"Yes, it's the August issue of 2008," she said with a smile.

"Can I get a copy of it?"

"No. That issue is banned. Every other issue is available."

Mehdi's cousin and the bridegroom at their wedding. [China Daily]

I gave up the idea of reading about Iran, and continued to discover it on my own.

One aspect that I think is unique to Iran is its women. Here I set eyes on some of the most beautiful women I had ever seen in my life. Their big eyes, long, black eyelashes and slim figures define a beauty ideal that is neither Eastern nor Western. I thought their hijab or head cover, only added a sense of mysticism to their beauty.

However, wearing the hijab is not always pleasant as it is hot in the summer. Salmaa Pkhami, a 28-year-old photographer and sports lover, told me that she had to wear the hijab even while skiing, playing tennis, basketball, or soccer. Since the Islamic Revolution of Iran in 1979, it is compulsory for women to wear the hijab in public.

"What if the hijab falls off in a header when you play soccer?" I asked.

After thinking for a while, Salmaa replied: "We don't use headers in women's soccer in Iran."

Salmaa also goes swimming, of course, in women-only swimming pools.

A similar segregation exists on buses where the seats at the back are reserved for women. There are also women-only compartments on the subways, though women can choose to go to other compartments.

I fully respect and support such measures which are aimed at protecting women in public, but did find the separation of men and women a little unusual in one case.

I was thrilled when Mehdi invited me to his cousin's wedding. Now I had a rare opportunity to see a side of Iranian life.

The wedding was held at a "teachers' club" in Tehran, which was rented to teachers or their relatives at much lower rates than what hotels charged. I was received warmly by Mehdi's father, brothers, and uncles. Just as I was wondering where the female members of the family were, Mehdi told me that all the women, including the bride, were in a different room.

All the men, including the bridegroom, were in this room. That meant the bridegroom would not be with the bride during the wedding!

Nearly everyone was dressed in Western suits and ties. A man took the stage to sing pop songs, while all the others began to dance to the music. The kids were the happiest, for the dancers kept throwing money into the air for the kids to catch. Toward the end of the dance, the bridegroom too joined in.

Then came the banquet. As alcohol is not allowed in Iran, the wedding was not as noisy as the ones in China, where alcohol flows freely. As the banquet came to an end, Mehdi said, "Hurry, now is the only chance to see the bride!"

We rushed out of the hall to the courtyard. Three weddings were held that night at the "teacher's club", and all were nearing the end. Men and women came together to socialize for the first time that night. Three limousines waited for the couples.

The brides finally came out, in white wedding dresses, hand in hand with the bridegrooms. The bridegrooms opened the doors of the limousines for the brides, and waved goodbye to the guests. I caught a glimpses of all the three brides, and all were very beautiful.

During my stay in Iran, I didn't go to many tourist sites, but I made a lot of friends. The hospitality of the Iranian people alone is a sufficient reason to visit Iran.

Reza Mohammadi, a 27-year-old bank clerk, took me to lunch and accompanied me for a whole afternoon in the Friday Market of Tehran just because he saw that I was a lone foreigner wandering the street. When I climbed Mount Tochal in northern Tehran, a couple shared their food with me and taught me to sing Iranian folk songs. In Esfahan, an old man walked with me a long way to my hotel at midnight, fearing that I might get lost. He told me that he was a retired sailor who had visited China five times, and that his favorite Chinese city was Dalian.

After my return to China, I received many phone calls from unfamiliar numbers, sometimes in the early mornings.

Many a time, the callers sounded like they were speaking Farsi, but I never got to figure out their identities.

(China Daily April 15, 2009)