Bike Touring IRAN's South | Mind-blowing!
It’s already July as we approach the South of Iran. We’re back in the massive Zagros mountain range, the landscape is dry and barren, and the sun is burning relentlessly. Bike touring here at this time of year is a bit of a challenge. We haven’t experienced the worst of it yet, but oh boy, will we get there. This will be the last video of us cycling in this crazy country, that is so much more than we had expected. Like never before, we are overwhelmed by the huge variety of impressions.
Even after two and a half months, we are still amazed day after day, however … We have 10 days left to leave the country and we are pretty much in the middle of it. The shortest route to Bandar Abbas at the Persian Gulf would be 500 kms south-east. Instead, for the first time since France, we’re riding our bicycles west. By adding a 400 kilometres detour we can not only visit the legendary ruins of Persepolis, but also Shiraz, capital of the Fars province and city of poets.
Hello! Thank you very much! Wow! I mean… I have no words! Wow! Faloodeh from Shiraz. Water… Tea… My name is Jamshid Jamali. Traditional Iranian ice cream, tea and cold water...
Amazing! This nice man was very determined to invite us to his home, but it’s getting hot, so it’s not a good time for us to take a break. If we go to his village, we’ll stay there for a while. They will give us a lot of food and drinks and of course it’s very comfortable. So basically we wouldn’t cycle any further today. But as our visa time is running short now we need every hour, when it's not too hot to cycle, to cycle. Bye bye! Goodbye! The intense encounters with Iranians impress us the most.
All over the country they welcome us with great curiosity and almost selfless hospitality, despite the enormous challenges they face in their everyday life. *Man singing in Persian Bravo! Thank you very much! What's your name? My name? Mohammad Ali. Nice to meet you! Judo? Yes, yes! Thank you so much! Very good! Your Name? Arsalan… Arsalan… Arsalan, nice to meet you! We’re not sure what this celebration is about. In any case, we gladly accept the
free drinks they offer to everyone: cold water with lemon, rose water and sugar. We spent our daily heat break in a restaurant. Mathias and I worked a little bit. Mathias also slept sometimes and now we have 50 kms to Persepolis. Tired from long days of cycling, late evenings with our random hosts, and thus short nights, Arev is determined that we sleep in our tent tonight.
We already successfully declined several very kind invitations during the day, but this is easier said than done. We’ve got invited again. It’s incredible! How many times have complete strangers invited you to stay in their home? There is so much to learn for us and all these intimate insights give us an unusual sense of connection with the people of this country.
You’re not so interested in us, right? Ok! That’s good. Hey! What do you want from me?! No! No! That’s ok! Go! Go! It’s ok! I’m going! You’re going! Ok? In Iran dogs mostly ignore us so much that it almost hurts our feelings. In these tents live nomads. They move around the country for centuries and obviously go with the seasons. Kind of like us. They live in these tents and work in the fields and help the local farmers wherever they are.
And in the wintertime they go closer to the coast towards Bandar Abbas. Yesterday we met a small family of nomads, when Reza invited us to his house, because he also works with them. Historically, the Turkic people are believed to have arrived in Iran from Central Asia from the 11th or 12th century onwards. The Quasqai were nomadic pastoralists and some remain so until today. However, like the family that hosted us the night before, a majority settled down in the 1960s under government pressure.
Persepolis! The city of the Persians. It’s a Greek name, actually. Sort of a ceremonial capital of ancient Persia built 2500 years ago. This archaeological marvel features the remains of grand palaces, impressive terraces, and intricate bas-reliefs that tell the stories of a once-mighty civilization. The Achaemenid Empire or First Persian Empire was founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BCE, the largest empire by that point in history. At its greatest extent it spanned from the Balkans and Egypt in the west, over West Asia as the base, the majority of Central Asia to the northeast, and the Indus Valley to the southeast.
It is recognized for its centralised bureaucratic administration, complex infrastructure, the use of official languages across its vast territories, and the development of civil services, including a large, professional army. Persepolis was not just a political hub but a cultural and spiritual centre, where kings celebrated Nowruz, the Persian New Year. As we explore its ruins, we admire the sophisticated artistry and architectural genius, offering a glimpse into the opulence and power of ancient Persia. You know these terrible people that scratch their names into historical buildings? Well, it says here lieutenant colonel John Meade, consul general, 1898.
Here, W. Braunagel from Baden-Baden. That’s very close to where I’m from, in 1924. German: W. Graf Schulenburg. Graf Schulenburg, Gesandter. That means he was an envoy to Persia.
