Earthlooping and Hossein, our unexpected guide in Kashan
We spent two days in Kashan, a small town south of Tehran where we could fully experience the real Iran and its people's hospitality. And really, even if people tell you Iranians are really hospitable, until you don't experience it by yourself, you don't realize until what extent.
"Do you want to be my friend? I am from Kashan and I can show you everything about it. You can type on my phone". That was what I read on a smartphone a young guy showed me in the 3-hour bus ride on the way from Tehran to Kashan.
Earlier that guy smiled to me, I smiled back and next thing was showing me this message written on his phone, as he couldn't speak any word in English. I was shocked. I typed that it would be nice but I didn't know how we were going to communicate. "I have a teacher friend. She will help me." I was not really understanding what was all about but just kept typing on the phone and all the bus trip was like that until we reached Kashan.
Earlier that guy smiled to me, I smiled back and next thing was showing me this message written on his phone, as he couldn't speak any word in English. I was shocked. I typed that it would be nice but I didn't know how we were going to communicate. "I have a teacher friend. She will help me." I was not really understanding what was all about but just kept typing on the phone and all the bus trip was like that until we reached Kashan.
In any other country in the world (or at least in any of the other 68 I have been to) if a stranger approaches you offerring to guide you in his city or any other service, you think he wants something from you, normally money. And that's the truth, until Iran I've met several nice people, but normally if they are helping or guiding you is because they want money. But this is Iran and it has nothing to do with any other place in the world. We asked him if he wanted to show us Kashan expecting something in return several times, and he always said "no money, no money, friend". Shocking, at least for a Western mind.
Kids playing on the street
And even more shocking if we were not able to talk a single word in the same language. All the time we spent with him was he showing a message in English in his phone, me writing back, he sending the message to a friend who translated it and so on. Crazy, but really funny.
Anyway, we got to Kashan and Hossein, that's his name, offerred us to stay overnight at his home, which we refused because we consiered enough help if he wanted to show us the city the following day. He anyway took us to our hotel, Ehsan House, a nice traditional house transformed into a hotel with a nice courtyard in the middle. There, he asked us at what time should he come to the hotel the following day to pick us up and show us the city. We agreed a time and he left. Totally shocked with his behaviour. He was extremely nice, and even if he couldn't speak any single word in English he wanted to be our guide and to be with us all the time. Iranian people really take hospitality to another level!
Anyway, we got to Kashan and Hossein, that's his name, offerred us to stay overnight at his home, which we refused because we consiered enough help if he wanted to show us the city the following day. He anyway took us to our hotel, Ehsan House, a nice traditional house transformed into a hotel with a nice courtyard in the middle. There, he asked us at what time should he come to the hotel the following day to pick us up and show us the city. We agreed a time and he left. Totally shocked with his behaviour. He was extremely nice, and even if he couldn't speak any single word in English he wanted to be our guide and to be with us all the time. Iranian people really take hospitality to another level!
View from the traditional baths' rooftop
We decided afterwards to go for some food and to try to find a barber as I needed to shave. Not even 3 minutes walking on the street that another young guy approaches: "Hello, where are you from? What are you looking for? I am a guide in Kashan and I can take you wherever you want to." This time it was Ibrahim, another young guy but this one spoke quite a good English. He took us to the barber, to eat to a couple of places... and again, even if he was a guide he didn't want any money. Only a couple of hours in this city and we were freaking out with the people, speechless. We spent the rest of the evening with Ibrahim and he offerred us going with him to the nearby desert and staying there overnight for 30€. It was the only thing he wanted to get money from, as the rest of the time he spent with us it was only for fun. And still, he didn't really insist that much with the desert tour. He also offerred us to guide us in Kashan the following day but we were already "booked" with Hossein!
Next morning Hossein came. We spent the whole day with him, and he showed us the Bazar, the traditional houses, the ancient baths and took us to a restaurant to have lunch. All the time without saying a word, only communicating through the phone, which, to be honest, was a bit tiring in the end. But Hossein was one of the nicest persons we met in the whole Iranian trip, and when it was time to say goodbye, he didn't accept any money, nothing. He just wanted to spend time with us just like this. Amazing.
After Hossein left, we went for some sleep and then back to look for a place to eat. And in less than 5 minutes we had again Ibrahim next to us. It looked like he was smelling us! This time he took us to the bazar (where we met a quite strange Polish couple), then to the shrine in the bazar, we spent some time inside it and even had some tea!, then to have some cakes and tea at a nearby pastisserie (the guys there were, of course, extremely nice and they invited us to everything and we were taking pictures with them) and later to the mosque. As we were in the month of Muharram the mosques give free food in the evenings, so there we went. We got some food and some milk, and Ibrahim explained us a lot of things about Kashan, the Islam and whatever we wanted to know. He is a really nice guy who just likes to spend some time with foreigners and who hopes to make some money taking tourists to the desert in order to some day being able to leave Iran and look for a better life abroad, according to what he said. That's why, after he insisted a bit more with the desert trip, we decided to think about it.
After Hossein left, we went for some sleep and then back to look for a place to eat. And in less than 5 minutes we had again Ibrahim next to us. It looked like he was smelling us! This time he took us to the bazar (where we met a quite strange Polish couple), then to the shrine in the bazar, we spent some time inside it and even had some tea!, then to have some cakes and tea at a nearby pastisserie (the guys there were, of course, extremely nice and they invited us to everything and we were taking pictures with them) and later to the mosque. As we were in the month of Muharram the mosques give free food in the evenings, so there we went. We got some food and some milk, and Ibrahim explained us a lot of things about Kashan, the Islam and whatever we wanted to know. He is a really nice guy who just likes to spend some time with foreigners and who hopes to make some money taking tourists to the desert in order to some day being able to leave Iran and look for a better life abroad, according to what he said. That's why, after he insisted a bit more with the desert trip, we decided to think about it.
Kashan Shrine
Anyway we had to come back to Tehran in one week, and as Tehran was just 3 hours from Kashan we thought that if we had time and we had still not visited the desert, we could go with Ibrahim.
We said goodbye, he gave us his phone number, and went to the hotel to sleep a bit, as the following morning we were supposed to take a bus and head to Esfahan, probably the most famous of the Iranian cities.
Early morning we went to the bus station and we jumped into a bus which in 3 hours should take us to Esfahan.
As a summary, Kashan is a really nice city, far more relaxed than Tehran, with a nice bazar, nice shrine, beautiful traditional houses and even more beautiful traditional baths, but besides the sightseeing what it makes Kashan really special was the experiences we had with both Hossein and Ibrahim, something you cannot understand being a Westerner, actually we are still wondering how is it possible that they did everything they did for us just for the sake of spending time with us. Thank you!!!!
You can check our Kashan Guide in case you are interested in visitig it, but it's really likely you'll have a free and nice guide there!
We said goodbye, he gave us his phone number, and went to the hotel to sleep a bit, as the following morning we were supposed to take a bus and head to Esfahan, probably the most famous of the Iranian cities.
Early morning we went to the bus station and we jumped into a bus which in 3 hours should take us to Esfahan.
As a summary, Kashan is a really nice city, far more relaxed than Tehran, with a nice bazar, nice shrine, beautiful traditional houses and even more beautiful traditional baths, but besides the sightseeing what it makes Kashan really special was the experiences we had with both Hossein and Ibrahim, something you cannot understand being a Westerner, actually we are still wondering how is it possible that they did everything they did for us just for the sake of spending time with us. Thank you!!!!
You can check our Kashan Guide in case you are interested in visitig it, but it's really likely you'll have a free and nice guide there!
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