A day of cycling in Iran by numbers: Hijab removed when nobody was looking: 1 Showers in a cold stream: 2 People who insisted we must be wealthy: 2 Invitations to spend the night: 2 Mountain peaks climbed: 3 Pieces of bread eaten: 4 Food breaks: 5 Gifts of food: 6 (oranges, apples, yogurt, sugar […] Read More »
In Muslim countries it’s normally the call to prayer from the mosque that regulates our day but recently we’ve become accustomed to a new rythym; the nightly sound of drum beats and singing that signals Moharram. The Sh’ia ceremony marks the martyrdom of Imam Hossein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, and it’s one of […] Read More »
It was nothing less than wonderful to get back on our bikes today and head out of Shiraz with the sun on our backs, not to mention a good strong tailwind. Too many long bus trips and hotel stays had made us very eager to get back to the road and peaceful camping that we […] Read More »
Normally we’d love a good downhill run but we couldn’t really appreciate it this morning. The faster we went the more the freezing air blew through our clothes and on our cheeks, chilling us to the bone. By the time we reached Maku, a town flanked by mountains on both sides, we were only too […] Read More »
After months of anticipation and fretting over visas we’re finally in Iran! The border crossing went much more smoothly and quickly than we expected. No prying questions or searching customs inspections, just a polite official who welcomed us to the country under a huge portrait of the holy leader, filled out all our forms for […] Read More »
