Sep. 1, 2007
Dubai
I had some difficulties buying a Bangkok – Dubai ticket. Travel agencies told me that many Middle Eastern people finish their holidays in Bangkok and go back to their countries before school starts in early September. I ended up buying an expensive return ticket from Bangkok to Abu Dhabi for about 30,000 baht while the normal fare is only around 20,000 baht. On the other hand, this gives me an opportunity to see Abu Dhabi, the capital of UAE so it’s not too bad. I flew with Etihad Airways, a new luxury airline claiming to the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, operating from Abu Dhabi. As expected, this flight was really full although I found many passengers were Europeans going to their home countries (only about half of the passengers were Arab people). The flight arrived at Abu Dhabi Airport in the desert shortly after noon. Immigration was straightforward and I had a chance to have a quick beef sandwich before boarding the free shuttle bus provided by Etihad Airways from Abu Dhabi Airport to Dubai (they also have a similar service to Al Ain). Onboard the bus, a small bottle of water was provided together with a small but cute bag (the water turned out to be very useful). It only took a little bit over one hour to get to Dubai. On the way I saw offices of companies like IBM, Microsoft and Siemens and many new condos being built along the highway near Dubai. The bus stopped at an office building west of the city and I had to take a taxi (20 dirham) to get to the clock tower area where I needed to get my ticket to Baku issued at the Azerbaijan Airways office (I had booked with the airline through email). As soon as I got out of the vehicle, I could feel the heat. I have to admit that it’s really, really hot (in Dubai it’s hot even if you are in an air-conditioned bus and at night). After getting my ticket, I had some fish dumplings (12 dirham) and a cup of watermelon juice (8 dirham) at China Sea Restaurant near Azerbaijan Airways office. Most customers seemed to be Chinese there. The dumplings were so-so but the watermelon juice was helpful in this hot weather. I took a bus to Gold Souq Bus Station in Deira from where I walked to Dubai Creek. The creek is nice and the boat across it (now 1 dirham) is pleasant. The Al Ghubaiba Bus Station in Bur Dubai is just on the other side. I would need to take bus No. 8 (or 8A) that passes Burj Al Arab. Since this route comes from Gold Souq, I spent some time figuring out the right platform. In Dubai most bus passengers are foreigners (Indians and Asians, etc.) and buses are not frequent so some endurance is needed. The bus finally arrived and it took less than an hour to pass Burj Al Arab. I booked the Sky View Bar in the hotel for 7:30 p.m. (it seems you must spend some money to see this self-claimed 7 star hotel and reservation with credit card is necessary). It was still a little bit early so I decided to check out Mina A’Salam hotel complex next to Burj Al Arab first. It’s actually a quite lovely complex with artificial lakes and shopping annexes, etc. From the swimming pool of Mina A’Salam you get the best view of Burj Al Arab. When it’s about 7 p.m., I walked to Burj Al Arab, located on an artificial island nearby, and was stopped by a black security guard at the entrance to the island. While it may be a little bit strange to walk to this hotel, I did see people walking out of the hotel. I showed him my reservation printout and he guided me to a hotel vehicle to the hotel entrance. Once I got into the door, there was an Asian lady greeting at me. The lobby is not very big but the hall is very high. I took the escalator to the second floor where there are a few shops and elevators. Some visitors were busy taking photos around. I met a Chinese guy from Shenzhen and he told me that he would stay at the hotel for one night (the financial status of the Chinese people is really different now). Heading for the 27th floor and reporting my name at the Sky View Bar, I was taken to a seat in the bar but no view (as a matter of fact, only a very limited number of seats have views to outside). I only had a chance to have a glimpse of outside when I went to the bathroom. There is a very heavy menu of all kinds of drinks. Since my purpose was to see the hotel and I don’t know too much about cocktails, I asked a mixologist to create a cocktail of 3 fruits (kiwi, cranberry and peach) and 2 alcohols (one Volga and another one I cannot remember). It turned out to be very interesting (they even gave me a name “New Zealander”). There were some free snacks on the table. Cost for the cocktail was 85 dirham. The minimum spending of 250 dirham is only on paper, I guess. I also noticed some people wearing less formal than the required dress code (in order to see