Wednesday, February 20, 2013

A Hitchhiker's Guide to Iran

Think you're up for an adventure? I bet it won't be as daring as the exploits of a young British woman who writes about her hitchhiking and backpacking through Europe, Turkey, Armenia, Georgia and yes, Iran. She travels sometimes with others, sometimes alone, and illustrates her wanderings with beautiful pictures at www.agirlandherthumb.wordpress.com.
She carries a tent so she can sleep outside if necessary, and it often is in the remote areas she visits. She also stays at guesthouses and with hosts she meets through Couchsurfing (www.couchsurfing.com.) When hitching is not possible, she resorts to buses or shared taxis called marshrutkas found in most of the countries of the former Soviet Union. She also seems to speak Turkish and some Russian, which no doubt helps her get around relatively safely.
Seeing her lovely shots of the snow-covered peaks of the Caucuses renewed my interest in visiting this part of the world. And, who knows, perhaps Iran is also a posssiblity.
The author also writes movingly about her father's death in Britain. My only criticism of her blog is that, for my taste, there is a little too much information about drinking. But then she is young and British, so I guess that is to be expected.
In any case, this is a great read for armchair travellers.

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