artwork from ramona

ramona poorghadiri

We met Ramona at the museum for contemporary art in Esfahan in Iran.

teheran

from georgia to iran

After a month working and living in Georgia we traveled further to Armenia by taxi :-). This normally 6 hour during trip with marshrutka, went a bit faster, comfortable and just a bit more expensive by taxi. I never had such a long trip by taxi :-). The way to Yerevan went through a beautiful landscape of mountains. While I was enjoying this, Rolina was trying to relax and don’t get car sick. At Yerevan we had a few days of rest and time to arrange some things for our trip to Iran. We stayed at the lively and nice home stay of Anahit just in front of the opera. The bus trip to Teheran would last 27 hours in a so called comfortable bus. I don’t think I want to experience the not comfortable busses ever :-). The trip started with a fight over our seeds that where booked double. The stubbed Iranian would not move for our and his seed. I couldn’t blame him, but did not tell this off course, we also like at least to sit during a 27 hour trip :-). After 15 minutes we could take place just behind the man. The trip was further without conflicts and I even had a nice conversation with the man :-). At the Armenian border we and all our luggage had to get out of the bus and we where checked and double checked. They where in doubt about our passports because mine was just new and has a bit different layout. My expectations about the Iranian border went higher and higher. We got all back in the bus and went to the Iranian border to repeat the whole procedure. The Iranian border was much more relaxed. It all went with a cup of tea :-). No luggage search for us and no doubts about our passports! After a night with not much sleep we arrived in Teheran and with the help from some nice people from the bus we got a taxi to our host. Rolina had to wear a scarf when we entered Iran, but got quick used to it (till now). After a delicious breakfast at our host Ahmad we start for a very quick tour to Teheran centre that we continued after another great lunch. I shake hands and Rolina greeted some person’s we got introduced with. Finally we end up at our house for the next couple of weeks in a more traditionally neighborhood. We will stay at the nice mother of Ahmad and not at the official artist in residence space because there is still too much snow in the mountains. Rolina will work in the garden; at least the weather is great to work outside at the moment. The family of Ahmed is very friendly and nice and in general the Iranian people we met are so nice and interested. The image we got by our media from Iran gives a very narrow view from the people and the country.

monkeys

In Mumbai we went to Elephant Island to find out that monkeys are very irritating and aggressive animals :-). We saw Mumbai’s dhobi ghat (big outdoor laundry) and all the other must see places. After three days we already needed some cool and fresh air, so we went to the Matheran hill station, where we got the nice surprise off a huge population off monkeys. It turned out, that these monkeys still keep a distance to humans for a bout one meter! So just enough :-).

art villa garikula