Herat to Mashhad

Finally, we make it out of the country.
Entering the Islamic Republic (I.R.) of Iran requires some patience though, as non-commercial crossings are not frequent and hence the process is not clear. There is no straightforwardness, and getting the Carnet de Passage sorted (you don't want to forget this one, right?) takes hours. After all, at the last checkpoint already after the border, IronChris is subjected to an interrogation ("why exactly do you want to visit our country?" - well you tell me...). It's already dark by now as we finally head off to Mashhad.
Traffic system works here, it's a refreshing contrast. There are traffic lights and some people even respect them. There is proper coffee available at every corner, the streets are clean, and fuel costs nothing. The cost of 40l of petrol was 80 cents, and that was the foreigner price... still in disbelief! two locals insisted they will pay for us and before we knew it, one slammed his card into the hand of the worker and it was done.

By 10pm our fingers froze and we decided to stop in one of the many coffee stops along the road to warm us up. While we didn't anticipate the huge temperature drop, we we're grateful for these kind of places. Like the fuel stop above, the owner refused to accept money from us as we were considered guests! Energized by our espresso stop, we roared into Mashhad just after midnight.

It's starting to appear like a good place to calm down after the chaos of Afghanistan, let the pulse settle, maybe even forget the dust for a moment.

Due to RidingKismet's worst handicap, the British passport, we need a guide in "the Irāns". Fortunately, she is able to compensate this issue by striking a very good deal with a guide she met during her last visit. For two weeks (out of four we want to stay in the country) Nadia is going to be with us and arrange our daily business. Not only a guide, but first of all a friend, and we're grateful to start a road trip with her!

While in the city, we wander around, amazed at the contrast with the previous country. In a moment of delirium, IronChris remarked how similar Mashhad is to Barcelona... Clean and wide roads, crowds calmly passing each other, and the plethora of shawarma stalls. We are told Mashhad, a holy city for Shia Muslims, is a pilgrim site with a high volume of Arabs (specifically Lebanese and Iraqis) and this is reflected in the street food. The best Saffron also comes from here with the prices just a fraction of what it costs in other big cities.

Like the pilgrims, we decided to visit the Imam Reza shrine, the third largest mosque in the world. Ridingkismet had to wear a flowery chador with Nadia and together we roamed around the very glitzy and sparkling mosque. White and yellow gold, emerald, turquoise can be found amongst the many jewels covering the walls.

Our Mashhad stop was short but restorative, a little bit of luxury before hitting the road once again. And lucky for us, this means winding roads through the famous Hyrcanian Forest of Iran.Leggi altro