Shiraz in Shiraz

[Skyring]

[h=1]Setting my feet upon the Old Silk Road[/h]

[FONT=&amp][FONT=&amp]O’Malley
Australian Capital Territory
23 Feb 2017

[FONT=&amp][FONT=&amp]I watched a television show about the Old Silk Road last night. The presenter traced the route through Iran and on to Istanbul and Venice. It wasn’t just the wealth of silks and spices that flowed along this legendary road, but ideas, technology, stories, and philosophies linking the long-separated worlds of East and West.

[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=&amp][FONT=&amp]What stood out in this episode was not so much the physical substance of the road, which is now either just a trace in the desert – there was usually no road as such, just paths between nightly camps – or a modern highway, the caravans of swaying camels replaced by Mercedes trucks grimy with diesel and dust.

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It was the beauty of the cities along the way, notably the great religious shrines and the imperial palaces and gardens. Persia, to give Iran its historic name, was home to several mighty empires, and its cities both past and present reflect the glory.

[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=&amp][FONT=&amp]Elegant architecture, the pointed arches a symbol of the East. Tranquil gardens in the desert air. Exquisite colourful tiles covering the interiors of massive domes. I am always astounded at the care taken to lay out – in tilework – a verse from the Koran which circles a great dome without gaps in the calligraphy. There is some justification for quiet amazement there.

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I’m going to see some of these wonders soon. My upcoming trip to Iran will take in the legendary – and still thriving – cities of Shiraz, Yazd, and Esfahan, along with the now deserted, but vast and impressive Persepolis of Darius the Great. He didn’t bother to fortify it because he had vanquished all his enemies for thousands of kilometres.

[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=&amp][FONT=&amp]Alexander the Great won through; capturing, looting, and ultimately destroying the city. It is significant that we know it now by its Greek name.[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=&amp][FONT=&amp]History is in the stones here, and I look forward to seeing these places, whether ancient solitary columns or busy marketplaces.

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The Iranian Embassy was far from busy when I walked in promptly at the opening time of 0900. Well, it was reasonably crowded, but not a lot of activity.

[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=&amp][FONT=&amp]I took a numbered ticket from the dispenser on the wall and sat down in the waiting area beside Vicki, who is running the admin for our upcoming tour and had a thick package of passports and forms beside her.

[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=&amp][FONT=&amp]She had come up from Sydney a week ago for a couple of urgent passports to be given visas on their same-day service and mentioned a four-hour wait. I glanced at my watch. Five past nine.[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=&amp][FONT=&amp]Vicki had been with us last year, a veteran of many tours even then. She’s an old hand at the visa game and she described the days before the waiting room had been opened when there was a tiny front office with three chairs and a line of people waiting outside in the hot sun or winter chill that Canberra provides for visitors.

[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=&amp][FONT=&amp]I listened to her stories of Persia and the tours she had been on, memories of that beautiful land mingling with my anticipation of returning to see more.

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It only took me three hours to be attended to, the sole clerk taking each visitor in turn, and I have to return next week to collect our passports, though I am promised it will only take a few minutes to sign for them. I wonder how the embassy staff feel, here in a land where the oldest cities are barely two centuries old, and Canberra itself little more than a sheep station in living memory.

[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=&amp][FONT=&amp]I don’t mind coming back next week. It’s not a whole day out of my life like it is for Vicki who must drive from and back to Sydney, three hours and more down the freeway.[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=&amp][FONT=&amp]And I can dream some more about old silk roads, towering mountains above lonely deserts, ancient cities and modern hospitality. I love Iran.

[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=&amp][FONT=&amp]And so should you.

[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=&amp][FONT=&amp]Pete


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Note: this trip report is taken from my blog at A Thousand Flights

 

[Skyring]

[h=1]On a magic carpet ride[/h][FONT=&amp]
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[FONT=&amp]Canberra[/FONT][FONT=&amp]
Australia
13 Mar 2017

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[h=3][FONT=&amp]Canberra Day[/FONT][/h][FONT=&amp]The anniversary of the naming of the capital*, and a public holiday. The typical resident response of this city of public servants is to hightail it out of town up the Hume Freeway for a long weekend in Sydney or down to the coastal resorts on the South Coast: Batemans Bay, Jervis Bay, Merimbula, where beachfront shacks get their second last stay of the season before Easter.
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[FONT=&amp]But a handful remained in town to attend the Persian Rug auction conducted by Granger Auctions.
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[FONT=&amp]My wife and I have a solid history of buying carpets from these folk. It began when we moved into our cute 1927 Federal Capital Authority cottage – one of the first houses in Canberra, though this fails to impress friends from (say) London, where they go back a little further – and found that the beige 1970s carpets weren’t quite what we wanted, for one reason or another.
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[FONT=&amp]In the old days here, it would have been bare boards and Persian rugs. Once we sanded back the decades of varnish and wear – some of the old boards had actually been japanned – the original ash floorboards came up nicely. We just needed some coverings.
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[FONT=&amp]As it happened, there was a sale of [/FONT][FONT=&amp]rugs[/FONT][FONT=&amp] at the hired ballroom of the nearby hotel, and we went along to see what was on offer. Quite a lot, and we bought a few Persian carpets to give our house an appropriate period decor.
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[h=3][FONT=&amp]A passionate man[/FONT][/h][FONT=&amp]