It’s 12:30 o’clock. It’s very hot, well over 40°C in the shade. We are in Marvdasht on our way to Shiraz. We have to keep going. In the last few days we did 80 to 100 kms every day. In a couple of minutes we’ll be at the top. It’s the last climb before Shiraz. Let’s go! We’re visiting the bazaar of Shiraz. The last city where we will do proper sightseeing before we rush to Bandar Abbas.
Even though we only have a few days left, we can’t skip the bazaar. Like no other place, bazaars reliably surprise us with new and colourful impressions, smells and flavours. In traditional homes we’ve seen a lot of women making carpets in the past few weeks.
And here is this colourful wool that they use for making carpets. Hello! Is this sweet or sour? We can try Mathias. Oh, wow! Cool! Thanks! Jam? Muraba? What is it? Torsh! Torshak… Torshak? Sour! Maybe a cherry. Looks like a cherry to me. Thanks! That’s very interesting. It’s a cherry but it is also salty. I didn’t expect this. Very powerful taste. Ok! Now let’s try this one. Could be a plum.
Wow! This is so sour. It is a plum, no?! It’s so brutally sour and salty. You look at this and think it’s a sweet jam. Do you make them yourself?
Yeah. When do you usually eat this? Do you eat this for breakfast, dinner or lunch? “Khoresht”...this and this… These ones are just for snacks. This is one of the many ways they bring sourness in their food. Thank you so much! Welcome! Welcome to Iran! So let’s see what else we can find here. What is this? Sohan. What? *Sahun? Yes, yes, come in! Hello madam, hello mister, welcome to Iran! Dessert. Dessert Sohan.
The base of this traditional Persian saffron brittle toffee consists of flour, egg yolk, rose water, sugar, butter, saffron and cardamom. Viscous when heated it quickly solidifies at room temperature. Put some pistachios… Roll… I think I destroyed it a little bit. Ok, this is the one Arev made and this is how it looks professionally. What’s the name of this sweet? This is Sohan-e Qom. Like from the city Qom? Yes! Sohan is a very typical Iranian sweet.
It has a very soft texture and a very rich taste. Very pleasant, very tasty! Thank you very much!. The following day we visit the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque. It is renowned for its stunning glass windows and vibrant tiles. Built during the Qajar dynasty in the late 19th century, its interior comes alive with a kaleidoscope of colours when the morning sunlight filters through the stained glass. The intricate tile work features delicate floral patterns and arabesques, with shades of pink giving the mosque its nickname.
The Pink Mosque, a truly mesmerising visual experience. We are at the outskirts of Shiraz. It’s 500 kms to Bandar Abbas. We have only 4 days left. It’s brutally hot and it’s only to get much hotter because we are overall descending 1500 metres. It will be challenging, but we have to be there in 4 days. Let’s see how it goes. Can we make it or not?!
Mathias, where is the money? The fruit handler Javad just gave us a huge bag of fruits: apricots, cherries, apples...everything! I think this is the way. Sudden change of plans. We did not ask for it, but this nice lad just waited for us after overtaking us. He is going to Bandar Abbas and offered to take us. Thank you very much! It was obvious to him that we are on our way to Bandar, and he insists that it is too hot to cycle. Also, Mathias did not need a lot of convincing.
Well, I really wanted to cycle, but... Ready? My name is Mathias, what’s your name? Mostafa Jafari. Thank you so much! We should make a video just about Neysan Abis, Nissan Abi - The blue Nissan.
The drivers are everywhere. It’s the strongest pick up in Iran. They use it for everything. And the drivers are so nice. They always stop for us, give us fruits and water or take us to some places. Directly to Bandar Abbas… Yes, today directly to Bandar Abbas. The Neysan Abi trucks have become a cultural symbol in Iran. They even got a successful comedy series on Iranian TV.
Their drivers are respected for their strong personality and the ability to transport literal mountains of stuff in a single go. I’m gonna drive Neysan Abi! Change of the driver! So, do you feel comfortable driving Neysan Abi? We’ll see. Thank you! This one? How? Ah, ok! First, first… This car is crazy! I’m in a new world! The clutch is absolutely brutal, to get in the gears is absolutely mental.
But they are still being built new in Iran. There is a speed bump. Third, third… Three? We’ll get there! I’ll be slower, but … wow! The gear box is really rough…let’s call it rough. The clutch is also really rough.
Everything is rough about this car. It’s also very big and heavy. But I can almost drive straight, so I’m getting there. Mathias… good? No, no! He can drive an automatic well, but not with a clutch.
