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.

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.

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.