Category Archives: Iran

Day 276 – An unexpected pick-up

Gosh, what a lovely spot. I do look tired though

Gosh, what a lovely spot. I do look tired though

Check out time for our lovely hotel was 12 (noon) and we intended to use every second of that time to relax, enjoy the garden and update the blog while we have wifi. Breakfast was served late from 9 am onwards and we just kept our spot to lounge on one of the platform. After blogging for an hour we had an extra tea or coffee (which was still available from breakfast) and dug into the box with sweets once more.

But even the most chilled out morning in a while comes to an end so we packed and waved good-bye to Yazd which we really enjoyed despite it being rather hard on our budget. It is 316km from Yazd to Esfahan, something that is easily do-able in an afternoon ride. However, we had decided to wild camp tonight to save money so there was absolutely no time pressure on us. Unfortunately, the road led straight through a desert where the sun burnt down. It wasn’t inviting to dally.

I was exhausted already: In the heat and on the bike is not a good place to be ill

I was exhausted already: In the heat and on the bike is not a good place to be ill

Around 2 pm, we stopped at an old roadside caravansary which had some spots in the shade and was probably used as a stop for truckers. A quick snack lunch and an extended break later, we were back on the road. I still didn’t feel well and was really happy with the break. I guess I’m coming down with a bad case of cold or something; my head feels kind of funny from all the slime that is building up inside of it. You are welcome for this description. =P

Once we hit the mountain range behind which Esfahan lies, it got cooler and more comfortable on the bike. Soon, we were starting to look out for a camp spot. Spare time can always be used for the blog and a bit of a lie down cannot be bad for a sick me either. We passed the first “maybe” spot when I suddenly realized that we hadn’t bought anything for dinner yet…and no extra water as well. So the looking for a camping spot stopped and instead, we looked for a shop now to replenish our tank bags.

Such a lovely, welcoming place

Such a lovely, welcoming place

The first place we found was an actual village or small town called Toudeshk. So we turned off the highway and stopped at the first shop we saw…it was closed. Just when we got going again, a taxi pulled up to us, the driver looked out and asked if we were looking for a guest house. Since we weren’t, he pointed out the next open shop to us but then continued to ask if we would come to his guest house…maybe just for a tea. We had the time so why not? Buying bread, cheese and vegetables was done quickly and then we followed Mohammad to his guest house. Turns out that it is Tak-Taku Homestay which is recommended in the Lonely Planet and is a lovely, lovely place. Like a little oasis.

Completely vegetarian: Ash and an eggplant dish

Completely vegetarian: Ash and an eggplant dish

We sat down with Mohammad and parts of his family to eat water melon and drink tea, joined by other guests after a while. It was lovely. Unfortunately, we really really didn’t want to spend money on a guest house but Mohammad insisted on showing us an option. So we had a look. Understanding that we are on a tight budget, he offered us to sleep in the fire room which only has three of the platforms in it and no beds. This would allow us to stay for very cheap. We said yes as all we really need to sleep is a roof and no bugs. Thus, we had a lovely late afternoon at the guest house, an amazing chat with the fellow guests and a great home-cooked vegetarian dinner.

Meeting Leon from the Netherlands, Tilman from Germany and Jose and Jorge from Portugal meant we had very well-travelled company who were also interested in politics, much to Flo’s pleasure. With dinner after dark, I was getting tired rapidly so I opted for an earlier night than Flo.

Day 275 – Jazzed by Yazd

What a great place to wake up to

What a great place to wake up to

The night was cold, but just at the edge of uncomfortable. If I would have worn just a little bit more, it would have been fine. On the other hand, it was not nearly as cold as back in New Zealand, so it seems at some point we will have to buy at least another blanket for the upper regions of Kurdistan and Turkey.

