My first visit to Kish Island

Its a memorable event for me, on the whole, to this Island off the coast of Islamic Republic of Iran. Kish Island, as its known, is a place which every resident in the UAE would remember, which allows a person to visit this island without any visa for 14 days after which one needs a valid visa from the Immigration authorities in Iran. People would go there to get a new visa to enter the UAE.

For a few its a wonderful journey, whereas for many its a pain. I have visited this place 3-4 times, thanks to my previous employer who never completed the process to issue an employement visa for 'n' number of unforeseen reasons. I still remember my first visit to this island which is hardly 15kms in length and 8kms in breadth. Kish Air that carries people to and fro, is a small Fokker F-50 or F-27. A scary flight indeed! A flight of 40 mins is completed with some snacks served along with a Farsi speech by the crew on flight safety.

I was welcomed by the immigration officer at the Kish Airport which has only one single floor building with two huge hoardings "Arrivals" & "Departures". Once the immigration formalities got completed, I was driven to Hotel Farabi where I was supposed to stay. Managed by the airlines, this place is a congregation of different nationalities who reside in the UAE. I could look at the weary faces of the people there who must have been staying in this hotel for God knows how long. I have even met people who have completed months of stay there. I was asked to approach the reception to complete the check-in formalities which I refused and demanded that I need to take a look at the room in which I would stay.

That is the last conversation I remember! I went to one of those rooms, 6 beds like a dorm, untidy bedding, unhygienic comfort stations and floor dirtied with skins of bananas and oranges. I didn't talk to anyone there but just found my way out to reach a cabbie. I told him to take me to a better place. A drive of just 5 minutes and to my relief I reached this wonderful place, Hotel Pars Nik. I remember staying in this place for 4 days after which my visa arrived. I stayed in a 'suite'.

The next challenge I faced-Food. Being a vegetarian (Eggetarian, to be precise), I found it difficult to communicate what I wanted. Hardly anyone understands English / Hindi there. Lady luck favoured-I found a Filipino and he was kind enough to communicate to the chef on my requirements. I remember having bread & tea in the morning, egg fried rice for lunch and curd rice for dinner. I could remember even the okra fry and brinjal sambar that my mom used to make and I never used to have it, but used to escape to some hotel nearby. Those delicacies that I used to hate appeared like a banquet fit for a king!!!

I visited the underground town of Kariz, the zoo, various malls spread across the island, took a ride along the coast, the Greek Ship, Kish island park etc. These attractions completed washed off those bitter memories that I had with this place and people. Its a wonderful place if you need to take a break from the hectic schedule. I am planning to visit this place once Sandhya is here. A weekend stay would rejuvenate one, indeed. Worth a visit at least once. I am sure one would wish to go back again!