Randomly spent a month in the Islamic Republic of Iran, ask me anything. (PICS)

[Valenzuelatech]

My training partner here in Australia mentioned that she was going home to see her family in Iran for a few weeks and might know a potential distributor for my supplement brand APTech.

Before meeting her, I didn't really know any Muslims or have any interest in the Middle East, so I took this as a opportunity to expand my horizons and maybe my business too. I packed a bag full of APTech and hopped on a plane to come with her for the lols




Turquoise colored water in a great dam.


300 Year old market in Tehran

We lived in four cities with locals and had a wonderful time. Throughout this thread, I'll post pics and stories from my travels. You can also see the trip on my ********

[StrongNose]

aware me on aptech

[shortythree]

Smash any HBBs

[Tune5k]

nice. how was it as far as marketing business there?

aware me on aptech

also this

[goodwallaby]

du...

Spoiler!

du hast

[Gsxr25]

Randomly visited Iran for a month... with a training partner.... wut in the world? Mirin lifestyle

[Valenzuelatech]

nice. how was it as far as marketing business there?

Bodybuilding is pretty big in Iran, but because of the trade sanctions, most of the supplements in Iran are smuggled through Iraq and Turkey.


There are several bodybuilding newspapers in Iran.



This is one of the gyms we trained at.

I got a lot of "As-salamu alaykum" (May God be with you) and "Good job" from the local gym goers amidst the clanging of weights and hardcore Iranian techno.

Since this is a conservative country; men and women were separate. My training partner worked out in the women's gym which was blasting music with hilariously ironic lyrics like "blow my whistle bitch".

[seanb1979]

what would have happened if you were caught with alcohol?

[Urmum2]

Lolwot

did her family know?

[20Mavs11]

I love seeing pictures that aren't from the cancer source (The Media). You get to see the real world for once.

[Valenzuelatech]

what would have happened if you were caught with alcohol?

You'd probably go to jail since alchohol is illegal, but as a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit, it's totally easy to get.



I don't even drink but I did try plenty of homemade red wine, canned whisky and a bottle of Vodka which came with the scantily clad female logo scraped off out of respect.

[Beast92]

What did you think about living in the caliphate?

[Prim3]

Great thread. Iran, or Tehran in particular, is a beautiful place. Post more pics OP!

[BigRangs]

Half persian and I've never been there but plan on it in the future and have heard a lot of stories. Subbed to see what happens next. Sounds like you made it OP.

[BackwardsHatGuy]

what was the food like

[seanb1979]

You'd probably go to jail since alchohol is illegal, but as a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit, it's totally easy to get.

[im]http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d176/MiguelValenzuela/Iran/11745841_1010590575620872_8294814950180976698_n_zp syro5lqwp.jpg[/img]

I don't even drink but I did try plenty of homemade red wine, canned whisky and a bottle of Vodka which came with the scantily clad female logo scraped off out of respect.

yeah their laws are so strict it would kinda scare me... like what if someone dropped something in your pocket in a store, accusing you of stealing? whelp, guess you didnt really need those fingers/that hand after all lol

[eLjay28]

Mindblown. Always read your name as VenzuelaTech

[umop3pisdn]

Do you actually make the APTech or do they sponsor you?

[Valenzuelatech]

aware me on aptech

I don't want to promote my brand here since it may be viewed as a conflict of interest but google APTECH SUPPLEMENTS and you'll see.

[Ayudha]

Noice...

[Dave P]

In on VT thread.


Long time no see brochacho

[Emidoody]

My training partner here in Australia mentioned that she was going home to see her family in Iran for a few weeks and might know a potential distributor for my supplement brand APTech.

Before meeting her, I didn't really know any Muslims or have any interest in the Middle East, so I took this as a opportunity to expand my horizons and maybe my business too. I packed a bag full of APTech and hopped on a plane to come with her.




Turquoise colored water in a great dam.


300 Year old market in Tehran

We lived in four cities with locals and had a wonderful time. Throughout this thread, I'll post pics and stories from my travels. You can also see the trip on my ********

did you feel safe? whats your ethnicity? were u treated a lot different? last question - Michael jordan vs kobe vs lebron? who ya got?

[Land_Down_Under]

das it mane


edit. pics of training partner?

[Valenzuelatech]

what was the food like

I fell in love with Persian food man, especially the way you eat over there. You sit on the floor with a big spread of food in front of you, it's very down to earth.



Iranian style picnic on a carpet in the mountains near Chalus.


This is "Dizi" the oldest dish in Iran, thousands of years old. It's a meat stew cooked in the same clay pot it's served in, which you mash up with a metal thingy.


We tasted as many sour foods as possible. Practically every vegetable you can think of, pickled in so many ways. I never thought I'd want to eat pickles with every meal for the rest of my life until I came to Iran.

[SaltySemen]

Noice...




[img]http:.gif[/img]

how long does it take you to make these lol

[SlothTastic]

Looks good OP, sell much while you were over there?

[AA43560]

Seeing those pictures it makes you kinda made that the terrorist state of israel wants to destroy that country

[yewmyron]

Did you smash anyone? Were girls easy to come by? How does one know if a girl is interested in mingling or signal that he is interested?

[Valenzuelatech]

yeah their laws are so strict it would kinda scare me... like what if someone dropped something in your pocket in a store, accusing you of stealing? whelp, guess you didnt really need those fingers/that hand after all lol

Where did you hear about people getting their hands cut off? Stealing is not in the culture here, but if it were to happen, the culprit would go to jail, nothing barbaric like dismembering bodyparts.



This Jar holds about 500,000.00 USD worth of Saffron, the most expensive spice in the world. It's worth more than Gold and it's just sitting here in a busy marketplace.

[Valenzuelatech]

did you feel safe? whats your ethnicity? were u treated a lot different? last question - Michael jordan vs kobe vs lebron? who ya got?

I'm half Filipino-half American. Raised in Thailand but I have a strong american accent.


There are virtually no foreign tourists in Iran so walking around in public is pretty awesome.

Walking through crowds, people would make comments like "May God bless him forever", "He's beautiful", and warn others in front of us to get out of our way so we can pass. "He's a foreigner, show some respect you idiot!"

While standing around, people would approach me wearing the biggest smile, eager to practice their English, ask about fitness and what I think of their country. "Iran beautiful?"

I was told that the wish of every Iranian is to show the world that Iran is nothing like the repressed, backwards, war loving, extremist image the western media depicts.


To answer your last question - I don't follow any sports.