The bible of Travelers

(this post got deleted and i had to rewrite it..grr!)

Imagine a library a few days before an exam. Everybody with the same postits, same books, same highlighters and everyone nervous. I have traveled around, and one thing nobody ever leaves home is a guidebook. However, every place I have gone each person brings the guidebook in their own language, edition and publishing house. However in Iran its like in the library, in the dorms I am staying at 20 minutes before going to bed everyone takes out a book Lonley Planet Iran, and starts reading. You can know where people are heading too depending on the page they are at, it is in the middle of the guidebook with a map on the top left page and with a small square in the bottom right describing the culture of the country. You start to discuss about a place, and you just describe it as you forgot the name, but someone shouts, oh yeah that is... page 261 first paragraph. Its worse than in the library, you all read the same, hightlight the same, and dont leave the hostel without that in your pocket but while reading it you are happy and study it more in depth than those finance books back home! All of the few tourists around here stay at the our pick hotels of the lonley planet or the ones next to them in case the our pick arent the greatest. So you know where to find the tourists. When you call to arrange for a guide the guy replies " Im bussy, but call the guy below me on the lonley planet he should be free and has better rates" later the guide takes you to a place and as he sees you looking through the book comments " this place is not in the lonley planet but..." In otherwords, if you own or are running anything related with tourism in Iran and you are not in the lonley planet you are nobody! So far I have found tons of copies of lonley planet Iran in Esfahan and Yazd, pictures above! And even better the guy sitting next to me has the copies of lonley planet digital in his computer. Unfortunately they are too large, wish I had them with me!! Lonely Planet the bible of all travelers in Iran. Im waiting to go home and check what was that second guide I thought about buying. Im happy I went for Lonley Planet or id be talking a different language than everybody else in this country!