To spend time outdoors. To picnic and fire up the qalyan. For some outdoor wooing. To get away from smoggy Tehran. The dining hall: The last party here was held in honor of King Hussein and President Carter. Catty Lonely Planet write-up: “The tiger pelt…, among other things, reveals the shah as a man of…

Over Adi’s shoulder. At SPU Restaurant, Darakeh, Tehran. At Niyavaran Palace, Tehran. At the park behind Niyavaran Palace, Tehran. Wearing the chador at the Portal of Bagh Melli, Tehran. Very Grace Kelly. At the Coffee Shop & Veggie Restaurant of Iranian Artists’ Forum, Tehran. At the Arg of Karim Khan, Shiraz. Students showing some shirazzle-dazzle…

Yazd’s clock tower. Trying the local soft-serve. Oscar and Chad. (FYI, the thumbs-up sign means “up yours” in Farsi sign language, although more than a few locals know that it means a different thing to the rest of the world.) Disappearing down Yazd’s alleyways. The Amir Chakhmaq Complex. We yelled “Saalam!” at some kids on…

Dave, Jan, and Mustafa. Nina, Calvin, Cynthia and Anna. Evan, Andrew, Jing, Sonny, Zoe, Oscar (eating the sandwich), Nathan and Mark.