Iran. Tabriz and Soltaniyeh : Hey Baby, I'm huge in Iran.

Iran. Tabriz and Soltaniyeh : Hey Baby, I'm huge in Iran.

I've got my rucksack, my orange money belt and my travelling neck pillow... Now strike a pose!

They say the world is a book and by not travelling means you only read one page. They say travelling broadens the mind and gets you away from it all. Sure "They", come out and show yourself! One of the best things about travelling is unexpectedly becoming a celebrity.

We arrived in Tabriz, Iran's second city. After watching a scintillating Iranian TV show about water pipes we headed for a kebab dinner. we were interrupted no less than 13 times by eager Iranians keen to improve their English and to receive compliments on the beauty of Iran. There was definitely no anti wstern sentiment.

The next morning as we headed out of Tabriz three tour members decided to find an ATM. En route they were stopped by three Iranian policeman who flashed their badges and demanded to search them for drugs. One of the travellers Sue (60 year old, cockney, passionate soccer fan and once sung a duet with Rod Stewart) told them to "Fuck off" as they dipped their hands into her money belt and started sniffing a wad of her cash.

A cop then turned to the other two male travellers and screamed in broken English "When are you going to the Airport? Airport! Airport! Airport!" Alec (19 year old, British and born feet first) shouted "I don't have an Ipod!" He was confused. They let the trio go but they relieved sue of all her money ($300 US). Turns out they might have been fake cops. They were the exception to the rule of the lovely Iranian.

Crusing through the Iranian desert our guide announced that we were making an unscheduled stop at the greatest brick dome in the world! Now growing up on the mean streets of Sydney, it was only my passion for brick domes that gave me the drive to escape the ghetto. I had seen the 14th greatest brick dome in the word (a disused toilet cubicle in Central Park) and the 53rd (bricks that had fallen on a friend's backyard gazebo) but to see the world's greatest? Wow!

Much to my disappointment the dome was surrounded by scaffolding. Apparently it had been under construction for the last 200 years. Hmmm. The best thing about the dome was the gaping mouthed locals. They were taking photos of us and we convinced them that one of our members Mike (19 year old, British, and once arrested at gunpoint in Argentina) was David Beckham. "David, David, I love you" screamed a gang of prepubescent girls. Mike/David signed his email on their forearms (David_Beckham@hotmail.com) and they tried to abduct him into their beaten up mini van. David made a quick escape.

It surly now must be the greatest brick dome in the world after an appearance of David himself!

Baby, I'm not kidding. I'm huge in Iran.