The auctioneer, Bruce Granger, didn’t seem to be too keen on selling his rugs. He wanted to talk about them. Their design, the wool or silk used, the peculiarities of weaving, the vegetable dies, the cultural history of the villages where they had been woven…
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[FONT=&amp]You know how with every person, there’s a passion? Just find the right button to push, and you can’t shut them up. With Bruce, it’s Persia and Persian carpets. We listened, delighted to hear tales of a faraway land, pretty much a forbidden kingdom since the revolution in 1979.
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[FONT=&amp]When we paid for our purchases, his assistant mentioned that he led tours to Iran – the modern name for Persia – and we were hooked. The prospect of being in the company of a man who knew his subject and had decades of experience was too good to pass up.
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[FONT=&amp]We travelled with him and a dozen others in 2016, spending a week in Northwestern Iran. Tehran, Tabriz, Zanjan, all cities on the Old Silk Road. A beautiful land, full of friendly people, opening up to tour groups. We loved it. Bruce told his tales of the land and people, led us through the Carpet Museum in Tehran, and set us loose in palaces and temples as old as time.
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[FONT=&amp]We’re going back again in a few weeks to see more: Shiraz, Persepolis, Isfahan and a dozen other ancient cities.
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[h=3][FONT=&amp]Can we squeeze in one more? [/FONT][/h][FONT=&amp]

We spent our Canberra Day afternoon looking at rugs in Bruce’s latest auction. We’ve pretty well covered every available floor surface in our small house, but there are a few areas left. Besides, there’s always the prospect of hearing a new auctioneer’s joke.
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[FONT=&amp]We chatted with Bruce and his assistant Vicki, who will also be on our tour, picking up a few last-minute tips, reminiscing about the previous one. There was a generous display of carpets spread around the hall, and we looked at them wistfully. Any more and we’d be stacking them two or three deep. But, like strolling through a gallery, we looked and admired.
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[FONT=&amp]The auction began and with it, we were given the potted histories of each rug. There was one there from the 19th century, another from Samarkand, an elegant one in a chequerboard pattern; each square made from the natural colours of the wool and mohair of the Iranian herds. I cannot say that bidding was furious and I could feel the disappointment as a grand and glorious silk rug, easily worth as much as a family car, could find no bidders at a giveaway price. These are handmade works of art, some of them representing years of work by a handful of village women, chatting and working together in the afternoo[/FONT][FONT=&amp]ns.
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[FONT=&amp]We bought one small rug, a stylised “Tree of Life” design in maroon wool, paid for it along with the other lucky buyers, and nodded goodbye to Vicki.
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[FONT=&amp]“See you in Tehran!” I said to Bruce, who was chatting with[/FONT][FONT=&amp] a customer. Our trip is next month, and I’m counting the days.
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[FONT=&amp]The customer looked up, “See you in Tehran?” she exclaimed, injecting surprise and wonder into her voice.
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[FONT=&amp]And making my day.
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[FONT=&amp]Pete
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[FONT=&amp]* An Aboriginal word meaning “cleavage”, apparently referring to the two rounded mounds of Black Mountain and Mount Ainslie on either side of the central area. Often polited up as “meeting place”.[/FONT]
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[Skyring]

[h=1]Shiraz in Shiraz[/h][FONT=&amp][/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]Canberra[/FONT][FONT=&amp]
[/FONT][FONT=&amp]Australia
17 Apr 2017
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[h=3][FONT=&amp]Drinking Shiraz in Shiraz[/FONT][/h][FONT=&amp]I’ve had a hamburger in Hamburg, a frankfurter in Frankfurt, bought a tie in Thailand, eaten a danish in Copenhagen, had a Subway on the NYC metro, and gone hungry in Wales.
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[FONT=&amp]I’ve drunk Scotch in Scotland and bourbon on Bourbon Street. Eaten [/FONT][FONT=&amp]fries[/FONT][FONT=&amp] in Freiburg.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Nearly had some gummi worms in Worms, too, but the supermarket didn’t carry that exact product. Next time.
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[FONT=&amp]In a few days time, I’ll be in Shiraz, which happens to be the sixth largest city in Iran, one with a four thousand year plus history, and an extraordinary history of wine-making. I’d dearly love to drink some Shiraz wine in Shiraz city.
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[h=3][FONT=&amp]The chance of handcuffs[/FONT][/h][FONT=&amp]One problem. Alcohol is forbidden in Iran, except for the altar wine of specific Christian sects. The religious police can be very strict on wine, beer, spirits and anything containing alcohol.
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[FONT=&amp]On my last trip to Iran, one of the tour group was detected with a bottle of wine and a bottle of whiskey in his luggage when we passed through security at the old Tehran airport. He was led away in handcuffs and copped a serious fine before being released.
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[FONT=&amp]I’ve been thinking of ways to smuggle a bottle in. We’ll be flying out of the same airport down to Shiraz, and I’ve racked my brains to think of ways of concealing a bottle against the x-ray machine at security.
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[FONT=&amp]Maybe I could hide a small amount in an aftershave container or something. Not sure about whether it would be worth drinking, and who has red aftershave, anyway?
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I’ve had a beer in Iran. Zero-alcohol beer. Local brands include peach beer, pineapple beer, fermented hop drinks and so on, all with “0.0% alcohol” prominent on the label. Some of them are pretty good. Maybe I could find some non-alcoholic Shiraz…
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[h=3][FONT=&amp]The solution[/FONT][/h][FONT=&amp]As it happened, I could. The local supermarket had a range of wine varieties in alcohol-free editions. I don’t know how good this will be – online reviews were not high in their praise – but I can say that I’ve done the thing.
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[FONT=&amp]I’ve got a couple of bottles and some heavy-duty bubble wrap containers, and we’ll see how I go. I know that bags are not searched going into Iran, but luggage is scanned for internal flights, and I’ll check with the local tour guide.
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[FONT=&amp]There’ll be two dozen of us on the tour. Assuming I can get both bottles in, that will be a small half glass each. Stay tuned for progress and photographs of us drinking Shiraz in Shiraz!
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[FONT=&amp]Oh, and say hello to Misty, who was determined to be involved in my tabletop photo shoot.[/FONT]
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Pete[/FONT]
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[RooFlyer]

