IRAN - THE JEWEL IN A SEA OF SAND

After a well deserved sleep in following the previous blogs events I set about with the usual administrative BS involved when entering a new country... e.g. sim cards, money exchange, petrol and food. After a SUPER relaxing ride through the desert (Iran has fantastic roads) we crashed at Javad’s place, couch surfing in Kerman. 2^nd night in Iran and out came the whiskey, I’d read about the lax attitude towards the law but this was pretty funny. Alcohol, Facebook, satellite TV, you name it... it’s illegal here. But for some reason no one cares, they have their ways of getting around the oppression. Drinking at Javad’s was like being 15 again and sneaking out with a beer, his mum was out and the bottle was disposed of afterward... couldn’t have been a better welcome!

The route so far in Iran, heading North again soon!

In Kerman we really just ate a lot of ice-cream and visited the bazaar... then back for more ice-cream! Late that evening we left the city, two motorcycles and two cars... destination the desert. En-route there was a mountain pass at 2700m following which we came back down into the sandy plains of “Dasht-elut”. That night we ate a lot of cheese with local bread around the bonfire, I emphasize cheese since it’s the first time since Australia that it’s been readily available again... soooo yum!

Delicious and cheap, loved this shop!

Start the day off with a crash, even managed to pull some wires making it difficult to start again.

We cooked cheese sausages and toasted bread on the hot coals afterward...

It felt good waking up with the sun again after spending a night under the stars in my sleeping bag. However the heat quickly became unbearable and we packed up in order to explore the Kaluts (natural rock and sand formations). The day was filled with many mis-adventures and that night we couch surfed again, this time at Ali’s house. Totally knackered!

This is what I built my bike for!

Open plains, letting the mind wander... nothing comes close to this.

Thick sand made for exciting times!

Javad's car was not cut out for the desert, but he gave it a red hot go!

And then the fuel pump gave out on the way back... she'll be right!

Over the following days we traveled south towards the Persian Gulf. The 2000m drop in altitude was immediately noticeable as temperatures were back up at 45° C and it became unbearable outside of the water. From here I took the ferry out to the island Qeshm and spent the days camping on various beaches around the island. Lots of swimming, exploring and general beach activities in and around our camp. I don’t think I quite managed to capture the beauty of the island but the pictures hopefully give an idea of what island life was like for me for the past 8 days.

Cleaning the beast for the first time in over 10,000 KM.

On the road South, mostly downhill.

Our camp that night along side a very salty river, swim, eat, relax and then sleep.

In my pajamas trying to get back to the road the following morning.

Catching the ferry to the island, drama ensued after the silver car scraped along the side of Steve's Pajero.

Island camp nights 1,2 and 3.

Taking some time out... chill.

Taking a trip into the centre of the island...

Getting lost among the islands desert dunes.

The bike was running like a champ, eating up the K's.

Riding cross-country through the island...

On and on and on it went, seriously mystical.

GPS take me home! So much fun here.

More salt lakes, stung like hell when touched!

Looking for a new camp for the night...

The road that circumnavigated the entire island for over 150 KM.

N-something-something valley... the name isn't important, it was sick!

If it wasn't so hot I would've happily spent the night right there!

"OK guys it's getting late, lets just ride out there for one badass photo with the boats!"

4 hours, 2 cars, 1 tractor and 6 ripped steel cables later the car was finally free... minutes before the tide swallowed it!

Basking in the weather, no clouds in sight for days.

Camp location for a night... the ocean was a must in the heat!

WOOOO more camels!

Scouting more camp sites... down we go!

Had to unload the bike to make it down to the beach...

Yep... worth it! Waking up and walking straight into the ocean is something I will miss!

Considering that Iran has a relatively poor international image I have so far very much enjoyed my time here. That comes down to the people, very friendly, welcoming but also respectful. After the 1979 revolution Iran became an Islamic state, mandatory veiling for women and many other laws were passed making a huge difference for the country (many might say negative). Any opposition to the movement was killed off...

The country is ranked as an upper-middle income economy by the world bank where almost 50 % of Iran’s budget comes from natural oil and gas reserves. It was like jumping ahead 30 years from Pakistan to Iran. No more power shortages, everything is clean, almost like home... except the roads are better here! Unfortunately the country has a very high inflation rate but it’s been kind of cool being a millionaire for a few weeks (wallet stacked with 500k notes)!

Going for an afternoon dip at one of my camp spots.

Back on the road North, heading for some greenery!

The plan is to finally get off the island today (we’ll see how that goes) and from there make my way up through Shiraz (former famous wine district) and then up into the mountains North of the capital to finally cool down again before making for Turkey!