Our camp spot was still beautiful. We took all the time we needed (and not to over-work still ill Nina) to pack up our camp and got back on the road. This road lead us in a bend eastward, down the current mountain range onto the same high altitude plain that Shahr-e Babak lies on. The last 100 km are another vast mountain range and the steep drop down to the edge of the desert. The last pass was impressive; with 2600m it was probably the highest pass Rocinante has ever gone over. At the same time, it was probably the least spectacular – just a simple mountain road.

into the heart of the old town

into the heart of the old town

The heat of the desert really hit us when we reached the foot of the mountains on the Yazd side. We had come down 1500m of altitude on our 25km ride, plus hitting the edge of the desert. The outskirts of Yazd do little to impress, with their sprawling concrete facades. As soon as we turned a corner into the old town though, we were impressed. The big blue tiled entrance of a mosque beckoned us and we turned once more into the maze of mud-brick walls.

First stop was the Silk Road Hotel – their rooms were clearly out of our price range, but the Lonely Planet said that their restaurant would serve the rarity of vegetarian Indian food. Right there on the parking lot was something else that caught our eye: A proper camper van with German licence plate (Hannover to be specific). A brief look around once we were inside and we spotted the potential overlanders and eventually joined them for our lunch.

Overlanders! Such a lovely couple

Overlanders! Such a lovely couple

Helga and Uli are a charming couple who have just reached retirement age. They have driven their van all the way down from Germany for a three month trip. We had lunch and then coffee together and all in all had a great time. It surprises me time and again what a huge unifier traveling is. Time and time we meet people with whom on the surface, we have little in common, just to kick it off like we have known each other for ages.

With a little bit of heavy heart, we pulled ourselves away from the good company to find a hotel and use the time for a bit of sightseeing in town. The cheapest hotel in the old town was still a good bit above our usual budget. Dorm beds would have fitted the bill, but Nina was still sick and we did not want to spread it too much to innocent travellers. After all, the hotel was amazing. An old merchant’s villa, it had beautiful courtyards with fish ponds and greenery. We gave in to the indulgence, promising ourselves a night of camping tomorrow to make up for it.

The most beautiful mosquito breeding ground ever!

The most beautiful mosquito breeding ground ever!

The hotel was really stunning – we were looking forward to letting the day fade out on the platforms by the pond at the inner courtyard. For now though, we had some sightseeing to do. The hotel was right on the route of a suggested walk from the guidebook. Locals still gave us the odd look for wandering around in the afternoon heat (at 3 pm), but with all the shade from the narrow and sometimes vaulted alleys of the old town, it was really not too bad.

Completely covered alleyway

Completely covered alleyway

Disappointment struck soon though, when we found out that the prices for the sights along the route were “a bit” outdated. To be more precise, across the board the admittance for foreigners went up 10x to 20x from 2012. We hesitated, but could not in good conscience spend $10 to $20 NZD for every sight of half an hour. Luckily, we enjoyed then narrow and maze-like old town just fine on its own. It would have been cool though to get a look at one or two more of the old merchant houses. Generally, all houses are unremarkable from the outside here. Plain mud brick walls, that’s it. But like modern shopping malls, once inside, whole worlds unfold.

We continued, also skipping an inside view of the mosque for $4 a person to find what Nina surely defined as the highlight of her tour: Haj Khalifeh Ali Rahbar, a 100 year old sweets shop at the corner of the two main roads. After some guessing on how this shop works, we manage to liberate a mixed box to go with our afternoon tea (or two) for less than a single ticket at the sights. Nina definitively prefers this.

In earlier times, the water from the qanat would have filled the pool, creating a living room underground with cool and fresh air

In earlier times, the water from the qanat would have filled the pool, creating a living room underground with cool and fresh air

We made one exception from our now frugal ways at the Water Museum across the street. Engineering history plus 300 year old merchant house was too tempting for me to forgo. It was pretty cool in the end. The house had two floors up and three down, to a depth of 10m below ground. This was to tap into two Qanats – ancient irrigation channels – below the house. The deepest room had water flowing through it once and would have been used by the inhabitants to escape the up to 50°C summer heat outside.

