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Welcome to my travel log! You will find here a lot more than in the travel reports, stripped from political correctness. Enjoy! 
May 03, 2008 02:00 PM Shiraz - where has all the wine gone?
At the domestic airport Twrminal 2 from which Iran Air operated they told me that the flights to Shiraz and Isfahan were full. I was directed to Terminal 4 (I needed to take a taxi for 20k) from which other domestic airlines flew. I asked at the Information desk about the flights and they kindly advised me that I could try Iran Aseman Airlines. Their flight was leaving within 45 minutes. With great luck I found their unsigned ticket office and a very chaotic group of people hoping to get their names read out from the waiting list. I added my name and another piece of luck, I was on the aircraft within 20 minutes. Lucky me!
It was a small Fokker 100 jet. The seats were allocated predominantly according to gender. The safety demonstration was not shocking but normal like on any other airline I had travelled. Announcements were made in both Farsi and English, and continental breakfast was served.
For the wine enthusiasts, Shiraz would denote the place where certain grape variety emerged. Although no longer cultivated there, the name is unmistakable. Shiraz appeared big and busy to me. I thought that perhaps Teheran had problems with its air, but so had Shiraz. Definitely. The fumes combined with dust and dryness of the air were violating my nose so terribly that I eventually started to bleed. Motorcycles riding on pavement were my other headache. Not only was crossing a street a mission impossible, but the speeding motorbikes between pedestrians in their theoretically safe zone caused additional stress.
I bet Shiraz looked diametrically different from the times when it had been the capital of Persia under the Zand dynasty in the second half of the 18th century. Or when it was a centre of Persian Renaissance in the 13th and 14th centuries, during which cultured rulers allowed for arts to blossom, including poetry mastered by Hafez, Iran's most important poet. Sanctuary in his name in Shiraz's Melli Park is like a pilgrimage spot, particularly for the young at heart.
The intriguing fortress, Arg-e Karim Khani, right in the heart of the city was my favourite spot. It was the residence of Karimkhan Zand and its government. From the outside it looked like castle or citadel but inside it was a park with ponds full of coins. Small trees planted there provided shade and a perfect escape from a frantic traffic outside. Although the Arg was located by a very pleasant pedestrianised section of the main street (as traffic continued underground) complete with small fountains and carefully cultivated greenery.
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May 02, 2008 02:00 PM Iran - tourist visa on arrival at IKA
Perhaps it depends on the immigration officer's mood but the visa on arrival for some 22 nationals (excl. US, UK, OZ) was being granted for two weeks, as in accordance with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Reportedly, visa on arrival used to be given for a week. I got 15 days and I heard from Norwegians that even 30 days could be given. It also came to my attention that certain nationals may be granted one week still.
Had I known that would be the case, I would have planned for 2 weeks travelling in Iran. I could not change my flight and I made commitments at work, so had to be going back to London as planned.
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Apr 30, 2008 02:00 PM Partying in Puerto Banus
Actually, known as Puerto de Jose Banus, this little holiday resort offers interesting mix of night entertainment. Right down by the marina mooring extremely expensive yachts the little street is lined up with designer shops, like Bvlgari, etc and funky lounges perfect for chilling and watching your yacht. It is only about 50 yards from the seediest and sleaziest street on the Costa del Sol, full of terrible clubs, strip joints, meat markets, near-brothers and working girls.
And I was going out there every night between 27 April and 2 May. I tried a few safe clubs on the naughty street, such as Mambo and Linekers, but both were full of English-only speaking stags and hens. The music was only this one that can be encountered in Liverpool, Manchester, Rochester... Really disappointing. Most of these were closing at 3:30 am or 4:00 am. The only club on that street that was opening at 3:00 am and closing at 6:00 or 7:00 was Scream. It was not bad, but very crowded.
My favourite lounge at the posh end was Stereo Lounge. It was less pretentious and the friendly staff was great with their free shots of Jeagermeister (not sure of spelling), which I do not like, unfortunately. The entertainment manager, Ellis, worked wonders to attract a good mix crowd into the venue. It was super.