Excellent. Your last TR on Iran inspired me to go myself. JohnM and I are taking a tour there in November, so this will be another primer.

I'm wondering why you went for a 'hard' visa, when visa on arrival is available, at least for Australians? I'm thinking of doing the latter, but if it's not a good idea, I won't.

Re the wine - great idea, but if they are found on arrival, how do you 'prove' the contents are non alcoholic? Do you think there is a chance of detention while they figure it out? May not just be a matter of confiscation?

 

[Skyring]

Excellent. Your last TR on Iran inspired me to go myself. JohnM and I are taking a tour there in November, so this will be another primer.

I'm wondering why you went for a 'hard' visa, when visa on arrival is available, at least for Australians? I'm thinking of doing the latter, but if it's not a good idea, I won't.

Re the wine - great idea, but if they are found on arrival, how do you 'prove' the contents are non alcoholic? Do you think there is a chance of detention while they figure it out? May not just be a matter of confiscation?

The visa system is changing, but for tour groups, they are approved in advance and it's just a matter of picking the thing up. For non-tour group travellers, VOA is available, but make sure you follow all the rules, have the address for your first stay correct - they WILL check - and be prepared for a wait.

They are not actually that stern on alcohol. The chap hauled away last time got the distinct impression that the security guy responsible was just making trouble and there would not normally have been a fuss.

Alcohol isn't too hard to get. There's an app, it seems, that you can use to get home deliveries. A guy drives up and he's basically got a grog shop in his boot.

I wasn't too worried, TBH. I couldn't prove that the stuff wasn't alcoholic, but I didn't tamper with anything, and I was sure that any tests they did would demonstrate it was okay.

There are ways of smuggling in real alcohol, but I won't give details. Just don't pack it in a branded container or a hip flask.

A week or two without alcohol is no big deal for me. Mind you, that first beer afterwards tasted fantastic!

You'll enjoy your trip, I'm certain. I had a fabulous time again. Saw a lot of great stuff, enjoyed the company of some lovely people, had some excellent meals.
Just be prepared for a lot of kebab and rice.

 

[Skyring]

The Driver Driven

[h=1]The Driver Driven[/h][FONT=&amp][/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]Canberra[/FONT][FONT=&amp]
[/FONT][FONT=&amp]Australia
18 Apr 2017
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[h=3][FONT=&amp]The Driver[/FONT][/h][FONT=&amp]The Chauffeur Drive man has been loitering outside in the street, shielded by our hedge, for some time. It is ten minutes before our scheduled pickup, but when he spots me checking our car in the driveway for my sunglasses, he moves in.
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[FONT=&amp]He is ruthless, seizing our bags the moment they leave the house, packing them efficiently into the back of his limousine.
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[FONT=&amp]Some sort of plush SUV, all black leather and a good sound system with seatback entertainment screens. He tucks us in, and we are off. Next stop Tehran!
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[FONT=&amp]Well, not quite, but this trip at least we are travelling in premium cabins, and Qantas offers limousine pickup and delivery for long-haul flights nowadays.
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[FONT=&amp]Who am I to say no to a freebie?
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[h=3][FONT=&amp]The toothbrush[/FONT][/h][FONT=&amp]