On our way back, we ran into Uli and Helga once more. They spontaneously joined us and we gave them a super quick tour of the sights in the old town before heading back to our hotel to catch the sunset from the rooftop.

Chilling in the cool night’s breeze with tea and sweets on one of the platforms in the courtyard was an amazing way to let the day fade out …

Day 274 – Pasargadae

Looking along the nave with the stained glass windows

Looking along the nave with the stained glass windows

Time for us to move on. Shiraz has been very nice to us but we only have 30 days in Iran so we need to see more. However, we didn’t quite manage the early start that we had wanted. First, we slept in a bit and then met other travelers just outside the hotel. They saw us packing the bike and started a conversation…which was pleasant and thus lasted more than 30 minutes.

Second, there was one more sight in Shiraz we wanted to see. The mosque of Nasir-al-Molk is famous for its stained glass windows which colour the whole interior in the mornings. By now it was 10.30 am so “morning” had to be stretched a bit but we still managed to see some of the glory that guide books and postcards promise. It was an amazing sight.

Pasargadae! Success!

Pasargadae! Success!

From Shiraz we rode the 110 km to Pasargadae which is another archaeological site. Because it was so late, we had a roadside lunch before arriving at our next destination. It was another case of “we don’t have vegetarian food” and then serving up bread, yogurt with herbs and, especially for me, grilled tomatoes while Flo got his kebab.

In Pasargadae, the tomb of Cyrus the Great is the prominent sight. I liked it and Flo, as a history geek, was quite excited. We took many pictures of the tomb before moving on to the other things on display. I now seriously didn’t feel well so I sat down in the shade while Flo hopped from sight to sight and from sign to sign like a puppy. I’m glad he still had fun even if I was more of a spoilsport.

...and yes, you can! Just need to go off-road for a bit

…and yes, you can! Just need to go off-road for a bit

There was no way we would make it to Yazd tonight but we hadn’t really counted on it. Buying a cheap bread-cheese-veggies dinner in a shop was easy so we were all set for another night of camping. We kept riding until we found a spot that looked promising then went off-road for a bit and around a hill to be well and truly out of sight. Pitching our tent is routine work so in almost no time, we were set for the night; with enough time to spare for a nice, hot cup of tea to make my throat feel a little better.

 

Day 273 – King of Kings

“My name is Darius, King of Kings, King of the Universe”

Persepolis. I have known this name for more years than not. Capital of the Achaemenid Persian Empire under Darius and Xerxes. The way we travel, we usually only learn about what there is to see a week or so in advance. There are a handful of places though that stand above this. Places like Uluru, Borobudur, Angkor Wat … and Persepolis. Today we went just there.

Teamed up with Jan for this day trip which is a good opportunity for riding pictures

Teamed up with Jan for this day trip which is a good opportunity for riding pictures

We joined up with Jan, who we had met on the ferry, for this day trip, as he is also in town and keen to do the trip. The site is an easy 60 km from the center of Shiraz along the road to Esfahan. We arrived there by 10 am and parked the bikes right at the entrance car park to get changed (small mistake, more later). The admission price for foreign tourists is steep, at $10 NZ per person, given the average meal costs us about $5 for two.

The site itself consists of several structures in varying states of conservation or reconstruction. All this is set on a massive level platform, half cut out of the hillside, half build up with massive stone blocks. When Alexander the Great burned the city to the ground and looted the treasury, there was still room to spare for a palace or two. As a bonus, behind the platform up the hillside are two huge tombs cut straight into the rock face.

This represents about the level of care taken at this site ...

This represents about the level of care taken at this site …

Overall, we both were a bit underwhelmed by the site and the presentation. It is always amazing to stand in the presence of such an historic place, but we felt clearly lacking in information. The sparse signs, some of them missing, had barely more information than half the guidebook entry on the site. By the looks of it, most archaeological work had stopped in 1979 and not much has changed since.

