Iran. Just how much fun will a dry desert land run by religious dictators be?
Lots, to be honest. There were brewed beer drinks without alcohol. Peach beer, apple beer etc. Even some real - albeit zero alcohol - beer imported from Europe. Some desert, but also mountains, parks, green grazing fields, rivers. Snow-capped mountains are visible from Tehran.
The old airport, used now for domestic flights, is a planespotters paradise. Military jets on one side, an incredible array of vintage aircraft, including what looks like most of the world's remaining 747SPs, many of them still in use. We were loaded onto an old Fokker, complete with ashtrays in the arm rests. "Don't worry about that," said our guide, "look at the legroom!" Wow. More than I've seen outside premium economy for many years.
Great museums, cities full of young people obeying the dress regulations only as much as they had to. The women wearing skintight jeans, sleeves that stopped at the elbows, headscarves that balanced precariously on the top of their heads.
Beautiful city parks full of families enjoying the gardens and greens. Bazaars full of spices and foods and everything else. I still have a thick leather belt that was hand-made for me on the spot.
Friendly people, keen for selfies with tourists. And you know what, they were about as religious as we Aussies, which is to say, not much at all.
I went back the next year, and I'd go again if the opportunity arose.
