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What follows are Ms. Tina Patterson’s comments about Iran and Iranians that she has written on her website, authenticasia.net. She is an American and travel expert in Asian countries.

Tina Patterson

Seriously?  You did this in Iran??

Yes, I did… last winter when I visited Iran on my own and traveled through the country with my friend Farzaneh. I had the chance to go skiing in the mountains one day followed by scuba diving and island hopping in the Persian Gulf the next.

Did you know that there are 16 ski resorts in Iran? Here in the West, we don’t think of Iran as a ski destination; however, for thousands of Iranians the mountains just north of Tehran offer a welcome getaway from the city. The base of the Dizin Ski Resort, Iran’s best, is located at 2,700 meters (approximately 9,000 feet) and is only a 2 ½ hour drive from Tehran. The resort was established during the days of the Shah and not much as changed since then. The best part of the resort is the snow quality at Dizin- fantastic powder that rivals that of many European and Rocky Mountain snow areas. And yes, the women are dressed in European ski outfits and still somehow manage to wear their hijabs, or hide them under their helmets, as they fly down the piste. Men and women mix and mingle happily in the ski lodge, the only thing missing is a good après “hot tottie or peppermint patty” …

Next, I boarded a flight to Bandar Abbas, located in Southern Iran away from the tourist route, it is named after one of Persia’s kings, Shah Abbas I.  Bandar Abbas is a port city, situated only 90 miles from Dubai, with the two islands of Hormoz and Qeshm lying in between. Winter is the perfect time to visit, the weather is pleasant and the water temperature is perfect.On the first morning in Bandar Abbas, we drove to Minab, famous for its Thursday market and masked women.

Tina Patterson in Minab

The face mask is something completely unique to this region, with the color of the mask indicating if the women are single, married or widowed. The mask is not worn for religious reasons, but rather as a protection against the intense sun. In the afternoon, a speedboat took us to the Hormoz Island, parts of which looks like a fantastic moon scape . The next day, we headed to Qeshm Island where- believe it or not, I went snorkeling and scuba diving in the Persian Gulf. Maybe some of you have gone scuba diving in the Persian Gulf, but how many of you have done it off the coast of Iran?

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Hadi Ansari

Hello dear friends
I am Hadi Ansari. I sincerely welcome your visit to Iranwithguide.com.
As an Iranian, I am very willing to contribute to introducing the beauty and attractions of my country to the rest of the world. On the other hand, I enjoy creating friendly cultural relations with the people of other countries and I would like to encourage them to travel to Iran and also to help you for a fruitful and memorable trip to Iran.
On this website, I have shared with you information, pictures and videos I have provided over the years of my trips in Iran. I hope you find it useful.
I will be very happy to be with you if you would like a local guide to accompany you on your trip to Iran. I hope this company can make a memorable trip for us.
Besides, if you needed any help and guidance in making arrangements for a trip to Iran and solving its problems, itinerary and any other inquiry related to trip to Iran, I will not hesitate to help you as much as I can. Just send a message via WhatsApp or email. I will definitely be happy to reply you as soon as possible.
My WhatsApp number : +98 912 1305735
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Truly Yours
Hadi Ansari