Maybe the Persepolis Museum housed in the badly restored “harem” of Xerxes (think AC’s visibly sticking to the outside) held some more solid info, but another $10 each were too steep for us to be tempted to try. So we left, with all the great photos of this epic place we could wish for, in search for food.

The remainder of the second gate

The remainder of the second gate

We did, literally, pay the price for not negotiating the price for parking before we went in. At first, they asked for a ludicrous amount – 10x of what was on the sign (in Farsi) for cars. In the end, both Jan and we paid more than we should have and were a bit frustrated with ourselves.

Jan was keen to visit Naqsh-e Rustam, a necropolis cut into the rock about 12 km from Persepolis. We failed to find food on the way, but did find a minor site with some bas relief carvings instead. At Naqsh-e Rustam, we turned back once more at the entrance due to the steep entrance fee. $20 to see the tomb of Darius the Great? Maybe 3 months ago, but now … we can’t get ourselves to pay that. Funny how we are developing the same kind of attitude that we frowned upon in other travellers a year ago …

We made our way back home alone then, leaving the tombs to Jan to explore. Food is still hard to come by for Nina. After two tries, we gave up and bought supplies for a picnic. There were some nice spots overlooking Shiraz on the way. When we got back there though, it had started raining once again. We went, with picnic supplies and all, back to our room and collapsed for a while.

Nina was not feeling so well, so we stayed in for the rest of the day and did some overdue homework instead, updating the blog and checking our emails.

Day 272 – City of poets and gardens

The pavilion over the grave

The pavilion over the grave

A whole day to explore Shiraz lay in front of us, with local tour guides. Punctually at 9.30 am, Ali and Tannaz, Hamid’s nephew and niece, picked us up from the hotel. Since we didn’t have any plans, the tomb of Hafez, a famous poet, was our first stop.

We all hopped into their car and while we were still on the way, we were invited for lunch by Ali’s and Tannaz’ mother Mozhgan via phone call. Such a lovely invitation! Trying to avoid awkward situations later, I immediately asked if it’s something I can eat as a vegetarian. The promised Shirazi food would be rice with vegetables and an optional addition of meatballs which sounded perfect and delicious. 🙂

The tomb of Hafez is an alabaster tomb stone inscribed with one of his poems in a pagoda set in a beautiful garden. Since it is spring, every flower was in bloom which gave the whole thing a colourful touch. Everyone learned something about weird flower names: Snapdragon is called the Farsi equivalent of “monkey”, while in German it is “baby lion’s mouth”. Continue reading →

Day 271 – Shiraz

Posing over the breakfast table, especially vegetarian just for me

Posing over the breakfast table, especially vegetarian just for me

The girls were sad that we had to leave so early, while they were still in school, but the way to Shiraz was long and we needed the time on the road. We did, however, jump in the car with all of them on Azemeh’s morning school run to say goodbye. Such smart girls, it was a pleasure to meet them.

Azemeh made a special vegetarian breakfast treat for Nina – a tomato and egg affair that tasted delicious. We took a round of goodbye photos and packed the bike. Then, it was time to leave for good. We are so glad to have had the chance to share a day in this family’s life and experience Persian hospitality first hand. It did not stop at their door, either. Azemeh insisted to guide us to the edge of town, where the road that we would need to take goes east. Thank you all!

What a lovely road!

What a lovely road!

We followed the road east across a vast plain until we hit the first of the mountain ranges between us and Shiraz. Instead of following the route suggested by our hosts, we decided on a little detour further south. The shorter route would have led us past Pasargadae and Persepolis. Both of them we wanted to do as a day trip from Shiraz, and we hate doubling up on routes. This way, we got the chance to see some more beautiful scenery and go past three almost dried up lakes.