this hotel, I wore a pair of leather shoes for the entire trip, perhaps the first time in my travel life). I spent about one hour in the bar (enough to try the cocktail, experience the atmosphere and watch people) and left. Overall it’s interesting to see this hotel although there is nothing really very special. You do get a lot of greetings from people working in the hotel. Taking bus No. 8A back to Gold Souq and changing to No. 4 that passes the airport terminal 1, my time in Dubai was near the end. On Dubai buses, the first 3 rows of seats are reserved to ladies. Guys can sit there if there are not enough ladies but should leave if more ladies get on. Even after 10 p.m., there were traffic jams on the streets and many shops were still open. I finally arrived at the award winning Dubai International Airport and didn’t know that a nightmare was awaiting me. There are no restaurants after check-in so I had a chicken wrap at the food court upstairs first. It was not too bad. Then I went to the Azerbaijan Airways counter but they refused to give me a boarding pass because I had only a one-way ticket. They said the Azerbaijani immigration requires a return ticket. I explained to them that I already contacted the airline and there would be no problem and showed my 1 year visa to Thailand and my return ticket from UAE to Bangkok. They didn’t seem to care about that and there were only 20 minutes left before the counter was going to close. I then offered to buy a return ticket and finally got my boarding pass just before they were going to close (Although I later got a refund of the ticket I didn’t use, I did loss money for refund charge and spend time handing all these craps). I didn’t sleep well on this 3 hour airplane. Further more I didn’t even know there was another nightmare ahead.
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| Dubai Creek |
Sep. 2, 2007
Azerbaijan
The airplane arrived at Baku airport around 5 a.m. I got a visa on arrival for 65 USD. No return ticket checked (the officer did ask about invitation letter and I said no – that’s it). I did go through two security checks. Luckily my LP book survived. The foreign exchange counter was still closed but there is an ATM that gives both USD and manat. Manat is the local currency and was just revalued. The value of the new manat is even higher than the USD. I withdrew some manat and went outside the airport. A few taxi drivers approached me physically and asked me to go with them. After finding out that the bus was not running yet, I went with a guy who said he would charge 25 manat to take me to the city. Since Azerbaijan applies summer time, it’s still very dark around 6 a.m. On the way the taxi driver suddenly said he would charge 40 manats. Being in a foreign country for the first time, I had no choice. When I handed over a 50 manat note, he gave some old manat (worth much, much less value) and said he had no change. I know the old manat is worth nothing and insisted the new manat. I asked him to drive around but he couldn’t find a shop that could give changes. He got very upset and threaded to take me to his apartment. Out of choices, I offered to give him some USD instead. He finally agreed but refused to give the 50 manat note back to me. He requested another 5 USD note from me. How different is this from a robbery? I finally escaped from this nightmare and went to 28 May metro station. In the Caucasus English is almost useless (Russian is the king) so I showed the ticket officer the metro map and where I wanted to go, they suggested I buy a day pass and charged me 3 manat (Although I don’t know the exact price, I feel this is way too much – everybody has a way to make money, especially out of a foreigner).
Baku metro is quite old and not air-conditioned. But it’s still efficient. From 28 May metro station (where the main train station is also located), it’s only 2 stops to get to Baki Soveti station (close to old town). When I got out of the metro, I was totally lost. A police officer was quite nice to take me to the Palace of Shirvan-Shahs, only 2 minute walk from the station inside the old city wall. The palace was not open yet so I only had a chance to look from outside. I then did a walk in the old city to Maiden’s Tower. Having just encountered two nightmares, I didn’t have much mode to explore the city. But honestly speaking, walking inside the old city during early morning is quite pleasant – you feel like you are back in the history again. Maiden’s Tower was not open either (it’s too early – 8 a.m. Sunday morning), so I crossed the street to pay my respect to the Caspian Sea. Before I got to the metro again, I bought a bottle of water. Even the vendor took advantage of me (I realized this later. The water should have cost 0.2 manat, not 2 manat).