Canberra is just entering the colourful stage of Autumn. Our suburb is full of old trees, and each year presents a glorious sight. We’ll miss the show on our three weeks away; the leaves will be brown drifts on the lawns, clogging the gutters, and reminding us of our own brief shining moments through the [/FONT][FONT=&amp]drear[/FONT][FONT=&amp] winter. But it will be Spring where we are going.
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[FONT=&amp]“Did you pack my toothbrush?” my wife asks after we have gone a few blocks, rather surprisingly. We are eight years into our fourth decade of married life, and never in all that time have we packed each other’s toothbrush.
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[FONT=&amp]This is code for “I forgot my toothbrush, and I blame you.”
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[FONT=&amp]Fair enough. When my wife is embarrassed, it is always my fault. I might be on the other side of the planet, totally unaware, but she will send me an email explaining why I am to blame.
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[FONT=&amp]I accept this philosophically. She married a graceless, thoughtless, obsessive clod like me, and I am grateful for it. Often enough the things that cause her stress are directly my fault, and even if I am oblivious, I feel it works out to a kind of justice in the end.
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[FONT=&amp]It must work. We are still together, off to explore Iran.
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[FONT=&amp]“They’ll give you another on the plane tomorrow.” Emirates will give us a great many goodies, and we will be showered with toothbrushes and other things. This is the reason that I have left the house with a tube of toothpaste approximately the size of a matchstick, the remnant of some long-forgotten Economy flight. It will clean my teeth tonight, and after that, we could probably surf home on a tide of Colgate in thumb-sized tubes.
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[h=3][FONT=&amp]Great minds drive alike[/FONT][/h][FONT=&amp]We exhaust the topic of toothbrushes and guilt after a while, and I stare out at the familiar route. As an Uber driver, I often take people to the airport, and I grab the suitcases and tuck the passengers in. I know every way of getting to the airport, and our driver is taking the most efficient route, minimising the number of traffic lights.
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[FONT=&amp]As a driver, when I approach the Canberra terminal, I’ll ask if it’s “Qantas or Virgin?” I like to get my passengers to the correct entrance, even if there are only twenty paces between the two. “Each second counts when you are running for a flight,” I say.
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[FONT=&amp]“It’s Qantas,” I tell this driver.
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[FONT=&amp]“But of course, you already know that,” I say a second later. When Qantas and Emirates formed an unlikely partnership some years ago, Chauffeur Drive was one of the Emirates goodies Qantas took up. They honour each other’s Frequent Flyer statuses, and, like my marriage, it seems to have worked out surprisingly well for all parties.
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[FONT=&amp]We are delivered outside the Qantas entrance, our bags are efficiently tumbled out, and I shake my driver’s hand for a job well done. None of this “Pop the boot and unload your own stuff after I’ve taken you the long way,” rubbish I see from taxi drivers. This is pure class, and it is a good start.
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[FONT=&amp]Pete[/FONT]
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[Skyring]

The Importance of Lounging

[h=1]The importance of lounging[/h]

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[FONT=&amp]Canberra[/FONT][FONT=&amp]
[/FONT][FONT=&amp]Australia
18 Apr 2017

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[h=3][FONT=&amp]Bags: negative[/FONT][/h][FONT=&amp]Our drive vanishes, and we are left at the Qantas door, looking at a small mountain of luggage. This is my fault.
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[FONT=&amp]I have two bags for checked luggage, my overloaded carry-on, and a man-bag for my vital kit: iPad, passport, chewing gum. My wife is travelling hand luggage only. Nearly three weeks away and she gets away with seven kilos. I’ve got fifty kilos allowance and making the most of it.
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[FONT=&amp]It’s only a few [/FONT][FONT=&amp]paces[/FONT][FONT=&amp] to check-in, but I have to carry an old bag, which has no wheels and is serving mainly as a soft outer skin for the stout cardboard box containing the wine. I cannot juggle four bags at once, so I hand my wheeled carry-on to my wife.
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[FONT=&amp]We are staying overnight in Sydney for the dawn Emirates flight to Dubai, and Qantas is unable to hold our bags there or check them all the way to Tehran. A transit of fewer than twelve hours is too much for the system, it seems, and we will have to collect the bags in Sydney, wrangle them over to the International terminal ourselves, and check them in again afresh tomorrow.
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[h=3][FONT=&amp]Accentuate the positive[/FONT][/h][FONT=&amp]

That’s the downside, but the upside is that we now have an hour to spend in the Business Lounge. This is the mid-level of the three lounges Qantas maintains in Canberra: the lesser being the Qantas Club, open to members and Gold Frequent Flyers, and the elite Chairmans Lounge, by invitation only, mainly to members of parliament and captains of industry.
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[FONT=&amp]Our lounge is reserved for Platinum Frequent Flyers and those actually flying Business Class. Pleasant enough, if one discounts the view of the multi-story carpark. Light meals, various drinks, free internet, and comfy chairs.
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[FONT=&amp]We toast our upcoming trip with gin and tonic, and a local sparkling for me. I see airport lounges as essential [/FONT]salves [FONT=&amp]to the friction of travel. All the hassling with taxi drivers and security and helpful check-in agents is soothed away with a bit of relax and a spot of “all-day dining” in a lounge.
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[h=3][FONT=&amp]Why lounge?[/FONT][/h][FONT=&amp]

The chance to have a shower and a shave between the legs of long-haul flights is one of the things that makes chasing after airline status worthwhile. British Airways even has an arrivals lounge at their Heathrow terminal, and it has been heaven on a stick to soothe away a fourteen hour flight in a spray of hot water and body wash, with a coffee and breakfast between the weary traveller and the perils of whatever transport has been arranged to get one into London proper.
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[FONT=&amp]Ever since a 2005 pair of long transits in LAX, battling with other travellers for powerpoints and sitting zombie-like on hard plastic seating before the midnight flights leave, I’ve done my best to keep myself at elite levels with access to the comforts of [/FONT][FONT=&amp]loungeland[/FONT][FONT=&amp].
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[FONT=&amp]One of the reasons why I regard joining frequent flyer programs as essential. It might only be a little plastic card, but it is the difference between terminal hell with queues for overpriced coffee and lounge heaven with showers of champagne.
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[FONT=&amp]Cheers!
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[FONT=&amp]Pete[/FONT]
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[Skyring]

Back in Business

[h=1]Back in Business[/h][FONT=&amp][/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]Canberra[/FONT][FONT=&amp]
[/FONT][FONT=&amp]Australia
18 Apr 2017
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[h=3][FONT=&amp]Flight 1701[/FONT][/h][FONT=&amp]QF1520 CBR-SYD[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]B712 VH-YQW “Tassie Devil”[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Scheduled: 1710[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Boarding: 1645 Gate 13 Seats 3E/F (Business)[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Pushback: 1705[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Takeoff: 1714 to North[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Landing: 1754 from North[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Gate: 1758[/FONT]
[h=3][FONT=&amp]Back in Business![/FONT][/h]
[FONT=&amp]The first flight of eight: Canberra to Tehran via Sydney and Dubai, down to Shiraz, tour bus back to Tehran and home via Dubai, Singapore and Melbourne. One in Economy, two in First, the rest in Business.

