'Iran could be the Germany of the Middle East'

[Serpentine]

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.

Maybe your chances wasn't that good to meet right persons, because in general, Iranians see Pakistanis the same as other foreigners and with no difference.We have few Pakistanis in our university and I've witnessed they are most resprcted by other students. Also media is very important here, only if they saw some aspects of Pakistan,its people and its beauties in the media, it would change their minds. Also, some matters like Jundallah terrorist group may have wrongly affected public's opinion. But I'm sure this image will improve in the future while both countries improve their relations.It's not as good as it should be.

 

[SOS Brigade]

I can only speak for myself, but I've had good friends that were Pakistani. Maybe those Iranians had no experiences with Pakistanis other than what they see on TV (they assume that they all are terrorists and such), kinda like how some people of the west view all of us Iranians as "Arab Terrorists".

 

[Mav3rick]

yes the language problem is common in developing countries.i usually learn some basic words before the travel.

well, the reason Indians are well known in Iran is their movies(film hendi).this gives good image to our minds.bad news about Pakistan bombings realy affect the publicity,on the other hand people rarely know beautiful attractions of Pakistan as well.see... its just about medias.just like the foreigners who think Iran is an ugly,undeveloped desert with terrorist people.as you see in "MADE IN IRAN" thread,people mostly doubt that Iran realy produces those stuffs.but im sure everyone who sits beside the planes window and watch the area from the sky, will find out how industrial Iran is.and thats actually the reason Iran has standed against the sanctoins.

BTW,you stayed only at Tehran?

Yes, my stay was limited to Tehran and since it was an official visit, I didn't really get a chance to visit the Caspian Sea or the mountains. Just saw the city and the suburbs. Besides, I wanted to take the Mrs. along as well but could not get her visa in time so there was no point going to all these tourist locations alone

 

[BeyondHeretic]

it could be , but for some reason iran always choose to be the france of middle east , Saudi Arabia is the Germany with all their leopard tanks

 

[Mav3rick]

http://www.defence.pk/forums/middle-east-africa/262374-global-innovation-index-4.html#post4490586

You have posted that as if it is anything to be proud of. I'd be ashamed of such mediocre performance as is of my country too.

 

[Sedqal]

I don't have good experience with Iranis too and you are right they do tilt towards India. Anyway there is a huge lesson here for morons who want to be more Irani then Iranians (just like the army of idiots who wan to be more Arab then Arabs).

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

You have posted that as if it is anything to be proud of. I'd be ashamed of such mediocre performance as is of my country too.

Well, that's you not me Aussie

 

[Mav3rick]

Well, that's you not me Aussie

It is with great sadness and sorrow that I have to see a major financial power bend over backwards for white masters. Whereas, with such massive financial resources at disposal and influence on the Muslim world, it could have been a true super power too, perhaps stronger then any other super power.

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

It is with great sadness and sorrow that I have to see a major financial power bend over backwards for white masters. Whereas, with such massive financial resources at disposal and influence on the Muslim world, it could have been a true super power too, perhaps stronger then any other super power.

Too much of obsessions toward the " the white man "

Anyway let just drop the balls here by now.

adios

 

[Yabgu]

Those overhead crossways with escalators are super retarded. Some of them even have LCD screens inside them to show sports!

The reason you don't see this in the West is b/c the govt would be toppled over something like this! The sheer waste of money is comical. Instead of putting escalators on random crossways, the money should be going to a million other areas. But yeah, compared to a lot of the countries in the region, the infrastructure is good.

Yes Türkiye has these escalator things as well but as you said they are so stupid wasting money on these except if it has support for disabled people.

 

[Yabgu]

I don't understand sometimes stupid mentality in middle eastern countries including Türkiye they paint the pavements to make it look good generally yellow while the roads are unmarked I saw this in pictures of gulf countries and Iran as well I think how stupid are these people, while in Europe theirs Alot of road paint/markings on the floor, why waste resources on painting the damn pavements.

 

[BeyondHeretic]

I don't understand sometimes stupid mentality in middle eastern countries including Türkiye they paint the pavements to make it look good generally yellow while the roads are unmarked I saw this in pictures of gulf countries and Iran as well I think how stupid are these people, while in Europe theirs Alot of road paint/markings on the floor, why waste resources on painting the damn pavements.

iran is a disgusting country , it's nothing like turkey

 

[SOS Brigade]

iran is a disgusting country , it's nothing like turkey

If you don't like Iran, then what's with the Iranian flags in your profile?

 

[BeyondHeretic]

If you don't like Iran, then what's with the Iranian flags in your profile?

they're hereditary

 

[Abii]

I don't understand sometimes stupid mentality in middle eastern countries including Türkiye they paint the pavements to make it look good generally yellow while the roads are unmarked I saw this in pictures of gulf countries and Iran as well I think how stupid are these people, while in Europe theirs Alot of road paint/markings on the floor, why waste resources on painting the damn pavements.

Developing countries tend to waste massive amounts of money as there's little accountability. The govts also have more room to do what they want.

In Western Europe and North America, nothing can happen outside the law (in theory and mostly in practice as well) and everything has a pre-determined plan behind it. The city has bylaws and codes for every little thing and you must abide by everything. Tax money is rarely wasted on stupid projects and people have a say in what happens in their communities. In Iran, the govt is constantly wasting money on dumb things like overpasses equipped with escalators/LCD screens or random statues in the middle of roundabouts while the provinces are lacking the basic necassities. Nothing ever makes sense.