The long distance bus terminal is not far from 20 Janvar metro station (on a dirt road downhill). I caught the 9:40 a.m. bus for Shaki. The fare is only 6 manat (for the first time in Azerbaijan I experienced normality). The bus first went south along the Caspian Sea then used the main road along the railway before turning north into Shaki. The journey took about 6 hours. The bus actually passed the bus station and finally stopped in the town center (near the square). I was able to hop on a marshrutka No. 11 and just handed over 1 manat and let the conductor to return changes (the fare is 0.2 manat). The last stop is the walled Khan’s Palace. Entrance fee is only 0.4 manat (2 manat for a camera permit which I didn’t buy). The palace is a small 2 storey Azeri building. The guide (included in the ticket) speaks reasonable English. After the palace, I walked downhill to Karvansary Hotel I booked on telephone before I left home. I have to say that this is the real highlight of Azerbaijan. And the 20 manat I spent here is very worth it (I later realized hotels in the Caucasus are extremely expensive). The hotel entrance is not apparent (there is no English sign but you probably can guess it). Once you get in, it’s a different world. I felt I was living in a world a few hundred years ago. Although it’s very hot outside, the room inside is just cool (without any a/c). There is also a nice outdoor restaurant. But I decided to walk around town. On the way to the main square in town, I sampled some Halvasi, a very sweat local desert, for free. I had my dinner at Galabi Xan Restoran just next to the square where many people drink teas and chat. This restaurant is a favorite of locals but it also has an English menu which is very useful for me. I selected a table outside (quite pleasant) and ordered a dovga with meat (national food) for 1 manat. It’s actually a kind of soup with yoghurt, some minced spinach and very limited minced meat. You put bread (huge) pieces into the bowl. Although I cannot say this is very delicious, the experience is good.
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| Karvansaray Hotel, Shaki |
Sep. 3, 2007
Davit Gareja
I got up early to catch the 7:00 a.m. marshrutka to Zaqatala for 2 manat (taxi from hotel to bus station 1 manat). Although it left 15 minutes late, it arrived in Zaqatala 15 minutes before 9:00 a.m. I couldn’t find a marshrutka to Balakan near the Georgian border but instead found a bus on the street with a Russian name as the destination. I asked the passengers on the bus and they told me they were going to Tbilisi. How nice? It would save me a lot hassle and costs for getting a taxi on both sides of the borders, etc. The bus fare is only 5 manat. The bus left around 9 a.m. but didn’t get out of the town for about one hour. There was at least 1.5 hour wait at each side of the border. No real hassle had been encountered although the officer on the Azerbaijan side did ask me to open my bag. It was quite straightforward on the Georgia side. The officer even said “Welcome to Georgia” to me. And there is no visa fee and no application forms (just a stamp).
I got off at Sagarejo on the way to Tbilisi where I found a taxi to Davit Gareja for 25 USD. It’s a one hour scenic trip to this remote site. At Davit Gareja, there are two parts to explore. The Lavra area is a caved monastery of 3 levels. There are still people living there. One local person showed me the coffin of Davit Gareja, residing in one of the rooms. The Udabno is uphill from a trail besides the church bookstore and there is another way coming back. The loop takes about 90 minutes. On the way there are frescoes of Mongols (history again) and fantastic views of Azerbaijan.
Back to the town of Sagarejo, I took a marshrutka to Tbilisi (1 hour, 2 lari). The marshrutka stopped near Isani metro. The Tbilisi metro is air-conditioned, with some modern trains and is dirt cheap (0.4 lari). However, I spent almost 2 hours finding a hotel near the metro line. Many of the hotels mentioned in LP either didn’t exist, or were being renovated or difficult to find. I finally took the only room available at Hotel Lile (100 lari for the first night for the suite room and 80 lari for the second night for a smaller room, advance payment is required).
Having settled the hotel, I tried to find a place to eat. Again the restaurant mentioned on LP near Hotel Lile is not there anymore. I then found a restaurant near the metro across the street. There was nobody in the restaurant. I tried to use English to ask if they were open. To my surprise, the lady spoke Chinese to me. It turned out that she used to study Chinese in Qingdao. Although she speaks a little bit Chinese, at least I managed to order some khinkali (0.4 lari each). She asked how many I wanted. I remembered LP said one shouldn’t order anything less than 5. But when I said 5, they refused and said in Chinese that no 5 would be made and at least 10 had to be ordered! Khinkali is kind of dumpling similar to Baozi in China but it uses minced beef and there is a lot of oil inside. You are not supposed to eat the head. It’s quite delicious for the first few. After I finished 3, I started to feel full. The last 5 had no taste in my month!
