Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WORTH ITS WEIGHT
Cleopatra added it to her mare's-milk baths. Indian Buddhists dyed their robes with it. Romans slapped it on to cure
scabies. And Alexander the Great used it to patch up his battle scars. Today saffron adds flavour and colour to
Cornish saffron cake and Spanish paella as well as to
chelo
(rice) in Iran where it remains Persia's classic 'spice'.
Saffron comes from the delicately dried stigmas of
Crocus sativus
flowers, grown extensively in southern regions of
Khorasan. But producing a kilogram of saffron requires around 200,000 flowers. No wonder it's often so stagger-
ingly pricey.
Information
Consulates
Afghanistan
( 854 1653; Do Shahid St; 8am-noon Sat-Wed)
Visas are sometimes
only available from the embassy in Tehran, so check the current situation. Otherwise, ap-
ply early (foreign visa applicants can walk straight through an unmarked white door part-
way down the queue of Afghans); bring a copy of your passport and two mug shots, The
30-day tourist visa should be ready the same day for a flat €75 fee.
Pakistan
( 222 9845; Imam Khomeini St; 9am-noon Sat-Wed)
Occupies the former
British consulate. Very unlikely to issue visas.
Turkmenistan
( 854 7066; Do Shahid St, off Dah-e Dey Sq; 8.30am-noon Mon-
Thu & Sat)
Allow at least six days to get a five-day transit visa. No English spoken; con-
sider using a translator if you don't understand Farsi, Turkmen or Russian. You'll need an
onward visa - bring a photocopy of it (Uzbek is best, Azerbaijani sometimes accepted) as
well as your main passport page, and be able to state the entry and exit points by which
you'll transit Turkmenistan (inflexible). There's a handy photocopy shop three doors from
Baghoi Exchange.
Emergency
Imam Reza Hospital
( 854 3031-9; Ibn-e Sina St)
Good, accessible hospital with
24-hour pharmacy.
Internet Access
Aftabshargh Coffeenet
(
Click here
;
Imam Khomeini St; per hr US$1; 9am-9pm)
Attar Coffeenet
(Falakeh Ab; per US$1; 24hr)
Three floors up.
