Iran… one of the countries that everybody think is dangerous and not safe to travel to and even less so on your own… being a female!!...

Made it to Iran!

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Iran… one of the countries that everybody think is dangerous and not safe to travel to and even less so on your own… being a female!!!!!!

I knew that Iran being a  muslim country had many rules such as covering your head all the time (using a hijab) but even with all the rules, that to me seem a little crazy, I was beyond excited for  this unexpected trip to a country I thought I would never visit. After 8 hours or so on the airplane we got ready for landing and the voice on the speaker told us that all women had to cover their head... so Iran here I come! As we got off the plane officials were waiting by the door making sure that all women were covered and they actually stopped those that were not wearing a hijab properly.


The first thing on arrival was to get a visa, I had been told that visa could take up to 2 hours so I raised over to the visa counter to try to beat the crowds. 
The process was a little confusing. I walked to the visa counter and there was only one guy standing giving instructions.
First one had to go to the insurance counter and buy insurance for iran or show proof of coverage in iran; thankfully I am traveling with world coverage and saved the $16 for 30 day insurance.
After getting a stamp on my insurance paper I walked back to the guy in the visa counter and handed him my passport. He gave me a form to fill out with my hotel and my exit flight info. I have heard that they actually call the people/ hotel that you are staying at to double check that the info you provided was accurate. I then walked back and gave him my filed out for and he then had to verify how much my visa was and I was transferred to "the bank." I had to fill yet another form and had to pay $66 for my visa and wait, wait, and wait.

After an hour or so I left with visa in hand, got my bag and went out to find a taxi. I went the cheap route and instead of using the taxi booth I went to the arrival terminal and got a taxi there for a little less! The cab driver, Amad, was an older man who was hilarious! Asking me if I was married, if I had children, teaching me farsi, saying I was beautiful (and that I looked Korean and not El Salvadorian!), he invited me to his house when I come back from touring Iran and said "in my house, 3 children, 2 girls, one boy, you come stay with us, sleep with girls... no money.”

All of a sudden he grabbed a bag and asked me open it. Then he gave me lettuce, cucumber, eggs, and potatoes to eat! It was hilarious! and then he wanted selfies... while driving! Hahaha



After he had fed me a good veggie meals he opened a huge bag with an amazing nut mix and kept saying "eat, eat, eat!” What a fun ride with Amad! And if this is the preview of what Iran is like I can’t wait to see the adventures that will come my way in the next month!

I got to my hostel at 3am and immediately went to sleep. The next day I sat at the hostel’s hangout area and asked a guy if I could sit with him. We ended up chatting and turned out to be German (shocker!) and he spoke spanish. I invited him to come out and explore the city with me and an Iranian guy I met on couch surfing.

Hamed, the guy from couch surfing, came by to pick us up to show us around the city. I was very much impressed by the level of hospitality and generosity of the Iranian people. Many times people stopped us and asked where we were from and said “Welcome to Iran.”

I had read very little about Iran but I knew the very basics such as a woman BY LAW I have to have my hair covered, clothes have to be loose, shirts have to cover your bum, sleeves have to cover ⅔ of the arms and that women do not shake men’s hands! All of these are Muslims rules set by the government!

By the time I got to Iran I was used to seeing women covered up from Malaysia but in Iran every single woman has a their head covered and its just a very different sight! Many many many of these women use a cape like black robe that covers almost their whole body, called a chador. I think the government wanted to make a point that women’s body are not to be admired or objectified therefore they need to be covered. While walking on the streets I did notice that some women had the scarf half way up and not fully covered and Hamed explained that many women do not agree with this rule and in a way the way they use their hijab lets you know how much in agreement they are with this rule.

Woman wearing a chador.

Other than women’s appearance, the other very noticeable thing about Tehran was its traffic!!!! It’s crazy! Somehow it is very different than crazy traffic in South East Asia; here cars seem to not stop for pedestrians but the people seem to be very agile in the way they cross the street by running, suddenly stopping, and avoiding getting killed! It’s actually very very interesting to look at… and super fun to cross without actually getting hit. 
On the sidewalks you can see motorcycles go against traffic so you always need to be alert when walking the streets of Tehran. I remember seeing a motorcycle trying to go on the opposite lane and a police man trying to stop him but he just didn’t care and kept going! Crazy!!!!