Flo on his way to play with the salt

Flo on his way to play with the salt

We had a short rest at the first one, before re-fulling and pushing on. A few kilometers out of Shiraz, we passed the last lake – this one is a salt lake. There was a sort of jetty going down and we had a bit of fun playing around with the salt on the shore.

Once we were in Shiraz, we gave Hamid (our contact from Dubai) a call. Instead of him, his wife answered the phone and informed us that Hamid was currently in the operation room for surgery on his hands. Two days after we had left, Hamid had broken both his hands in a motorcycle accident. But this is Persia, after all. In no time, we were offered help and two blokes dropped us off at the hotel we had quickly looked up in the Lonely Planet.

Pretty knackered after a long day of riding, we only went out one more time in search for dinner and some light sightseeing. Dinner proved to be hard once again, with all the recommendations failing to offer any vegetarian dish for Nina. This is kebab land.

Checking out the handicraft

Checking out the handicraft

For now, we resorted to some people-watching across from the old palace, with a cup of tea from a street vendor. It turned out to be mostly people watching us, though, and we continued to one of the three bazars. We saw Persian carpets, spices and all manner of more or less useful wares, but still no food.

As we came out of the bazar, we decided to go for the safe route of bread and cheese instead and started to ask around. Turned out we walked just right past the bakery, obscured by a crowd of shoppers. We got a nice bread straight out of the oven and some veg and cheese and headed back to the hotel. On our way back, it actually started raining – the second time in two days for us in Iran.

Back in the hotel, during dinner, Hamid got in touch with us (bless him) fresh out of surgery. He got us in contact with his sister who lives in Shiraz and soon we got the offer of a guide for sightseeing for tomorrow morning. Pick up 9.30 am. All was well – we love Iranian hospitality.

P.S.: Get well soon, Hamid!

Day 270 – Sneak peek into Persian family life

We enjoyed the wildflowers

We enjoyed the wildflowers

It got really cold over night, up in the mountains in a cave. When the alarm went off at 5.30 am, there was simply no way I could get out of bed. No way. Luckily, Flo didn’t insist on getting up so we stayed in the warm bed until the much more reasonable time of 7.30 am. Breakfast was served at 8 am in the restaurant and consisted of flat bread, butter, honey, a cream cheese that is somewhere between Philadelphia and feta cheese, hard boiled eggs and a plate with cucumber slices. Thus, we were ready to face the day.

Reached a nice high point of our hike.

Reached a nice high point of our hike.

Everyone else who wanted to had gone up the mountain hours before but we thought it would be sad if we leave without the slightest bit of hiking. So we put on our boots, packed some water and snacks and left on the dirt track towards the mountain. We had no idea how far we will get as it started to be quite warm in the sun already but there wasn’t much ambition in play anyway. We just wanted to have a nice view. Following the track around four bends, Flo spotted a tree up a hillside that looked like a great resting place. Up the hillside we went and it was definitely nice in the shade. Exploring further, we hiked up to the top of that hill, then spotted another, higher hill behind which we also climbed. Here, after another break and many pictures, we decided to call it and head back into the village.

Our escort to Shahr-e Babak

Our escort to Shahr-e Babak

Once back in the village, we came across Azemeh again. She had invited us yesterday to stay with her family in Shahr-e Babak and now her whole family (husband Mohhamad, three daughters and herself) were here to pick us up and escort us to her home. Such a sweet gesture! We, of course, were unprepared and hurried up to pack all our things so we were good to leave as well. Shahr-e Babak is the closest town to Meymand, maybe about 30 kilometers away. In no time, we arrived at the house where we also met the grandmother and an aunt and uncle who we had seen before yesterday. Being great hosts, they gave us the chance to have a shower and make ourselves comfortable before it was time for many, many questions from both sides.

The eldest daughter Mahdiye speaks English very well and was able to translate for people who didn’t speak much English. Mohadeseh, the middle daughter, also knew enough English to ask questions while little Maedeh only said my name and then relied on translation to get across what she wanted.

