Iran 3

(see Dutch version and/or photolinks for pictures)

We are getting stronger! We're noticing that when we cross the mountains north of Teheran on our way to the Caspian see. We enter the Damavand area (mt Damavand 5671 mtr). There's fresh air, snow capped mountains en beautiful green nature. We treat ourselves for a stay in a small mountain village with hotsprings. In our appartment we bath in this hot water. When we go for a walk in the afternoon we meet an Iranian family, they gesture us to come with them. I mount a horse, get a young child sitting in front of me and we follow the cows. We walk between the roses while the women sing and laugh. We've just entered a true movie scene.

In one day we trade the snow capped mountains for rice fields when we descend to the Caspian see. This part of Iran is almost tropical, it's hot and humid but it's also flat and the wind is on our side. On the side of the road there's a family waving to us. The head of the family is part of the Iranian Cyclist Foundation and we have to promise to come and have lunch at his house. So we do. The house is full of family and when we agree to stay for the night, everybody is screaming of joy. At night we eat at granny's, with fourthy other relatives. She has just returned from her pilgrimage to Iraq.

We continue our long journey to the holy city 'Mashhad' en run into another cycling couple. The landscape is very desolate so it's great we can camp with four instead of two. We find a great place in the middle of Kholestan national park between the many trees, next to river. The next night we sleep in the hills of a desertlike landscape under the starts and moonlight. Heading for the city, we cycle again with two, or actually with four again. We get a full day of police escorte (because if the traffic). We haven't seen such a relaxed road on our complete journey to Iran, so it's not really neccesary. We look like celeberties when we enter the city, especially when the traffic is being stopped so we can pass. We learn a new meaning of a 'drive by shoot' : a car slowely passes us and shoots a picture or video shot.

Before some enthusiastic readers decide to book a cycle holiday in Iran, I have to let you know that it's not only as bright as it seems.

• Often the traffic is horror. There are no rules (so it seems) and we are happy if there's a 40 cm lane on witch we can cycle.
• Iran has a beautiful nature, but there's rubbish everywhere. Especially the dried out rivers look disgusting.
• For a woman, cycling in a full covering outfit in the heat, is hard. Maarten is the only person everybody talks to, because he is male and I'm a woman. After four weeks I'm looking forward to step into my old and familiar role again.
• Getting sick in a desolate place in Iran (in the hills where we camped) is no fun. For the sick Maarten there's no other option than to cycle anther 40 km in the heat to the nearest hotel. We have to stop every 5 km for some misery.... He fully recovered after 2 days.

After cycling non stop for twelve days, we've finally reached Mashhad where we can rest. Tonight we are probably going to watch the dutch footballmatch with other cyclist. We've go TV in our appartement!