iran!

The couple sitting next to me on my flight to Tehran was the first to welcome me into their country. Even before we got there! They were really curious as to why I was traveling to Iran; I guess they don't see many tourists there, especially on their own (the other non-Middle Easterns on board my flight were older Europeans traveling as a group). During the flight, I told them that I've always been interested in Iran since elementary school, since my best friend from those years was Iranian. I told them of all the wonderful stories I've heard from other travelers who've passed through their country. And I told them of my planned route, which first involved flying to Shiraz as soon as I got to Tehran. They gave me a funny look when I mentioned that I didn't have the domestic flight ticket yet, but why would they??? I shrugged it off as my misinterpretation.

Once you get into Iranian territory (this includes the airport, of course), women are required to totally cover their bodies. No need to take it all the way and wear the black burkas, but you do need to wear a pair of loose-fitting long pants or skirt, a long sleeved shirt that covers your rear end, and a head scarf. So right before the plane lands, the women quickly change. I put on my oversized button-down shirt (actually a Gap nightshirt) which is to serve as my outer layer for the entire trip, and my headscarf (a shawl from the streets of London). I have to say that the headscarf felt really uncomfortable - it never stayed in place, which meant that I was fidgeting with it constantly!!!

All decked out in my Iranian gear, I went to get my visa on arrival. Very easy. Fill out a form and hand over 50 euros. (Yes, FIFTY!!! The visa fee must've been my single most expensive expenditure in Iran!). I didn't even need to submit my Iranian photo (basically a passport photo of myself + headscarf) I had taken in London. 3 minutes later, I had my 15-day Iranian visa in hand. They didn't seem to care that they had misspelled my name....

From the international airport, I took the taxi to the domestic one an hour away. Cost 150,000 rials, about $15, quite expensive for Iranian standards (keep reading, you'll see why).
Everything about my entry into Iran went smoothly until here...all the flights to Shiraz were sold out!!! The Iran Air guys there were trying to find me a seat somehow, but no luck. Arghhhhhhh!!!!!
My plan was to start my Iran trip down south in Shiraz and work my way up north back to Tehran. That obviously wasn't going to happen anymore. So, I thought about doing it in reverse - work my way down south to Shiraz, and fly back from there. BUT that flight was also booked solid for the next two weeks!!! Now I understood why the couple on my flight gave me that look - flights to Shiraz are REALLY popular and need to be booked weeks in advance.
Because there was no chance I was getting on the flight to Shiraz, the Iran Air guys suggested I fly down to Isfahan instead. There was a flight leaving in 30 minutes that had seat.
Dilemma, dilemma, dilemma.
If I went to Isfahan first, I'd have to do a bit of backtracking to get to all the cities I wanted to visit. But I was already at the airport, and didn't want to waste the time and money to head back to the city to either catch the bus or spend a night.
Dilemma, dilemma, dilemma.
Fine, I'll fly to Isfahan. For $30. That's only double the taxi ride I just took!!! I heard domestic flights in Iran are cheap, but not THIS cheap. The planes may be slightly old, but they fly no problem: )

By the time I got to the guest house, I was completely exhausted. I've been up and about, moving around, since I woke up yesterday morning in Vienna. I had to rest. Unfortunately, there weren't any beds free at the moment; I'd have to wait until people checked out and the surprisingly co-ed dorm beds got cleaned. BUT I COULD NOT WAIT!!!!! I must've looked desperate to lie down because the owner offered to let me sleep on the carpet in one of the rooms. Time for a quick nap.

3 hours later, I was still tired. But I didn't want to waste the entire day away. I forced myself to get out, at least to catch a glimpse of Isfahan's famous Imam Square.
On my way there, I bought a head scarf for about $2. Cuter color and lighter material; my shawl was too hot...
As soon as I got to Imam Square, my tiredness blew away. The sight in front of me was amazing!!! Being Friday, Muslim prayer day, the place was packed with men, women, and children in their proper attire. I was soooooo tempted to take photos, but I knew it was against their religion for some people (in addition to being impolite!) and so restrained myself. Good Waru. Prayers must've ended when I got there, because the place cleared out rather quickly. And here's my first shot of Imam Square:

The square has 2 mosques and a palace. All closed on Fridays. Oh well. I'd have to come back tomorrow to check them out. In the meantime, I walked around every nook and cranny of the square, admiring the blue colors of the mosques. Loved it!

Before heading back, I stopped by a tea house with a great view of the entire square. I know, very touristy...but what the heck! I ended up staying there for a couple of hours, sipping tea, exchanging travel stories with a German girl (who ended up paying for my tea - how sweet!), and enjoying the sunset. Imam Square looked beautiful all lit up.

Hungry, I stopped by a sandwich store (more like a shack) on my way back to the hostel, and had a delicious falafel burger for just $1.50. I like Iran.