Discover Iran with a MIR Tour Specialist

For most Americans, Iran remains a land shrouded in mystery. In April 2008, MIR Tour Specialist Meaghan Samuels traveled on MIR's Ancient Persia, Modern Iran tour.

Along the way she sees more than 10 of Iran's cities, and vists the ruins of Persepolis and makes some new friends:

I depart from the group to begin some last minute shopping. As I begin with the shops closest to me, I am approached by several curious Iranians about my age. "Hello, where are you from?" I tell them I am from the US, and wide grins spread on all of their faces. They have many questions for me - where in the US am I from, and what brought me to Isfahan. They want to know how long I am here, and are disappointed to hear that I leave in the morning. "You should stay longer," they tell me, "we can show you around." I earnestly tell them that I too wish I could stay longer, as Isfahan is quickly becoming my favorite city on the itinerary.

I reluctantly leave them and return to the hotel for a final dinner. Tonight we feast on a hearty meal. I start with a creamy mushroom soup, for the main course pan-seared fish, and for desert - saffron ice cream!

Join Meaghan in her travels at her Travel Log.

Final Days: The Naadam Festival and UlaanBaatar

Karen and Helge end their journey in UlaanBaatar, the capital of Mongolia, where they witness the extraordinary Naadam Festival.

There was an army of women enrobed in the most beautiful outfits I have ever seen. Representing historical national dress from different provinces, they took center field walking slowly and proudly in their glorious garb. Fox and sable fur trim and hats adorned many outfits. Long robes in earthen colors of finely embroidered silk with capes and beads, headdresses and towering hats slithered by no more than ten feet away from us. There was so much detail and variety in the wardrobe feast, it's quite impossible to describe. Mongolian nobility, they were absolutely breathtaking and they ushered in the beginning of the games.

There was silence in the crowd, then crazy cheering as a live, big-screen view showed the first two-year-old horse, or "Azarga," crossing the finish line. Horse races are determined by the age of the horse and the age determines the distance to be run: anywhere from 10 km for a one year old, all the way to 33 km for six-year-olds. Horses of the same age run together, all ridden by children, some as young as five or six.

The festival's vibrancy catches Karen by surprise, and she finds herself accepting a grain of wisdom about life from a 15 year old girl who tells Karen, after Karen has watched a horse die, that "the living of life teaches about life."

With this grain of truth in Karen and Helge's hands, their journey along the legendary Trans-Siberian route ends and Karen muses that her trip has truly been about "the living of life."

Days 5-7: Ekaterinburg and Novosibirsk

Helge and Karen have now traveled over 2,000 miles in their journey across Russia. The photos and slideshows from Day 4 and Day 5 have been posted and the train has crossed from Europe into Asia. In between enjoying their luxurious accommodation, MIR's Trans-Siberian live blogging team has been exploring Russia's long and storied history with lectures from MIR guides and excursions to historically important sites. Karen weighs in on one such site:

With his thick Russian accent, our guide Alexander came to life as we toured at the Cathedral on the Blood and Czar murder site. A merchant's house used to stand there... the cellar was the place where the family took their last breaths. The house has long been torn down, and now a gorgeous church stands in its place, marking the historical legacy of Ekaterinburg.

In Novosibirsk, Helge snapped shots of the many locomotive cars produced throughout Russia's history, and Karen mused about what heroics must have gone on in the medical cars of the Russian trains.

Stayed tuned as Karen and Helge wind their way around Lake Baikal and enjoy a lakeside barbecue.

For more information on this or any other tour, visit MIR's website.

First Stop: Moscow

Read the first installment of Helge and Karen's blog and see the stunning pictures as they arrive in Moscow and have an adventure in the city across 8 lanes of traffic:

Traffic whizzes by just inches behind and in front of us. Can't go forward. Can't go back. Can't go forward... until Tatiana spots a lull in oncoming traffic and we make a break for it. Whew! We lurch safely to the other side of the highway, sweating just a little. I rather liked the excitement of it all. But here's the kicker. Climbing to the top of the River Road bridge amidst spectacular views of the city, Tatiana cautions against my going overboard as I sit along the wide edge of the cement bridge, ready for a photo op. She's not particularly worried about whether or not I would survive the 120 foot drop. Instead, she's worried that IF I were to fall... "the water is dirty... very, very dirty" she says. I had to laugh. Putting the dreaded River Road highway aside, sweet Tatiana IS looking out for our best interest after all.

Helge and Karen are now aboard the legendary Trans-Siberian railway and will be reporting back with posts from across Russia and Mongolia.

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Helge Pedersen and Karen Ofsthus set to start Trans-Siberian Journey!

Join Helge and Karen as they chronicle the legendary trip from Moscow to UlaanBaatar, Mongolia. Check back daily for new updates and photos.