Iran

We left wednesday morning for a 2-day ride to Shiraz  - 470 km in the first humid and then dry desert! The ride was hot but the landscapes breathtaking (sorry didn't take much pics that day!) : we crossed mountains, valleys, mountains, valleys, oasis, etc...             My bike (I am calling it more and more 'titine'- a very affectous french name for a vehicle) started to behave badly after 250 kms. The sound of the engine was not reassuring and I thought I would not make it to Shiraz... [Lire la suite]

We spent 2 days in Shiraz - a city in the center of Iran of 1,3 M souls. People are layed back here. Despite being surrounded by dry mountains, the weather is very plesant, the city full of gardens, bigs bazars (one of them is the biggest of Iran), fast food joints where you can enjoy pizzas and Iranian burgers (but I guess it is everywhere the same in Iran). Shiraf is also the hometown of the greatest poet of Iran of all times - Hafez. He is a national hero here.               We met again... [Lire la suite]

We reached Yazd yesterday morning after a stop in Abarqu the night before on the route 150 km from Yazd. Abarqu was a pleasant surprise : This tiny city is lost in the middle of the flat desert : no mountains in that part of Iran...well, a tiny part because 70 kms later we were riding adjacent to a 4 000 meters high summit not far from Yazd. Abarqu has the oldest Cypree tree in Iran (4 000 years old), and houses and buildings made in cob (most of the old houses in the desert in Iran are made like this). We had our first night in our... [Lire la suite]

Hello everyone, Just like the title of this post is saying, please find below so brief news on Adrien's and myself whereabouts. There has not been much time for me to write longer articles these past days due to the following reasons : 1) internet connections here that don't allow us to surf properly sometimes (Iranian firewalls I suppose...) and no connections for USB key to post pictures... 2) a lot of time spent on the road lately,3) I was being sick (strong tonsilitis that didnt seem to wanna go away despite 7-day antibiotic... [Lire la suite]

We have reached Rasht - the biggest city on the Iranian side of the Capsian Sea - yesterday evening. Rasht is actually 15 km away from the Caspian sea and we will see the long stretch of water only tomorrow when we ride towards the Azerbaidjan border (that we will not cross). The weather here is pleasant and humid, everyhting is green and the altitude (7 meter below sea level) is a change after the 2 nights spent above 2500 meter high in the breathtaking Valley of Assassins (no Assassins met so far by the way Marieanne!). We are... [Lire la suite]

We are now in Turkey and it is grand time for me to update this blog with articles and pictures. Let us start with some pictures of wonderful Ispahan and the Valley of Assassins (ps: you will also find new pictures in the post 'Yazd desert and qanat...' that weren't uploaded before...): On the way to Ispahan, my head is smokin'...                                         The Valley of Assassins... [Lire la suite]

What has become to our souls and bodies the last couple of days? I am sure that it is a question a few of you have asked yourselves although not in these specific terms... :) Well my tonsilitis has finally gone away (after 12 days of antibiotics) : the rest in Rasht was welcome and for sure salvatory for my health. We spent 48 hours there and met Hakim - a young man originately from this city that spent 6 years studying and working in Pune (India) and was missing it so much... He was helping his mother and brothers at the trendy... [Lire la suite]