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| Davit Gareja |
Sep. 4, 2007
Kazbegi
Today is the day for the Georgian Military Highway. I arrived early at Didube bus station (near Didube metro) and caught a marshrutkas leaving at 8:00 a.m. This driver did drive at extremely high speed and drove to the opposite line very frequently (sometimes to take shortcuts but sometimes for no apparent reasons) but he seemed to know what he was doing. The view is dramatic anyway. It only took 2 hour and 20 minutes for the uphill journey.
The famous Tsminda Sameba church can be seen from the parking lot. To get there, you have to get to the village across the Tergi River first. The locals in the village are happy to give directions to visitors. From the cemetery behind the village, there are two routes going up. One is for hiking only - it’s shorter and just a little bit steeper. Another one is easier to walk (also possible for cars) but slightly longer. I used the first one up and the other one down. It took me less than 1 hour each way. The little church on top of the hill is just amazing and the view from there is also splendid. Some couples spend quite some time there. For me, one hour is enough. And I had time to eat some delicious khachapuri at a local restaurant back in the village (no sign, directed by a local). The restaurant in the basement of Stepan Tsminda Hotel recommended by LP was not open somehow.
Going back to Tbilisi, I had a more “normal” marshrutkas driver. The journey downhill took 2 hours and 50 minutes.
Not dark yet, I decided to have a walk along Rustavelis Gamziri, the main street where both the Governor’s Palace and the Parliament Building are located. Contrary to the LP guide, I found internet cafes quite difficult to find on the main streets of Tbilisi (there is no Internet service in the postal office). I finally found one with the help of a local.
I had my dinner at Samaya, a nice place full of locals. The recommended Georgian Chicken Soup cost me 6 lari and two pieces of maize bread 2.5 lari (20% service charge were added extra!). Although the chicken soup is quite delicious (the soup is more delicious than the chicken), the portion is not very big. Luckily the maize breads I ordered made me full and are a good companion for the soup.
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| Tsminda Sameba Church, Kazbegi |
Sep. 5, 2007
Tbilisi
Although I stayed in Tbilisi for two nights already, I didn’t have a chance to see the city too much. So I gave myself a few hours to see the city before going to Armenia by train in the afternoon.
Hotel Lile is not far from the old town so I just walked down. Tbilisi is a city of layers. Only seeing the map doesn’t give you a lot of information. I could only find Narikala Fortress with the help of locals. There is a good view of the city from the fortress. I then walked in the old city and got lost (it was fun). Kartlis Deda Statue can be seen in many parts of the old city. I finally ended my walking tour at the square near the river where I started. From there I was going to take a sulphur bath at the famous Orbeliani Baths. Walking through the Abanos Kucha (Bath Street) and asking the locals about Orbeliani without success, I finally met an Azerbaijani boy and he showed me Orbeliani. It turned out to be the big building (looks like a mosque) near the square. I paid 2 lari for the public bath (10 lari for the private one). There is one guy taking care of the lockers and another guy inside offering quick massage/scrub. There is a hot pool and a cold pool upstairs. Even the shower is full of sulphur. Very relaxing. It also reminded me of the public baths in China long time ago…
I had my last meal in Georgia at the biggest McDonald’s next to Rustaveli metro. Although it’s not lunch time (after 2 p.m. already), there were full of locals there. Georgian food is probably the best food I’ve taken during this trip, the American influence is still very strong!
The train station is just next to Vagzlis Moedani metro so no worries getting there. All the tickets to Yerevan are sleepers. I bought the 3rd class for only 16 lari. I didn’t realize why it’s so cheap until I was in the cart. There was no a/c (that’s OK) but there was no fan either and the windows couldn’t be opened! It’s an excellent opportunity to develop one’s endurance. Furthermore, the train departed two hours later than the scheduled time (3:40 p.m.). There was a two hour delay at the Georgian border and one hour and a half delay at the Armenia border where I bought my visa for 30 USD.