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[FONT=&amp]You’d think after so many long trips I’d be blase about another, but no, I’ve been counting down the days to this one for months now.

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[FONT=&amp]Our plane, when our flight is called, is a Boeing 717, the latest incarnation of the venerable Sixties-born DC-9. A slightly narrower fuselage than the Boeing 737, it seats five across in Economy, four in Business. Used for shorter routes, it is comfortable enough at the back of the bus if seated on the left, where lucky or experienced travellers sit two abreast rather than three.

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[h=3][FONT=&amp]Seats at the pointy end[/FONT][/h][FONT=&amp]

Business has leather seats with more space. And better food, of course, though on the short hop to Sydney, forty minutes on this flight, there is barely time for the crew to serve a light meal. Sometimes, if the winds are fair and Air Traffic Control smiles, the flight takes thirty minutes and the crew have to scramble to get everything done.

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[FONT=&amp]Normally, I wouldn’t bother with Business Class for the flight to Sydney. The extra cost is hard to justify, and even the delights of domestic bubbly in the lounge are a frill.

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[FONT=&amp]But I booked this trip as a return flight from Canberra and on the overall cost, the difference between Economy and Business on this leg is negligible. Might as well enjoy!

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Qantas seems to have “enhanced” their preflight drinks. In the old days, passengers in the Business cabin would be offered a choice of water, juice, or sparkling wine before takeoff. The wine option has vanished, and I celebrate with fruit juice, as the plane is pushed back from the terminal in a drizzle.

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[FONT=&amp]In-flight entertainment has moved to the “bring your own screen” option. There is an arrangement on the seatbacks for a tablet to be hung up for watching movies or whatever. Qantas used to supply the tablets, but this has also been enhanced out of existence.

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[FONT=&amp]I settle for the Sudoku in the paper. I’m making solid progress on the “Advanced” puzzle when the seatbelt sign goes off and the aisle is full of cabin crew performing the Food Service Olympics to get everyone served with a meal, a drink, and a cuppa before the captain orders the cabin prepared for landing.

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[h=3][FONT=&amp]A meal full of taste[/FONT][/h][FONT=&amp]The meal is small – not that anyone would have time to enjoy, let alone consume, a full meal – and beautifully presented. Wine is offered and I accept the white.

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Smoked salmon with green soybeans and broccoli. My wife consumes hers in a flash, but I chew on the [/FONT][FONT=&amp]vegies[/FONT][FONT=&amp] for a while. I leave a tiny broccoli tree on the plate and she looks accusingly at me. “You didn’t eat your vegetables!”

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[FONT=&amp]I’m still chewing on the beans. They are okay, but my mouth doesn’t welcome them the same way it did the salmon. I could go for more of that. I scavenge up the last few morsels of fish, leaving the broccoli. The flight attendant scoops my plate away before I can make a final decision.

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[FONT=&amp]“She was too quick for me,” I tell my wife, who rolls her eyes.

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[FONT=&amp]I return to the Sudoku. It has turned into a fiendishly difficult one, I get all the way to the final two squares before discovering I have made an earlier error, and it won’t go.

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[FONT=&amp]We dive under the Sydney clouds in time for an evening view of the upper harbour before plonking down at Kingsford-Smith, smiling our way down the jetway and off to baggage claim. Step One on the road to Tehran!

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[FONT=&amp]Pete[/FONT]
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[Skyring]

Daybreak hotel

[h=1]Daybreak Hotel[/h]
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[FONT=&amp]Sydney[/FONT][FONT=&amp]
[/FONT][FONT=&amp]New South Wales
18 Apr 2017
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[h=3][FONT=&amp]Taking the T-Bus to our Daybreak Hotel[/FONT][/h][FONT=&amp]
With our flight to Dubai leaving at 0600 – when Sydney’s airport curfew ends – it was clear that we couldn’t make a regular transit from Canberra. Either we’d have to fly in the day before or take another option, such as catching the midnight Greyhound.

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[FONT=&amp]We decided to fly in, spend a night at an airport hotel, roll out of bed in time for check-in, and fly off in comfort. There was really only one choice – Rydges at the International terminal. Only a few steps away from International Departures, it is the only hotel that does not involve another measure of friction and delays with shuttles or taxis or trains.
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It also offers views of the tarmac, and “planespotter” packages may be booked to include a high floor with roof access. Our room turned out to be on a low floor, and although bits of planes were visible, and the occasional landing of a set of lights and a dim fuselage shape gave a momentary thrill, it wasn’t the highlight of my aviation geek career.

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[FONT=&amp]Oh, well. We wouldn’t be there for the view. Wake up, grab the already packed bags, stroll across the road to check-in, then a leisurely something to drink in the lounge.

