• A Morning at the Kuhdasht sheep market

    9. november 2022, Iran ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Driving into Kudasht there is suddenly a total traffic jam, grill fires everywhere and hundreds of trucks and shepherds who have brought their sheep to the market. Hundreds, if not more.
    It is autumn and the nomads are coming down into the valleys with their flocks to pass the harsh winter. Part of the process is to reduce the number of animals they have to feed through the winter. That happens at the markets.
    It is chaos and nothing for the light hearted, with animals herding together, terrified, some running away and some being carried or dragged back to the scales where they are weighed and sold. Everywhere people with bundles of money closing deals. Around Fruit is being sold and meat grilled.
    In front of one hut a butcher slaughertered, skinned and prepared two sheep in about 30 minutes with an unbelievable elegance and skill.
    And then, one hour later, the trucks and vans leave again with their new loads.
    AN UNBELIEVABLE SPECTACLE!
    Læs mere

  • Shirez canyon

    8. november 2022, Iran ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Drove into Shirez canyon on the Seymare river today and spent two days there next to a tiny trout farm that grilled us the most amazing trouts, Iran style, crispy and full of spices.
    Margot did a day hike alone up the sides of the canyon to beautiful rock pools and to encounters with two local Kurdish on the way to their village with wonderful discussions only with hands and feet.Læs mere

  • Kermanschah

    6. november 2022, Iran ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Kermanshah, relatively close to the Irak border has a wonderful SUK (market) where we topped up on spices, teas and other rarities.
    The Tekiyeh Moaven ol Molk house illustrates the miracles from the life of the martyr Hossein in fascinating painted tile walls.
    Again, "welcome to Iran" everywhere, from complete strangers!
    Læs mere

  • Over the pass and on to Bisotun Reliefs

    4. november 2022, Iran ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    Leaving Hamedan we crossed the most amazing pass at 2700 meters into a valley full of walnut trees and incredible vistas, to arrive at Bisotun where King Darius (148BC) had his victories engraved in different languages into the side of an incredible rock massiv leading up to 3.500 meters.
    A further absolutely huge surface had been prepared for further works but he probably died before.
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  • Hamadan

    3. november 2022, Iran ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    We stayed two nights in Hamedan, a previous capital of persia which reflects a very open and tolerant atmosphere with many people speaking English, which is very rare.
    The stay was packed full with encounters of people coming to talk with us, led by the phrase "welcome to Iran, we are so happy to have you here"
    On the square in the evening one man came to us only for the purpose of saying that we are the first tourists he has seen in many years and that this makes him so happy!
    Another very moving encounter: Margot had taken up eye contact with a 10 year boy who then came to us insisting that margot accept his "prayer chain" as a gift.
    This chain now hangs in our car accompanying us on our way.
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  • On the way to Kataleh Khor cave

    2. november 2022, Iran ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    As we drive over land it is the smiling faces of people greeting us, wanting to take a photo with us and inviting us to come home with them that moves us deeply.
    This last wish is very touching, but can also be a real problem, because local habit has it that you ask AT LEAST THREE TIMES before giving up. Today we had one gentleman stop me at a traffic light to invite me. Then he followed us to the next traffic light to then phone a friend and ask him to invite us in english, and then later caught Margot in the store while shopping to ask again. Finally he bought us three cans of Tuna before giving up his quest.
    Also very moving is the way people touch their heart while bowing slightly when greeting you.
    People are extremely happy to see us and from everywhere they shout "welcome to Iran!"
    What a warm, welcoming country!
    Læs mere

  • Zendane Soleyman, Takht-E Soleyman

    1. november 2022, Iran ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Zendane Soleyman is a volcanic spring emitting warm calciferous water. Over millenia this calcium built a ring that grew higher and higher to 80meters and was a holy place. A few kms further is Takht-E-Soleymann another holy place where in 600AD King Soleymann stole the "Cross of christianity" in Jerusalem and dedicated it to the temple here. Shortly after, an earthquake created a crack in Zedane allowing the water to flow out, a very bad omen! Shortly after the king of constantinople came to regain the holy cross, and destroyed the temple.
    Now what do we learn from this story?
    Don't take away other boys toys!
    Læs mere

  • Khoy town

    27. oktober 2022, Iran ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    Yesterday morning we drove the 80 Km's into Khoy where Andy and I exchanged €100,- for 31.500.000 Rial in 100.000 notes = 315 notes to count. Absolute stress!
    Really cute was the international menu from the lunch place we went to: "so specal and delisges!

