Salam
Since Kirghyzistan we say hello this way, and it still applies here in Iran. We are in Mashhad and we rest a few days after completing our race against time in Turkmenistan. Here are the facts. We were a
Buxoro Uzbekistan. We arrived late on a Friday after-noon (important information for further events!), There have spent the weekend sightseeing and on Monday we had to go on a bike to be on the border with Turkmenistan as soon as possible on Tuesday 19. Our transit visa for Turkmenistan was 5 days (very difficult to get a tourist visa for that country), from October 19 to 23. 5 days to 418 kms. In addition, we also knew we had to take all the money needed for the next month Buxoro because it is impossible to have money in Iran, not to use Visa and Mastercard, money transfer difficult and only has Asgabat in Turkmenistan.
Since Kirghyzistan we say hello this way, and it still applies here in Iran. We are in Mashhad and we rest a few days after completing our race against time in Turkmenistan. Here are the facts. We were a
Buxoro Uzbekistan. We arrived late on a Friday after-noon (important information for further events!), There have spent the weekend sightseeing and on Monday we had to go on a bike to be on the border with Turkmenistan as soon as possible on Tuesday 19. Our transit visa for Turkmenistan was 5 days (very difficult to get a tourist visa for that country), from October 19 to 23. 5 days to 418 kms. In addition, we also knew we had to take all the money needed for the next month Buxoro because it is impossible to have money in Iran, not to use Visa and Mastercard, money transfer difficult and only has Asgabat in Turkmenistan.
Monday, October 18. Rupert is the opening of the bank as we should have our full cycling day to be the closest border. Arrived late Friday after-noon, we could not go forward. The connection does not work with his Mastercard in a first bank. The second bank says it is Monday morning and Tashkent has not yet sent their dollars. The coffers are empty. We would wait until Tuesday 19 (last day of our valid visa to Uzbekistan), but not guaranteed to have $ 2000. There is also a bank in Asia Hotel. Rupert empty the trunk, $ 130! We would also expect the next day only to have relief of $ 200 per person! With all this, it is already noon. A 1 / 2 cycling day lost. What to do? A return to Samarkand? At Tashkent? Not enough time to go back to Buxoro and go to the border the next day. It abandons the idea of crossing straight Turkmenistan. Once again public transport. We will take the train has Turkmenabad Asgabat, it is hoped Wednesday 20 (14 hour trip) to try to get money over there on Thursday, 21 then back to Mary on Friday 22 to get out on Saturday 23 . Otherwise ... In Iran without money for a month, impossible! So we thought we were free-spirited, ready to pedal once again a new problem arises. One afternoon after the pedal. The shortening days. At 17h30, 18h later, we must stop. 3:24 Bike. 58.41 kms.
Tuesday, October 19. Early rising. 6h. No choice. It is 30 kms from the border. We get there around 11am. Perfect. Lunch in Turkmenistan a Chaïkana. We eat at the table of women who arrive one after the other car, Changeux money. Surprise to us to see women driving, especially around here or there is no city, just a frontier post! Otherwise, they are mostly truck drivers in international traffic. On the road again in the semi-desert of Turkmenistan and we meet a British cycling that will change our destiny! He talks about Vali Mashhad in Iran. This is the third cycling we recommend going with him, also the host of a B $ B. It is our savior for money. He has a brother in Canada that we could probably move our money. We therefore passes through Turkmenistan by bike! ... We arrived around 16h Turkmenabad. Telephone Vali has. No problem, it can help us:) We just $ 130 up to Mashhad, no night at the hotel here. Convenience for the next few days in the desert and we leave the city just before nightfall to camp of the 1st field is. 91.65 miles today. 5:09 to bike over the border crossing, not too long, we got lucky.
Wednesday, October 20. Sunrise 6:30 am. No fooling around. 4 days for 400 kms. A long day of biking in the desert. It's cool in the morning and late afternoon. Nothing to do with China is much more bearable. In addition, we have a north wind that pushes us and we refreshed. The road is of excellent quality. All is well. 17:30. 114.98 kms. 5:49 Bike. At a checkpoint, a police officer we propose to spend the night at the station not occupied. I worry a bit snakes and scorpions of the desert, so I accept with pleasure! For the first time since Buxoro, it stops before night falls. It was some time before moving the evening routine ... Is blown. It only needs the beer but the officer brings the watermelon!
Thursday, October 21. Sunrise 6:30 am. We must reach Mary today. A big day. Km until the city does not decrease progressively and as we advance. He is 18h, the pedal again. The night arrives and you can not get downtown to find a hotel in the dark. We stopped at someone right next to the airport of Mary. We request a camp on their land. 6:45 Bike. 129.80 kms. It is exhausting ... And it's not finished yet. It's dark and getting cold. We plant the tent surrounded by our guests, a Turkmen family with 2 children between 16 and 20 years. They offer dining, offering slippers knitted by Oceanne daughter.
