Couchsurfing in Iran

the long version

The author recounts the sixty-two days he spent traveling around Iran, providing a behind-the-scenes look at life in one of the world's most closed societies, including what he calls the "two Irans" that coexist side by side. "In Couchsurfing in Iran, award-winning author Stephan Orth spends sixty-two days on the road in this mysterious Islamic republic to provide a revealing, behind-the-scenes look at life in one of the world's most closed societies. Through the unsurpassed hospitality of twenty-two hosts, he skips the guidebooks and tourist attractions and travels from Persian carpet to bed to cot, covering more than 8,400 kilometers to recount "this world's hidden doings." Experiencing daily what he calls the "two Irans" that coexist side by side-the "theocracy, where people mourn their martyrs" in mausoleums, and the "hide-and-seek-ocracy, where people hold secret parties and seek worldly thrills instead of spiritual bliss"-he learns that Iranians have become experts in navigating around their country's strict laws."