April 11, 2023 | Farvardin 22, 1402
Tehran.
Image: Standing on front of masjed Shahid Motahhari, taken during my walk home.
It’s morning at DXB airport and I am finally going to Iran, after wanting to visit for 17 years. I stood in line at the check-in counter for Havapeymayi Mahan. From all the chatter of the travellers around me in the line, I assumed that I will be the only non-Iranian and non-Persian person, but I did later on see a man from Turkiye on my plane. For some reason, I expected something to go wrong with my check-in, but it was easy and fast. My luggage was tagged and taken away.
I walked to Gate D3 as instructed, and waited for 2 hours. I waited for the tidal wave of emotion to wash over me, but to be honest, I was numb and still jet-lagged from flying from Seattle to Dubai a few days prior. For months before this, I exhausted every nerve of emotion with work, school, family, and trying to plan and finance this trip all alone. I think my adrenal glands were thankful to finally relish in the comfort that all the planning and prearrangements were finished, and there is no turning back now. I tried to review some basic Persian phrases, until I remembered that I needed to install a VPN before getting to Iran, per the advice of my friends.
About 30 minutes after take-off was when that wave hit me by surprise. We crossed the Persian Gulf and are now flying over Iranian land. I’ve wanted this for so long, and strangely it felt like I was going home. Going home to a place I’ve never been. Going home to a place where I do not know anyone. It’s an impossible thing to explain. But what is “home”, anyway? I have a complicated relationship with home, and I’m not sure if I can define that word so simply. Who knows . . . I may have a definition for it once I leave Iran.
We arrived to IKA airport 2 hours later. I experienced a smooth and quick entry process, even as a foreigner (although it may depend on your individual background and nationality, but overall, I saw a very calm airport atmosphere. My checked bag arrived within 30 seconds of walking over to the carousel, and I rolled over to wait in a very long line to get my bags scanned, and that is all. I saw only two x-ray machines.
TIP
If you applied for a Visa on Arrival, you should have a printed sheet with your application acceptance with your visa authorisation number on it. If that was your chosen method, then do not wait in line at the passport check-in after exiting the aircraft (where people queue up as citizens or foreigners, and someone in one of the glass booths checks your legal entry into the country).
First, you need to head down the long hallway and find a chamber with an ATM, and some service windows. Give the agent there your visa authorisation number, and then you will receive your Visa on Arrival. It’s very fast.
If you’ve already purchased health insurance that is valid for Iran as part of your visa application, then do not let them make you buy health insurance again at the airport. You might be jet-lagged and confused if there is a language barrier, so be prepared with proof of your travel health insurance. It was about $35 USD, and I paid in U.S. dollars.
Without internet or phone service, I managed to spot Dariush holding a sign with my name on it. He was assigned by the tour agency to pick me up. We drive northbound towards Tehran for almost one hour, making a little detour to visit the Mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini near Eslamshahr. There was no time to go in, but we did walk around the monumental building.
With everything being such a novelty to my senses, I marveled at the architecture, although the building is contemporary. I must schedule a visit the inside soon!
Currency and SIM Card
Dariush and I continued onward. Before he dropped me off at the hotel, we made two stops: one to get me a temporary SIM card, and afterwards to swap my U.S. dollars to Riyals. This was the first time I held Iranian currency, and I kept stroking the bills, thinking the texture felt unusual and trying to understand what felt different. I wondered if the money was real or counterfeit.
Onward! Finally, he dropped me off at Heritage Hostel, with one more hour of daylight to spare!
That evening, I met up with a friend, who helped me figure out how to contact my family using VPN. Once that was settled, we explored the streets around Baharistan, and fetched ghormeh sabzi for dinner, once the maghrib azan started and we found an open little restaurant. Ramadan the 9th month of the Islamic year, is considered holy. Devout Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn to dusk for the whole month (with many exceptions), and focus their time on giving and worship. In Iran, like most Muslim-dominated countries, restaurants and coffee shops are usually closed. I did see a few open places, though. It’s taboo to eat and drink in public, but again, I saw many people on the street snacking in public.
Finally, it was time to get my (tourist) bank card. I gave about $500 in cash to Farnoosh, and received a receipt and instructions on how to access my money. The money will be available to use in a day or two.
The rest of the money I brought into Iran, around $1,000, I kept as cash.
(In hindsight, that was not such a good idea. See <PAGE> to learn why).
Iran, Az Cheshmanam 