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| Tbilisi |
Sep. 6, 2007
Armenia
The train arrived in Yerevan around 11:30 a.m. A taxi driver asked 1,500 dram to take me to the main bus station Kilikya Avtokayan. Unlike many other bus stations, there were not many people there. I tried to ask somebody if there were any buses to Iran. To my surprise, they still had one ticket left for a bus the next day to Tehran for 52 USD. How wonderful? Frankly speaking I didn’t really expect this (LP said one needs to book one week in advance) and just wanted to give it a try. This would again save me lots of hassles on taxis on each side of the border and hotel costs and give me more time in Tehran (the cost is that I have to sleep on the bus). I bought the ticket and hopped on a bus to Echmiadzin (only 200 dram).
The slow bus arrived in Echmiadzin one hour later. To a non-religious person like me, the Holy See of Echmiadzin is more like the respect to the building, etc. Interestingly enough, I met two Japanese guys there. One of them speaks very good Chinese. One hour later, I was on another bus back to Yerevan.
The bus stopped at Mesrop Mashtots Poghots (the main street) shortly after the bridge. Remembering that LP mentioned many travelers use travel agencies to find cheap apartments, I walked along this busy street and found a travel agency shortly. I told the guy what I was looking for and he could only find a hotel for 25,000 dram and he could offer free transport to the hotel. I did some quick calculation: although the price is high, it’s still acceptable and I didn’t have much time since I had to go to Sevan (some 67 km away from the capital) on the same day. I accepted his offer. After exchanging some dram, he told me that the 25,000 dram room was not available, only the 27,000 dram one was available and their service charge was 5,000 dram. Enough is enough. I walked away and found Hotel Shirak not too far away. The rate is 20,000 dram including breakfast. Although not very cheap, it’s a better value than Hotel Lile in Tbilisi – the room is bigger and the breakfast is quite delicious (I found out later). And the location cannot be beaten. I walked through Republican Square to Hanrapetutyan Hraparak metro and had my only metro experience in Yerevan to Yeritasardakan (air-conditioned, also cheap at 50 dram). I was lucky enough to get on a marshrutka leaving for Sevan at 4 p.m. It took a little bit over one hour to reach Sevan. I planed to take a taxi from Sevan town to Sevanavank as indicated in LP. Somehow this marshrutka continued after Sevan town and I eventually saw Sevanavank and Lake Sevan. I asked to get off and paid my respect to the lake. It’s a beautiful lake. Sevanavank is another 1.5 km away on the hill. I decided not to go there to take a closer look and get back to Yerevan. I stopped a car (any car can be a taxi) and asked the driver to take me to the bus station in Sevan town. As we passed Sevan town, he tried to tell me that the last bus already left and offered to take me to Yerevan (in Armenian but I could understand what he wanted to tell me). Calculating my money and the time, I agreed to pay 6,000 dram to Yerevan. Less than one hour later, I got off at the top level of the Cascade (the so-called 50th Anniversary of Soviet Armenia Monument) when it’s still not dark. I walked down the Cascade and eventually reached Opera House. I spent one hour in an Internet café then wandered on the streets of Yerevan when it’s getting dark. This is really interesting experience. There are numerous cafes in central Yerevan and it’s wonderful to just watch people inside the cafes. I finally stopped at Marco Polo for my dinner (BBQ pork 1,800 dram). The food is nothing special but watching people in this café/restaurant (singles are rare) is amazing.
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| Mayr Tachar, Echmiadzin |
Sep. 7, 2007
Armenia to Iran
The international bus from Yerevan to Tehran was supposed to leave at 11:00 a.m. but was late for more than one hour. We stopped at Goris for some delicious BBQ chicken (1,000 dram, BBQ beef and kebabs also available. The restaurant takes all kinds of money – Armenian dram, Iranian rials and US dollars). The bus stopped here for 90 minutes (the Armenian way!) The view on the way from Yerevan to the Iranian border is very spectacular - definitely one of few beautiful routes I have seen so far.
