Iran - 2nd and 3rd day

Mark left you the night before where we had just settled in for our first night wild camping in Iran. There aren’t any camping sites to speak of in Iran and although it may seem brave to go off and wild camp on our first night, it actually felt pretty safe and we were remote enough to be very unlucky to bump into anyone or be seen from anywhere. Parked up in the middle of the hills, a stones throw from a dried up river bed that we had driven up, we watched an electrical storm unfold around us without much impact on ourselves. When you’re on a wide expanse of land you can see a lot of lightening bolts! The winds were strong enough to shake the van, and woke us a couple of times, but by the time we awoke in the morning it was a silent, still and beautiful morning.

We set off with the intention of stopping in Tabriz – Iran’s largest most northern city. We arrived there by early afternoon and after driving around the centre of the city decided to try and find El-Goli Park, recommended by Yvonne and Tobias. Not only couldn’t we find it after the third set of instructions, we were so far out of the city on the way to Tehran that we decided to just keep going.

When it had reached nearly 5 o clock we were just going past a town called Bostanabad. We decided that we needed to look for somewhere to stay. In an attempt to replicate the previous night’s success we pulled off the main road down a track towards some hills and found ourselves in….. a chicken graveyard! Yuk! Someone was obviously supposed to take the dead chickens to the dump, but found a more convenient spot! However 4x4 got a testing as one wheel disappeared down a big hole.

After another couple of attempts later we were getting close to dark and spotted a little village set into the foot of some hills. We thought we may be able to drive through into said hills, but the road stopped at the village. As we approached a group of men were carrying a large side of a shed into the village. We stopped them and asked if we could park and sleep anywhere. A man whom we later learned to be Saleh took us into the village and opened up a gate to a courtyard. The only problem being the gate was too low. We carried on round the corner and stopped, but they thought it too windy and took us further into the village. They showed us up a small track between two houses and we stopped there.

Let me describe the village. First of all, when you see it from the road it almost blends into the hillside. The houses are the same colour as the earth. It was almost like little square houses with little windows had grown out of the hill. With a closer look we realised that the houses were built from rocks and mud and straw. Nearly every house had a hay stack on it. I can’t call them lanes or roads, but the ways through the village were hardened mud and rocks.  There were chickens and dogs wandering around, joined now by some very bemused villagers.

We had parked next to the house of the man for whom the shed wall was intended. This was a reinforcement for winter. The men were putting the wall in place and as Mark wandered over to look he noticed they were using a blunt saw. Mark being Mark, the newer saw from the tool bag (thanks Alan) was fetched immediately and he managed to help out. They were all intrigued by us (and the van) and after much looking and chat, which we couldn’t understand we were taken to Saleh’s house for tea.

To enter Saleh’s house you have to bend down to go through an entrance around 5 feet tall. The other side was a yard with a low basin in and steps up to the house. Shoes off and we were inside, taken through a small kitchen to a beautifully warm living room. (It is cold enough for jumpers and jackets in northern Iran at this time of year) I say living room, because that’s literally what it was. They sat, ate, talked, slept, everything in this room. There was a heater, a TV and their bedding. The floor was covered in a mosaic of carpets and we were invited to sit, whilst tea was prepared for us.

Everyone in Saleh’s family came to see us. Our communication was ‘Salam’ and lots of smiles and shaking hands. The men shake with the men and the women shake with the women. As the grandmother entered the room - everyone got up to greet her and clearly show respect. She sat down next to me after we had greeted each other. She had a face that just melted your heart. As she sat down she clearly struggled with her knees. Although I have to say, I can’t think of many other older women I know who could sit cross legged for any length of time! We both rubbed her knees when she sat down. These things are important when you can’t speak a word!!

The other women there couldn’t help but look at me. The men didn’t so much out of respect and the fact that they had Mark to look at! We didn’t even know how to introduce ourselves as we had left every notebook in the van! Our saviour walked in through the door; Yunus. He was a student and knew a little English. He immediately asked ‘what is your name’ and after half an hour of struggling with sign language to get names, our conversation was started with renewed vigour as we all went round the room saying our names!

