Hamedan

There are two types of buses in Iran - cheaper, slowlier and less comfortable Mercedes buses and little more expensive Volvo buses with ongoing Iranian movies and juice and biscuits included into the ticket price.

Still even the price of Volvo buses is incredibly cheap - 100 km for little more than 1 EUR.

It is very easy to find the bus to your desired destination, because as soon as you arrive to the bus station, "bus mosquitoes" (guys working for companies trying to find passengers for some commission) run at you and shout names of different cities, assuming that even if you were thinking of going to Hamedan, you will change your mind immediately and go with them to Shiraz. But anyway, eventually you will find the right bus mosquito and then he will organize everything for you.

The only tricky thing sometimes can be that the bus is going to the place you want to go, BUT it will only stop on the highway near the city and continues somewhere who knows where....

And then if you miss that place near the highway where to go off, you will be put off on the highway even more further away from the city.

And when it is also dark already, it can be quite disturbing !

What to do in Iran in the dark on the highway ?!

Our second spontaneous hitchhiking in Iran was from somewhere of the highway near Hamedan to the city center. We were picked up by a kick-boxing referees, living in Greece for most of the time. They said they only picked us up, because we seemed to be "lost tourists".

Hitchhiking was successful, we got to the city, with no charges and even with piece of bread.

Next job for us was searching for cheap musafirkhune (guest house). Finally found one cheaper one, where was possible to do some business:

The initial cost of the room for two persons - Manager puts 160 000 rials on the bed.

Our price - Branko takes 100 000 away. Manager is not happy. Puts 40 000 back.
We are not satisfied. Branko takes 20 000 away. Manager frowns. Puts 20 000 back
OK, if not, then not, we go and look for another place.
Manager becomes quite nervous, stops us on the doorway and eventually gives in !

This is our cell nr 15 :















Friendly Iranian people posing in the lively market:






























Few glimpses of Hamedan:


























































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Mmmm, fruit juice with ice - so cheap and so good !

And then something caught our eye on the street in front of a cafe - ice !
What a perfect storing place for it !
















No more of these jammy fruit juices anymore !

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Hamedan, with the ancient name of Ecbatana, is believed to be the oldest Iranian city and one of the oldest cities in the World.

The scientist and writer known in the west as Avicenna (Abu Ali Sina) is buried in Hamadan.

At the moment, the settlements of one part of the city have been moved to somewhere else and busy archaeological excavations are taking place in Hamedan.