Friday, October 22. Of our awakening, our guests are at the foot of the tent and invite us to take breakfast at home. Really nice. Even if we go quickly this country, we come to have a pleasant contacts on the road. The breakfast is dragging on. Oceanne cheek. Seance photo. We do not polaroid. They want us to go into town to print the photos and give them. We must show them our visas so that they understand that should let them. Grocery Express was Mary. Our cycling day is going well. It is on schedule until Hanhowuz. It even takes time to appreciate the desert has its value:) To get to Sarakhs, the border, there is the great classic road cyclists Avoids because it adds at least 50 miles, or half a day more . And there is a small road on the cards that share Hanhowuz. We take care of our road and ask the officer told us that the intersection is a bridge after 3 kms. After 1 km, we pass a bridge and find the intersection. We hesitate. The distance is not ... An Iranian trucker stops. He tells us that it is not here. In 3 miles (sign with his fingers) after a bridge. Really. 3 kms further. Nothing. 10 kms away. Nothing. It asks for more. We are now talking about 20 kms! The driver did not say 3 with his fingers, but 30! And he spoke from the main road that drivers travel. What is 50 kms more to them?! We missed our intersection. 10 km headwind for return or 20 miles to find another route? We choose the second option. 18h. Night falls. 5:57 Bike. 106.76 kms. Fatigue accumulates. We make wrong judgments. We plant the tent at night. Again. Oceanne is very cooperative in this. Very good spirit, it helps a lot in these situations. We are almost convinced that we will not have time at the border tomorrow.
Saturday October 23. We tell ourselves that we ride what we can and we stopped a truck for the end. The intersection was not known to 30 miles, but 40 kms. Then we have another 100 kms to do. Mmm ... Before the closure of the border that we believe to be a 18h? I have a sore back muscle for 3 days. It does not. Leg pain. We do not runs further south, but east. The wind is more to our advantage. Break biscuits. A family stops to greet us and take our picture. She gives us bread, biscuits, water, candy. It seems very touched to meet us. We! This road is a straight line that never gives the impression that we advance. Then we stop for lunch, an Iranian truck driver stops to make sure everything is okay. We jump at the chance to ask him drice us at the border. Was charged just as one can under the trailer between the trailer and truck. The bikes are not even tie but just blocked. Our Iranian friend is really nice. He tells us that the frontier farm 16h! Even by the other road, it would never happen in time ... And we would probably not find a truck to take us. When I say everything happens for something, we find why we took a wrong turn! Sarah arrives, the police told us that the frontier farm was 17h. We take the time to eat a little. Then sprint up the finish line. Truckers in the opposite direction we are strong signs that it is ... 16.20. It is firm. Our truck was right! Exhausted, breathless, we show our passports. Our visa ends now. It MUST happen. We show Oceanne. This makes people smile at the border ... The woman spends a phone call. OK We open the doors for us! Fast, fast. We only had to sign the customs forms, they fill them for us. You can not pass our bikes and luggage X-ray Quickly, quickly, the position of Iran will close and you can not stay for the night in no man's land ". Another sprint. Quickly, I put on my pants to cover my legs. Quickly I put my jacket. I dripping, the sun is still strong. Quickly, I attach my scarf. Hello Iran! We spend a little more time here, but Overall, we have never spent a boundary in such a short time!
Tuesday, October 19. Early rising. 6h. No choice. It is 30 kms from the border. We get there around 11am. Perfect. Lunch in Turkmenistan a Chaïkana. We eat at the table of women who arrive one after the other car, Changeux money. Surprise to us to see women driving, especially around here or there is no city, just a frontier post! Otherwise, they are mostly truck drivers in international traffic. On the road again in the semi-desert of Turkmenistan and we meet a British cycling that will change our destiny! He talks about Vali Mashhad in Iran. This is the third cycling we recommend going with him, also the host of a B $ B. It is our savior for money. He has a brother in Canada that we could probably move our money. We therefore passes through Turkmenistan by bike! ... We arrived around 16h Turkmenabad. Telephone Vali has. No problem, it can help us:) We just $ 130 up to Mashhad, no night at the hotel here. Convenience for the next few days in the desert and we leave the city just before nightfall to camp of the 1st field is. 91.65 miles today. 5:09 to bike over the border crossing, not too long, we got lucky.
Wednesday, October 20. Sunrise 6:30 am. No fooling around. 4 days for 400 kms. A long day of biking in the desert. It's cool in the morning and late afternoon. Nothing to do with China is much more bearable. In addition, we have a north wind that pushes us and we refreshed. The road is of excellent quality. All is well. 17:30. 114.98 kms. 5:49 Bike. At a checkpoint, a police officer we propose to spend the night at the station not occupied. I worry a bit snakes and scorpions of the desert, so I accept with pleasure! For the first time since Buxoro, it stops before night falls. It was some time before moving the evening routine ... Is blown. It only needs the beer but the officer brings the watermelon!
