We made it alive and well through the storm and rain last night. This morning, the tent was still fine (thanks Salewa, great product) and the sky clear.

There is very little to write about the road today, other than that it was amazing. I was not quite sure about this whole idea of ours of doing a big detour through the Zagros Mountains instead of the direct route to Hamadan before. The stunning landscapes along the road really did change that, though. The constantly changing landscape following down the Karun from 2400m down to almost sea level was truly worth it.

We had memorable little moments in between, nonetheless. The first one that comes to mind is at a police check point in Loristan. Iran is the first country we actually get stopped by the police at times. This time, they invited us into the main building for tea and to check our papers. Sadly, the shared language skills were not enough for any deeper conversation.

We stopped to buy some ingredients for lunch, when we were once again surrounded by a bunch of kids and very friendly villagers. After a brief chat, we hopped back on the bike to find a lovely picnic spot in the shade of a tree.

The green around us faded as gradually as it came yesterday. This time though, a bright aquamarine was added to the palette by the Karun River and its many hydro power reservoirs along the way. At the same time though the level of complaint by both Nina and Rocinante rose as the heat did on the way down. When we reached the altitude of our destination (100m above sea level) the thermometer hit 40°C again, even at 5 pm.

Reaching Shushtar was a bit of a stretch, but we still made it by 5.30 pm and quickly found a hotel. While looking in vain for the recommended one, we were waved into the newly renovated traditional hotel in town. They made us a good offer and even had a ramp ready to get Rocinante into the inner courtyard. We bottomed out for a second, but no damage done. Tomorrow without luggage then …

The town was one of those pleasant surprises you get. Never heard of it, but full of great historic stuff. The waterworks here had been built 1800 years ago and were crucial in the irrigation of the whole region. Oh, and they were built by forced labour from Roman Legionaries. The force was captured by the Persians, including their Emperor Valerian. The only Roman Emperor ever to have been captured in battle. He likely died in captivity in the resident Salosel Castle.

Tomorrow, we will go for even older stuff … 3300 year old Elamite Ziggurat of Choqa Zanbil!