A Review of Iran with The Wild Chronicles, by Kunjira P

*** A review from Kunjira P ***

Huh, why go to Iran? Is it safe? What is there to see? These were the classic questions when I invited people to come along (and yes, in the end I went alone, lol).

Why Iran: because Khun Pup of The Wild Chronicles, a writer and the ultimate nerd blogger on history, foreign news and offbeat travel, a guru of history, civilisations, wars and religion whom I have followed for a long time, organised an Iran 101 trip and led the tour himself! I was sure it would be fun because the information would be packed, and I wasn't disappointed. Khun Pup told us about Iran and about everything that isn't Iran (the origins of wars, the beginnings of religions, gossip about world leaders, tales about royalty) in full force, like an encyclopaedia with a voice that never stopped from the first day to the last of the 7-day, 6-night trip!

Why my mum let me go: because Khun Pup phoned her and talked about Iran in a flowing stream to assure her it was safe (of course I'm only 40, so Mum naturally worries wherever I go )

So what is Iran like???

Overall: I'd define it as a #BloodTypeB country, one I'd advise to change its phone code, my dear, because it must be the stars' fault. It has huge potential to be a great power: a coastline, snow-capped mountains, rice growing, the world's third-largest oil reserves, clever people, old-fashioned gentility, and an ancient civilisation and culture.

But it can never get back on its feet, mainly because of the oil, which draws interference from countries all over the world. Add the fighter's blood, always ready to fight and preferring to die rather than be bullied one-sidedly, and Iran has been battered constantly, fighting on all sides for so long that it ended up isolated by sanctions, cut off from the outside world for as long as 40 years.

Despite a fate like hell's own spite or heaven's cruel prank, Iran's potential keeps it standing, and it has developed in its own way: its own credit card system, homegrown ride-hailing and food-ordering apps, and its own car brands. All in all it is a developed country in the “sanctioned, so what, who cares” style. #applause

People: Super super friendly and with good taste, because they told me I was “so beautiful” (the local women all have prominent faces, big eyes, curled lashes, high noses and sharp features, so when they met someone with a flat face, narrow eyes and no nose bridge like me, they came over to ask for photos all along the way).

Personally I think the most surprising highlight of Iran is the people: kind and endearing. They know that the whole world sees their country as unsafe and sees them as scary, thanks to distorted reporting by the free world's news. So when they see tourists in their home, they are deeply moved. Many people walked up to thank me for coming and for keeping an open mind, asking to shake hands, to hug, to take photos, and to say thank you. Sob. #myheartmelted

Language: Iranians are Persians, not Arabs, so they don't speak Arabic but Farsi. They don't speak much English, but we could still talk, because mostly we just said to each other “you are so beautiful” // “you are beautiful too” while making touched faces. #beautyCantBeHelped

Men: So many of them. It's a gathering place for XY-chromosome humans, with a rugged “cowboy” look in a big-size version, and most importantly, no sultans, because they aren't Arabs. #end

Religion: Before the Islamic Revolution 40 years ago, which began right here in Iran (it really is a country that played a part in so many of the world's milestones. #goosebumps), Iranians followed an ancient religion called Zoroastrianism. So before that, Iranian women did not have to cover their hair, could wear bikinis and dressed in a modern, daring style. After the Islamic Revolution, Iran became the world's biggest centre of Shia Muslims, and women have had to cover their hair and dress modestly ever since. But is there civil disobedience? Plenty, especially among the middle class, young and old. Teenagers in crop tops walking without headscarves, or secretly dancing for TikTok, are a common sight.

Art and culture: Iran is the home of old-world gentility in the Middle East. It was a world superpower four times in ancient history and fought many famous figures of the past, such as Gen-Gen-Genghis Khan (I dare you to read it without the tune) and Alexander the Great.

So it is a country with an ancient and strong civilisation, a soft power that has seeped into every country it has interacted with, for better or worse. Put simply, even when Iran lost wars, the winning countries were Persianised to some degree, every one of them. #lostButNotLost (the Casanova song has to kick in at this point). Take Thailand, which adopted many Persian things: the king's pointed hat, Chulalongkorn University's graduation robe that looks like a deity's, and some words and roots, such as the word kulab (rose).

Food: Delicious! But not varied. You eat the same thing and just change the plate. It focuses on chicken, lamb or beef, grilled, steamed, fried or roasted, eaten with big, hard grains of rice or with naan, plus an aubergine dip and various vegetables, like eating vegetables with chilli dip (people here like savoury food with a sour taste). As for desserts, they are at the level of cutting off one leg.

Traffic: The big cities have fairly heavy traffic. Cars park double-stacked like around Yaowarat, in unison across the whole country. The cars are very old, battered and short, like the cars in those old Boonchu or Somsri 422R movies from way back. As for driving etiquette, it is pretty much “nonexistent” (my leg hurt a lot because I kept pressing an imaginary brake pedal alongside the driver the whole way).

Currency: Abused from every angle like this, the currency is worth nothing, utterly exhausted. I changed 10,000 baht and got over a hundred million of theirs. I carried money like a lottery dealer throughout the trip, and everyone on the trip suffered the same fate, so a new culture emerged where everyone kept trying to treat one another to meals and snacks because we wanted to get the millions out of our pockets. #hundredMillionAtAnyAge really can happen in Iran. Salaam!

Phantom wifi! It connects, but no connection! #playingAWriter

In short: safe, fun to travel, an enchanting country, charming people, and I will go back again!

That ends the review of the Iran tour, Magical Palaces & Desert, which ran in 2 rounds, 8 days 6 nights each. *Round 1: 12–19 April 2024 (during Songkran) *Round 2: 26 April – 3 May 2024 (during Labour Day). If you are interested in the programme, contact us by inbox or add LINE OA @thewildchronicles (type @ in front) and write “Interested in the Iran tour”. There is a special discount right now, so book early!