Thursday, October 21. Sunrise 6:30 am. We must reach Mary today. A big day. Km until the city does not decrease progressively and as we advance. He is 18h, the pedal again. The night arrives and you can not get downtown to find a hotel in the dark. We stopped at someone right next to the airport of Mary. We request a camp on their land. 6:45 Bike. 129.80 kms. It is exhausting ... And it's not finished yet. It's dark and getting cold. We plant the tent surrounded by our guests, a Turkmen family with 2 children between 16 and 20 years. They offer dining, offering slippers knitted by Oceanne daughter.
Friday, October 22. Of our awakening, our guests are at the foot of the tent and invite us to take breakfast at home. Really nice. Even if we go quickly this country, we come to have a pleasant contacts on the road. The breakfast is dragging on. Oceanne cheek. Seance photo. We do not polaroid. They want us to go into town to print the photos and give them. We must show them our visas so that they understand that should let them. Grocery Express was Mary. Our cycling day is going well. It is on schedule until Hanhowuz. It even takes time to appreciate the desert has its value:) To get to Sarakhs, the border, there is the great classic road cyclists Avoids because it adds at least 50 miles, or half a day more . And there is a small road on the cards that share Hanhowuz. We take care of our road and ask the officer told us that the intersection is a bridge after 3 kms. After 1 km, we pass a bridge and find the intersection. We hesitate. The distance is not ... An Iranian trucker stops. He tells us that it is not here. In 3 miles (sign with his fingers) after a bridge. Really. 3 kms further. Nothing. 10 kms away. Nothing. It asks for more. We are now talking about 20 kms! The driver did not say 3 with his fingers, but 30! And he spoke from the main road that drivers travel. What is 50 kms more to them?! We missed our intersection. 10 km headwind for return or 20 miles to find another route? We choose the second option. 18h. Night falls. 5:57 Bike. 106.76 kms. Fatigue accumulates. We make wrong judgments. We plant the tent at night. Again. Oceanne is very cooperative in this. Very good spirit, it helps a lot in these situations. We are almost convinced that we will not have time at the border tomorrow.
Saturday October 23. We tell ourselves that we ride what we can and we stopped a truck for the end. The intersection was not known to 30 miles, but 40 kms. Then we have another 100 kms to do. Mmm ... Before the closure of the border that we believe to be a 18h? I have a sore back muscle for 3 days. It does not. Leg pain. We do not runs further south, but east. The wind is more to our advantage. Break biscuits. A family stops to greet us and take our picture. She gives us bread, biscuits, water, candy. It seems very touched to meet us. We! This road is a straight line that never gives the impression that we advance. Then we stop for lunch, an Iranian truck driver stops to make sure everything is okay. We jump at the chance to ask him drice us at the border. Was charged just as one can under the trailer between the trailer and truck. The bikes are not even tie but just blocked. Our Iranian friend is really nice. He tells us that the frontier farm 16h! Even by the other road, it would never happen in time ... And we would probably not find a truck to take us. When I say everything happens for something, we find why we took a wrong turn! Sarah arrives, the police told us that the frontier farm was 17h. We take the time to eat a little. Then sprint up the finish line. Truckers in the opposite direction we are strong signs that it is ... 16.20. It is firm. Our truck was right! Exhausted, breathless, we show our passports. Our visa ends now. It MUST happen. We show Oceanne. This makes people smile at the border ... The woman spends a phone call. OK We open the doors for us! Fast, fast. We only had to sign the customs forms, they fill them for us. You can not pass our bikes and luggage X-ray Quickly, quickly, the position of Iran will close and you can not stay for the night in no man's land ". Another sprint. Quickly, I put on my pants to cover my legs. Quickly I put my jacket. I dripping, the sun is still strong. Quickly, I attach my scarf. Hello Iran! We spend a little more time here, but Overall, we have never spent a boundary in such a short time!
Sarakhs. Iran. The race is over. Phew! A hotel. We spend the night, take the time it takes the morning for breakfast and make our money transfer internet Ali Vali's brother living in Vancouver. It feels weird to have to think about putting my scarf before leaving my hotel room. T-shirt has long sleeves, slacks, I'm ready for 2-3 days until the Iranian desert Mashhad. Voila, here we are. We rested four days and should take the road towards the coast of the Caspian Sea tomorrow. We are ready!
I can not put photo picasa on Iran. You wait out our country! It's been a week since we are here, and this is not like what we say down home. Oh the media! ...
you soon for more news!
Dorothee
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