Iran, country of antitheses

Iran has been a tiring but nevertheless overwhelming and interesting experience!

Cycling Iranian roads has been a real challenge! The heat and smog are everywhere on these busy roads, as are the ghostriders, cellphone-using and smoking drivers and cars parked on the road. The waste next to the road, in plain nature, makes us sometimes a little pissed off. Most people don’t seem to mind too much and are picnicking next to the rubbish.

Iran has beautiful nature though. We discovered for example Mount Sabala, an inactive volcano. It’s the 3rd highest peak in Iran & with its 4811m higher than Mont Blanc! The hike strongly recommended by our host – a mountain guide in Ardebil – we took off eagerly. The night in the shelter Thomas was fighting the first symptoms of height sickness, but due to our overnight stay in the shelter luckily the symptoms waned off! The hike went through a moon landscape, we felt a bit like astronauts. It was my first climbing in the dark; we took off at 4 o’clock and watched another nice sunsets (I don’t have hands enough anymore to count the beautiful sunsets!).

We wanted to do this climb for the children of our project 'Cycling for education', to show what a power motivation can be! You can reach heights and dreams with strong motivation! It makes the impossible possible!

We couldn’t have done this without our Iranian friends: the support and hospitality was overwhelming again!

We sometimes feel a little bit like celebrities (it must be said that it seemed like we were the only non-Iranians on this Mt. Sabalan). So many people want to know where we come from, want to make as long a talk as there English permits them, want to show us that Iranian people are absolutely not what American media tells about Iran, want to be on the picture with us, want to talk us to their friends on the phone. They are offering us food, drinks, a free jeep ride and trying to make us feel comfortable. Coming into the province of Gilan, we enjoyed the view onto the rice paddies with the green hills (and mountains at the horizon) behind them. On the other side of the road, we could catch a glimpse of the Caspian sea at times. We discover 2 beautiful waterfalls in the hills (Zomorrod and Visadar – if you go right before 9am there is almost no one!), but as roads are steep or bad quality, a lot of nature remains unseen and untouched by us.

A lot of Iranian people frequently inquire about what western people think and hear about them in the media. They ask us to let the world know what kinda of people they are. I can’t say anything more that in general, we met almost everywhere spontaneous, kind, open and friendly people, curious to the world outside Iran. Their canals/windows to the outside world are frequently limited (Facebook, youtube are blocked which explains the popularity of instagram), although a good vpn connection is often used a remedy for that. Travelling outside is limited and emigration is for many Iranians not payable. Although a lot of Iranian people try to save money and do the paperwork for emigration. We actually met a lot of them.

Iran continues to make a much poorer impression than personally expected. The difference with Turkey is undeniable; little often shabby supermarkets (with prices often not fixed) and petrol stations, roads in sometimes devastating conditions. Sometimes we hear a loud noise – two times it was a clapper with a lot of smoke behind it.

In general, some structures seems to be missing

- Quite zones next to roads

- People to clean the rubbish next to the road

Most of the supermarket owners don’t speak English so it’s often a challenging visit every time as our Persian is sadly enough non-existing. Learning Turkish went easier! Remembering something in a language where the writing is completely different is just very hard.

But of course we also meet supermarket sellers who offer us juice and water for free, who want to make a picture with us, who are curiously following us with their eyes, smiling at every occasion, who want to call someone (because we didn’t manage to get an Iranian sim card).

We hear stories about high-educated people don’t finding a job; or engineers that aren’t paid for 4 months.

Iranian people tells us about a little thin layer that has an immense opulence and power in their hands, but waste it on cars, Philippinian Islands, while at the same time some children can’t afford education.

The food is a little more humble than in Turkey - although the rice and fruit delicious! (And Iranian's proud as I might believe). Mirza qasemi – filled aubergine with walnuts, tomatoes, garlic and onions (and spices) – homemade by our Warmshowers Iranian mother – is our favourite dish until now. It came together with Iranian rice – right from the farm of our Warmshowers host!

Fruits are the best in Gilan province – so many fruitsellers on the street and wonderful nectarines! They also have a lot of Iranian kiwis, but they are mainly exported to Russia and other countries around the Caspian sea (remember the sanctions). Iranians themselves mainly use it in juices and marmalade. The many cold stores of the kiwis we encounter next to the road of course adds to the greenhouse effect, but I guess that’s not only like that in Iran.