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[h=3][FONT=&amp]Down at the end of airport street[/FONT][/h][FONT=&amp]
The only fly in our ointment was getting from the Domestic terminal to International on the other side of the main runway. Usually, we just wheel our carry-on bags to the Qantas shuttle bus, show our boarding pass for the onward flight, and are deposited ten minutes later at the Departures area, while our checked bags are trolleyed across by some hidden magic.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]
But we hadn’t checked in for the Emirates flights, and neither Qantas nor Emirates would handle our bags from the evening flight to the morning.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]
Luckily Rydges uses the Virgin Australia T-Bus, and vouchers may be downloaded from their site. As an aside, there doesn’t seem to be any checking: just print out the voucher and you can use the shuttle, whether you are a Rydges guest, Virgin passenger, or Charlie off the street.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]
Finding the pickup point with more luggage than could easily be handled was a challenge, and after a wrong turn, we arrived to find the previous bus had just left and there was a twenty-minute wait for the next. Waiting without seats in a grey concrete zone with evening falling is not my idea of pleasant travel.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]
The bus arrived – eventually – after the waiting area filled up with an Asian tour party. I glumly remembered previous experiences with queueing in Asia, where the locals would either scramble to the head of the queue or politely and gently rearrange the line to place me at the end.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]
We were first aboard the already crowded bus, handling the bags was a struggle, and we stood all the way. I would rather have paid for a taxi or the train, I think.
[/FONT]
[h=3][FONT=&amp]The hotel itself[/FONT][/h][FONT=&amp]

We found a luggage trolley at the far end and managed to sneak it into the lift and up to the room. Finding enough space for it was tricky, but we wedged it into a corner.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]
On inspecting the bathroom, my wife commented that it was decorated in a lovely “soul-destroying” grey, and perhaps the house style leant more towards Pentridge than the Waldorf.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]
There [/FONT][FONT=&amp]were[/FONT][FONT=&amp] a restaurant and bar attached, but we were content with the meal on the plane.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]
We sussed out our steps for the next morning: across a couple of access lanes, [/FONT][FONT=&amp]up[/FONT][FONT=&amp] a lift, and along to the Emirates counters. While in the terminal, we had a look around the shops. My wife found a toothbrush and I browsed the bookshop. There are plenty of fast food outlets landside, presenting dinner for a few dollars. I bought a coffee, rather than face the horrors of Nescafe in our room.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]
Isn’t it amazing how airports have turned into shopping malls? At some airports, I get the feeling that the planes are a bit of a nuisance, really.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]

But sleep awaited for our early morning flight. I set three alarms, and we tumbled into a very comfortable bed.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]
All told, I’d stay here again. A little pricey, but for the convenience, it cannot [/FONT][FONT=&amp]be beat[/FONT][FONT=&amp]. The stern grey of the bathrooms can be overlooked, and [/FONT][FONT=&amp]probably[/FONT][FONT=&amp] the rooftop views of planes arriving and departing are a big selling point.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]
Maybe next time I’d take less luggage, or opt for something other than the crowded shuttle bus.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]
Pete[/FONT]
[/FONT]

 

[RooFlyer]

The visa system is changing, but for tour groups, they are approved in advance and it's just a matter of picking the thing up. For non-tour group travellers, VOA is available, but make sure you follow all the rules, have the address for your first stay correct - they WILL check - and be prepared for a wait.

Thanks again. It is a tour group, but an English one. Will have to check out visa stuff again. Plenty of time, fortunately.

 

[Skyring]

Thanks again. It is a tour group, but an English one. Will have to check out visa stuff again. Plenty of time, fortunately.

We saw a lot of British folk there. The various tour groups tend to visit the same spots, stay at the same hotels, eat at the same restaurants, share the same elevators…

 

[JohnM]

The visa system is changing, but for tour groups, they are approved in advance and it's just a matter of picking the thing up. For non-tour group travellers, VOA is available, but make sure you follow all the rules, have the address for your first stay correct - they WILL check - and be prepared for a wait.

Hmnnn, we arrive at 2125h. Maybe a visa in advance may be the better option. As RF said, we have time to sort this.

 

[Skyring]

Hmnnn, we arrive at 2125h. Maybe a visa in advance may be the better option. As RF said, we have time to sort this.

We arrived around midnight, were met by the tour agency's English-speaking guide, and driven to our hotel. There was a kiosk just after the barrier for IranCell and the guide helped me get a SIM. Took about three minutes, cost $US15 (I was able to pay in Rials) and needed my passport to be copied and a fingerprint taken.

Last time I found that Vodafone had zero local coverage. Irancell worked well everywhere, and despite heavy use for maps and mail and internet, I didn't come close to going over my data (and if I had, top-up cards are available everywhere.)

