Day 45. Masalli - Sarein (Iran)
Well what a day. This will be a long one, sorry.
We left early and had a lovely drive to the border. Picked up a bit of extra USD and on the way to the border we caught our first glimpse of the Caspian sea. And headed for the people at the Azerbaijan exit point.
Played the bike passport game again!!!!!! Then they insisted all bags be x-rayed. Over an hour later we were cleared to leave Azerbaijan and across a bridge of no mans land. Salaam Iran. Reasonably straight forward with our visas but not with the bike. Absolutely no way could they admit the bike. Our guide was running late but the local fixers chatted away to us which was nice. Hossein our guide arrived and took charge of proceedings. A lot of waiting around but finally I got the go ahead to ride the bike to the loading dock where I tearfully said goodbye.
We grabbed a very nice lunch at a small roadside cafe, big plate of fragrant rice and a very generous piece of chicken, water and coke for 3 - about $5.
We are a real novelty here and a woman waiting for her food plucked up the courage to ask for a selfie. People so far are very friendly.
Unfortunately it was raining with low mist around and it surprised us how cold it was. The next thing that surprised me was rice paddys all over the place, apparently because it is hot and humid with abundant rainfall, it does well here.
We left Astara behind and headed out through a gorge like gully which is the border with Azerbaijan and of course used to be the border with the USSR. The original barbed wire fence still exists alongside the road.
We then began to climb and climb out of this gorge and went through a tunnel maybe one kilometer long into a different world. From green lush forest type vegetation to a brown and barren landscape. Unbelievable change. The roads are very busy and the driving standard is every bit as bad as its made out to be. Interesting fact, 90% of the cars here are white, there are a few grey ones and the odd black one but this is an official decree to not have colourful cars! There are a lot of Chinese compact cars and a great number of Peugeots as they are assembled here.
So the first destination was Ardibil, a lovely clean town, its claim to fame is the mausoleum of the founder of Sunni Islam. An impressive place, very beautiful mosaics and the detailed metalwork in the burial chamber was very impressive. Two young teenage girls approached us for another selfie.
We are reeling a bit and feeling a bit of culture shock but are we done yet? Oh no. Back into the van which we have decimated with all our bags, most of which are filthy with road grime.
Yes And it’s off to the hot pools for us. We rummage through for our togs, we have to buy a towel each. Robyn is shunted off to the ladies and me to the men's pool. Hossein wanted to go to a completely different one for reasons unknown.
So there we are trying to be inconspicuous (impossible) and entering a swimming pool surrounded by strangers who must wonder what has landed among them.
After an hour we headed back to the apartment for a much needed sleep. We are in sensory overload just trying to make sense if it all.
Oh just one more thing 45 litres of gas about $5!!!
We left early and had a lovely drive to the border. Picked up a bit of extra USD and on the way to the border we caught our first glimpse of the Caspian sea. And headed for the people at the Azerbaijan exit point.
Played the bike passport game again!!!!!! Then they insisted all bags be x-rayed. Over an hour later we were cleared to leave Azerbaijan and across a bridge of no mans land. Salaam Iran. Reasonably straight forward with our visas but not with the bike. Absolutely no way could they admit the bike. Our guide was running late but the local fixers chatted away to us which was nice. Hossein our guide arrived and took charge of proceedings. A lot of waiting around but finally I got the go ahead to ride the bike to the loading dock where I tearfully said goodbye.
We grabbed a very nice lunch at a small roadside cafe, big plate of fragrant rice and a very generous piece of chicken, water and coke for 3 - about $5.
We are a real novelty here and a woman waiting for her food plucked up the courage to ask for a selfie. People so far are very friendly.
Unfortunately it was raining with low mist around and it surprised us how cold it was. The next thing that surprised me was rice paddys all over the place, apparently because it is hot and humid with abundant rainfall, it does well here.
We left Astara behind and headed out through a gorge like gully which is the border with Azerbaijan and of course used to be the border with the USSR. The original barbed wire fence still exists alongside the road.
We then began to climb and climb out of this gorge and went through a tunnel maybe one kilometer long into a different world. From green lush forest type vegetation to a brown and barren landscape. Unbelievable change. The roads are very busy and the driving standard is every bit as bad as its made out to be. Interesting fact, 90% of the cars here are white, there are a few grey ones and the odd black one but this is an official decree to not have colourful cars! There are a lot of Chinese compact cars and a great number of Peugeots as they are assembled here.
So the first destination was Ardibil, a lovely clean town, its claim to fame is the mausoleum of the founder of Sunni Islam. An impressive place, very beautiful mosaics and the detailed metalwork in the burial chamber was very impressive. Two young teenage girls approached us for another selfie.
Our guide Hossein is a bit of a character and at 72 is as fit as a fiddle. He said he wanted to catch up with an ex student of his and the invitation was extended to us to join them for tea. What a treat this turned out to be. The family welcomed us as honoured guests, with food and tea. We met the extended family and learnt a lot about the protocols of interacting in this environment. We discussed our respective families and they are very proud of their children’s educational and vocational achievements and rightly so with a Phd among the honours. This is a fairly high achieving family but they were down to earth and absolutely delightful. After being plied with food and treats we were gifted a hand made rug and several gifts of spices and treats.
Their apartment was beautiful and the invitation extended to dinner and accommodation but our guide politely declined as we we had further to go.
The next town is Servein, a popular resort and retreat for people from Teheran. Famous for its mineral hot pools it is a very busy and colourful place. First we needed accommodation. It was dark by now and the road was very busy, there are young guys all along the roadside trying to get our attention. Turns out these guys are touting for our accommodation business. One guy caught Hossein’s attention and next minute he is in our van directing us down a side street to an apartment block. We all pile out, an inspection made, negotiation done and we have a two bedroom apartment for $40.
We are reeling a bit and feeling a bit of culture shock but are we done yet? Oh no. Back into the van which we have decimated with all our bags, most of which are filthy with road grime.
Yes And it’s off to the hot pools for us. We rummage through for our togs, we have to buy a towel each. Robyn is shunted off to the ladies and me to the men's pool. Hossein wanted to go to a completely different one for reasons unknown.
So there we are trying to be inconspicuous (impossible) and entering a swimming pool surrounded by strangers who must wonder what has landed among them.
After an hour we headed back to the apartment for a much needed sleep. We are in sensory overload just trying to make sense if it all.
Oh just one more thing 45 litres of gas about $5!!!
Hi! Was thinking about the 400,000 km van. I'd be a bit 'loose' if had gone that far too.Could your remind me why your bike cannot be ridden in this country?
ReplyDeleteIt is an old rule dating back to the fall of the Shah. They were worried about assassinations off the back of motorbikes. You still cannot import a bike bigger than 250. Always travelers are exempt but not now. Nobody really knows why. Story is that the powers that be have decided the ruling can be reversed and this decision is up for review by various departments. Many meetings and much tea will be drunk and what the outcome will be is anyone's guess.
DeleteLove the photos, what a sense of connection with them you both have made! Loving the travel experiences.
ReplyDelete