Their children were also a focus and entertainment. Mo’adissa, Honiyeh, Reza and Fatimeh were between 1 and 5yrs. The men took most responsibility for the childcare and the entertainment of the kids. Mark and Yunus were busily engaged in a language lesson and I was sat with some of the women who still couldn’t help look at me! This is how it went; they look at me and I look back and smile. They smile back and keep on looking. I can’t hold the smile for much longer and start a sort of nervous laughter. They laugh because I’m laughing, I laugh harder because they’re laughing and it goes on through most of the evening!!

Saleh and A’azem his wife asked us to eat with them, and after refusing a few times due to being full from lunch, we realised that resistance was futile! A plastic sheet was placed on the floor and rice, quarter of a chicken, spring onions and yoghurt were presented to us. The dinner was delicious. We were again humbled by the generosity of our newly known hosts.

Whilst we were eating, some of the women who weren’t were watching TV. A make-over show came on and they all gathered round intently watching as this woman had some extravagant make up put on her. I said I had some make up they could have. Yunus and Mark were also struggling with a leaky pen, so we went back to the van and picked up a packet of pens and I gathered together as many toiletries and bits of make up that I didn’t really need and we went back to the house.

The pens were dished out to all the kids and the women and I sat together whilst I gave them lipsalve, lipstick, mascara, eye shadow, eyeliner, an eyebrow pencil, face creams and oils and nail varnish and remover. Saleh was just as interested as the women were and was watching intently at the descriptions of things!

We had also asked if we could bring the camera. Mark, Yunus, Saleh and Ishmail all took turns taking photos of themselves and Mohammed, Rajam, Fatimeh and me. There should be some on here for you to see. Mark had by now spent three hours on and off with Yunus teaching English and he had taught us some Farsi. This was another source of great amusement in the room. Every time we tried to repeat a word they laughed at our poor pronunciation – it wasn’t nasty in any way, I think it was just funny to hear something said in such a peculiar way!!

The atmosphere in the room was lovely. We really appreciated their generosity and they appreciated ours. All of it was so unexpected. In fact, after I had given them the make up, one of the women went off and came back with some home-made bread, cheese and ghee. I had been sat there with a cold all evening and as we said our goodbyes to go off to the van and sleep, Saleh gave me some cold medicine.  It was the best evening. When we got back to the van we were just bowled over by it.

The next morning, woken by the cockerel at 6.30 we struggled out of the van with our coffees and were met by a herd of cows. Could you make this up?! Some men were struggling with a tractor – Mark was in heaven as he donated insulation tape and squirted WD4O all over it! We went in search of Saleh and Yunus to say our thanks again and our goodbyes.

As we drove off, we couldn’t help smile to ourselves and just recount stories of the evening for the whole morning.

Day three.

We pressed on that day, although we are now not driving as fast as we were because of the tyres. Four punctures in 9000km makes you re-adjust. Instead of our speedy 50-55mph or 80-90kmph we’re now doing 40-45mph or 65-75kmph! We’re driving the national routes instead of the freeway or motorway. It doesn’t make much difference to us doing those speeds and you see so much more.

The other thing that’s better about being on these roads is the petrol stations. There are lots more of them. Just before we came into Iran and from various other stories we had heard, it seemed that you needed a fuel card to get diesel from any of their stations. We think it’s because fuel is so subsidised by the government, or at least not so heavily taxed. Anyhow, whatever the reason we were slightly concerned that we may as western tourists find it hard to get fuel. We bought a fuel card worth 200 litres off a Kurdish guy for 30 Euros in Turkey as an emergency back up.

We didn’t need to worry (too much). We tried at every station we saw – we were refused at the first two, but the third garage gave us 50 litres for £1.50, the fourth, 65 litres for 65pence and the fifth 75 litres for 75pence. I kid you not. I’ll let that one sink in a little. Yes, re-read the figures, it’s true!!

With the tanks full we were full steam ahead to Tehran. We stopped that day only to get the truck weighed. We wanted to see the weight on the back wheels. Yes, it was heavy, so we re-organised some of the heavier items and carried on.

We were pulled over by the police twice again today. They don’t have any issue with us, they’re just interested in our journey. The copper today asked for our papers, looked at them and then gave us two apples to eat on our journey!! 

The scenery so far has been different to anything we’ve seen before. The mountains and rocky scenery make you think of seeing pictures of Mars on TV, very red and stark in places. The other thing it reminds you of is Wild West movies. In some places it is like you are driving through lots of small canyons. It is a landscape that has its own rugged beauty. You almost can’t take your eyes off it – its intriguing because you don’t know what it will offer next.