It’s called water cooling. Mohammed looked at the watch and saw that we were getting late. He started driving again. I think I would need a couple of years of practice to be able to drive like him, but it was a lot of fun. We are now at the fourth or fifth gas station. All other ones before did not have any petrol. This one seems to have a little bit, but... No? No petrol! It will not be enough.
Crazy! I have never seen such a thing. We hope Mohammed will make it home. It seems like Iran's National fuel reserve is fairly tight these days. Petrol prices in Iran are set by the regime and heavily subsidised. Citizens can buy the first 60 litres per month for 15.000 Iranian Rials, currently about 2 cents US per litre. Beyond that the price doubles. The whole economy is now heavily addicted to absurdly cheap fuel, raising consumption and driving down prices for everything else.
As a result the government continues to print money, leading to inflation rates of 40% and more, a vicious circle. In November 2019 massive protests erupted all over the country after a 50% fuel price increase. At least 230 people were killed in the following government crackdown, probably a lot more. We arrived! It is so hot here. Hot! Thank you so much! Just packing our bicycles, and look at me. And that’s without cycling. This is 40°C with pretty high humidity which doesn’t feel very nice.
Thanks to Mohammad, we’ve reached Bandar Abbas earlier than expected. Situated on the southern coast along the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, it serves as the primary hub for the country's maritime trade. From here we will board a ship to the United Arab Emirates. As we now have some time to spare, we can explore Hormuz Island. During the winter months it is a very popular tourist destination, and we are keen to find out why. We are almost at the place where the ferry will leave for Hormuz, which is probably the most beautiful outdoors sauna in the world in the summer months, which is now in the middle of July. In the 30 Minutes that it took us
to get here from our safe space with air conditioning I probably lost one litre of sweat, so I’ll quickly run over to the other side of the street and try to buy a lot of water. We can’t say often enough how hot and humid it is. It’s just impossible to breathe. That was a rip off, but the bazaar is closed at this time of the day because nobody is so crazy to be outside.
So that was double the normal price in Iran, but anything for surviving, right? I’m gonna put some of these seeds into the water, because the locals said it’s better, it keeps the water in the body longer. I’ve never sweated this much in my life. Even in the saunas. Air Conditioning! Yoohoo. I’m literally in one litre of sweat and it’s not drying. In the meantime Arev is buying the tickets for the ferry to Hormuz. Arev is not feeling well on this ferry, because it’s a very small ship, it’s going up and down.
Let’s hope she can do it! Arev managed not to throw up. Seems like our island expedition is off to a great start. Mathias is losing another piece of his clothing. I’ve worn them for almost a year every day. Also my cycling gloves are giving up pretty much. It’s not made for this kind of abuse.
I think it will not be a problem in Bandar Abbas. Looks a little bit stupid, but ok! We need to find a supermarket where we can buy water, tons of water. For a tourist hotspot the town looks suspiciously deserted. Assuming that there would be restaurants, we did not even bring food. No problem! *in Farsi Ithink he just invited us to his home. We’ve been saved from the humidity and heat and now we even got food.
Our host’s mother is healing one girl right now. She got bitten and now she got here with swollen red arms. So we rested here for over two hours. Thank you very much! You’re welcome! We have to go now. Our host offered us his motorbike to visit the island and to sleep at his house for the night. We politely decline. We’re determined to camp on the famous Silver Beach in the south of the island.
Thank you! Bye-bye! Should be enough. Some bread and canned beans… we’ll survive! Crazy! Unfortunately we only have one day for this island, but we already see we could spend many days here. I couldn’t! If it wasn’t this humid of course! In six months. In winter. Yeah. It’s really terrible. Also known as the "Gateway to the Persian Gulf," Hormuz island spans about 42 square kilometres and is renowned for its striking red soil, rich in iron oxide. It consists of colourful mountains, pristine beaches, salt caves and geological marvels like the Rainbow Valley, where multi-hued rocks create a surreal landscape.
My body is struggling badly. I feel terrible. I don't want to breathe, because it feels so pointless. I feel dizzy. I can't drink more than I'm already drinking. I sweat faster than I can replace the fluid in my body, I think. Oh my God, it's so beautiful! We’re in the Rainbow valley.
It’s after 6 pm. The sun is already pretty low. These are not clouds. This is just the humidity blocking the sunlight. So we are looking straight into the sun.
Also the temperature is already the lowest temperature on this island. According to the weather forecast it’s 33°C air temperature with 80% humidity is the minimum we’re going to have. I’m absolutely soaked. I just tried to pee: barely anything and it was dark yellow. Literally everything is red. Oh my God! Ok, let’s go down. Red beach…here we go! We’ve been told to continue from the red beach in this direction where we can eventually camp at the Silver Beach.
