Well I was able to hold my close Ttimetable, but I am very sorry having not more time for Iran:
Well because Marc Krebser had to stay in Dogubeyazyt to wait for his report from the Police concerning the things were stolen I had to go ahead alone. I wanted to go to Iran on 02.07.2006, but as I was following a side road which was starting from Murad camping up to the
2.) Me taking a break on an bus stop.
4.) The blue mosque in Tabriz.
6.) Me and Mr. Stephen Gibbons from the UK on his
way from Japan to his home in England.
8.) An Iranian Family which invited me for dinner.
10.) A sunset in Now Shahr at the caspian sea.
12.) Me with an bad Timing as I used the
self timer of my camera.
14.) It's done, in the back you can see
the flat landscape from Turkmenistan.
Mountains and it began to rain I had no
1.) Through the town Maku, which is surrounded by
mountains.
3.) Getting up the packages
early in the morning.
5.) A well known and famous author and
poet in Iran.
7.) A mosque with a mosaic on the whole wall.
9.) The Amir Kasir lake which is a
embankment dam .
11.) A lot of rice fields on my way
to the village Farsiyan.
13.) A total overloaded truck.
You can see them quiet often.
chance to go ahead. This was because my Wheels where blocking and I had to lift my bike up to my shoulders and so I was able to go 4-6 km more. But finally a mountain farmer found me which invited me to his home where I was allowed to stay one night. Well on the next day it wasn't raining and so the road was good enough to move on it, also I cant ride my bike so I have to go next to it all the time. Finally I reached the border to Iran, where I was welcome by an really kind women, who was responsible for tourist Information, and she also was helping me to change some money on the Bank which was also situated on the border. So I was starting with positive energy in this nice and beautiful country. In the next bigger city next to the border I wanted to buy some new sun glasses, and immediately I found some kind students which were helping me in finding a cheap and good sun glass. And all the time I was told to be welcome when I was in a Shop or just driving on the road. Well I thought Turkish hospitality cant be beaten, but in Iran hospitality is the best I have ever seen so far on my trip. The people are so kind and friendly I cant explain it in words, you have to see it by yourself! On the way I also meet an guy from England which was driving from Japan back to home. It is really interesting how many people were driving though the Iran on or from the way to the east. So I meet also a group with an guy from Spain, an woman and her boyfriend from France driving to India. All the I was hoping that Marc Krebser (
www.schalentier.ch.vu) will appear behind me, but then I heard from my mother, that he stopped the tour. Well I think I will see him again on the way, because he is like me an outdoor freak. All the time some people stopped on the road, just to make a picture from me, or asking where I am from and where I want to go. But really crazy was the traffic in bigger cities, where I was told that this isn't a traffic, so if I want to see real traffic then I have to go to Teheran. And so I decided to go around the city by going up to the north in Karaj. This was an exiting road across the mountains, also a few tunnels were a big problem for me because I hardly cant breathe and so I nearly was falling down from the bike. The landscape also changes here immediately, because here everything was green, and in the south everything was looking very dry and more like an desert. But it was very sticky and so I was looking forward to come to dryer areas again, which comes after Minu Dasht. This was because I hardly cant sleep because I was sweating all the time when I wanted to sleep in my tent. Before I reached Minu Dasht I was taking the wrong road, and so I came to came to a village which was called Farsiyan and was situated 36 km in the wrong direction. I decided to go back the way the same day and to go to Minu Dasht where a family giving me a place to sleep for two nights. The people here were so friendly that this was giving me new power for the trip. They were washing my dirty clothes and giving me a lot of food and other stuff, you simply cant imagine how impressing this hospitality was to me. When I leave this family I offered them money, but they wont take it, because it was a pleasure for them meeting me. Then I was driving to Bojnurd, then Quchan and then I landed here in Dargaz. But from Quchang to Dargaz there was the last mountain stage which ends with an amazing ride down to the valley, which was an problem for me because I just had my back brake left, the front brake wasn't working any more. So I had to slide the bike from the mountains down to the valley the hole way. Here in Dargaz I found a cheap hotel which was recommended by an Iranian man which I meet on the way through the mountains. Here in Dargaz it is extreme hot, because I am on 500 m above sea level and so I cant enjoy the cold air in the maintains any more. Here I can take a break for 5 days, to prepare for the way though Turkmenistan, which just will last 6 days. My knees are quiet ok, although they were complaining on the way through the mountains. Another problem is my as, which also was suffering because of the every day rides I was doing in Iran. At least I have to say, that Iran is a beautiful and very interesting country, which everybody should visit some day. And also the people here are so kind and nice, so this is totally different to the people in central Europe, I think we could learn a lot from them. And for everybody just reading or hearing the negative things from Iran, I can calm him down, the people here in Iran are really nice, and for the negative statements their government makes they are not guilty, and have nothing to do with that. Well hopefully I gave you an interesting report from this beautiful country.
See you next time and wish all the best.
Yours Carl Steiner
IRAN