 

[Skyring]

Tax Break

[h=1]Tax break[/h]

[FONT=&amp][/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]

[FONT=&amp]
Sydney
[/FONT][FONT=&amp]Australia
19 Apr 2017

[/FONT]​

[h=3][FONT=&amp]Tax break[/FONT][/h][FONT=&amp]Awake at 0400, out the door at 0425, checking in at 0430, passport control at 0440, security at 0445. Or something like that. I set the alarm for 0400. My dear wife glanced at the bedside clock at 0040, leapt out of bed and turned the light on. ***SIGH***
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]After that, sleep was fitful. I very rarely sleep well before an early flight. Despite three alarms on various devices, there’s some anxious little child in my mind that wakes me up to check the clock every half hour after midnight.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]My wife didn’t really twig when I fronted up to the First Class and Platinum check-in. She’s so used to me having some sort of elite status, even if we’re flying Economy, that no penny dropped.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]

Check-in was efficient and painless. We checked in four bags, received our boarding passes, and headed off to immigration, which I had been told wasn’t open until 0430. It was all but deserted, and I added the Fast Track passes to my growing collection.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]I had researched my timings. We were eligible to use the Qantas First lounge, but that didn’t open until 0500, and even if we were first in we’d have barely time for a cup of coffee – or a flute of bubbly – before heading off to the Emirates gates at the other end of the terminal in time for boarding at 0530.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]On the other hand, the Emirates lounge would be open much earlier, and being situated beside the gate we could have a coffee and croissant in comfort without needing to worry about finding the gate in time.
[/FONT]
[h=3][FONT=&amp]Money matters[/FONT][/h][FONT=&amp]But I had one chore before any lounge time. My trusty iPad had taken to crashing several times a day, and I decided it was time to upgrade to a yet more trusty model, which I had bought from the local Apple Store.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Along with an Apple Pencil stylus, and a keyboard cover. I knew that I’d be blogging on the road – literally, during the many hours of bus travel in Iran – and an iPad is handier than a MacBook in cramped quarters. However, I cannot say that I love typing on the iPad screen, hence the keyboard. And I like jotting down notes on the go, hence the Pencil.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]The Pencil, in particular, would save me any number of Moleskines, and possibly result in searchable text from my [/FONT][FONT=&amp]handscrawled[/FONT][FONT=&amp] input.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]All up, a bit over a thousand dollars – a legitimate tax deduction if I ever make any money from this thing – and better yet, a GST refund on leaving the country.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]All I had to do was present goods and receipts at the Tourist Refund Scheme office airside at Sydney. One point to note: invoices over a thousand dollars must show the buyer’s name and address, otherwise they will be rejected.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]There’s even a TRS app which allows all the details of travel, goods, and receipts to be entered. It generates a QR code which can be scanned at the counter, the thing is done and the money magically appears in the pre-nominated bank account.
[/FONT]
[h=3][FONT=&amp]Bureaucracy inaction[/FONT][/h][FONT=&amp]The TRS office is located just past the security check exit, off to one side, before the terminal turns into shopping city. Airports are all alike nowadays, and if you’ve seen one shopping centre, you’ve seen a mall.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Two people waiting at the door, a sign saying it opened at 0500, just a few moments away. This should be a snap.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Time passed. The queue grew longer. Nothing happened. And slowly at that.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Things didn’t improve much when the door was opened. Only the one bloke on, and he was having trouble logging in. We had to have our goods and receipts ready for inspection, and those without the QR code ready to go took ten minutes minimum.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]For me, it was about five minutes, once I reached the head of the queue.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]We were through by 0530, just when we should have been boarding. No time for nothing in any lounge, and a scramble along the terminal arm to get to our gate.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]I steered my wife into the First Class boarding. “Um, I have a confession to make…”
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Pete[/FONT]
[/FONT]

 

[Major]

Re: Tax Break

An interesting trip ahead

 

[Skyring]

Second First

[h=1]Second First[/h][FONT=&amp][/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]

[FONT=&amp]Sydney
[/FONT][FONT=&amp]New South Wales
19 Apr 2017
[/FONT]​

[h=3][FONT=&amp]Flight 1702[/FONT][/h][FONT=&amp]SYD-DBX[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]EK 415 A388[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Scheduled: 0600[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Boarding: 0530 Gate 57 Seats 3E/F[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Pushback: 0552[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Takeoff: 0613 to South[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Landing: 1405[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Gate: 1408
[/FONT]
[h=3][FONT=&amp]My second First[/FONT][/h][FONT=&amp]I don’t make a habit of flying First Class. In fact, I’ve only ever had one international First trip before this one, and that was an operational upgrade from Frankfurt to Dallas/Fort Worth. It was very comfortable, but I was kind of miffed that I didn’t have the window seat I’d carefully selected in the J cabin.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]I look on Business Class as the best way to fly long haul. Economy, especially for a generously-proportioned soul such as myself, is too close to torture for my liking. First is an indulgence, and not generally worth the money over Business. It could be better spent on a nice hotel. Or a new car.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]I looked up the cost for this flight and it made me gasp. Luckily, I wasn’t paying for it. I’d gathered up enough points through the various boondoggles that serious points hounds go through to have enough for the trip.
[/FONT]
[h=3][FONT=&amp]Looking and booking[/FONT][/h][FONT=&amp]Finding the seats had been the hard part. I’d looked for a pair of Business seats between Canberra and Tehran return. The tricky part had been finding availability between Australia and Dubai, and while on the homeward journey I could get Business seats on a slightly indirect route Tehran-Dubai-Singapore-Melbourne-Canberra, for the outward legs there was nothing at all on anything like the dates I needed.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]There were, however, a pair of First seats two days earlier. Leaving at six in the morning, a long transit in Dubai, and arriving in Tehran just before midnight. It worked out to a higher cost in points, two extra nights in Tehran, and an overnight stay in Sydney, but I wouldn’t have to wedge myself into Economy.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]And, I told myself, it would be something I could write about for this trip report. A journalistic endeavour rather than an indulgence. Right.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]The seats were on Emirates aircraft rather than Qantas, but that was quite okay. Emirates has a legendary premium product, and my research indicated that this would be an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]And a nice surprise for my wife.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Rather than [/FONT][FONT=&amp]stint[/FONT][FONT=&amp] my post, or write several thousand words in one chunk, I’ll divide the flight up into postcard-sized pieces. There’s a lot to cover.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Pete[/FONT]
[/FONT]

 

[Deleted member]

A thoroughly entertaining and eloquent TR, I cannot wait for the next thrilling instalment.

