This is my 3rd day in the country, and the second city I visit. Crossing into Iran was mostly time consuming rather than difficult – it demanded bringing paperwork that was unnecessary, and since I arrived at 12:30am the employees were less than inclined to work. But when they actually got to it, they had fun and I dare say so did I! Procedures that seemed like they made no sense (such as writing down on a blank piece of paper a list of my destinations and how many days I’ll spend in each city) took place, but when you’re at the border of a foreign country there’s really no room for questions. After waiting for 4 hours along with 11 more tourists (needless to say I was the only solo female traveler) the guy responsible for granting us visas closed the office door behind him and said “You all go home now! Just kidding. Welcome to Iran!” We all took a second to react, and after catching our breaths we finally started laughing and walking towards the exit.
(The Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran. It is said that within its 10km shopping maze lays one third of the country’s economy.)
Since then, my trip here has been stressful, but absolutely worth it. One needs to be reminded that only 10 years ago Iran saw just 2 million tourists crossing its border, although this number has been steadily increasing to 6 million per year (and yet only 1,000-1,500 Americans visit per year) making Iran’s wealth of attractions a hot spot. The tourist infrastructure is not as developed yet, as to be expected. And yet, I’ve never had so many locals (if any, ever) stop in the middle of the street just to say “Welcome to my country!”
(Tehran’s metro system is easy to navigate, it’s clean and artistic, and one of the cheapest in the world costing 20 cents per ride.)
Iran has all these rough spots you come across more often than not and then you find the soft ones and they melt away like butter and they make your heart melt too; like when you spend a few hours at Hafez’s tomb looking for the right time when the crowds have cleared to take a better look and when you finally get there you find a fellow traveler you met the night before on a train and she doesn’t speak but a few words in English and you hug because you had talked about this moment the night before between signs scattered words and Hafez’s name. And then she asks if she can read a poem for you and she randomly picks a page and it’s the best poem you’ve ever heard even if you don’t understand a word and you fight the tears in vain. And you hug twice more because the moment you shared is so special that no words can describe but she says she is happy for you and you feel your heart fluttering with joy.
And this magical moment sums up my reasons for traveling.
(Nasir-ol-mok Mosque, more commonly known as the Pink Mosque, one of the many tourist attractions in Iran. And me.)
Many people think that traveling solo is going to be boring and scary; however, the more one repeats this not only do they estrange themselves from befriending their own heart, they also forbid themselves from experiencing all the amazing opportunities for growth presented on the road, moments that soften up a heart and open it so swiftly it will never want again to return to what it was like before. I realize that traveling by one’s self can be challenging, but this is by no means a reason not to dip one’s feet into the unknown even just once in their life. Often, what starts off as a casual tourist expedition, ends up being a hungry pilgrim’s journey.
(Feet firmly on a Persian carpet, back against art created a few hundred years ago, heart floating among colorful clouds, head knowing I deserve to be here.)