Next to the Caspian sea you can buy caviar in big quantities for very good prices, we hear. But due to the sanctions, of course no trade to Europe possible.

The sanctions imposed by the United states are visible: the wannabe Iranian coke, sprite, oreo-like biscuits.

We feel these sanctions as we have to withdraw Turkish lira to exchange in Iranian dollar because due to the blockage of the swift system, we can’t withdraw money from the Atm!

The reverse is true for Iranians outside Iran: they can only pay in cash outside Iran.

The deflation in Iran is enormous (we pay in 100 000nds and millions Iranian rial and still spend no more than 8-10 euro per day) - also a sign that the economy is going bad.

The sympathy for the Iranian government is a bit unclear – we meet a lot of people who complain about the forcing attitude of the government concerning religion (wearing the headscarf or hijab, the strong enforcement about which clothes to wear, …). They believe this drives people in a less religious direction. At the same time, for them it’s not the cornerstone of religion.

We only met one religious family. Is this coincidence?

The young generation we met is tired of the ‘Khomeini yoke’ – they are looking for a future where they can trade and use internet freely (without sites being blocked) and can wear and buy the things they want (they can’t purchase anything online outside Iran).

Nevertheless, they try to make the best of it. In cities like Karaj you have escape rooms, and we were in such a nice boardgame café where a lot of people in their twenties - thirties amuse themselves with boardgames and a good coffee. No alcohol, just playing and enjoying.

But people tell me they can’t be themselves. One boy even told me they want another life for their children. A lot of things in Iran are not going smoothly or honestly, someone says ‘it’s a country with a thousand problems, that’s too many to solve’.

What to say about the man-woman relationship?

On the streets it is primarily men who address Thomas, but once you know people better, it depends mostly on the age and personality. With most youngsters it doesn’t seem to make any difference once you know each other a little. The warmshowers hosts addressed our both without any difference.

It’s a little bit the same with the headscarf. Outside you have to wear them, but inside most people tell me: ‘please put it off’ or ‘please feel comfortable’ (making a sign to put away the headscarf). Most young women don’t wear the headscarf at home; older women often still do.

Of course it depends as well on how religious the family is.

It’s also about long dresses (under the knee) – and if you wear pants, they need to be loose. Sleeves need to be worn with the elbows covered.

Swimming is more difficult. Women have to swim with their clothes on, men can swim freely.

Going to Zomorrod waterfall, no women swam, while men where just making fun.

I must admit I as well felt no really tempted to swim in the long dress and legging I was wearing.

At night, while enjoying a wonderful dinner with our Iranian host family next to the Caspian sea, my host mother asked me if I wanted to swim no.

But again, I didn’t feel the need – if I want to swim I don’t want to do it secretly during the night.

To be honest, the Iranian people stole my heart, but the driving in Iran – already mentioned - is another story. A thirtier tells us about a car accident – he sat next to the driver when someone drove into their left side. The driver – his nephew – died, while he stayed in coma for 2 weeks. A lot of car accidents (15000 injured people, 1100 deaths – following ISTNA) in the 10 days around the celebrations of Norooz – when a lot of people go to visit their family.

Our host in Karaj thinks another problem is the quality of cars. Because there is no concurrence in Iran – because of the sanctions – car production is in the hands of a few who seem not to be caring about the quality of cars as Iranians will buy their cars anyways.

The lack of concurrence makes a lot of products expensive and poor quality, even for Iranians. But as most have no possibility to leave to country nor can buy products outside Iran (online), they have to buy it for this price.

People also remark they buy less for the same price. Our host for example remembers some years ago the pot with peanut butter was completely filled. Now it’s only 80% filled for the same price.

A lot of people blame the government for these signs of bad economy. The government just don’t seem to care about economy.

The same host in Karaj reveals us that in the south poverty is a real problem – some don’t have enough drinking water in the summer. But this has been going on for years, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to change fast.

Anyways, Iranians love the beauty of their country. They take us outside the cities, on steep roads with marvelous views, to do a night hike (because the temperature is just bearable then), …

I like Persian music, because of the poetry that is inside it, and the subtle remarks often reflect some part of Iranian life. Persian singer Ebi tells about a tree which is wounded – by American sanctions – but all it wants to do is caring for the birds (travellers). It is such a symbol for our trip – we were treated with so much hospitality while these people have much less than they should have because of these sanctions and the current political situation.

These people - will never stop to believe in them and their strengths.