As an action and spy movie buff, one of my all-time favorites is Argo. I still remember all the suspenses I watched it for the first time many years back, just for fun, and couldn’t care less about the story.
After my trip to Iran, I watched it again. After hearing so much about how Iranians’ love-hate relationship with the US, this film seemed legit, considering that it is about the complicated relationship between these two countries.
For decades, the story if Iran has been told by mainstream media dominated by the US and this movie seems to be one of that. Iranian people are portrayed as uncivilized and barbaric: the kind of people that tend to solve problems with violence. But after spending 10 days in this country, Iran seemed to unveil itself to me in the different light.
My trip to Iran wasn’t an adventurous one (except for some moments when we had to break the language barriers and when travelling in the car driven by locals lol). Everything went quite smooth. I dare say that Iran is a very peaceful country. I know it is hard to believe, considering that it is flanked by the war-torn Iraq and Afghanistan, but it is, and it is a good place to travel if you are interested in ancient civilizations, architecture and culture. Iran is a piece of jigsaw that will make your picture of the world more completed. People are friendly and curious about the world, and proud of their cultures, and are willing to tell you the different side of the story (something like Iranians are not Arabians, and although the area which is Iran nowadays are called Persia, but not all Iranian is Persian etc.) and the locals here are more friendly with cameras than many other Muslim countries. Their smiles, curiosity and hospitality really touch my heart.
Travel tips
1. Booking the guided tour beforehand is recommended since most Museums, mosques and shrines has little English information signages.
2. Iranians are punctual. So don’t be late.
3. Traditional Iranian men don’t shake hands with women.
4. Check restaurants opening hours carefully because they normally closed in the afternoon and open again around 7 p.m.
5. Travel by air saves more time.
