Ha ha ha, no red rose for me man. But the overall trip was fine. The only thing I found particularly problematic was the language barrier as most Iranians either do not speak/understand English or don't want to use it. I had a very hard time communicating with cab drivers/vendors/shop owners etc.
My stay was at the Escan Hotel, it was a pleasant and adequate hotel. The reception staff was fluent in English, others not so much. Breakfast buffet, complimentary, was awesome every day.
There was a lot of construction going around outside Tehran (from the Airport to the hotel). It was a bit warm (around 35-40 Centigrade) to walk around in formal official dress code so my walks were usually in the evening or night. However, the markets close at the designated time, no arguments.
Another thing that I would like to point out is, I got this general feeling that Iranians do not like us Pakistanis very much, understandably so. They probably prefer Indians over us. Perhaps I was carrying some emotions from Iran Defense forum, but there was no real warmth for me as a Pakistani. The only respect I got was as a guest/foreigner. On the other hand, in my travels to Turkey, the reception an warmth for Pakistanis is absolutely beyond belief. And ofcourse, Saudis usually treat us as if we are animals, but then again, they usually treat all non-whites and non-arabs the same way.
Perhaps you should come visit Pakistan to witness first hand what happens when there are no escalated cross overs. Pedestrians in Pakistan cross roads while their actions disrupts traffic flows just because they do not want to climb all those stairs. The Iranian innovation is most welcome in Pakistan. I'd love to see the same infrastructure and facilities in Pakistan.