Everybody having fun

Everybody having fun

Being a vegetarian, which is not very common in Iran, I made lunch slightly harder for Azemeh. We went out for a tour through the town and to give Azemeh a chance to pick up some ingredients including a kind of bread that Shahr-e Babak is famous for. This is how we ended up in a car, Flo on the front seat next to Azemeh, all the girls on the back seats and Maedeh dancing to Persian pop music on the middle console.

When lunch was served, it turned out that I am the biggest food barbarian when it comes to Persian food. I simply know zero about it which equals knowing zero about what to eat with what. The table sported big bowls of rice which was a good start so I took some. It was clearly meant to go with the chicken which I skipped on. Next to my plate was a bowl with something that looked like sauce so I was about to put it on my rice when I was stopped. It was a yogurt soup that you eat with a spoon or rather you drop chunks of fresh bread in to soak up the soup and then eat the chunks with a spoon. I have never heard of it before but it was delicious. Plus, the Shahr-e Babak bread is delicious, too, and goes well with the cream cheese.

So yummy, so hospitable

So yummy, so hospitable

Next up, I put some salad on my plate next to my rice. This time, no one was quick enough to stop me but it is not what you do. There are special plates for salads and then you pour the dressing over it without it mingling with our other food. Whoops. Tea was served after lunch and I continued my barbarian streak when I asked for milk to put in the tea. One does not do this here but I was allowed to. 🙂 Then Flo dropped a cube of sugar in his cup which you also don’t do. You dip it into the cup, let it soak up some tea then put it in your mouth and drink the tea while it melts away.

During lunch, we also tried to learn Farsi words for the things we were eating but only a couple stuck, mostly the ones for bread and cheese. Tea is also on the list of things so I think I’ll be okay in the future. A little bowl with pistachios was served which was yummy AND an easy word in Farsi. Afterwards, I was really tired so I had a little 30 minute power nap before the day continued.

The rain did not scare all those Persians from their picnics

The rain did not scare all those Persians from their picnics

Since it was Friday and everyone was off school/work, we were good for an excursion to a huge field with rhubarb plants (or something very similar). It’s a very popular spot for the locals to go and have a picnic. We would meet up with more aunts and uncles and cousins there who gathered to be merry and cook a big pot of ash (not quite a soup, not quite a stew) together. The weather seemed to turn on us but we went anyway. Tea was served again and I shared the box of sweets that I had bought in Bandar Abbas so I could contribute something at least. It was great to see so many people and we played some volleyball or a version of dodge ball before having a bowl of ash.

Mohhamad, Azemeh and Maedeh with Charowo

Mohhamad, Azemeh and Maedeh with Charowo

The rain and wind picked up for real now. Packing everything back in the car, we still had many more pictures to take so everyone had their memory shot. Maedeh wanted some with us on the big leaves of the rhubarb plants which was sweet. Strawberries appeared from somewhere so there’s a picture of all of us holding up strawberries and then we all hopped into the car.

On the way back, we stopped at the field with pistachio plants. Flo had asked about it earlier as we both were unsure how the plant looks like and how pistachios are actually “made”. Here, we got a glimpse of tiny pistachios in the making.

The evening passed with more tea, conversation and then a serving of different fruits. Azemeh asked when we would like to have dinner but we had been eating the whole day and really didn’t need more food. Instead, she brought out her home-made baking. Full to the brim, we tried a small piece each and if we liked it, Azemeh packed a whole bag for us to take with us as snacks tomorrow. So, so kind and so, so yummy. I particularly liked small dough balls filled with chopped pistachios and probably dipped in a rosewater-honey blend (maybe).

At 9.30 pm, I nearly fell asleep on the couch so we went to bed which was earlier than any family member was accustomed to go to bed. It was a long day full of new experiences.

 

Day 269 – Meymand surprise

Didn't expect it to be so mountainous so soon...

