AT THE CAPITAL OF IRAN, I NOW STAND ...

After a long weekend at inimitable Istanbul, I arrived here at 4:00am

local time at Tehran ... I am thrilled to be here and to see with my

own eyes and to hear with my own ears all that is so extraordinary

about this country called Persia. As luck would have it, I still

made it here after almost missing my flight due to the half-

hearted Turkish airline giving me the wrong gate number of

216 instead of 301. Just by chance, I noticed their mistake and

like a mad man I then ran through the Ataturk International

Airport to reach my flight to Iran just in time by about three

minutes. Woooow ... Glad I did.

Thus, it's only my first few hours inside fanetic Tehran and so

I will post more observations and views of my extraordinary

stay here for all to hopefully find worthy and interesting to

read from me over the next coming days ... My regards

from the Capital of Iran, Monty. +St. Simon, 2oo7.

Now having spent the first half day here in Tehran, there

was not the expected tension or fear that I thought might

exist. Rather the oppose is true with no evidence of tension

or isolation at all and a busy and yet relaxed atomsphere

about the capital is everywhere from what I have seen so

far. Thus life goes on, despite grave threats here of

possible Yankee attacks and bombings to try to prevent

Iran's desire to achieve its own nuclear independence.

It isn't an old city by European standards, at least not from

the Westernized architecture of the early Edwardian period

and onward of many of the downtown buildings that looked

like as if they were pre-fabricated structures and plainless.

Not stylish in design then, but functional and also no sky-

crapers of the American kind could I see at this city of 12

million. As for the many Tehran Mosques, then such archi-

tecture of such is definitely Irani or Islamic in design

and character with intricate Islamic art adoring such

edifices of Muslim worship. The huge New Mosque I saw

being built, as we drove by, was simply awesome and

magnificent to my eye ...

How about Iranian money? Well, when I made my first

exchanged of 25 British pounds sterling this morning for

Iranian Rials I was shocked at the amount of money I

got back. I got 32 banknotes of 20.000 rials each plus 1

at 10.000 Rials. Such was a pile of money compared to

my one British banknote of 20 quid and one of five quid.

So for two Limey banknotes I now had 33 big Iranian

notes to stuff in my pockets ...

And while talking of money, my guide called "K" -- a

married man with four daughters and quite chubby and

who speaks good English after spending quite some time

in San Antonio, Texas, before the Islamic Revolution of

1979 -- took me to see huddles of antiques, old coins,

medals, and medallions, from early Persia to the last

period of the late Shah of Iran. I bought a Shah

and Shahress medal with the original blue and

yellow ribbon attached for a mere 12 quid after

the street dealer first wanted 25 pounds or $US50.

for it. Such vendors or dealers stand or sit at their little

spot on the sidewalk or pavement and wait patiently for

coin and antiques collectors like to come and buy. Dozens

and dozens of US Liberty and Peace Dollars are available

for as little a 5 or 6 dollars each. But two problems exist with

such. One, the modern dollar is now practically worthless here,

and two, many of the old American coins are little more than

re-pros or re-strikes or out and out fakes. Certainly to find

early 1800's US silver dollars in such quanitites as I found at

Tehran brings the immediate question as to the authenticity

of such silver coins to say the least. Oftentime, they quote

in US dollars although the euro is the hard currency most

wanted now by businesses and the government in the know

here inside Iran.

So far, I have really enjoyed my encounters with the local

folkz and I am looking forward to also travelling outside of

Tehran in the coming days ... I'll update my adventure here,

with you all, from time to time. For now, all is well here in

historic Persia ... Kudos, Monty.