Tehran in a Day: Serendipity & Surprises 🇮🇷✨

🌟 Unexpected Ease Initially wary of Tehran’s "bad rep", I planned zero must-sees—until fate intervened: Met a Chinese expat at the airport (6 years in Iran) who became my human cheat code: Bought me a local SIM 📱 Got his colleague to drive me to Heritage Hostel Secured better exchange rates + delivered saffron the next day! Took me to Iran Mall (more on that later). 🏰 Golestan Palace Ticket hack: Garden = 2.5M IRR, individual palaces 1M-2.5M IRR. Metro tip: Use Maps.me (offline-friendly) + cross-check with station maps (Persian script is tricky, but signs mimic China’s system 🇨🇳). 📸 Highlights 1️⃣ Random metro stations (#12) — unexpectedly photogenic. 2️⃣ Heritage Hostel breakfast: Only hard-boiled eggs (fry your own if adventurous!). 3️⃣ Artificial lake near Iran Mall: Sunset strolls + amazing Iranian ice cream 🍦. 4️⃣ Iran Mall: Gigantic (rivals Dubai Mall!) but mostly local brands. Visited during a blackout—shopped for trinkets in the dark (vibey!). Library (#18): Stumbled into a book launch (felt underdressed as a "study abroad student" impostor 😅). #TravelDiaries #IranOnABudget #SoloTravel #HiddenGems