Iran

[paulklee]

Anyone been to Iran recently? I'm considering a trip through Iran on an onward journey and just wondered about the current situation there (beyond what anyody can read in the press etc). I'm not a US passport holder and don't think there is much animosity in Iran to other nationalities (maybe not even to US folk anymore?).

How did you arrange your visa? I know there is a consulate off Ekamai Soi 10 and the Embassy is down just off Sukhumvit 49, where to go?

What about air travel? I see at wego that quite a few airlines travel there tho not direct from Bangkok, which I want. And Iranian Air website shows flights but not fares or detail (go see a travel agent it says!) and Thai Airways doesnt seem to recognise IKA, Iran or Tehran/Teheran!

Anyway, if anyone has been there or heard something about getting there/being there, and can take time to giver some info, I'd be onliged....

[kannot]

Emirates do BKK Dubai Tehran, bit of a long way round and about 30k baht

[yermanee]

Bangkok office Mahan Air (Iran) :

Mahan Air Town Office:

ADD: 140/65 ITF Tower, 27th Floor, Silom Road,

Suriyawong, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500 Thailand

Tel: +66 23 16 961

Fax: + 66 23 16 967

E-mail: [email protected]

Cargo E-mail: [email protected]

Yermanee

[phuketrichard]

not sure what recent means ( 5555)

but spent a month there when the shah was in power an loved it :-)

[JetsetBkk]

not sure what recent means ( 5555)

but spent a month there when the shah was in power an loved it :-)

From an email I received recently:

IRAN 1970

IRAN 2012

[mogandave]

You can thank the USA for that

[asanee]

Yes have ben there-my 1st time, 10 days in early april and met a Thai profesor there having his songkran break.

Got my visum pretty easily by going to Embassy in EU. The only thing they are sharp at if you have family there/or are an ex-Irany (refugee) and if its your 1st time. For no/yes you are considered safe enough.

Flew in via Dubai/Sharja, thatB THai had boked via EK.

You are WELCOME-tourists are considered an honour, a guest to be treated very well and once out of Tehran still as a major curiosity. In part this country is very well developed, in other aspects not at all- no McDon, no hypermarket, not even supermarkets. Unlike other muslim countries, also ladies will do that and adress you for smalltalk.

Now I do not think this forum is very well suited for this-go to any of the better intern. fora for more info or Do buy that guidebook.

IF you are able to think a bit abstract, IR has much in common with old-fashioned TH in respect of many things. Including the language you cannot read and the double pricing-that applies to for hotels and about any tourist site. Transport not-and that is dirt cheap.

The money is quite unwieldy: for 20 GBP you are a millionaire (but they talk about money in toman=10 of it, utmost confusing), but a night in a 2/3* HTL will relieve you nicely of that million. For easy math: 1 THB is about 1.000 IRR. Best is to take CASH as US$ or EUR a plenty, as due to boycott no cred crds work. Thus its also IMPossible to prereserve HTLs-but I had no probs finding empty rooms anywhere. But even at the cash-exchange at IKA airport they would take THB-though not at a very good rate.

DO leave THan asap and see more of the country. it might even be better to fly via UAE/DUbai and use a low cost flite (AirArabia or FlyDubai) to a provincial town like Shiraz or Esfahan.

[nisakiman]

not sure what recent means ( 5555)

but spent a month there when the shah was in power an loved it :-)

Same as that. I travelled through Iran (Tabriz to Mashhad, from Turkey going to Afghanistan and vice versa) several times in the late 60s / early 70s. Tehran was a jumping city. Lots of good looking women in the latest fashions, lively downtown area with lots of bars, vodka bars in the old quarter, loads of good restaurants. It was great. Had a couple of good friends there who disappeared after the revolution. Never found out what happened to them, but I fear the worst.

If you're into Islamic architecture, Iran has some of the most fantastic mosques in the world, with truly mind boggling aesthetics. It's hard to reconcile such beauty with the bestial nature of fundamentalist Islam that we see today. Such a shame.