The posh and expensive club, Dreamers, a bit away from the marina was very trendy and classy, but almost everyone smoked and the poor ventilation was ineffective, so I only managed to stay for an hour. JD & Coke was €22, by the way...
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Apr 29, 2008 02:00 PM Estepona - white & blue
I thought that Estepona was going to be a big party place for all the holiday makers. It was not. Although there are a number of posh hotels (I stayed at the Grand Hotel Elba) along the coast, some of them complete with full size golf courses, the beach resort is ... less attractive than some other ones in the vicinity. The beach is not great and the quality of restaurants / price is not below average in Andalusia. Oh, well. It was not that bad at all, there were a few (few?) bars and petite restaurants in the white & blue port, which probably did the trick for the visitors. Otherwise, I think the posh hotels organise something on their premises.
However, unlike a few other resorts between Algeciras and Malaga, Estepona had a larger population of Spaniards against the raging Britons on hen and stag nights...
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Apr 27, 2008 02:00 PM AVE - superfast trains of Spain
I quite liked the high speed trains (AVE) of Spain. I like to transfer between A and B as quickly as possible. The speed then worked for me well. The trains were modern and they put on films on small monitors in the carriages. The personnel handed out free headphones - small ones like for the personal stereos or MP3 players. I was chuffed that from Malaga to Cordoba it was just 45 minutes for about 38 euro. It was also about 45 minutes from Cordoba to Seville for about 30 euro. I can travel like that! Fast. Of course there was little to see on the way, but then again it gave more time to see the cities. Anyway, I thought it was a reasonable value, too. I decided to post this little note for you, and show you the trains. The picture was taken on the station in Seville.
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Apr 26, 2008 02:00 PM Cadiz - hot
Thanks to the free Internet hotspot around the Cathedral, I am typing these words on my iPhone while sitting at the La Catedral restaurant enjoying my cold beer. It is hot. Occasionally a refreshing breeze messes peoples' haicut but the sun keeps burning noses mercilessly. It is a very funny view towards the cathedral steps. They are occupied by young people with their laptops, who take the advantage of the free hotspot.
On the train, I saw hundreds and hundreds of people heading to Cadiz. I was not sure why, but quickly realised it was for the beaches. Other than few Roman antique monuments and the cathedral plus maybe the forts, there is not much to see in Cadiz. It is a lovely place though. Its very narrow dark alleys provide the cooling service as the sun heats up heads.
I will post a few pictures when I learn how to upload them using my phone.
Now, I have about an hour before my bus to Estepona.
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Apr 26, 2008 02:00 PM Seville - where is the party?
I didn't want to waste time looking for my hotel so I took a taxi from the train station. That idiot taxi driver dropped me on a wrong spot in the maze of the old town and I still spent an hour zig-zagging in the alleys asking the locals for ditecyions and growing in fear my hostel might actually be totally ficitional. No-one knew where Calle Gloria was. I almost gave up when I stumbled across a tourist information office at the Plaza de Triumfo. They also did not know but had means to find out out. Lucky me. And although I was wandering around the area twice, I did not go into that particular alley, so I could not spot my accommodation. And it looked more like a restaurant than a hosteleria.
The main cathedral of Seville was also rather large and again it had elements in its archtecture that undoubtedly bore marks of Moorish influence. I arrived late (6:30 pm) and spent an hour looking for my hotel, so I only had about an hour of sunlight to see the city. I did not venture too far. I went to the banks of the Guadalquidir to see the Torre del Oro. It was small, compared to the Giralda of the cathedral, but it was nicely photogenic. The river cruise touts worked hard there trying to lure people for a ride. I did not check the prices (hourly trips) because I am not a city cruise person.
