Welcome to the Islamic Republic of Iran
At the Iranian beach
Riding away from the border we were sweating very hard as we arrived in Astara. The sandy beach and the glittering blue ocean invited us to go swimming. There was just this minor detail that we were in the Islamic Republic of Iran and people, especially women, don’t just jump into the sea wearing a bikini like in other parts of the world.
Soon a friendly conversation started with a group of women looking curiously in our direction. They wanted to go to a nearby restaurant so their brother asked us if we were hungry. We had a really good time eating traditional Iranian kebab with bread and drinking Coca-Cola.
With our new friends were mostly communicating by translation app. In the end they insisted on inviting us and didn’t let us pay for the food.
First Day Full of Surprises
On our way to Tehran people were smiling and waving at us from other cars. Some were filming us with their smartphones. This was how being a celebrity would feel like.
As the tank was getting low we went to the next petrol station. We were not the only ones. There were many cars standing and waiting for their turn to fill up some fuel.
As we didn’t find any exchange office until then we had only dollars so we asked the filling station attendant if it was possible to pay with them. He agreed and wrote down an exchange rate that was much too high. Another guy tried to help us and talked to the guy at the gas station. After a while our savior told us that he had just paid for us.
He didn’t accept our money so we ran after him with some sweets to thank him and his friend. Their names were Amir and Farbod. Being really interested about us and the motorcycle they invited us to sleep at their place. Farbod asked if he could sit on the bike during the ride. Claudia sat in the car next to Amir. He listened to American musicians and sang to Frank Sinatra`s “Strangers in the night”. The great company and the music helped to forget about the crazy traffic. As we arrived at a nice building Amir’s sister and mother greeted us friendly.
The living room was decorated tastefully with beautiful carpets and wooden ornaments. We learned that his mother was an architect. In Persian culture it is common to give the visitor a gift so they presented us with a beautiful porcelain jar. It looked amazing but didn`t really fit on the bike so we decided to send it home later. We had a great evening with them as they served us very good Iranian kebab. They did everything to make us feel comfortable and the mother even let us sleep in her beautifully decorated bedroom.
Visit Tehran
On the next day after a delicious homemade breakfast together with Amir and Farbod we went to Tehran to visit Farbod’s family. The traffic was crazy in Teheran. Red traffic lights were being ignored, motorcycles were riding on the sidewalk and driving against the one-way-street. The flat at Farbod`s place was also stunning and tastefully decorated. His parents were very religious so his mother was wearing the hijab even inside.
They invited us for a delicious dinner with rice, chicken, potatoes and salad. Farbod’s father even showed us the Quran with a translation device so we could listen to the English version. Before going out Farbod’s mother gave Claudia a coat because apparently long loose trousers, a long-sleeved loose shirt and a head-scarf were not enough to wear for a woman in Iran.
Amir and Farbod showed us around in Teheran and we admired the glittering lights of the illuminated city. Many young people were out drinking tea together as drinking alcohol is strictly forbidden. We also learned that some of them didn’t take those rules too seriously and even had girlfriends or boyfriends and drank alcohol on private parties. The next two days we spent together having lots of fun. Amir helped us exchanging money for a good rate, getting an Iranian sim card and showing us the best places in Teheran like the bazar, the Park-e Schahr and the post museum.
Experiences on the road that only happen in Iran
On the road again we had some incredible experiences with Iranian hospitality. For example one driver turned around on the highway to drink a cup of tea with us. Another car was driving beside us to give us some fresh bread on the highway.
Another time people gave us fresh mangos or sweets at petrol stations. It was an incredible experience. People wanted to take pictures with us and invited us for tea all the time even during a police control.
From Teheran we went to a place called Abyaneh, an old historical town. We could easily imagine it looking nearly the same thousands of years ago with its old mud buildings.
Route
Info Box
Duration of stay
29 Jun 2018 – 11 Jul 2018
Borders
entered from Azerbaijan
exited to Turkmenistan
Visa
E-Visa possible for Iran. A visa agency (Visaworld) in Vienna organized visa for us (88€)
Weather
About 35°C in the north around Astara, 40°C in Tehran and up to 47°C in the desert – way too hot for us
Best experience
Finding new friends and getting invited on our first day in Iran was an unbelievable experience
Worst experience
Having to wear a scarf and a coat at more than 45°C was no fun at all
Craziest experience
Friendly people in a car see us on the highway and give us fresh bread while driving
Population
About 81,100,000
Religion
Unique combination of a parliamentary democracy with an Islamic theocracy run by the country’s clergy – It became an Islamic republic in 1979 when the monarchy was overthrown and religious clerics assumed political power under supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini.
