Koshan - Esfahan

Day 93-95

After a quick shop and a bowl of soup for an early lunch (that is given to us by the restrurant owner, so kind) we head out of town, hoping to buy petrol on the way. On the outskirts of town a French cyclist, Jeff catches up to us and now we are three. He is heading to Esfahan as well. 

We cycle on through a very brown, dry landscape. It is hot. Jeff's bicycle computer reads 39 degrees. I am sweltering in my long pants and long shirt/dress. A car stops at the top of a hill and offers us a drink, we can choose water or wine. Wine in this heat, cycling? I take the water. 

We ride past a nuclear power plant, our passport gets checked twice, the second time by no less than six police/ military personnel. 

By the time it is nearly dark we still havnt found petrol for our stoves and have only just enough water to last us a night and get to the next town. We set up camp under some trees and cook over a little fire. 

By 8.30 the next morning sweat is dripping into my eyes, dragging my freshly applied sunscreen with it. We slog uphill and arrive in Natanz, stocking up on petrol and grabbing some more veges. 

The days riding is fairly unexciting, hot, mainly uphill, occasional head wind. We have a two hour lunch/snooze break at a servo.  In the evening we enjoy a beautiful sunset from our campsite, drinking tea. 

The previous days climbing pays off today and we make fast progress to Eafahan. We reach the main highway and manage to avoid being hit by trucks and taxis to make it to the edge of town for an early lunch, 1130 and 75km under the belt already. 

We make our way across town, through city traffic madness as reach our next couch surfing hosts house. The afternoon is spent catching up in emails and relaxing. 

1/10 Koshan - just before Natanz: rode 72km, ODO 2717km

2/10 just before Natanz - a bit before Morchekort: rode 61km, ODO 2777km

3/10 a bit before Morchekort - Esfahan: rode 101km, ODO 2880

From Tajikistan to Tehran

Day 90 - 92

It was a very sad goodbye leaving Vero's house in Dushanbe. Neil, a South African cyclist was on the same flight as me to Tehran and we planned on spending the next couple of weeks together before splitting due to different timetables and visa schedules. 

The flight to Tehran was a little stressful. Neil and I had packed out bicycles together into a large box. A little too large as it turns out. After paying too much for our oversized baggage we had to repack the bikes seperatley at the very last minute and just managed to make our flight. On top of this I was a little anxious about being denied a visa on arrival

Turns out my VOA worked out just fine, apart from being charged 100 euros for a two week visa. Even more amazingly, our bikes both made it in one piece, albeit falling out of their boxes. 

A long taxi ride took us to the north of the city to our couch surfing hosts places. Ania lives in a quiet part of Tehran, close to many cafés and surrounded by trees. We spend the afternoon chilling out, followed by an evening stroll past said cafés. 

The following morning it is business time. Ania very generously donates her time to traipsing around the city, catching a multitude of buses. We change money, buy a map, find a bike shop (new chain for me) and procure a local SIM card. By the time all this is done we are toast and head back up the hill to her place. 

We are lucky we have a local with us, the traffic is madness. Every time I cross the road I wonder if it will e the last. There doesn't seem to be any rules. Even the traffic lights have given up trying to create some sort of order, they just flash orange, as though actually directing traffic is jut too hard.

During the day Neil and I had been trying to get our heads around the money. The currency is called Rials. One US dollar is about 32 000 Rials. Prices are advertised in Tomen, which is a factor of ten less than a Rial (one zero cut off) although when talking shop keepers leave off 3 zeros. All in all, if someone says 4 than they mean 4000 Tomen, which is 40 000 rial. Confusing much? 

The other thing I had been trying to wrap around my head was my scarf. I felt very out of place walking around the city and on the bus. I was wearing a blue shirt/dress and a bright green scarf. Ania is also brightly dressed. About 80% of the women are all in black, mostly chadors - a long scarf/ cloak that goes to the ankles (chador translates directly into tent). I have trouble getting my head around that fact that I am wearing these items of clothing because the government dictates it, not because I choose to (and it's so bloody hot that I would normally be wearing shorts and Tshirt). 

