Sunday, November 11 2023, after I completed my passport matters at the Immigration office in Chalus City, we decided to stay another night at the Fander Hotel on the shores of the Caspian Sea, because being there, having cycled from Jakarta, is an experience like no other.
Indeed, from the very start of our planning, when we were setting our itinerary, I wanted to see the Caspian Sea. This Sea is the largest inland body of water in the world. Five countries surround it: Azerbaijan and Russia to the west, Iran to the south, Turkmenistan to the east, and Kazakhstan to the northeast and north.
The Sea itself is also divided in to three distinct parts that are dramatically different. Besides the salinity of the Sea, which changes from low to high as I described in another episode, the depths of the water also changes dramatically. The northern part, holding only about one percent of Sea’s total water, is only 5-6 meters deep.
In the middle, the water depth reaches 190 meters. This area holds about a third of the total volume, while the remaining two-thirds is in the southern part. The northern portion usually freezes in winter. If the air temperature is cold enough, chunks of sea ice can float down to reach Baku on the Aphseron Peninsula.
The Open Suitcase
We planned to return to Tehran on Monday, 12 November. By being in the capital, we could better monitor developments regarding visas to enter the European Union. Maybe there would be a sudden call for an interview,
In Tehran, we stayed at the Ideal Hotel. This hotel is of average standard, clean with good service.Around 11.00 local the next day, Tuesday, 13 November, I did a quick check around the room before heading out. I noticed one of our suitcases, a small, white one, was open. In fact, as far as I knew, while I had been in the hotel, the suitcase had hardly been touched.
We also always locked this suitcase with a special code, because it contained some of our cash for travel provisions such as paying for hotels, meals, buying fuel and so on.
I then checked the suitcase closely. It appeared that it had been opened on purpose, by an experienced thief using some other special code. Some cash got taken. I suspected the theft occurred while I was outside the hotel. I was panicking and stressed out, too.
I then tried to remember where I had left things in hotels over the last few days. It turned out there were only two locations, namely the Fander Hotel in Chalus and the Ideal Hotel in Tehran.
Right away, I reported this case to Ideal Hotel’s management and asked them to play the CCTV footage from 07.00-10.00, which was when we had been outside the hotel on that day.
They responded immediately and checked. I was also asked to watch. Nobody came into my room during that time. So, most likely, it happened at the Fander Hotel.
Back to Chalus
That afternoon, we headed to the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) in Tehran at the invitation of His Excellency, Mr. Ronny Prasetyo Yuliantoro, the Indonesian Ambassador to Iran. (The delicious lunch I have described in another episode.) When I met him, I did not mention about losing the cash in my suitcase. I did not want to add to his concerns.
After finishing lunch, we headed back to the Fander Hotel in Chalus. After arriving at 19.00, we immediately met with the receptionist to report the incident.
We asked the hotel management to show us the CCTV footage. However, the hotel staff objected. They claimed that no one had entered the guest room to steal things.
I then explained that we were not accusing the hotel staff of stealing anything. We only wanted to see the CCTV footage from 07.00 to 20.00 on 11 November.
However, the hotel staff again refused. This time they replied a bit intimidatingly by saying that guests were prohibited by Iranian law from leaving valuables in the room.
I then responded that the Fander Hotel management should prepare deposit boxes, which, in fact, there were none.
I again said that we were not accusing the hotel staff of stealing at all. We only asked to view the CCTV recording from that specific time, 11 November from 07.00 to 20.00.
This time, they argued that the CCTV in the hotel was damaged. Well, if you say it’s broken, then that’s it, it’s broken. We didn’t have a chance to see it. We lost the opportunity to solve the situation.
New Opportunity
That night, we chose to stay at the Fander in order to revisit the crime scene and make sure the CCTV was really damaged. I checked carefully, and it turned out that CCTV cameras installed in the hotel rooms and hallways were in working condition.
The Ideal Hotel did not provide breakfast. So, on the morning of 14 November, we walked out to a restaurant not far from the hotel for breakfast. At that restaurant, maybe because of our quite different skin colors and facial shapes, we quickly became the center of attention.
The restaurant’s customers tried to greet and shake hands with us. Of the many people who shook hands with us, one of them turned out to be married to the owner of the Fander Hotel.
In my heart, I felt I had found the right opportunity to talk about my unpleasant experience at the Fander Hotel. After I explained the problem and the attitude of the hotel management when we asked to see the CCTV footage, the person concerned said that in Iran, company owners usually tend not to get involved in operations. All matters are fully entrusted to management.
Our new friend then suggested I report the incident to the local tourism office, located not far from the restaurant. In fact, the officials could act as mediators and order the CCTV footage to be played.
Meeting Mr Fander
After breakfast we went straight to the tourism office and met with the staff there. They were very responsive, alert and immediately contacted the hotel owner. Not long after, the owner, named Fander, arrived.
After getting to know each other a bit — he is a lecturer and professor of mathematics — we went to the hotel together to see the CCTV footage. The tourism office had already contacted a technician who was familiar with CCTV technology.
The technician examined the CCTV system. He discovered that a cable had been deliberately removed from the recorder so that the camera would remain on, but it was not working. Not satisfied with this explanation, the tourism officer took the recorder and brought it to another technician, named Mr Ali, a CCTV specialist who owns an electronics shop and often repairs CCTV systems. The result was negative too.
The head of the tourism office then asked me, with these findings, what did I want to do next? I said we are not accusing anyone at all. We also didn’t blame the hotel. I just want to see the CCTV footage. That’s enough. If footage is there, and I can see it, then it’s done.
The officials then asked if I wanted to report this case to the police. I just said, never mind. I had no intention of taking this matter to the police. If there is no CCTV to see, then what could we do? We just had to accept how the incident had been resolved.
Strengthen yourself
Before we left, Mr. Fander invited us to lunch along with the tourism officials. After eating, we returned to Tehran and chose to stay at the Heritage Hostel.
I felt as if trial after trial just kept testing me. I was devastated too, because it was the third time. The first time this happened was in Pakistan. However, nevertheless, I tried to strengthen myself in order to keep on going.
translated by Mark Winkel
editor: Jannes Eudes Wawa
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