There were about 90 minute delays on each side of the border. Although no hassles encountered, they did treat me slightly different on both sides perhaps because it’s a little bit strange for them to match my Asian face to my Canadian passport. The Armenian immigartion is just 200 meters away from the Iranian one and is where the non-Muslim women on the bus started to put on scarves and more clothes.
We had another dinner stop in Iran about one hour after the border. No English spoken. I asked an Iranian passenger to order anything for me. It turned out to be grilled chicken on rice. Butter and coke also provided. Not bad at all.
Sep. 8, 2007
Tehran
The bus arrived in Tehran early than expected at 7:30 a.m. I was still sleepy on the bus. My first impression of the city was not that great. There are grey mountains to the north. The city seems to be grey as well with old buildings around and chaotic traffic. I remembered “shared taxi” mentioned in LP and had no idea how to get one. One man approached me and offered to take me to my hotel for 100,000 rials and I just agreed (perhaps because I was still sleepy, I even forgot to negotiate). I booked my 3 star hotel in Tehran and 4 star hotel in Shiraz (2 nights) as required by iranianvisa.com for my visa application. The one in Tehran, Mashad Hotel, is just opposite Taleqani metro near the former US embassy (now called “US Den of Espionage”) where anti-US slogans in Farsi and English are all over the wall. Honestly the hotel doesn’t look like 3 star at all. There is only one small single bed and the room looks pretty old. No big deal. I rested shortly and went out. First I changed some rials (relatively straightforward. Bank Melli is OK but actually slower than other banks – you need to meet different people at different counters). Then I bought my air ticket from Shiraz to Dubai 4 days later (the 7:30 a.m flight by Iran Aseman was full so I had to buy the 10:00 a.m. one by Iran Air – 920,000 rials). I also went to the train station to check the schedule from Tehran to Esfahan. The times are not very good for me. One fast train leaving around 5 a.m. costs 90,000 rials (5 hours). Another one leaving around 11:00 p.m. costs 40,000 rials (7 hours, sleeper). For same day tickets you can buy at the train station otherwise you have to buy at a travel agency. After all the tedious work was done I felt hungry and wanted to eat at the restaurant near the train station mentioned in LP but I couldn’t find it. Walking along the street, I finally had something similar to hot dog (but much bigger and the stuff is some other meat than sausage) for 6,000 rials only. I had half day in Tehran and would like to do some sightseeing of the capital. But there is not too much to see in Tehran. I remembered LP mentioned the northern part of the city looks better and decided to take a look at Tochal Darband. The locals were very helpful in giving me directions for taking and changing buses. Some even walk a long way with me to show me the bus stop. Several times when I tried to pay fare on the bus, people didn’t want me to pay (because I am a tourist?). Tochchal Darban is in the foot of the mountains where nicer apartments and houses can be seen. It’s also the starting point for the cable cars. I was unlucky to be informed that the cable car (seems mostly for skiing) is not running on Saturdays and Sundays. A little bit disappointed, I went back to southern Tehran and wanted to see Golestan Palace. When I reached it there, the guard told me it was not open. I then had some fresh melon juice (5,000 rials) and checked out Tehran Bazar across the street – nothing special but good for people watching. I ended my day in Tehran by having a pizza at an Iranian fast food restaurant for 24,000 rials (different from the American version but not bad). Overall although the city is not particularly interesting, I was impressed by the hospitality of the people and the extremely cheap (750 rials) and efficient (with English names) Tehran metro (though sometimes it gets very crowded).
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| Tehran Railway Station |
Sep. 9, 2007
Esfahan
Buses going south depart from the southern bus terminal (near terminal-e-jonoub metro). So I had the chance to take the Tehran metro for the last time (I really liked it). With the help of a local, I was just able to catch a 9:00 a.m. bus to Esfahan. It only took 6 hours to arrive at the newer and bigger Kaveh bus terminal in Esfahan. There are city buses passing the terminal. Since I had no idea as to where to get off, I used a taxi (20,000 rials) and asked him to drop me at the intersection near Amir Kabir Hostel. This hostel is really popular. I even met the famous walker, Jean Béliveau, from Canada. The owner told me I could only get a single room (100,000 rials) after 10:00 p.m. when a Japanese guy checks out. OK. I left my bag and passport (in Iran you need to leave your passport with the hotels for police check) and started to explore the city.
