Riding 2Up

 20 June 2009, Riding 2up team from Esfahan Iran

News and Internet blackhole

As you might expect the story told by media and on the Internet is different to being on the ground with real events unfolding around us. We are for the most part completely unaware of international events unfolding even in the very cities we are in, a bit like the passengers of the Brussels-NY flight who's pilot died, we don't have access to the same levels of news and information you do back home. In fact in Iran it has been a black hole due to the government's crack down on Internet and news reporting. It has only been in the last few days that we've been able to see a TV and catch up on what is being reported. It's virtually impossible to upload anything from this country due to the bandwidth restrictions so photos will be a while coming. So from our perspective this is the story we are telling and we're sticking to it.

Pakistan to Iran with Police escorts

We got a taste of what it's like to be baby sat by police in Pakistan and it was in retrospect actually quite good even though at the time we thought of it as a hassle, they were actually helpful and there for our security which is a lot more than can be said for the Iranian escorts. From Quetta to Dalbandin and then to Taftan, the border with Iran we had police escorts all the way. There were several police check points where we were obliged to complete necessary information and show our passports but these were generally quick and hassle free. When we arrived in Dalbandin, the police tried to insist on us staying at the police station where they could provide protection and guarantee our security but the accommodation was far too basic with no running water, food and no matresses or privacy, in fact we felt that being in the police station with prisoners would be less safe than the only hotel in town, so we insisted on taking a room at the affordable hotel at the end of town (travelling to the border) where we could park our bikes in their secure backyard. The police ended up posting two officers outside the hotel and for 500Rs we were very comfortable and could have a shower and a nice meal. The hotel manager even offered us a couple of Pakistani beers, the first and last ones we found in Pakistan! From Quetta to Dalbandin the road was potholed but not so much that it affected our riding, infact we were expecting a much worse road from other reports but it was fine, especially on a motorcycle when you can avoid the potholes quite easily. We averaged 80-90kph and the ride took 4-5hours.

From Dalbandin to the border the escorts were quick and efficientand the 300kms passed quite quickly taking us about 3.5hrs. The Taftan border crossing was a bit confusing as the road just seems to end and there are no real signs so we took a guess at customs and luckily we found the building first go. The Pakistani customs officer quite laid back and not in a rush was very welcoming and offered us a cold water and cup of tea whilst he completed our paperwork. It's not often that you're welcomed into a country by customs at the border, in fact only Nepal and Pakistan have been so welcoming and this has by and large set the mood for our travels as first impressions last. The immigration and exiting Pakistan was easy enough but as soon as we crossed the border to Iran we were faced with arrogant unfriendly and strick Iranian customs who treated us like we were an inconvenience and were told time and time again to wait or move then wait some more.

The Iranian inconvenience

At the Mirjaveh border Iranian customs didn't like that we had parked our bikes out of the way some 20m down the road and asked for us to move the bikes in a very short and unfriendly manner. We obliged sweltering in the heat for his benefit and waited whilst he filled in some paperwork, not a smile or a welcome just do this and do that. We went to the customs border officer who view our carnets in an air conditioned room in an office resembling that of a toll booth with not enough standing room for two people but it was cool still no stamp or signature for our Carnets, what purpose do these people serve one has to ask.

At Immigration we were told to sit and wait and give our passports. As time elapsed we realised that the reason why they took our passports and made us wait was to organise an escort or bodyguard. This was infuriating as no one bothered to tell us why we had to wait for two hours, and as our bellies rumbled and our patience wore thin we insisted on completing the paperwork for our bikes. Finally after we did this we were greeted with a customs
officer with two junior officers who we were told would be our bodyguards and they should sit with us on the motorcycles. They tried to tell us that Arja should sit on Mark and Maggie's bike and on bodyguard should sit on Francois with me. This was not possible as there was no room and we wouldn't even entertain the idea so the carless guards had to hitch hike. At the next police checkpoint they insisted on our passports which we thought like in Pakistan would be a checkpoint, as it turns out they didn't give our passports back and the hitch hiking body guards without any arms stuck in a semi-trailer several kilometres back would be the most useless waste of time causing only frustration and a lack of trust to fester inside our growing resentment for Iranian officidem. The nightmare continued and the 88kms from the border to Zahedan took over 5 hours with this ridiculous treatment and all our attempts to get our passports back were in vein. Even a solo protest in front of a semitrailer causing a traffic jam and throwing my gloves in the air in disgust were to no avail.

The next day when trying to leave Zahedan hotel the situation was no better, although we had our passports, the hotel staff locked our motorcycles in the compound not opening the doors until we surrendered our passports to the police escort. We were being held like hostages under house arrest with our passports for randsome, what sort of country was this that tourists were treated as criminals and not allowed the simple decency of an secure escort with their own vehicles. We were not adverse to the check points or escorts, it's all in our benefit for the security of the region had been compromised several times of late but this lack decent treatment was over the top, even the Pakistani's could organise escorts better than this! We ended up complying with this stupid ruling and the passport stand-off ended but not without a hissy fit from the officer and the half asleep hotel staff chasing him down the street at 7am in the morning pleading with him to return and get rid our the troublesome tourists. It's no wonder why a lot of hotels don't want to take in westerners when it's this much hassle for them.

Once we finally reached Bam after a chaotic and dangerous day with speeding police escorts. This time with their own vehicles they would speed at over140kph and do u-turns across dirt on the freeway without any indication almost causing a serious traffic accident when there was a u-turn bay just 200m down the road. Now would be a good time to remind me why we need escorts when we are put in more danger from their driving, paraded around town at slow speed, kept waiting by the roadside and treated like criminals...

Iranian people, countryside and all things nice

Our introduction to Iran left a lot to be desired and it's only been the hospitable, warm and friendly people that have come to it's rescue. It's impossible to erase the negative experiences of our first two days but I have to give it to the citizens of Iran, suppressed by this regime and forced to be ultra conservative in public, they are genuine people who are very keen to please and will go out of their way to help. Take for instance just yesterday, Friday, there was nothing open everything is shut on Friday's for a national day of muslim prayer and one kind english teacher from Shiraz in Esfahan on holidays offered to walk with us to the fruit and vegetable market 20mins away so we could by some food and at least eat something. I need to interject that the food in Iran has been very disappointing, there is little to no choice in restaurants which are expensive and serve either chicken kebab or lamb kebab with rice. The only other alternative has been greasy fastfood joints that serve pizzas or sandwiches with heavily processed meat tasting like devon. It's ok once but not three meals a day, the only other food we've seen people eating was some kind of sheep head stew for breakfast or very sugary ice cream. There is way too much sugar in the Iranian diet.

The countryside has been a scenic wonderland from mountains to desert oasis and salt lakes, the ride has been varied and spectacular. We are looking forward to seeing more of this country and luckily for us we were able to extend our visas easily as the original 7 days left us stranded in Shiraz (no there is no wine in this country it's a dry country, bugger!). We are now visiting Esfahan and there is a lot to see, from huge bazaars to amazing tile mosaiques and leafy green parks to stunning mosques and minarets, it's no wonder why this city is a the capital of tourism in Iran.

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