My very first impression of Iran

"Don't trust anybody, Iran is a dangerous place", the warning is still on my mind as I'm exiting Esfahan airport. I expect a crowd of stern looking men to be waiting outside the building - following me with their gaze and looking for any mistake on my behalf so they can immediately have me arrested - but all I see is a couple of taxi drivers chatting casually and enjoying the early morning sun. A fellow passenger, a younger woman wearing a headscarf smiles at me and says, "You are welcome in Iran!" and I make the first step out - into this new world.

The cab driver speaks no English at all but starts talking anyway. Although I don't understand anything he says in Farsi, he projects such gentle kindness that I feel immediately comfortable. I keep smiling and soon enough, while maintaining the speed of the car, he takes a thermos and pours me some tea. I am here in Iran, and I am having a cup of tea in the back of a taxi.

He turns on the CD player and we both fall silent. The song is rich and bittersweet and puts me in an almost meditative state. As the voice of the Farsi singer resonates inside me, I look outside the window and watch the city coming to life. The music here and the people there, the thousand years of this civilization and the uniqueness of this very moment.

We come to a stop in front of my hotel and I point at the CD player, thanking the driver for the experience. "What band is it? I'd like to search for it," I'm trying to explain. "No, no, no," he gestures.... I guess I won't find this in the shops.

The following day, the hotel's receptionist hands me a CD. Dropped off in the morning for me, with the compliments of a friendly taxi driver. "You are welcome in Iran," the receptionist adds.