Interesting facts
Polygamy is legal in Iran, and men can have up to four wives.
It is also obligatory for women over the age of nine to wear a hijab when out in public, even tourists.
Travel tip
Take enough cash with you, as international credit cards don`t work in Iran
Isfahan – the architectural jewel of the old Persian empire
“Isfahan nasf-e jahan” is a famous quote which means “Isfahan is half of the world”. Once capital of the Persian empire Isfahan is well known for its beautiful historic Islamic architecture. It was one of the Iranian cities we were most curious about. The huge Naqsch-e Dschahan, the famous bazar and the nearby mosque are definitely worth a visit. We even got an unofficial private tour to the top of the highest tower of the mosque where we had a breathtaking view over the whole city of Isfahan.
When arriving in hotel Totia we met Niklas from Germany, another motorcyclist. We spent a nice evening together with another motorcyclist from Brazil exchanging travel experiences while drinking Coca-Cola instead of beer.
Yazd - an ancient oasis city in the desert
Located between the northern Dasht-e Kavir and the southern Dasht-e Lut lies the desert town of Yazd. First settled about 5,000 years ago, about 10% of the people living there follow the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism.
It was incredibly hot, about 45 degrees, so we spent most of the day relaxing in the airconditioned room and went out in the afternoon. At the Amir Chakhmaq Complex we saw a group of soldiers taking photos and having fun. They approached us and wanted to take pictures with us.
Yazd at sunset was stunning. The buildings were lightened in different colors and the city came to life. People were walking around or sitting outside drinking tea.
Riding together with a friend is more fun
On our way back to the hotel we saw an Africa Twin belonging to a Romanian person according to the number plate. The driver was nowhere to be seen so we left a card with our contacts on the bike and went back. Later we got a message from the owner who found our card. His name was Andor Bezsnei.
The next morning we rode together through the desert and had fun riding the off-road part to the Zoroastrian temple. Step by step we reached the temple on the mountain where legend says that Nikbanou, daughter of the last pre-Islamic Persian ruler of the Sassanid Empire, was cornered by the invading Arab army in 640 CE. Fearing capture Nikbanou prayed to protect her from her enemies. In response the mountain miraculously opened up and sheltered her from the invaders.
The three of us went on to Karanagh, an over a thousand-year-old abandoned mud-brick town. The view across the valley was amazing as we went around the clay-colored old buildings exploring the ancient town. Afterwards we had some fun riding off-road in the nearby valley.
Beautiful starry sky and green oasis
Andor went back to Yazd, whereas we went on through the dasht e-kavir to see the desert Mesr. As it was getting dark we decided to pitch our tent next to the road hidden behind some hills. The starry sky was the most beautiful night sky we have ever seen so far. There were glittering stars in every direction we looked. It was an amazing experience sitting in the still warm summer night simply watching the stunning phenomenon.
The next morning the thermometer on the motorcycle showed us 40°C at 8:00 am. The temperature rose continuously. It felt as if a hot air-dryer blew into our face. On the way we stopped at the oasis town of Garmeh. Beautiful palm trees grew in the middle of the dry desert.
We went on the straight road to Mesr village. From there on, there was no paved road anymore but sandy off-road paths. The sandy dunes looked amazing but we didn`t stay long because there was no shade anywhere to be seen.
Relaxing days in Mashhad
Due to the uncomfortable high temperatures we decided to take the 800 kilometers on the same day straight to Mashhad. Already looking forward to a nice airconditioned hotel and a cool shower after a 12-hour ride under rough conditions we were quite disappointed as we arrived in the hotel at 2 o`clock in the night. The bathroom was smelling so bad that we decided to skip the shower and go straight to bed. Furthermore the air condition was dripping so the whole floor was wet after a short time. Nevertheless we fell asleep soon.
The highlight of Mashhad was the Imam Reza Shrine, a complex which contains the mausoleum of Imam Reza. We learned that it was the second most important Islamic place in the world after Mecca. The area was huge and opened 24 hours a day. Upon entering, Claudia got a long coat to cover herself. There was a huge space where many people were sitting on carpets reading or praying. There were illuminated fountains and glittering buildings. It was unbelievably beautiful.
Summing up we can tell that the ten days we spent in Iran were far too short. There are so many things to discover in that beautiful country and we definitely want to return some day.