Neil and I head to a cafe for a little while, partaking in our first Iranian water (shisha) pipe. I ask for a lemon soft drink and get Iran's beer substitute, a malted lemon soft drink. Delicious. This would become a staple during sweltering days. We smoke the apple flavoured pipe and sip our soft drink, lamenting the lack of beer. 

After two wonderful nights at Ania's it is time to move on. We figure out a route to get to the bus terminal in the south of the city. We can not avoid the expressway. Luckily we are going downhill and managed to keep up wth traffic, zooming along at 50-60km/hr. The hard part is leaving the expressway. After a bunch of frustrating city riding we are on a VIP bus, loving the air con. Surprisingly we also get snacks on the bus. 

A few hours later we are deposited in Koshan and manage to leave the bus station without paying extra for our bikes. We don't agree with paying extra at the end of the trip when the agreed on price has already been paid. We find our couch  surfing host, Mohammed, and he points is in the direction of some historical houses. 

Neil and I visit wander down lanes, surrounded by mud brick walls and make our way to Tabatabaei historical house, built by a carpet merchant about 225 years ago. The house is pretty amazing, lofty ceilings, carved stone, tiles, mirrors. 

30/9: Tehran/ Koshan: rode 32 km, ODO 2644km

Holiday time in Dushanbe

Day 83 - 89 

I take a car to Dushanbe in order to leave enough time to get my Iran visa and book a flight to Tehran. The car ride drags on for longer than I thought it would and I arrive in town just as it gets dark. A quick 10km ride through the city and I find Vero's house. 

Veronique is a warm showers host and opens her house and garden to countless cyclists that pass through Dushanbe. I arrive to find four cyclists just about to sit down for dinner. They kindly gift me a beer, a plate of pasta and baked apples for desert. I happily accept, a little overwhelmed at their generosity. Two more cyclists arrive a couple hours after me. 

I spent a lovely week at Vero's, I won't bore your with the details of my day to day activities but here is a list of highlights and lowlights. 

Highlights

Being able to stay in an amazing house complete with kitchen, couches, bathroom and patio area. Also a washing machine

Making friends with other amazing and inspiring cyclists. 

Girls week - eventually we managed to get rid of all of the males except Neil for a few days, we baked and sewed and cut each others hair, you know, girly things. 

Pizza making dance party

Afternoon beers

Picnic in the garden complete with home made raspberry cordial, mixed with sparkling water, drunk out of champagne flutes (yes, we are that fancy)

Fruit salad

Roast vegetables

Baking loads of chocolate and raspberry cake

Eating said chocolate cake without using our hands. 

Amazing communal dinners

Party time on Friday night. Massive dance session and cocktails. 

Beer towers and cheese at Victoria Park. 

Meeting up with Barbara for the fourth time in a couple of months. For sure we will bump into each other again somewhere. 

Meeting two other Aussie female cyclists. Jude and Astrid were great to hang out with. 

Lowlights

I got sick again. I think it was something I ate at the bazaar. At least the 24 hours it lasted were as comfortable as possible with a couch to lie on all day and movies on Neil's laptop to watch. Also a western toilet. 

My LOI for my Iran visa got rejected. No idea why. Luckily I can get a visa on arrival in Tehran, although it only lasts for 14 days and can only be extended once, leaving me a little short on time in Iran. 

Shopping for an Iran appropriate shirt/dress. Tajik women, why are all your clothes so outrageously hideous? I should have taken photos of the options but the whole shopping experience was too traumatic. I am lucky that I had fellow Aussies Jude and Astrid with me to provide support and debrief counselling. 

All in all it was a wonderful week and I can't deny that I was a little teary when I left on Sunday morning. Thanks heaps to everyone that made it so memorable, especially Veronique and Gabriel, what wicked hosts. Hopefully I can meet up with Astrid, Jude and Barbara sometime next year in Europe. 

20/9 - 27/9: Total km in Dushanbe: 57km, ODO 2612km

Esfahan - Yazd

Day 98 - 102

One last breakfast at Aria's house and the three of us are off. We make our way through the crazy Iranian traffic, unscathed until a taxi clips Neil's trailer. Somehow he manages to jump off his bike and land on his feet. Unfortunately the wheel on the trailer is very loose. A quick stop at the mechanics and we are off again. 