Didn’t expect it to be so mountainous so soon…

Instead of going straight to Shiraz, we decided to go to at least one of the Lonely Planet suggestions for the east of Iran. Meymand sounded great and just like our thing. A slightly weird village in a quiet mountain region, sleepy and with a cool highlight (this is an ancient troglodyte village with 2500 rooms dug into the sandstone).

The ride looked a bit daunting for a day, with 450 km to go, but we thought to give it a try and stop if need be. At least we would leave the brutal heat of Bandar Abbas behind is. Even in the morning, the temperature went over 30 degrees. The landscape surprised us, with cool rock formations starting right outside of Bandar Abbas. As we got higher, the temperatures got more tolerable as well. With a decent two lane highway for almost the entire way, we made good progress.

Found a kebab shop where the owner assured me that they have nothing but meat...then Flo was served his kebab with bread and yogurt...

Found a kebab shop where the owner assured me that they have nothing but meat…then Flo was served his kebab with bread and yogurt…

During our lunch break we had our first encounter with a particular aspect of Iranian hospitality. Luckily our guidebook and friends prepared us for this: When we wanted to pay for our lunch, the shopkeeper said it was free. It is part of a polite game to refuse and insist on paying as a guest (three times). If they give in, it was politeness, if they insist it was a genuine offer. I like the dynamic of that – everything is very polite and done with a smile and it feels much nicer to spend money this way. Besides, the kebab was excellent.

Around 5 pm we were on the final kilometers towards Meymand, expecting a quiet night in a sleepy little town. Instead there was a greeting committee at the entrance to the village. With complementary drinks and cookies. We got swarmed and many smartphone photos got taken. Through much confusion, we found out that today of all days (Thursday is the first day of the weekend in Iran) they had a big festival going. The mountaineering club organized a big hike for Friday morning up one of the nearby peaks. This at least tripled the usual population of 40 with day trippers and camping hikers.

Posing with Mohsen

Posing with Mohsen

When we mentioned that we would like to stay in the towns only guesthouse (featuring a night in one of the many cave rooms of the town), smartphones got drawn all around and in no time we got ushered into the village and in front of the guesthouse keeper. People followed us all the way to get a chance to get a picture taken. We were village celebrates in no time, especially after some people translated the story behind our trip. At this point, Mohsen showed up with two girls in tow, being extremely nice and helpful as well. He is a local tour guide and invited us to come hiking with them in the morning – starting 6 am.

It's like a hobbit hole!

It’s like a hobbit hole!

A  bit overwhelmed, we unloaded our stuff into our little hobbit hole. After a little breather and a change of clothes, we had just enough time for a little stroll to explore the village before dinner in the guesthouse restaurant. We once again got stopped and asked for a picture at least every 5 meters. We heard rushed conversation all around with people explaining in Farsi what our deal was and where we were from to any newcomer. It was great fun and very sweet.

Azemeh asked for a picture with her and Maede before inviting us to her home. So lovely!

Azemeh asked for a picture with her and Maede before inviting us to her home. So lovely!

One of the encounters developed into something more though. We got asked for photos by a very nice lady. During our brief conversation, she invited us to visit her home. This, on it’s own is also not too unusual and is part of Iranian small talk when spoken lightly. We declined by explaining that we were staying in town this night, but Azemeh made clear that was a genuine offer. She and her family lived in the next proper city 35 km back. We had no firm plans and after some thinking, we agreed to call her once we got into town the next day (after maybe hiking in the morning). It was very touching to see that she was genuinely excited about this.

During dinner we met another kind couple from the Czech Republic. They had traveled a lot themselves and it was great to swap some travel stories. It also helped to ignore the rude behaviour of the big tour group from an unnamed neighboring country of Germany.

Exhausted, we retreated to our surprisingly cold room and crawled into our beds with an extra blanket each to snuggle up for the night.