First I walked south to Si-o-She Bridge. Many Iranians were relaxing and taking pictures there. I even saw couples taking off their shoes and walking in the river. I then took a taxi (15,000 rials) to Jameh Mosque. It was being renovated and many rooms were not open – not very worth the 5,000 rial ticket. With the help of the locals, I was able to walk to Imam Square just before sunset. I have to admit that it’s indeed spectacular. Unlike Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, this square looks more human as many Iranians have picnics in the square and there are many shops in the buildings around the square. I climbed up the Ali Qapu Palace (5,000 rials) to have a better view of the square and visited Imam Mosque at the southwest corner of the square (free). There are many souvenir shops around the square. I had my dinner at the famous Restaurant Traditional Banquet Hall full of Iranian and foreign tourists (on the second floor of a yard on the east side of the square). The food is nothing special (I had kebab with rice plus a 1.5L bottle water for 32,000 rials) but the atmosphere should not be missed (you eat on a bed).
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| Si-o-Seh Bridge |
Sep. 10, 2007
Esfahan to Shiraz
Since LP said in Iran normally you just show up at the bus station half an hour before the bus leaves and there are frequent bus services between Esfahan and Shiraz, I didn’t buy my ticket from Esfahan to Shiraz yesterday when I arrived. Today I got up early as usual and took a city bus to Kaveh bus terminal (only 250 rials) only to find out all the morning buses to Shiraz were sold out. Only one company had a ticket at 1:00 p.m. I bought the ticket (20,000 rials) and waited a few hours. About 20 minutes before 1:00 p.m., I went to the platform and couldn’t find any bus waiting. I went back to the counter and they told me that the bus had been canceled and returned the money to me. This was the only nightmare I had in Iran – I didn’t expect the Shiraz bus was that difficult. A young Iranian guy was very kind to help me check with other companies in hope of getting a ticket but without success. He then arranged me to take a taxi (30,000 rials) to the smaller Soffeh bus terminal (south of the town) where I could get a long distance taxi to Shiraz. When I arrived at Soffeh terminal, I couldn’t find any taxis willing to go to Shiraz. Almost desperate, I went inside the bus terminal and asked if they have any buses leaving for Shiraz in the afternoon. To my surprise, two bus companies both had buses for Shiraz available – one leaving at 3:00 p.m. and one leaving at 4:00 p.m. I bought the 3:00 p.m. one (45,000 rials) immediately.
It took 6.5 hours to arrive in Shiraz. A young man siting besides me on the bus offered to take me to my hotel. I told him the address and he stopped a shared taxi. By that time I finally understood how the shared taxi works in Iran. When a taxi approaches, you have to shout your destination. If the taxi goes to the same direction, the driver will let you in. Perhaps because the man was not familiar with the address, he tried a few times and finally found my hotel. He paid all the taxi fares and refused my money!
I thanked him and walked to the 4 star hotel, Hotel Parseh, north of Arg-e Karim Khani. It looks newer and has more stuff than the one in Tehran (like a hairdryer). However, I still noticed the carpet was quite dirty. Other than that, it’s a clean and comfortable place.
Sep. 11, 2007
Persepolis and Shiraz
I called yesterday to book a tour to Persepolis from Pars Tourist Agency (12 USD or 110,000 rials). So I walked to the agency before the tour started at 8:00 a.m. and paid the money. There were two Australian guys, one Japanese guy and some Iranians in the tour. They sent two tour guides – one for foreigners and one for the locals.
One hour later, we arrived at Naqsh-e Rostam, the tombs of Darius the Great and possibly some other kings in the history of Iran. We spent about an hour there wandering around and listening to tour guides’ introductions of history, etc.
Persepolis is just a short drive away and there are definitely more visitors. The guide explained the history and the functions of the major ruins and I paid my respect to Iran’s great past – that’s all I could do.