I loved walking the streets of Tehran with Hamed; there really isn’t a better way to explore a country than with its people. While we walked we were able to see old anti-America propaganda around the city, and mostly near where the U.S embassy used to be, lots of “down with the USA signs.”



The shah following the Americans, leaving him to a cliff!

Hamed took us for a stroll around Tehran university and for some nice and warm Iranian food, asch... So happy to find vegetarian food!



Iran is famous for its shisha so in the afternoon we stopped at a traditional Shisha house and I tried it for the first time.

Tea with the shisha... The sugar sticks look so cool!

At a traditional Iranian restaurant.

Hamed!!! <3
First time ever in my life exhaling smoke! I got such a headache!


While walking the streets we saw street performers playing Iranian music and Hamed said that the government has prohibited music that it is not classic Iranian  music. All western music is forbidden, no pop, no r&b, or rock'n roll! Iranians can only get non-Iranian tv shows with satelite which btw, it is also prohibited but they do it anyway. Oh! Also, the government has blocked facebook and youtube but... all Iranians have VPNs! While walking Hamed quoted some reporter that once said "Everything is Iran prohibited but anything is possible!" and was he right! The more time I spent in Iran the more I got to see how everything is actually possible in this country!

At night I left the city center in a shared taxi and went to my couch surfing host house in the north of Tehran. As I got out of the taxi the first thing I saw was a Masseratti  and I knew I was in a total different part of Tehran. The north seemed so posh and different with nice high buildings and fancy stores. When I arrived at my host’s house I was greeted by a very nice couple, Elahe and Mohammed, who lived in a nice apartment on a fifth floor. All Iranians I had met so far were so hospitable and nice. Elahe and Mohammed served me snacks, we talked about our travels (they are experienced travelers too), and Elahe made a whole itinerary for me to follow to see the highlights of Iran in 3 weeks. I couldn’t have asked for a better host!
Breakfast time with Elahe!

Thank you Mohammad and Elahe!

The next day I once again met with Richard and Hamed and explored the city.

 The first stop of the day was at Golestan palace and it was my first introduction to the Iranian architecture and their beautiful tile work. I was in awe at the beauty of it all. With a "steep" price of $5 entrance and $5 for every single room we decided to just visit one room, the splendid main hall. There are no words to describe the beauty of the main hall (nor pictures since it is prohibited), filled with mirrors from floor to ceiling!


I had a lot of fun trying to take pictures of the tiles… and some selfies in betweens!









After visiting the palace Hamed took us to a food market where you could literaly try every single food sold there. We had a lot of fun going from stall to stall trying all the different iranian desserts, nuts, drinks, olives, and even fruit leather. My favorite part was when I got to say “hosh masest” (meaning delicious) after I tried all the food, all the vendors seemed to like it.










We then moved on and visited Tehran’s national museum. It seemed like a very bare museum 


After visiting the museum we kept walking the streets of Tehran and ended up near the theater area where we went and grabbed some tea (and coffee milk shakes for the guys) at a super cute cafe near Tehran’s university.


Before heading back to my host’s house for the night we stopped by the cutest Iranian store i’ve seen! It had all miniature pots and vases that would be perfect for the practical life area in my Montessori classroom. In there we met one of the workers who was super friendly and talked to us and even invited us to spent some time in his father’s house in Isfahan! I’m telling you the Iranians are the most hospitable people I have ever seen!



Pomegranate ring I fell in love with! 
We ended the night by grabbing some food and having some Iranian beer (non-alcoholic since alcohol is prohibited in Iran!)

Getting some snacks for tomorrow's bus ride

What stores every 10 meters look like in Iran!

Non- Alcoholic beer for everyone! (all around the world they call this soda!)

Eggplant dish!


Now off to Kashan!



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About Post Author

Hi! It's me... Andrea! In 2016 I decided to drop everything and take a year to enrich my life and travel around the world. It turns out the world is just too big for 12 months! Still on the road and sharing my experience as a solo female traveler around the globe!

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About me




Hi! It's me... Andrea!

In this blog you can live vicariously through my journey around the world!

Please feel free to share tips or places to go!
Contact me: andreaheartstraveling@gmail.com