Day 268 – Welcome to Iran

Sunrise equals breakfast time :)

Sunrise equals breakfast time 🙂

All of the reports on Horizons Unlimited are full of descriptions about the shipping to Bandar Abbas and they all had their story to tell about the Iranian bureaucracy. Flo was dreading it and we had scheduled for a whole day in the port just trying to get Rocinante out of customs. If possible, we would hire a fixer to help with the paper work.

For now, when the lights came on on board of the ferry, there wasn’t even land in sight. Half an hour later, breakfast was served at which point I went back to reading…nothing would happen for a while. Land came in sight, we docked and yet still, we were sitting around on deck waiting for anything to happen.

Close to the port now

Close to the port now

Finally, Jan and Flo rode the bikes out of the ferry to the immigration terminal. There, the only English-speaking officer of the port welcomed us and helped us through the dealings to get the passports stamped. It involved a bit of paperwork already, including giving a rough itinerary and a section about your thoughts on Iran. Maybe half an hour later, we had our passports back and could start with the process of the temporary import of the bikes. Well, almost. Flo had left the carnet with the bike and while it was just outside the glass wall, we were locked into the building. It took an officer to unlock a door for him to quickly grab the carnet.

With our passports in hand, we left the immigration building and were immediately brought in contact with a fixer who spoke nearly no English. Not wanting to negotiate a price AFTER he had rendered his services, we negotiated now and got an amazingly great offer of US$15 per vehicle. That was even cheap enough for Jan so we went through the process together.

First picture after all the paperwork was done

First picture after all the paperwork was done

Or rather through the waiting time. While our fixer knew almost no English, he definitely knew the process of importing bikes well. Thus he walked around, made copies of the carnets and passports, collected stamps in multitudes and got us through. Mostly, it involved him walking to the next building, us sitting down in the waiting area and then moving on to the next building once he said so. In the meantime, the paperwork in his hands took on epic proportions (about three trees had to die for it, would be my guess) and it became clear that we would have had no chance getting through it ourselves. Plus, the customs office would close at 3 pm before which we really wanted to be done.

At 2 pm, everything was done. We were good to go…once we had paid. Our fixer had two other people working for him as well at this point. One of them showed us the break-down of the costs: US$70 for fees, copies and legal things that they had paid for us already and then another US$70 for their services. Well, we had negotiated a price of US$15. Once we wrote it down to make absolutely clear what we meant, horror dawned on our fixer’s face. He clearly thought we had agreed on US$50 per vehicle. Also, the others didn’t seem too happy about the pre-arranged price. In the end, Flo paid US$70 for the legal stuff and US$30 for their services while Jan stuck to the original price. In the end, he paid US$19 for their services.

Jan talking to the locals in search of a currency exchange

Jan talking to the locals in search of a currency exchange

DONE! Good to go! I should have mentioned earlier that it was incredibly hot, most likely 40 degrees. Now, back in all our motorcycle gear, we were cooked. Jan only had dirhams with him so we had paid his fees in US dollars in the port. Thus, we were looking for a bank now so he could exchange his money. Everything was closed though. Once Jan started to ask locals for help, they all said that it’s siesta and things would open up again later on. However, one of them led us to a currency exchange which was also closed but opened up just for us.

Having sorted the money, Flo and I now looked for a hotel. The same helpful local recommended a budget hotel for us which we checked out. It was slightly pricey for our budget but close to what the Lonely Planet described what the lowest price around. While we checked into Ghods Hotel, Jan used the wifi to check up on his couch surfing for the night. So we parted. Flo and I had a little nap in our room, sitting out the heat and waiting for the shops to open again.

So much choice! This is just one of two counters

So much choice! This is just one of two counters

At 6pm, we went out. The extremely helpful staff of the hotel sent us to “City Center” to buy a local SIM card. We got 5GB for a month now and it worked without an issue. From there, we just grabbed a bite to eat before I saw a confectionery shop which I HAD to check out. In the end, I left with a box filled with four different types of sweets…all of which I had to try immediately in the hotel room. 🙂