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There was no way around it. I was never going to find an Irish bar in Iran. In fact, I was never going to find an Iranian bar in Iran. With alcohol strictly off the menu, I was having serious doubts about the capacity for 'having fun' in Iran.
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Frustrations and Friendliness in Persia

Conor_purcell
2005-11-18 13:56:53

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skin after a day out. There's not a single building that looks good. I was here to pick up my Indian visa, and then get out. On my first day, having visited Bobby Sands Street, I met Amir, a 37-year old printer salesman (I think), who had learned English in 60 days, so he said. He was good company, and took me up to the former US embassy, noe called 'The US Den of Espinage'. We arranged to meet the next day to see more.

The next morning, I went to the Indian embassy to apply, only to be told I needed a letter of recommendation from the Irsh embassy. So I got a motorbike
taxi all the way up, only to realise I'd forgotten my passport anyway. I decided to leave it till the next day, and met Amir. We went uptown to visit the Shah's old palace, now on display as an example of what a luxiourious, anti-Islamic lifestyle he led. It wasn't much to look at - certainly not as elaborate as I imagine the White House to be. Amir told me the Shah was not a dictator, and our taxi driver confirmed this. I wasn't sure about this, and though maybe 25 years of Islamic rule had softened the Shah's memory in their eyes. In any case, Amir hated the current regime, the 'real dictatorship', and said he, and at least 50% of Iranians, would fully support an American occupation. Again, I wasn't sure, and was getting used to Amirs exaggeration of things - "I played guitar solo of 'November Rain' over 3,000 times" - but he was great to talk to and listen to, and I couldn't help but be moved when he proclaimed "all I want now in my life is to play the blues, ride my chopper, and have a girlfriend." Hearing this from a 37-year old man made it sink in. We agreed, though, that Iran's youth are just a little too comfortable. The regime has granted enough freedoms to make them feel like they have something to lose if they rebel.

I spent a good bit of time (and money) in Tehran, taking motor-cycle taxis across town. The traffic in Tehran is as bad as it gets. This isn't like going to Rome or Paris, and coming saying "Oh god, the traffic was terrible". This is some serious shit, where if you're not on your guard, you can easily get flattened. The motor-cycle taxis are the only way to get anywhere fast, and are great fun. A couple of times I got them across town and back, for want of something better to do.

The next day, I went to the Irish embassy and got my letter. Over at the Indian embassy, however, I learned it would take five days to process. That was it, I couldn't take much more of Tehran (for the moment), so I walked out, and booked my bus ticket to Shiraz, where I am now.