2 years ago I had the opportunity to help build up a start-up in Tehran, Iran.
View of downtown Tehran
Funnily, one might have the impression that a country with no access to the international banking system would look like a slum!
Quite the complete opposite! Tehran has decent infrastructure and roads. It even has its own bus , metro and domestic payment systems akin to the ones found in Singapore! It's also very cheap to get a ride in metro, approximately USD0.10-USD.20
Of course, my Iranian friends would complaint not being able to book hotel when they want to go for an overseas holiday because they have no access to VISA or MASTERCARD, but at the rate of how things are going for cryptocurrencies, I believe that things will change. Yes, bitcoin is not a strange thing for Iranians!
A local bank downtown
In many ways, it does seem very much like a free-market economy. There are dozens of banks downtown! Who needs the US Dollar? Yes it is widely accepted, both Euros and Dollars, but you can get a better deal if you exchange for the local currency at the airport!
A typical traditional dish in Tehran, rice and meat - costs about US$15~US$20
Tehran is a haven for food. You can find pizzas, pastas, Japanese and Chinese food easily. But generally food is not very cheap, and starts from US$5 for the simplest meal. Alcohol cannot be freely found, but you can call a "guy" who will bring you a bottle. If you are adventurous enough, fill-up your water bottle with some vodka and head downtown to a coffee shop to order some orange juice. Most of the drinking and partying are done at home. Yes! House parties are the best! Do watch out for the religious police though! Overall, cigarettes are really cheap, but if you are a sucker for menthol, they go for around US$10 per box of 20 cigarettes.
Taxis are widely available, so are private cars.
Tehran has those yellow taxis which are very similar to the ones in New York. Typically for a ride of about 5-10 miles, prices go for about US$5 per ride, and you can basically haggle for lower prices. Locals get around in taxis in groups to save money. They typically wait for the car to be filled with passengers before heading for the destination or drop-off points. Traffic in Tehran is typically quite bad, with cars weaving in and out and driving in disorderly fashion! Then there's also the common sight of street peddlers who sell anything from pornography, foreign music and playing cards (all these are illegal in Iran!)
View of a local popular park in Tehran
Locals love to go out in the evenings for a walk. Typically it does not rain, and the whether is rather dry. The sun shines bright but it is not really hot outside. And yes, both ladies and men do go out! Ladies are by law required to cover their heads with scarfs, but it is quite common that in offices and indoors they will just remove their scarfs altogether! I would not consider the islamic laws to be that strict over in Iran, as compared to Saudi Arabia where men and women are not allowed to interact. I remember this clearly because in our start-up, the men and women had to work in separate offices and could only communicate via video calls. Also in Iran, women are allowed to drive! Not too bad!
The park is connected by a bridge which overlooks the beautiful city of Tehran
There's even burgers in Tehran!
Salad, anyone?
Pizza?
Retreat from the city to the Hills of Darband (a popular spot for hangout to enjoy some hookah and tea), just 4 miles from the hotel I was at.
The opportunity to see Tehran and Iran with my own eyes was really life-changing for me. If you can, you should visit as well :) The city and country is rapidly developing with investments from China, Korea and Japan. Opportunities are abound and definitely I see a huge opportunity for the adoption of cryptocurrencies to open up Iran to the world without the "consent" of the global banking cabal.