 

[Skyring]

Coffeeboarding

[h=1]Flight 1702: Coffee Boarding[/h][FONT=&amp][/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]

[FONT=&amp]
[/FONT]​

[FONT=&amp]As it happened, my wife didn’t seem to be terribly upset by the idea of flying First instead of Business. She took it remarkably well, which isn’t always the case for my husbandly surprises.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Emirates has all their premium seats on the upper deck of their Airbus A380s. Fourteen First Class up front, the Business cabins making up 76 seats and a bar at the rear.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp][/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]
The First seats are actually tiny cabins with doors that close for privacy. There are four window seats along each side and a block of three pairs in the centre. I’d picked the middle pair of these so that we could share the experience.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]“Where do I put my bag?” my wife asked, looking up at the unobstructed ceiling. No overhead lockers, you see.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]“Just put it at the front,” I said. Each “cabin” has a generous floor area, and even a mini wardrobe for hanging jackets – and clothing, if you want to remove everything. Some passengers do just that. Even at full stretch, the lie-flat seat doesn’t intrude into this storage space.
[/FONT]
[h=3][FONT=&amp]Coffee, Sir?[/FONT][/h]
[FONT=&amp]

Rydges had managed to give us a room with zero coffee, there hadn’t been any lounge time, and I seized on the offer from one of the flight attendants, a young lady of immaculate beauty.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]“Um, white, no sugar,” I replied thoughtfully when she asked how I took it. A big mug arrived almost immediately, along with a [/FONT][FONT=&amp]biscotto[/FONT][FONT=&amp].
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]This wasn’t how my research had indicated the welcome coffee was served, but I was asking no questions. Coffee was coffee.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]She was back in a flash with the “proper” coffee. Arabic style in a flashy golden jug.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]This was more like it, and I whipped out my camera. She smiled indulgently at me, an obvious rookie in this cabin.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]She poured my coffee into a tiny cup and offered me a date.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Again I bit my lip. My research had indicated the possibility of dates in this particular cabin, and other passengers had spoken highly. I normally don’t like dates but comments such as “Yum! Like toffee,” from one reviewer persuaded me to give her offer a try.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]And it was sweet. The black coffee wasn’t bitter at all. In fact, I cleared my table so rapidly, she came back for more, and I had a third cup. Uh, and a second date.
[/FONT]
[h=3][FONT=&amp]Goodies[/FONT][/h]
[FONT=&amp]There were only three passengers in the First cabin. In fact, I only saw a literal handful of passengers on this flight, including us. When I visited the bathroom, a couple of times I saw Economy passengers waiting their turn for the facilities downstairs, gazing wistfully up at me. If I’d been thinking, I would have tossed them down a snack or a bottle of Scotch or something.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]

A young man stopped by my seat, in between rounds of coffee,[/FONT][FONT=&amp]and [/FONT][FONT=&amp]proffered[/FONT][FONT=&amp] a bag. “I’ve taken the liberty of selecting a pyjama size for you, but if it doesn’t suit, just call.”
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Extra-Large. Humph. As it happened the sleeves were too long. Isn’t it strange in clothing sizes how if you put on a bit of extra weight, your arms grow longer?
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]The PJs came in their own package. A felted woollen bag with a button closure. Just right for a laptop.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]There was also a pair of slippers, an eye mask, and an amenity kit in a leather case. More on that later.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]I could also take a writing kit, a cosmetics kit (in its own little compartment with an illuminated and mirrored lid), a basket of snacks, and a row of (non-alcoholic) drinks, the last in another illuminated pop-up compartment.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]In fact, the whole seat was way over the top. Apart from the grey of the seat itself, the “cabin” was decorated in faux burl wood with gold trim. There were little compartments for this and that everywhere, buttons and switches. Three different ways of controlling the huge entertainment screen.
[/FONT]
[h=3][FONT=&amp]A second chance in First[/FONT][/h][FONT=&amp]

On boarding, I’d snaffled a newspaper from the rack on the airbridge.[/FONT] [FONT=&amp]The Australian[/FONT][FONT=&amp], which I’m no longer able to read at home due to my wife making sounds of outrage and dismay when she reads the political reports.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]When I finally had the leisure to relax and read it, I was outraged and dismayed to find it was yesterday’s edition. A black mark, Emirates!
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Then I considered. Yesterday’s edition also held a fresh copy of the Sudoku puzzle I’d attempted and failed. And there was a pen in the writing kit if I pressed the right button.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]As it happened, the coffee must have sharpened my wits. I got it out. That’s a win.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Pete[/FONT]
[/FONT]

 

[TomVexille]

Re: Coffeeboarding

I'm loving your style. Looking forward to following along.

 

[Rugby]

Re: Coffeeboarding

Excellent timing Skyring - we just booked EK415 in F, on points, for next March. Enjoying the read.