When we came back from our vacation in Iran last October, many people asked us: "Wasn't it dangerous traveling in Iran? Did you have to have a guide with you at all times? Did you really wear hijab clothes all the time? Like, even while walking on a deserted road in the heat?" etc. etc. The answers to these questions are not at all, no, yes, and yes, absolutely.

I'm closing down the office and studio (=storage unit at my hairdresser's next door) for the holidays today while reminiscing a bit about this year. I've been very fortunate to be able to travel a lot, again, this year. I went to Portugal and Iran for vacations, and to South Africa, Italy, Germany, Angola, Greece, and the Canary Islands for work. It was my first time going to the latter three and I was so excited to see these previously unchartered territories.

On buses, subways and trains throughout the country, there are special "women only" compartments. From what I've found out, they're designed for various reasons. One reason, for sure, is to keep the sexes apart, to keep it chaste and islamic. Another reason is to protect women from groping male hands. But if you're a couple or you travel with your friends or family, you can easily hop onto a male compartment; males, however, are definitely not allowed in the female section.

Drought and mismanagement of water in Iran is a huge problem. Nowhere is this more evident than in the beautiful city of Esfahan, in Central Iran. When we were walking around taking pictures of the bridges and the Zayandeh riverbed, a woman stopped to talk to us. We asked her about the dry river. "They sold it," is what she said. She didn't elaborate further and continued her walk.

In the 1.5 weeks we spent in Tehran, a city with a population of more than 8 million, we hardly saw any graffitis or stencils. The city is dominated by Islamic Republic propaganda. We did see and photograph three stencils, however, and saw one beautification project, that, really, is beautiful.