Iran part 1

Salam aleikom!

Our last night in Turkey was good, apart from the dodgy kebaps we were served at a nearby eatery. We had to turn down a friendly Kurds offer to go back to his house to drink chai all night, so that we could finish off the blog, and make all our arrangements for the next morning, when we headed off towards the Iran border. Our nights' sleep was slightly disturbed by the whining loud prayer call from the mosque next door at 3:30 in the morning. They always use the same awful horn speakers turned up full so that they just distort, but I think that is meant to be part of the sound they are going for. We just have to imagine that it's a Jimmy Hendrix solo sometimes!

We arrived at the border with a little tripidation, to a very long queue of lorries filling up our side of the dual carriageway, but some helpful standers-by directed us to drive up the other side of the dual carriageway right up to the gate where we were ushered to the front of the queue! Another man pulled up beside us and said "I am customs, I get you through very quick, no problem!", and he did, he took us to all the right people to stamp us out of Turkey. You seemed to have to know who the people are, as they were just milling around in plain clothes. He just got them to stamp our papers without looking! We would never have found our way otherwise! We were then ushered through the gate into Iran where all the formalities started again. But once again someone came to our rescue, a very friendly lady this time, and sorted out all our paperwork for us! Amazing, we were through in an hour and a half! It seems that whenever you don't know where to go or what to do, someone will see you and offer to help, We were trying to find a restaurant that evening, when someone just overheard us and showed us where it was.

We drove on to Tabriz, which has one of the oldest, biggest (and apparently most interesting) bazaars in Iran, and has 35km of streets all inside a 15th century building! I don't think we'll make it round the whole thing! We found a guesthouse for £4 a night, and put the van in a car park around the back. One great thing we've noticed here is that when you park your car in a car park, you pay an attendant who sits there all night and watches it, whereas in Britain (particularly in Hastings), you pay your parking fee, and the attendants couldn't give a stuff if your car got nicked, they just try to give you a penalty....it seems... The hotel as you can imagine for that price was a bit shabby and noisy but it did the job. We had a really great Persian feast in a small restaurant, where we sat on Persian rugs and cusions to eat, it was amazing food and very cheap.

Rhona has now converted to Islam and has to wear headscarfs all day, which is not very popular with her. Poor thing is dying of heat and suffocation! Silly rules!

Iranian driving is the worst we have yet encountered on this trip, the cities are just a complete free for all, with pedestrians just walking out into the middle of a four lane street, as that is the only way to cross the road. Iran has the highest road accident casualties in the world, and it is easy to see why, although we both agree that Kenya is probably slightly worse. We are enjoying the rediculously cheap diesel here of 1p a litre!! So to fill our tank, and our 3 jerry cans (equivaleant to another tank) costs us around £1! Petrol is a bit more, at a pricey 6p a litre. The prices are set by the government, so is the same everywhere. The only problem with this is there is no petrol station (or 5) on every corner as in all the other countries we have visited, infact diesel is very hard to get hold of here, we filled up once near the border, but he only allowed us 30 litres due to short supply, and we didn't see another station selling diesel for another 200 miles! Thankfully we got to one just before we ran out!

Tabriz was good fun, a highlight definately was getting a melon smoothie from one of the smoothie shops that lined a particular street. Simon was a bit sceptical seeing all these pots of freshly made bright green and orange fruit and veg smoothies, but it was cold, refreshing, tasty, and hit the spot perfectly. I wonder why they don't have more of these fantastic joints anywhere else? Another highlight was the bazaar. Our senses were awakened by all the smells and tastes of different foods and countless spices. There are large fruit and vegetable markets with all sorts of fresh produce. There was every kind of dried fruits and berries, nuts and seeds that you could imagine. The biggest difference we noticed between this one and the one in Istanbul, was the fact that in Turkey you would have about five people pulling you from all directions pestering you to buy something from them, whereas in Iran that was not apparent at all. People would just politely help you out if you showed the initial interest. Many people would just chat to us, and invite us back to their houses for dinner, and we had some interesting conversations with people. We get the impression that Iran is somewhere that you can't go anywhere fast for talking to people! I think we are spotted a mile off though. It was interesting to hear that one person told us how a lot of Iranian people find all the Islamic rules and regulations are choking them, and they feel like they are living in a prison here with no freedom.