    But even better was the dinner where we paid 32 million and it took 2 persons from the restaurant to count it in a reasonable time.
    Iran has had a high inflation for years resulting in these incredible prices.
    Læs mere

  • A day at the border

    27. oktober 2022, Iran ⋅ ⛅ 1 °C

    What a day!
    We arrived at the border at 09 and got through to the other side at 29:30 in the evening with nerves frayed.
    I have never seen such chaos!
    When we arrived there were already 50 Iranian taxis waiting, covered with ice from the night they had spent in their cars. We lined up nicely, as europeans would do with reasonable space between the vehicles only to discover that locals would come shooting past the queue to jump into the gaps. Then 100 Kurds, Iranians, and turks would race forward by foot literally trying to pull the guy out of his car, all screaming at once. He would then lock his doors and just sit there. Then someone would scream that the que was moving (1 meter) In an absolute stampede they would run to their cars and in a drag race type scenario race forward into every gap they would find, and even opening a third queue which didn't exist. Then the Army would arrive with an armoured vehicle with machine gun on the roof , to chase them back to the back of the queue. And then the whole story would repeat again. ALL DAY LONG.
    In between I got into a discussion with an Iranian student about what is going on in Iran (I shall not go into detail here) . After we had been waiting for 5 hours with only about 50 meters of progress, this same guy went to the border post with me to translate to the guards. They said that due to issues on the other side it seemed that cars were being "taken apart" today and that we would probably have to sleep here. They recommended going to another border.

    Then after 6 hours of waiting, suddenly the Turkish border boss came to us telling us to drive past the queue. He was going to help us to get through. No one knows why!
    Having passed the Turkish side (1 hour) with several computer break downs and me having to pay a fine of , hold tight, €0,25 for having not paid highway tax when entering turkey, we passed on to the Iranian side. And this is where real chaos started. 10 military border guards stormed into our car ripping open everything looking for alcohol. Worse still, three guys climbed onto the roof walking over my solar modules as if it were a terrace, ripping at our boxes.
    Then in a chaos of people running to-and-fro screaming, our carnet de passage, visas, passports, insurance, were stamped, carried from A to B, and then to C and then back to A with us not understanding one word.
    AND THEN WE WERE SUDDENLY THROUGH!
    Amiricale which I dont understand!
    Læs mere

  • IRAN, here we come

    26. oktober 2022, Tyrkiet ⋅ ☀️ 1 °C

    Last night we met the other teams crossing the border with us and went shopping one more time for suitable clothing for Margot followed by a wonderful dinner in a classical Lokanta full to the brim with locals all talking at the same time. What a sound level!
    Once again we were witness to the amazing friendliness and kindness of the Turkish and their interest in us. It felt as if they felt honoured to have us in their lokanta.

    Internet has been significantly limited in Iran and we are not sure when we can upload Fotos, so it could take awhile for further news!
    Læs mere

  • Last day in turkey, a philosophical day

    25. oktober 2022, Tyrkiet ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    This afternoon we will head closer the Iranian border, to camp one more time on this side and then cross the border tomorrow morning. Apparently crossing the border takes many hours!!!
    While the German foreign ministery has issued a warning that sounds frightening, we have decided to drive none-the-less, maybe staying a little closer to each other to support.

