I got my Iran visa extended by 30 days yesterday, Sunday a business day here. Thanks to a letter of introduction from Irish honorary consul to Tehran Mr. Alireza Feizollahi for dispatching his driver to help me through the loop and hoop nightmare it would have been on my own. Yes Yousef was wonderful. We must have went to about ten offices and hatches in the building. However I  almost had a problem as Iranian immigration were at first only going to give me one week then said 15 days saying they ignore all the stuff about 30 day extensions on the internet. Even though the twin identical forms I filled out were in Farsi with an English option, after filling  them out in English we were told to fill them out in Farsi! Thankfully there was a very new nice woman that kindly obliged and translate both As they say it all depends on the mood of the clerk you get as later I talked to a French man who zoomed through in half an hour for his extension. The nice lady came back over to assist when I was arguing that the letter of introduction from the consulate was not a commercial letter as different rules apply for a business visa. This immigration officer  had first told me to come back next day and talk to his boss. But when I was querying if the 15 days started from day of issue and if all remaining 7 days on my current visa would be lost, as I had read this. If issued a 15 days extension would I have 2 or 3 weeks. I could finish Iran in 3 weeks but would have a very tough time with 2 weeks. Suddenly this man playing God told me to come back in the afternoon. So we went to the consulate for tea and returned a couple of hours later. Back at the immigration office that afternoon I was greeted by a very nice man who I assumed was the boss. He was interested in the run saying he would like to help and duly gave me the 30 days I requested. Delighted we returned to the Irish Consulate and Alireza treated me to a delicious lunch in a very posh restaurant called Nayeb. We had a very interesting conversation about Iran and world affairs. Alireza, an Iranian has been working for the Irish companies for about 20 years and presumably was well known to the Irish government as they asked him to take up the position of honorary Consulate a couple of years ago. He speaks fluent English having been educated in Oxford and later Kansas. We talked about the Iranian revolution which was really a relatively bloodless revolution many people may be surprised to know. Yes I remembered when I crossed from Turkey in December 1978 on my world cycle trip while the shah was still in power. The Ayatollah Khomeini, Iran’s spiritual leader then called for civil disobedience from his exile in Paris. This meant the borders were closed and I was effectively trapped there for 6 weeks. I only had a little money and survived by selling my blood plasma twice.  That was till Shah Pahlavi fled to Egypt. Many countries did not want him. Later I believe he went to Hawaii. Jubilant crowds gathered in the city centre square and hacked down a horsebacked statue of  the Shah. Soldiers who days earlier were loyal to the Shah smiled as people put flowers into the barrels of their rifles. They were on guard at the  British embassy and would never again point their rifles at their people. Today behind that same British embassy is a street names after Bobby Sands, the first of the IRA hunger strikers to die in a seperate struggle in Northern Irelands H-Block prision   a couple of  weeks later. At the beginning of February 1979 Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran greeted by much jubilation. The borders opened and I left very fast for Afghanistan! I asked Alireza why I do not see many satellite dishes as in have been looking out for them and have seen only about a dozen. They have been banned by the Islamic government but later that day I read some 70% Iranians have them which they have disguised. It is also illegal for women not to wear the hijab, or head scarf. Even foreign women travellers have to have a head covering on their visa photo. Always asking strange questions I wondered how women manage here when they go to their hairdresser! It is also illegal for men to wear short pants. I am told Iranian men go crazy at the very sight of a woman’s hair, yet many women wear their scarfs but with their hair dangling down. Covering the outline of their boobs doesn’t seem to be as important an issue. Obviously Iranian women are not happy, On the ski slopes high up on the snow covered  Alborz mountain towering up into the clouds. Looking down like a giant head on Tehran, home  to an estimated 12/15 million people – about 20% of the countries population – women continue to ski alongside men and are dressed in sleek ski wear. The Islamic guard have failed to curb or control this.   I am told there is a lot of resentment against the current government. Iranian women account for most university places and possess 62% of engineering and scientific degrees. In my hostel dorm a man from Singapore rushed in to put his socks on as some old men had given him a boloking  for not wearing them with his sandals.  They are modest people. I never see them going to the toilet bat the side of the road and often wondered if they do go at all! Last week I ripped my running tights  and was very conscious of the modesty law for my hairy left leg was showing. Nobody said anything , I guess they thought I was a tramp! I stopped on Tehran’s Amir Kabir Avenue for a burger and fries. I also ordered tea but tea wasn’t available. Upon hearing my request a man who had a tea shop next door brought me in two cups and refused payment telling me in an almost comical manner that… ” I have more money than I need! ” Apparently he made it under the former Shahs reign. For some reason he left a book titled Technical Readings For Helicopter Mechanics by Thomas  Tinkham on my table.   Facebook is also banned in Iran but I am informed most government ministers have their own Facebook accounts. The people have ways to circumvent restricted sites. I was advised to install a vpm on my smart phone before entering Iran, I didn’t so I can’t log onto Facebook or refresh my BBC world service app, strangely I can get the New York Times! Indeed it is not only the women who resent the government men talk of their dislike openly to me and the older ones talk of how things were so much better during the Shah’s reign.As  mentioned before Iran is under pressure from the international community who have applied sanctions against the country. I have not seen any evidence of Iranians living in hardship, the contrary being my experience. They are great outdoors people come the weekend, Thursday and Friday here they are off camping for the weekends pitching their tents in small town parks, at the side of petrol stations and even mosques. I don’t see much local govt cut back either, I see teams of city workers patrolling the highways, planting flowers, painting and all general maintenance work. Even electricity in the desert area rest stops. People come up to me all the time wanting to offer their friendship, so unobtrusive and always leave me when I would rather be on my own or busy running on the road. Not a moments delay for they are gentle people – All have one question, almost a paranoia. They always ask what I or the world thinks of Iran.I can’t help reflecting on India where obtaining a ministerial or local government position is viewed more as a personal wealth achievement rather than as a duty to their citizens. I can barely remember seeing a city park or.any other facilities there, just broken roads and pavements and rats.living in Agra train station where people seemed unconcerned as they slept. Also rats.on the train tracks and on the luggage racks nibbling at passenger bags I am told! Yes Iran is the very country I need after India. The sanctions against Iran – that included blockades of oil and overseas bank accounts – helped push the Iranians towards the negotiating table to agree to inspections of their nuclear programme. The Iranian economy had suffered from the sanctions imposed in 2012. GDP fell by nearly 6% last year and ilnflation hit double digits, averaging some 39% Current President is Dr. Hassan Rohani.  Rohani has promised a whole load of social reforms but the system has made it difficult for him to deliver. The government is made of three branches: Legislative, Judiciary and executive branches. However according to Iranian constitution the spiritual leader can play an important role in the overall decision making process. Many thanks to Roshni Rai for sponsoring my two night stay in Tehran’s wonderful backpackers hostel called Mashhad Hostel. Anyone that wants to sponsor a night, meal etc. Please  feel free to donate on the PayPal link on the side bar. Thank you.

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