The next morning we drove an hour down a very scenic road, only to find it was the wrong one! How annoying!! so we had to turn back and easliy found the right one. We visited a village called Masuleh, which is an old village built on a steep mountainside, with the houses all piled on top of each other. The cool thing about it is that the roof of one house is the street of the row above, so you are always walking on someone's muddy roof! These days it looks like its inhabitants live off tourism as it is unbelievably busy with Iranian tourists, and is packed with rows of shops.

We are beginning to feel that we need to be more careful about where we are sleeping now. This was confirmed when we were moved on by a friendly policeman who advised us that it is unsafe to park where there is no security. So from now on we will either be sleeping in hotels or in hotel car parks, if they let us.

We drove along the coast of the Caspian Sea which is 30m below sea level - the lowest we've been, on the way to the Alborz mountains just north of Tehran. Apparently the fisherman still cast their nets into the sea from the shore like in Biblical times, but we didn't see anyone doing this. We were very suprised that there was a lot of wasteland on the coast with no resorts, or even any obvious use. But then women aren't allowed on them anyway so what's the point? On arrival in the Alborz, we were planning on climbing Mount Damavand, the highest peak in Iran at 5670m. The village where the path starts is called Reyleh, but we again had trouble deciphering all the sguiggley Persian signs. We pulled up in a village to ask someone directions, and it turned out we were in the right place, and happened to pull up outside the Iran Mountain Federation base camp hostel! Lovely! The deal with the mountain is that you get a Landrover ride up to the 1st camp, then you hire a mule to carry your bags up the the second camp from where you walk to the summit. We just wanted a map to do it ourselves, but they didn't seem to have heard of maps, we hadn't planned long enough in advance to get one ourselves, and hiring a guide was too expensive, so we decided to just go for a days walk from the village instead. It is so beautiful here, lots of steep-sided valleys and cliffs.

The other side of the coin is that the traffic here is horrific, and we are finding the pollution quite difficult to cope with at times, especially on busy roads where there are just streams of filthy lorries belching out black smoke. Really takes the pleasure out of driving along stunning mountain passes and coastal roads. Being pulled over by the police is also becoming a daily annoyance, they just can't resist it. Even the one's that don't wave us down, we can see regretting it as we drive away.

We took a taxi to the bottom of the mountain, and walked up the path where you are meant to have a Land Rover take you up to camp 2, but we were sure our Matatu would have made it! After that we climbed a bit higher, and realised that we probably could have done the mountain on our own, but we didn't have the information we needed. The walk back was a slog, as we walked back along the road that the taxi had taken us up origionally, we were so hot and had run out of water. At one point though, a lorry coming the other way slowed down to say hello, and a boy in the front produced a large bottle of cold water and gave it to us! We were truly amazed at the thoughtfulness! Once we had got back, we decided to take down our roof box from the van; it held all our treking and climbing gear, but had strangely been drawing a lot of attention to us. Since we have taken it down we have not been pulled over by the police, and no one notices us until they see that the steering wheel is on the wrong side, and we are very white! We are very sorry to the lovely couple we bought it from, but it is now sitting in a yard in the Mount Damavand shelter 1 hut!

The road to Esfahan, our next stop was a long one, but the roads were good, fast motorways. Rather hot though, it got up to 40 degrees, and that's at 1200m altitude! Not looking forward to a day in the Baluchestan desert to get through southern Pakistan! We really felt like we were in the Middle East, driving through endless rolling semi-arid landscape. Just dust, rocks, the odd shrub, and a few jutting mountains all day.

The city streets in Iran really come alive in the evening, as many people have had their long mid-day siesta, the shops are open till late, and everyone is out and about. It is quite obviously more touristy here, as after not seeing another foreigner for our 6 days in Iran, all of a sudden there are 2 big fancy hotels full of retired Brits! Many people would stop to chat to us, and one newly wed couple Gheisar and Elham took us for a walk, and ended up inviting us back to their home. I don't think they were allowed to have visitors, as they sneaked us in past the security desk and up the stairs! They wanted to hear us play the guitar and sing, so we had brought the guitar along. They brought out trays of melons, fruits, tea and sweets, then as the power went out we serenaded them in the pitch dark! All very surreal, but it must have added to the atmosphere as they seemed to be impressed? Again we were really touched by the hospitality, and brings to mind our attitude in Britain when we see foreigners or people who seem lost. We also found out that public performance of music or dance is not allowed in Iran, infact when I got the guitar out of the car, Gheisar took it from me and hid it in a big sack so it would not be seen by anyone!

