No skiing :(

I'm up at 5.45am and use a combination of metro (10 US cents), bus (12.5c) and shared taxi (25c) to get to the Tochal ski complex in northern Tehran where I'm meeting with Shirin and a few of her friends. I'm struck by grief as we're told the Piste is closed today! So much for skiing in Iran. Instead, Shirin and I go downtown. For lunch we go to a restaurant in an art center. They have a special section for "actors and foreigners". In order to get in, Shirin ties her scarf like an Arab (rather than a Persian) and speaks Farsi with an accent, and I do my best to look foreign myself. Inside, we meet famous actor Behzad Farahani ("the Robert De Niro of Iran"). In the evening I meet with Ali as usual, and Reysan joins us out for the "last supper" before I leave Iran. At one point, Reysan's scarf slides down so her hair is visible. It only takes seconds before a guard tells her to cover up. I casually show them the photo of me and Behzad and they're green with envy. Ali joins me to the airport at night where my flight leaves at 4.40am. Tomorrow: Qatar!

Northern Tehran early morning.

It's not easy being American here in Iran.

Me, Behzad and Shirin.

Grand bazaar.

Tehran, Iran