Day 51. Bojnurd - Quchin

After breakfast we headed back to Mohsen’s place to do a little promotional stuff to help him and Hossein with their business enterprises. Just a few pics and a little video.


Bojnurd is a very nice town with NO litter. Woohoo.

Not too much for the tourist but if you like just wandering and taking in the local scene then it is very nice. We have noticed some subtle changes in the people here. As we have moved closer to Turkmenistan we move into Sunni territory. These people are a minority here and apparently feel a bit neglected, whether real or perceived I am not sure. They are more likely to be practicing Muslims than their Shi’a cousins. This is partly evidenced by most of the women dressed completely in black as opposed to the colourful headscarves in other areas. The people are still friendly enough but maybe not quite as open. There is also a bit less tolerance on the roads.

We then set off for Quchin, our last stop in Iran which is about 90km from the border. It is very hot and very dry. The hills are all brown with patches here and there where hay is being grown. In some places there are dried up water courses where they can obviously access water for irrigation. Many crops of tomatoes, cucumber and melons, all staples around here.



This is also a nut growing region, we stopped in Shirvan which was shop after shop of nuts and dried figs and dates. Yum.


Also some big industry with a big cement factory and petrochemical plant and a large gas fired power station.
We have just heard that our bike is being unloaded at the border, that is of immense relief.
We have settled our account with Mr. Hossein and he has been totally fair and honest with us. So we say Merci ( yes there is a French element to this language) to him and to Iran.  We have thoroughly enjoyed it here, our only regret is we could not spend longer here as we had originally planned. Maybe another time.





Comments

  1. Maura9 July 2019 at 11:56

    Thanks for the fantastic stories and descriptions - feel like I’m there too. I’m really happy you were able to visit this part of the journey - just amazing also enjoyed your insight into Iran

    ReplyDelete
  2. russellmarie9 July 2019 at 13:16

    Reading and reflecting on your insights about life in Iran had me musing about the way so much of what we see on news and current affairs television is politicised.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mark13 July 2019 at 04:32

      I think we need to be more discerning about our news sources as much of what we consume is headlines and sound bites. Don't forget my observations are pretty superficial, after all we were only in Iran 8 days

      Delete
  3. Audrey Larsen9 July 2019 at 13:40

    Great to journey along with you both

    ReplyDelete
  4. Unknown9 July 2019 at 16:36

    Good work you two

    ReplyDelete
  5. Unknown9 July 2019 at 16:37

    That bloody unknown is me, sharon Stanley. Story of my life

    ReplyDelete
  6. Rick10 July 2019 at 11:49

    Great Blog Mark. Iran has been on my list for a while. Looking forward to travelling there. Sounds like a good thing you were not on two wheels in Iran. Safe travels

    ReplyDelete
  7. Diana and Dick Hubbard12 July 2019 at 05:33

    We are glad that you got to visit Iran and meet wonderful Iranian people. Ride safe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mark13 July 2019 at 04:19

      So worth the time and trouble. I suspect a return visit will be considered

      Delete
  8. Mark13 July 2019 at 03:46

    Thanks for the comments guys Keep them coming it makes us feel like we're not so far away

    ReplyDelete

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