I applied for my Iranian visa when I first arrived in Delhi, on November
21. The embassy in Delhi told me to get an authorization code from
iranianvisa.com, which would be sent to the embassy, and then I'd just
need to bring my passport in for the stamp. A very frustrating and
drawn-out experience with iranianvisa.com left me $300 poorer, and
visa-less on the 11th of December, when my flight left for Iran.
This was not good.
New Zealand citizens are granted Visa-On-Arrival privileges, but I'd
read some horror stories of tourists in my situation being deported. I
have no idea how deportation works, but I didn't have the money to pay
for that.
The main thing that I needed at the border was proof of an ongoing
ticket. I didn't have the money for that either. I was hoping to catch
the train into Turkey after my month in Iran. My sister came up with the
brilliant idea of buying a 100% refundable ticket, getting into the
country with that ticket as proof of my departure plans, and then simply
getting a refund for the ticket.
I decided to take that idea to its next logical conclusion, and create
an entirely fake departure ticket. I am not saying this was a smart
idea.
WARNING: Kids, do NOT try this at home.
I present to you my entirely fictional flight out of Iran:
(For those interested, yes, this is an actual Cleartrip ticket, modified
for a real flight, using the original fonts for authenticity.)
When I got to the check-in at the Indian end, the ticket was burning a
hole in my pocket. There was some discussion at the gate as to whether I
could even come through without a visa on my passport, but a few phone
calls and some explanations about NZ's VOA privileges, and I was away.
At the Iranian end, I got off the plane and went confidently to the visa
application window. The guy gave me a form to fill out, had a look at
my ongoing ticket, and put a big shiny visa sticker in my passport.
I was in.
At 12:00 PM on Saturday, October 28, 2023, in honor of Cyrus the Great Day, you are invited to our unveiling of a monumental statue of Cyrus the Great at the Millennium Gate dedicated to liberty, justice and peace. Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenid empire, upon liberating Babylon, freed the slaves, established racial equality and rights for women, declared that all people had the right to choose their own religion and returned their various gods to their shrines. He also helped the Jews build The Second Temple. According to the Book of Isaiah, Cyrus was anointed by God as a messiah for these actions, the only non-Jewish figure to be revered in this capacity. Iranian and Jewish peoples share an ancient bond of friendship that modern Islamic fanaticism has tried (and failed) to destroy. Remembering the past is a powerful perspective for shaping the future; one where diverse peoples and cultures live together in freedom and harmony. Cyrus the Great’s decrees wer
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