Soon enough we get jack of the traffic and horrible industrial area and consult the map. We decide to take the shorter route which is marked as a dirt road. We have no idea what condition it will be in, good, washboard, sand?

We reach a village and camp out in the open on a concrete platform next to a house a herder is building. 

In the morning the kilometres pass by quickly. We visit some old abandoned mud brick houses after lunch and consider stopping there and having a lazy afternoon but we push on. 

We are treated to a beautiful sunset across the desert that evening. After dinner the wind picks up and blasts us. Each one of us has our head tucked right into our sleeping bags to escape the wind. 

The wind doesn't let up overnight and after a crappy sleep we are treated to a heavy dusting of sand on our breakfast and in our tea. The road we are cycling on is now under construction but the surface is pretty good gravel. 

Unfortunately the wind is not in our favour. We try to settle into a steady rythm but the wind is coming slightly from and the side and is very gusty, trying to blow us off the road. One hour later we have cycled a whopping five kilometres. 

An engineer that is working on the road construction project pulls up next to us. He invites us to his work site five km up the road. An hour later we are inside a donger, being served some tea, out of the wind. Brilliant. 

After the road workers buy us lunch (driven in from a town 50km away!) we while away the afternoon reading and updating our diaries. The wind doesn't let up and the invitation to sleep in the donger is greatfully accepted. We cook dinner for our old Iraqi roommate and settle down. 

The wind has eased a little overnight and we make our way towards Nadushan. Along the way is an old abandoned caravanserai. We wander in and around this building, imaging traders and camels stopping here for a rest, drinking coffee or chai on lounges, watering the animals and having a break from the desert. 

The road is a little sandy but not too bad. A truck stops and hands is a bottle of icy water and a bag of biscuits. Flat desert turns in to stunning rolling hills, great fun to cycle especially now the wind has dropped off. 

In the early afternoon we stop at a village, hoping to find some bread and cheese for lunch. The shop has no bread. Icecream, bikkies and soft drink it is. The owner of the shop brings us some chai to drink while we are sitting on the footpath. Five minutes later we are invited for lunch which is gratefully accepted. The invitation to sleep there is declined and we push on to Nadushan. 

The police show us a park in the village where we can camp. After we have gone to bed (early by Iranian standards, late for cycle tourists) a visitor stops by and gives Neil three plates of food left over from a wedding.  

After chicken and rice for breakfast we hit the road. Most of the days cycling is along a long, straight, flat road. Boring. At least the km go by quickly. 

The three of us arrive at Vahid's house in Yazd in time for a late lunch. Vahid is the engineer that we me the other day and kindly invited us to stay with him and his family (parents and sister). 

The evening is spent with two of Vahid's sisters, his cousin and the man himself. We eat delicious food and see a couple of sights. 

6/10 Esfahan - mystery village: rode 69km, ODO 2950km

7/10 mystery village - somewhere in the desert: rode 104km, ODO 3054km

8/10 somewhere in the desert - dongers in the desert: rode 11km, ODO 3065km

9/10 dongers in the desert - Nadushan: rode 56km, ODO 3122km

10/10 Nadushan - Yazd: rode 99km, ODO 3221km

Onwards to Khali-I-Khumb

Day 78-82

After a lazy morning and a delicious lunch of bread, cheese (cheese!), tomato and onion I pack my gear and head into town to meet Barbara. By the time we get out of town it is almost three pm. That's ok. We have allowed ourselves 5 days to cycle 240km.  

We cycle for a couple of hours before finding a spot to camp. We eat dinner together (grechka with beetroot, capsicum and onion - delicious), play some cards and head to bed. 

I wake up in the middle of the night to some rustling around my tent. It's a fox! Barbara is awake as well and discovers that the fox has stolen her shoes. We have a quick look but it's difficult with our headlamps in the dark. We head back to bed but the fox lingers around, it is nipping at Barbara's tent and seems to want to play. 