At 22:10 (10:10 pm) the Giralda, being a bell tower, started tolling its bells. They were loud but I was still sitting at the Flaherty's Pub right next to it, so I rather enjoyed it. It stopped after about 5 minutes. I ate my dinner at the pub as well as it was the only reasonably priced place in the centre (apart grom McDonald's) and not predominantly touristy despite its location (tapas €3.30, mains €7-€10, specials €10-€17. Well, it concentrated on Irish fare but it did have a sizeable list of tapas, most of which could be converted to main dishes.
I came to Seville for its April Festival but there was no action in town! But I wasn't too disappointed. I wanted to see the city and relax. I achieved that. At least for the first evening. I had plans for the morning but I kept forgetting it. I could sit outside the cathedral, drink my drinks and watch people go buy all night long. But it was a long day for me, so I retired at about 1 a.m. I was so glad that I managed to get a room in that difficult to find hostel, as it was walking distance from the main attractions.
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Apr 25, 2008 02:00 PM Malaga - Rude?
Rude. People allow themselves to be strangely chaotic on the pavements but would not give way to others. As if they owned the entire city! It has been a while since my last visit to Andalusia. Perhaps I forgot about that. Or it is possible that pedestrians in England are simply exceptionally polite.
The new train station for the AVE trains looks like a shopping mall. Bag screening and hop on the superfast train! Yeah. But the security screening was only for the AVE trains and not for any other type. As if security of passengers travelling on regional trains was much less important. I was determined to fit my schedule around AVEs' schedules, therefore.
Malaga was sunny and busy. Tourist and locals everywhere. Most of them shopping. I did not have much time in Malaga, so I just skimmed the surface of the old town, relaxed a little, visited the cathedral and that was it. My next stop was Cordoba, where I had not been before, so I was more excited about that. In Malaga, I had been some ten years ago, and although it was slightly different than I remembered, it was not that thrilling anymore.
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Apr 25, 2008 02:00 PM Cordoba - beautiful and unique
The historic centre is dominated by the gigantic cathedral which once was a mosque. It is still known as La Mezquita. It looks rather sombre from outside with the exception of one elaborate gate and a few photogenic doors, which are no longer in use. Inside the temple is incredibly fabulous. I loved it. The countless red and cream arches make the ceiling unreal. The occasional skylights let bundles of sunrays inside and this is what made the interior magical. The floor space is phenomenal, typical for large mosques. Only in few spaces more intricate Christian chapels were created to make the complex look like a place of worship for Christians.
The rest of the historic centre is just a bridge leading to a tower, a triumphal gate to the city and really narrow alleys lined up with pretty whitewashed houses. Not taller than two storeys. Many of which housed hotels, hostels, bars, restaurants, heladerias and of course shops. Actually, I was rather impressed with a number of cheapish hotels in the immediate vicinity of the La Mezquita!
I went inside the mosque-cum-cathedral and marvelled at the interior design for about an hour. This is very long for me. If it comes to travel, I am an outdoors man. Then, I wandered about the narrow alleys for another hour. At about 5pm a group of young athletes decided to show off a little. With a notable skills they jumped around and clinged to the outer facade of the La Mezquita. Like spidermen or fly-men. Quickly a group of tourists gathered around and watched them. They were pretty fabulous, actually. I am not sure if the spidermen expected to be paid or not but I could not find out as I had to rush for my AVE train to Seville.
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Apr 24, 2008 02:00 PM Andalusia, here I come!
It is only about 6 hours before I take off to London Gatwick Airport to take off to Malaga. I am now packed - just snoozing in front of the telly watching the sci-fi classic - Alien. I have ironed 12 shirts in one go, and that had never happened before! I should probably go to bed. My wake up call is 5 a.m. BST
The only thing left to do is to empty the rubbish bin and the dishwasher, and make sure I have all necessary documents in the right pockets, including the reservation of the hotel in Sevilla.
If all goes well, by 2 p.m. CET, I will have been on an AVE train to Cordoba, and some 45 minutes later - there. I hope this will be possible. I'd hate to miss this connection, as it would not give me much time to explore the city. But, you never know with the flights out of London. They are notoriously late!
Anyway, I will try to keep you updated on my route.
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