Esfahan is a truly beautiful city, with its lit up, ancient multi-arched bridges crossing the wide slow Zayandeh river, lined with tidy parks, to the hugely magnificant Imam Square (it's the second largest city square in the world), lined with historic architecture. We once again met up with Gheisar and Elham, and they took us for a tour of the cities most interesting sites. They also insisted on paying for us just to make us feel welcome in their country! It seems to be a very relaxed place, and is full of Esfahanis lying on the grass in the square, or sitting under the arches of the bridges on the river, just enjoying the location. We felt quite honoured to be there. We thought that it seemed incredible that among all this dry dry landscape, there should be such a green city with impressive water fountains on every roundabout, and men with thick hose pipeS watering tall trees, plants and grass lining every road. It was great to have the guides again as you get so much more out of a place, and you get a much better taste of the culture first hand.

Onward from Esfahan, and towards the revered city of Shiraz, takes us through more barren landscapes on more fast good roads. Very occaisionally the dust and shrubs would be broken by the most incredible gorges that would look like a mini lush paradise with thick vegetation, tall trees, and a bright green/blue river pooling and cascading over rocks. We made good time so decided to go and see the famous Persopolis on the way, before going to Shiraz to find cheap accomodation. As we drove towards it, we noticed a camp site! Shock horror!! Lets stay here! We have not seen a proper campsite since .. hmm .. Czech Republic! There was also a Landrover parked there with a tent, so it must be operational? Firstly we go to see Persepolis Which was built 2500 years ago by Darius I (the Great) as the most fantastic palace and city every built. 220 years later Alexander (the Greater - obviously) defeated them and destroyed the palace. What is left behind is still more complete that any other building anywhere near that old and is quite mind blowing. It is definately the most impressive sight we have seen so far. The complex is so expansive that you can stand in the middle and just see huge statues, pillars, doorways and walls decorated with such detailed and exquisite carvings in every direction, as far as you can see. Every enourmous piece of black rock used in any part of the complex, is covered in detailed carvings that tell stories, there is not a blank space anywhere, and many of the pillars and statues reach 30 or 40 meters into the sky! Really amazing! We check into the campsite which is suprisingly nice, and find the owners of the Landrover to be a couple from Kent doing almost exactly the same route as us!

We have been collecting our thoughts about south eastern Iran and Pakistan, and how and if we are to tackle crossing it. We have had varying reports from different people; the south east of Iran, and particularly Zahedan, near the Pakistan border is well renown for its part in the serious drug trade from Afganistan, and is a place that many Iranians would say was very dangerous and should be avoided, or that great care should be taken; we have also heard about kidnappings and hijakings in the area. Pakistan again brings a suprised and silent response from many people that we have told we are going there. Everything on the FCO website, safe travel website, Pakistan Embassy?!, and the British Embassy in Iran says simply "Don't go there", so we are a little apprehensive about that. The other side of the coin is that we have met several other travellers who are doing the same route as us through Pakistan to India, and have been told that the British Embassy has recorded quite a large volume of travelers currently crossing this area trouble free. The way to do it would be to cross it (2 days driving), from 'Bam' in the safe part of Iran, spending one night in the Pakistan border police compound, and getting all the way to Quetta the next day. We would also be phoning the British Embassy in Pakistan for advice and to register with them before we go. We are not altogether ready to give up on our goal, and these amazing words below have been quite an encouragement to us:

The Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need.

He lets me rest in green meadows, he leads me beside peaceful streams.

He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honour to His name.

Even when I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me,

Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.

You welcome me as a guest, anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.

Surely Your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life,

And I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm 23

PS. Since this writing this, and repeated failed attempts to post it, we have heard from a couple who have just been through Pakistan coming the other direction, and have said that it was quite pleasant, with no troubles at all, so the plan is to go for it as above. We could also go in convoy with the other Landrover if we felt that we needed to.

Max temperature: 40

Diesel 1p a litre

total miles driven: 5000 (ish)