Originally posted on my blog site October 11, 2009 

I’ve been here just over a week now and have realised that more than anything else, Iran is a country of contrast. Not the black and white contrast of a chess board, but the white to grey to black contrast on a 1980’s TV set.
The rigid rules designed to create order and control the moral compass of its citizens seem to have given rise to an alternative underground society of sorts. I cannot help but notice the irony and underlying contradicting parallels that pervade Tehran. Women wear hijab while walking down Nelson Mandela Avenue. There is a melting pot of tradition and progression that run side by side on the streets of Tehran.
The city is noisy and polluted with the fumes from too many cars and pedestrian crossings may as well be a chequered flag at a Grand Prix, but look out window 6 floors up and the air is fresh, the Alborz mountains majestic and the perimeter green. The bustling metropolis quickly gives way to startling scenery and space which in turn adds an air of lightness to the spirit.
In the serene skyline framed by mountains which become a ski and snowboard Mecca in winter there is no hint of the social idiosyncrasies which exist here. At various intervals red or green clothing is ’banned’ and certain websites are available and then for almost no reason become the latest victims of censorship. Just as peculiar are the behavioural rules which are expected. Dancing in public is strictly forbidden and women may not sing aloud.
By night the city reveals that rules which seemed designed to curb any social interaction have no bearing on just how socially inclined Iran truly is. In a society where outside perception is that existence here can be nothing but drab and possibly laborious, the reality is that Tehran is not inclined to sleep. People descend on restaurants and convenience stores en-masse in a time honoured, neon lit tradition. Kebab eateries flourish alongside the greatest concentration of pizzerias I have come across anywhere.
The nation’s penchant for confection is evident in the string of bakeries and ice cream stores scattered across the city. Hidden in the side streets and maze-like alleys are the greatest gastronomic surprises of all – Mexican, Chinese and Indian restaurants.
A growing number of international food and clothing brands bear testament to the globalization of modern day Iran. And all of this is evident in a ten minute radius around central Tehran.
As I continue to scan the skyline from a 6th floor window I know that this is a city with much to show, share and insinuate. I also realise that there is no chess board here, just a myriad of colours and contrasts which demand exploration and absolutely no preconceived expectation. A task, while wearing my hijab, I will most happily do.