As we cross borders from Iran to Turkmenistan, I wanted to write a brief post on our general experiences in Iran.  Initially I was a little apprehensive and unsure about visiting Iran, largely due to the current political tensions, media portrayal of the country and consequently the deep concerns from others.  We had previously met a few travellers who had been there, and reported great things and after much research we decided to go ahead with our plans.

Having been there I feel almost embarrassed about how naive I was about travelling the country.  While there are still some political unknowns, Iran itself as a country is amazing. It is extensive in its ancient Persian (and even recent) history, but most of all the people are extremely kind and friendly.  Perhaps the reason for this is that there are not many tourists in the country, resulting in less scams and other undesirables.  People approached us on the street merely out of curiosity, to have a chat, introduce themselves, practice English and to find out what the world’s perception of their country is.  There were no hidden agendas and as a result it was one of our most relaxing periods of travel.