Where On Earth is Jeff: The end of Turkey and finally into Iran

Well I'm finally through Turkey and into Iran - and its great. Yesterday was my first full day in the country and and I didn't eat any of my own food. I had morning tea with Iranians, a cooked lunch, afternoon tea, and then for dinner used some of the food I had accumulated during those stops.

I wonder which of Turkey and Iran is really the Islamic state - Every tiny village in Turkey has at least one but usually more Minarets as the main feature of the skyline. In Iran i have seen none. I'm sitting in an Internet cafe with a girl opposite me and another next to me. I never saw Bayan's in the "Bay and Bayan" Internet cafes in Turkey. In Turkey every few hours you get an audible reminder of the main religion with the call to prayer blasting out through loudspeakers all over town. In Iran none. Ok, here I have to wear long trousers in Turkey I just chose to.

But it makes you wonder.

My last few days in Turkey were spent riding with a companion for the first time. From Pasinler to Dogubayazit I rode with Julien a Frenchman who now lives in Germany. Unfortunately we each have our own plans and routes and whilst I ride south in Iran he will ride east. We had a good time and enjoyed the ups and downs of eastern Turkey together (figuratively and literally). These included having stones thrown at us every time we saw a boy in the 8 to 14 age range - it wasn't isolated instances it was virtually every time a boy appeared - it started from Horason and continued to the Iran border ). There were a couple of times close to Dogubayazit when we passed a group without getting stones and we thought we were past the danger - but then another group and more stones. It is blessed relief to be in Iran and away from that - (I've done about 200km in Iran so far and not a single incident from any of the boys here.) My time with Julien also included an entire afternoon stripping and washing the bikes down with fuel, getting rid of liquid Asphalt that had been poured all over the road with no chance of getting past (no stones, just the liquid). check the photos for how thick it was.

TURKEY PICS

Pasinler, I'd been wanting one of these type shots in Erzurum but they always flew past too quickly

Pasinler - I'd been wanting one of these photos since arriving in Erzurum but never managed to get one.

Julien (France) at the bridge near Pasinler, we're riding a few days together - until close to the Iran border - then we go separate directıons.

Julien, Not long after we met in Pasinler

Specky scenery again

This stuff makes an incredıble mess - and the shoulder wasn't an option for some of it.

This shows just a tiny part of the bike. It was all over the bike, pannier bags, and everything else. We spent about 8 hours dismantling and cleaning with petrol and paint thinners. If you incude: the mountaın pass, rocks being thrown at us as we passed through villages, the Asphalt, bike cleaning and swarms of human

tar on the road - tar on the bike

The men. The men even had me dancing - but their kids ruined it by successfully hitting me on the shoulder with a rock as we departed. (the 10 year olds are the problem, but they normally miss)

I joined in the celebrations with the fathers mothers and sisters - then as I rode off copped a rock on the left should from one of the brothers.

The pass done we head down - but the wind means we're still pedalling

Pedalling down against a head wind

Before the night was over Julian had introduced them to Sudoku

Julien gets the locals into Sudoku

The internet in Iran is not unlike what I expected. There are internet cafe's, but they hang on dial up lines (one line many customers - it has taken more hours than I care to mention to do this update. So don't expect too much in updates. (Every click of the mouse takes 10 minutes (or more). I'm seriously going to have to avoid the internet else my frustration level will go through the roof.)

IRAN PICS