WANderlust - Tehran 2015
Did you know that Iranian taxi drivers listen to K-pop too? On our long drive from Kashan to Tehran, our taxi was filled with the sounds of Gangnam Style, Gentleman and other trending K-pop songs. As much as I enjoy the genre, it can be a bit too much for my sensibilities, particularly when I was trying to nap. :p
Tehran is the capital of Iran, and just as I expected (or perhaps like a self-fulfilling prophecy), I did not like it at all. It was gray and soul-less, very much different from the Iran I had enjoyed, and very similar to other developing cities out there. I am sure it is much better than how I make it out to be, but given how much of Iran there is to explore, I think it is fine to skip it if you run out of time.
It is not without its attractions though. Do make time for the below!
- Dine at Khoshbin which I cannot get enough of. I loved my white fish rice, as well as Yanshan's sour chicken equivalent. We loved it so much, we went back again!
- Try aush and halim at Ash-e seed Mehdi. The former is a thick stew of noodles, dairy and lentils, while halim is a savoury wheat porridge that is eaten with cinnamon and sugar. We only came across this because there was a queue out of the restaurant, and once again my Singaporean-ness kicked in and I felt compelled to join it. :p
- Grab some Mexican corn, which probably has nothing to do with Mexico, but oh so tasty. It is steamed corn with mushrooms and mayonnaise. Junk food for my soul.
- Take in the bling at the Treasury of National Jewels. I REALLY wanted to see this but unfortunately it was closed. It supposedly houses the most stunning treasures in the world.
Iran was such an eye-opener and I hope you enjoyed the glimpse of it through my stories. Unfortunately Covid has put a dampener on things, but I do hope you will take some time to acquaint yourself with this beautiful country when things resume a semblance of normalcy.
More related photos on Flickr and Instagram.