We got back to Shiraz before 2 p.m. I had a hamburger (again bigger than the American version) and salad at the recommended 101 Hamburgers and Pizzas. Basically you go to a counter to order and then go to different counters to get hamburgers, pizzas, salad and soft drinks. A good alternative to McDonald’s.
Half a day is enough for me to explore sites in Shiraz. First I paid 2,000 rials to have a glimpse inside Arg-e Karim Khani. The fortress looks quite high from outside. Inside it’s basically a garden with some rooms of exhibitions of the history of Shiraz. You cannot climb the wall.
I then passed through Vakil Bazaar and checked out Mausoleum of Shah-e Cheragh (free). It’s splendid inside and many Iranians seemed to be very touched by the coffin of Sayyed Mir Ahmad.
Getting back to the bazaar, I planned to have an early dinner at the recommended Hammam-e Vakil restaurant just outside the bazaar. The door was closed. One lady (with a small baby in her arms) smiled: “it will be open from 8 p.m.”. I had nothing to do and went back to my hotel to have some rest. When I returned to the restaurant at 8 p.m., the door was still closed. One guy asked if I needed any help. I asked him if the restaurant was open. He said: “for today, after 10 p.m.”. I had no idea what’s going on with this restaurant. But my stomach couldn’t wait anymore. I went back and had a small pizza (15,000 rials) at a fast food restaurant near my hotel and used my remaining small rials (3,500 rials) to try another cup of delicious carrot juice.
Sep. 12, 2007
Abu Dhabi
I managed to get a taxi near my hotel to take me to the airport (6 km away) for 20,000 rials (asking 30,000 rials). The Iran Air flight to Dubai departed exactly one hour late at 11:00 a.m.
After getting my refund for the stupid Baku ticket, I waited 30 minutes for a bus to get to Al Bhubaiba Bus Station where I caught a minivan to Abu Dhabi (15 dirham). The journey took 2 hours. I got off just before the bus reached the bus station and walked 2 km down to the corniche to take a last look at the Gulf.
Abu Dhabi is also very modern with many high-rise buildings in the city center. It lacks the size and also the convenience Dubai has to offer. Taxis are not metered and bus routes are not indicated at bus stops. As a matter of fact, I couldn’t even get a taxi going to the airport (here the taxi drivers are very selective). Luckily enough, a 901 bus comes shortly. This bus comes from the corniche, runs along the main street that extends to Airport Road, passes through the bus station and goes all the way to the airport (stopping at terminal 2 first then terminal 1 where Etihad is based). The fare is only 3 dirham and the trip takes at least one hour.
Having some beef sandwich at the airport café (6 dirham) – departing hall this time, I was ready to get back to Bangkok just before the Ramadan starts.
Overview
UAE is easy to visit or stop over (only stamps, no application forms filled / no fees). Both Dubai and Abu Dhabi are modern cities in the Middle East. Dubai is probably more foreigner friendly while Abu Dhabi has more charm.
The Caucasus doesn’t see a lot of visitors even at high season. Somehow the hotels are expensive and difficult to find sometimes (too many business travelers?). Russian is the language but you can always find some people speaking some English eventually or use body language. Baku authorities should take some actions on the taxi drivers outside the airport if they want to give a good first impression to visitors. Staying at Karvansary Hotel in Shaki is a unique experience not to be missed. Georgia is the easiest country to visit in the Caucasus (same as UAE) and has more to offer to visitors. Tbilisi is safe at night – at least I didn’t encounter any problems. Walking on the streets in downtown Yerevan watching people at numerous cafes is probably the best relaxation while in Armenia.
In another world, Iran is probably just the opposite of “Axis of Evil”. I have seen the most generous and helpful people in this country. It’s very, very safe to travel around. Besides, almost everything (except for accommodations perhaps) is unbelievably cheap and there is a lot of free drinking water available on streets and in public places. English signs are everywhere on the streets and in metro stations in Tehran. Other than difficulties crossing streets, the only complaint I have is that it’s a little bit messy in the bus stations. You need to ask different bus companies for a destination and buses don’t normally put signs (even in Farsi) in the front of the bus. However, you can always easily find somebody who can speak some English and is eager to help you out (even that means he has to spend one hour to walk you around without asking for any money from you and sometimes he even pays for you).
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