Back to the Border.

If you've read my other blog posts you will know already that we camped recently in Iranian customs at the Iran-Armenia border. Most people would think this is a pretty strange thing to do and I can see why. At the time I thought I would never do anything like it again. Strangely though I am now writing this just before I go to sleep at the other Iranian border...

Leaving Tehran a few days ago the driving was as insane on the way out as it was on the way in. We made it out fine though and were soon blasting towards Ali Abad; a small city on the way to the Turkmenistan border. As we had a lot of miles to do the day was pretty uneventful for the main part. Lunch though was one of the best meals we have had in Iran. Stopping in a random town we were directed to a small restaurant where, as we had become accustomed to now, everyone was sat on large low tables eating off the same surface.

We were taken upstairs and all ordered the local speciality. The owner brought the meal up and showed us all how to eat it; not because we are incapable of feeding ourselves but because there is a very particular order. The meal is called Oktush or Deezi (please don't quote me on spelling) and is a sort of meat stew cooked in a clay pot. You are served it with a lot of bread and a small metal bowl. In each of the pots there is one lump of fat, which after pouring the juice into the metal bowl you fish out with a spoon and add to the bowl. This is all then crushed up with a special little pestle of sorts, and the bread is ripped up and added to this. The bread soaks up all the juices and you eat this first. Only once it is all gone do you spoon out the rest of the stew into the bowl. This is then all crushed into a paste as well with the pestle and the pieces of bone picked out before you eat this too.

'I'm throwing away all tables in the house when I get home'

The only other interesting incident of the day was at the hotel where whilst eating we were suddenly welcomed by the manager of the hotel complex which had some restaurants as part of it too. Mohamad translated for us that if he had known we were coming he would have organised a party and a concert to welcome us. We were all humbled by this reaction to us being there. Really though we shouldn't have been so surprised because this has been how it has been throughout Iran. Before coming here people were always shocked when we told them we were going to Iran, and told us to take care. But never have I met friendlier people and I haven't ever felt even remotely threatened at any point. It gets a bad reputation but it's a beautiful country.

Yesterday we drove from Ali Abad to Shirvan, a small town even closer to the border. Again not much happened but we did walk up to a beautiful waterfall just outside of Ali Abad. Finally today we made it to the border. In the end it wasn't the one we planned to get to, as 30km from the one we aimed for we were told it was shut by another rally team who had just been there. So we hightailed it to the next closest border 150km away making it in time to at least start leaving Iran. Unfortunately, we didn't realise that this border is only for trucks. They grudgingly accepted us because the other border was shut but it makes things very difficult as all they know is the procedure for trucks. We had the whole car X-Rayed earlier as a result and our carnet all has to be changed as well. Luckily Mohamad helped sort most of this out before leaving us here to camp the night before we try to get in to Turkmenistan tomorrow.

So that's why I'm waking up this morning to finish this blog post off looking out at a pile of tents pitched up in a car park from the balcony some of us decided to sleep on. I have to say the Iran-Armenia border will be getting better feedback on Trip Advisor than the Iran-Turkmenistan one.

'Surprisingly comfortable'