    This all makes me sad. We live in a world where countries and people who have got on well together for years as is the case between Germany and Iran, suddenly are not supposed to get on because a new government has come to power and sees things differently. (The relationship between USA and Iran is the classical example).
    We live in such a beautiful world and share common humanity and love and our governments just cause chaos!

    Another topic that is going through my head is the physical rubbish that we are confronted with in Turkey. This is such an incredibly beautiful country with such friendly warm hearted people, and yet no matter where you go, no matter how high, how remote or how beautiful the area, the ground is covered with broken glass, plastic bottles, chips bags and "you name what".
    There seems to be absolutely no regard for the environment, what-so-ever. Moreover it seems the Turks feel absolutely at ease sitting down for a picknik amidst mountains of rubbish that get more and more over the years. On the contrary, they add their own rubbish to it, neatly packed in a plastic bag and left lying or thrown out of the window! Bottles are smashed to pieces on purpose resulting in a landscape covered in glass pieces of variing colours.

    I just cannot get it!

    We are given this gift of a beautiful world, and here are people who just don't care!!
    They have homes and cars that are impeccably clean, with driveways that are hosed down with water every few days, they also have kids that grow up and want to visit nature, and yet they treat their nature in a way that I simply dont understand.

    This journey is to discover new cultures. I wonder what else I am going to be confronted with.?????
    Læs mere

  • Nemrut Dagi, crater edge at 3000m

    23. oktober 2022, Tyrkiet ⋅ 🌙 5 °C

    Wow what a day!
    First this amazing morning waking up over Lake Van, that is 6 times the size of lake Constance, then visiting, the two lakes inside the crater, bathed in the colours of Autumn,
    and then a climb up to 3.000 meters on the edge of the crater. Incredible impressions!
    And then to crown it all, my spiritual anima,l the eagle, comes to visit us while we are resting, circling above us for many minutes.
    What a gift!
    Læs mere

  • Helping each other

    20. oktober 2022, Tyrkiet ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

    Leaving Cappadoccia, we were called by Andi Hoyler, one of the other teams heading towards Iran, whether we could help him. His clutch was not functioning. At their location we ended up spending the day looking for the reason, a hole in a hydraulic tube!
    Having found a replacement, which in itself was an adventure, we installed it in pouring rain and total darkness with headlamps, together with two young mechanics who drove nearly an hour from a workshop on the other side of kayseri to get soaking wet in ice cold rain at night!
    Wow! what an act of helping!
    Læs mere

  • Cappadoccia, magic rocks!

    19. oktober 2022, Tyrkiet ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Our route passes through cappadoccia and so we decided to revisit Kaya Camping, where in 2014 we met several "overlanders" on the way to china or india.
    But alas, even though the Sandstone rock formations with their numerous carved-out homes and churches are still as just as beautiful as they were then, tourism is squeezing the last drop out of the region presenting the "sunset romantic dinner", "the sunset quad tour", "the sunset horse riding tour," "the sunset landrover tour",, "the sunrise balloon tour" at €300/ person etc, etc. It is simply overload and no more real nature experience.
    The most common tourist faces are chinese or Japanese with a few americans between!
    It was not the cappadocia we experienced in 2014.
    None the less we did wonderful walks stopping in the cutest of places for a tea or sitting in the most primitive of juice bars where a huge pile of oranges and pommegranites invited you to press your own juice.
    Læs mere

  • ...on to the asian side

    18. oktober 2022, Tyrkiet ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Since we were last here, Turkey has changed dramatically, new modern highways, huge modern cities in the middle of nowhere. Everything new and gigantesque!
    The State has been spending incredible money on developing infrastructure. This can be felt everywhere! But when countries spend money they don't really have it always ends in inflation, and Turkey has "buckets" of that, with last September hitting over 80%, which is frightening!

    On the more beautiful side of things, are the huge moshees with their minarets marking every corner of the landscape, and at prayer time the muezzin singing his call to prayer which echos across the town. This sound warms our hearts and is full of memories. It is the symbol of the orient!
    Læs mere

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