In the morning I find my cup and spoon a few metres away, as well as my water bag. The hose is a few centimetres shorter but there are no holes in the bag. After 10 minutes of searching we also locate both of Barbara's shoes. 

After this delay and a lazy breakfast it's 10 o'clock by the time we hit the road. We stop at a small roadside stall for lunch, I purchase a small fish and some sort of fried dough with potato and onions inside them.  As we are leaving a share jeep turns up and one the passengers starts talking to Barbara in German. He is a local teacher and invites us to his house 40km up the road. We decide to stay there tonight. 

We have a very cruisey afternoon, there is no wind and the asphalt is pretty good. This is holiday cycling. No need to hunt for a campsite, easy kilometres and good company. We are invited for chai in a village and are fed pasta, peaches, pears and apples. The fruit in the valley here is great. We are given a bag each of apples and pears as we leave. 

Once we get to Nissam's house we are treated like queens. Chai is quickly served, along with bread, jam, grapes, pecans, peaches and dried mulberries. Dinner comes next, mutton, mash potato and tomato salad. Delicious. I don't think it gets much better than this. And then we are offered schnapps.  

An early start in the morning brings more easy kilometres despite the light head wind. The valley continues to be spectacular, with views of Afghan villages and large brown hills/cliffs. A quick stop in a village to buy some more grechka turns out well for us. A lady near the shop invites us to her house and gives us about 3 kg of freshly picked peaches. Barbara also finds a fig tree on the outskirts of town and loads up of fresh figs. 

We find a campsite in the mid afternoon and while away the time drinking tea, reading and having a well needed wash in the (freezing cold) creek. 

The road today turns a little rough. And by a little I mean that we have to push our bikes through patches of bull dust, there are rocks and sections of washboard. The holiday cycling of the last couple of days seems to have ended. Luckily the scenery is still amazing. We gaze at Afghanistan, puzzling over how anyone can walk along the crazy paths that zig zag up the mountains. 

In the evening, while dinner is cooking, Barbara gives me a haircut. Somehow I convinced myself that it would be fun to have a Mohawk. 

It's a windy morning and the road surface is variable. We continue down the road, still marvelling at the scenery, after a week of staring at Afghanistan in the Whakan valley and now another 5 days of it, it doesn't get old. We wave to the children playing on the bank of the river and laugh at the crazy sounds the donkeys make. The occasional motorcycle puts along the road but the traffic in Afghanistan is light. None of those pesky Chinese trucks blowing dust around. 

Lunchtime rolls around and just in time we are invited for chai. Chai comes and so does bread, soup, tomato salad, grapes and watermelon. We are spoilt. There is a cost though. Barbara endures the advances of one of the men, having to make up an Austrian phone number for him and frequently tell him that no, he can't take my bike and cycle the rest of the way to Austria with her. I feel bad for Barbara putting up with this but I am happy I get out of it. After a little while the men ask Barbara if I am a male of female. Ahhh, that is why I don't have to put up with the creepy man! There are benefits to having a Mohawk. 

We finally escape, straight into the clutches of the craziest wind I have experienced so far. Coming head on in huge gusts, sometimes leaving us standing still, turning our backs to the sand that it picks up. It's kind of like being at the beach on a windy day and the sand hitting the back of you legs, except that your trying to ride into the wind and the sand hits your face. 

It settles after a while and we make it to Khali-I-Khumb, after splitting up the fruit we have gathered today (figs and peaches) we part ways. I have found a homestay and Barbara is going to tackle the pass and make her way to Dushanbe slowly. It's been a great week cycling with Barbara, sharing food and stories at mealtimes, not having to worry about being so secluded at every campsite and she gave me a great new haircut.  

15/9: khorog - just before baryanj rode 21km, ODO 2326km

16/9: just before baryanj - Dehrushan rode 61km, ODO 2388km

17/9 Dehrushan - a bit before Vanj turn off rode 67km ODO 2456km

18/9 a bit before Vanj turn off - another village rode 56km, ODO 2512km

19/9 some village - Khali-I-Khumb rode 43km, ODO 2555km