Day 2 - Kuala Lumpur to Tehran

Well again not a great deal to report today - another traveling day today - KL to Tehran at 5 pm. Spent the morning tucking into another Concorde Inn buffet breakfast (one of the many reasons I like this place) followed by a swim in the pool and  catching a few rays. One thing that occupies my mind as I wait for our taxi is wondering how the AirAsia flight attendants will be kitted out on this leg. Can't imagine they will be in their usual garb. We shall see.
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Well what a difference a few hours makes. So many impressions of people and things in such a short time - almost sensory overload :-)   First thing that struck me and continues to strike me is how extraordinarily friendly and welcoming the Iranian people are. From the moment we joined the crowd waiting for the flight to Tehran we encountered folk wanting to talk and ask us about ourselves and our trip to Iran with obvious enthusiasm for welcoming tourists such as ourselves. And the same experience on the flight itself, perhaps even more so as I was able to move around. A group of gents including myself ended up loitering near the rear galley and discussing a wide variety of topics from driving in Iran, to food, money changing, toilets - you name it. I was given a great deal of useful advice and learnt a number of Farsi words as well. And then there was the couple seated directly in front of us - we chatted for much of the journey and now have been invited to their home in Tehran which hopefully we will be able to fit into our busy schedule. Also the large cohort of Iranian women on the flight sans hijab and also the more traditional who did not remove theirs ever. I forgot to mention the unruly scramble to get on the plane in KL. I learnt later that queues don't exist in Iran or at least that was what I was told :-) And then there is the driving - nothing quite as magical as hurtling down the freeway from IKA to Tehran with cars passing on whichever side they please while all the while our lovely driver Mr H seems intent on straddling the broken lane marker whenever the opportunity arises. Perhaps he feared getting lost and was simply following the line to get to Tehran. Nobody uses their indicators - they simply drift from one lane to another without so much as a second thought and usually just missing the vehicle sneaking up beside them. Eventually to the Atlas Hotel which turned out to be a slightly tired but friendly and welcoming 3 star hotel. Oh, and by the way it was still around 32c at the time we arrived which was about 10pm Iran time. Apart from my mistaking the Islamic toilet hose for the loo flush button and as a consequence sending a fountain of water into the air in the bathroom that was quite enough excitement for the day.

Oh, and trouser suits and the obligatory AirAsia scarf for those who were wondering.