Iran

Passing the border here is a very strange procedure. You have to get a stamp here and a signature there, and then you can go to some desk and get a Form which you have to get signed by this man and then bring it to another desk to get some new form which you have to bring to the man making your Carnet entries. Or somewhat like that. Luckily there are (on both sides) people who help us. They know the faces and the procedure, and so passing this border, takes us only 2.5 Hours. I don't want to know, how much time we would have spent without help. 

In Maku, just a few km after the border we take a room in a hotel and go to get a first impression of Iran. 

Next day we pass Tabriz and go to visit Kandovan, the Capadoccia for poor. Since I have not been to Capadoccia, for me it is quite nice. We are invited for a tea by a family. For dinner we have Abgush (which we have to learn to eat first) and on one of the pick nick-platforms we sleep. 

By accident we take a rest in a little village, on our way to Takt e Soleyman. We get invited by one man and, in his house, we have to try all the fruits and other food he has. In Takt e Suleyman I let Tu visit the castle alone, because I have to stay near the toilet. 

Taking the small road, we pass very nice mountains, on our way to Zanjan. There we are looking for a Pharmacy and a hotel. A few people try to help us, but Pharmacies are closed and hotels are too expensive. Finally we meet Mohsan. He brings us to a hotel and pays for our room at once. After a tea at his house, we rest a little and later he takes us for dinner. As we try to pay, he says: 'This City Zanjan, my name Mohsan - no pay!' 

I confess to Tu, that I want to turn around and go home. I have, somehow, just seen enough, and I can not take any more. Since I am not Odysseus, I can decide, when I want to go home. SO I take this freedom and turn back home. 

We spend one more day in Zanjan, visiting Saltaniye which is under construction, hence we can't really see how mighty it is. The late afternoon we spend with Mohsan (or Mr. Mohsan, because also I became Mr. Sinan here!) and diner we enjoy with his hole family. 

09.09.1004 - after 128 days, 13'982 km, thousands of Impressions and full of new thoughts; the day of return. We drive the whole way back to Maku. One hour after Zanjan, I loose Tu and I drive half of the way back until I am sure, that she must have overtaken me. We drive the hole way separately and meet each other in 'our' Hotel in Maku. 

We cross the border again and like last time we find somebody helping us. 

1'630 km in Iran. 

fu