I don’t know if this was the best decision to cross here at the beach. It’s already very dark actually and I’m not sure if we’ll be able to find a proper spot for camping. The silver beach with the bicycles was a big failure. We had to go back.
So instead we are going to camp on the red beach. Apparently, on clear nights the entire Silver Beach transforms into an otherworldly spectacle. Then the moonlight casts a shimmering glow on the sand, creating an ethereal sparkling effect.
The tranquil waves gently lap the shore, reflecting the starry sky and enhancing the magical ambiance. However, due to the extreme humidity it is so foggy that the moon and stars stand no chance. It’s 9:30 or 10 pm. I feel horrible. This can really make me mad. We put up the tent here but I don’t know how I can possibly even think of sleeping. I think before I will become a lunatic. It’s in the night. I’m dripping sweat. I feel horrible.
Why?! OMG, this is terrible. I will try to sleep without killing Arev or myself. Hopefully see you tomorrow. Gosh! There have not been many nights that have been worse than this in my life. It’s 5 am now, the sun is going up but you can't see it because it's so humid.
It is still 32°C. We’ll try to take the first ferry to the mainland. We need to get to an AC. I really wonder how we’ll do this when we go to Dubai in two days. We had not expected the most pleasant night, but 32°C air temperature did not seem overly excessive.
This was a very bad judgement, due to our lack of knowledge and experience, mixed with some level of hubris. Having cycled through the Iranian deserts, we had faced days close to 50°C. However, much unlike back then, here at the Persian Gulf it does not cool down effectively after sunset. The relative humidity skyrocketed to over 90% that night. Under these conditions, the conventional measurement of air temperature basically loses its significance.
The wet-bulb temperature is the lowest temperature that can be achieved by evaporating water over the bulb of a thermometer, basically showing the combined effect of heat, humidity and evaporation. Where I am from, the typical wet-bulb temperature in a bedroom ranges between 10°C to 13°C. Here on Hormuz our bodies endured over 30°C for 14 hours straight. As it turns out this not only feels miserable, it also poses a potentially fatal threat to humans outside. I feel horrible. I have no energy. I have a headache. I'm still sweating.
That truly has been the most awful night in our lives. I’m very glad that we’ve suffered. Is this normal? We need to sleep and cool down. We raced to Hormuz city to catch the early ferry. It’ll take us an hour to get to Bandar Abbas and then another hour to get to our hosts, where we can take a shower and sleep.
It’s cold! It is 6 am. We’re still in Bandar Abbas on the way to the ferry port where we take the ship to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. On our little visit to Hormuz I had a heat stroke. My body could not cope, so I was knocked out for two days. But now I’m ok again and ready to go to Dubai where it’s just 7 to 8 degrees hotter.
So let’s see how that goes. Before we close this chapter of our journey some thoughts we have been carrying with us: You probably realised that Iran now has a very special place in our hearts. In large part this is because of the, at times, overwhelming kindness we experienced. 4 out of 5 nights we spent in the homes of Iranian families.
We feel close, because they let us come close. However, after a few weeks, filled with great excitement, we also noticed an unfamiliar melancholy growing stronger. For the sake of everyone's security we chose not to film many of our encounters. As different as they all were, young or old, male, female, religious or not, poor or well-off, married or single, Azeri, Kurdish, Persian or else, progressive or conservative, all of them struggled, consciously or unconsciously, some more obvious than others. We have never been more aware of the high degree of individual freedom that we have been able to enjoy since we were born.
To speak without fear. And yes, we have never been as grateful for the privilege of growing up in secular societies. For not being forced to abide by religious rules regardless of what we personally choose to believe. That being said, it truly is an extraordinary country full of exuberant diversity, history, landscapes, cultures, sounds, flavours, people, lifestyles and of course a mind-boggling level of contradictions. Farewell Iran, you intriguing beauty! We thank you and wish you well from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you so much for watching, for coming with us, for supporting us and liking our videos. Our contributors on buymeacoffee.com… thank you, thank you, thank you very much.
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Since recently you can even send all your money to paypal.me/amazingworldbiketour Links are in the description below. In the meantime you can also watch how we ended up here, by clicking on our full playlist from our first pedal strokes all the way to Iran and hopefully far beyond! In any case hit the like button and leave a comment. We and Youtube absolutely love them. All this helps tremendously in getting our project sustainable.
Until next time, and may the wind be in your back! See you in Dubai! We can only hope. Look at me! This is miserable.
2024-09-11 16:57
