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Arriving to the hotel they had a great enclosed courtyard for the parking and the standard was much better.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4285/...2c1c9542_b.jpgTehran-18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4213/...e320b4e7_b.jpgTehran-20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4280/...06e4364c_b.jpgTehran-24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr In case you were wondering where Mecca is? https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4243/...018b8879_b.jpgTehran-11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We have had an ongoing issue with the “guide” service (young) Hussein…(not Old Hussein or Kurdish Hussein) He is we find out just a middle man. He is not a licensed guide and he is not a travel agent. His communication is slow, because he has to contact others to get answers. Who ever he used to get the Turkmenistan LOI did a good job and as well the timing of the application for the accusation number after the election. We got visas whereas others did not. The problem now is we revised the tour with him from 16 days to 12 and this was before the visas went thru. He then said he would then book a guide and the hotels. He had yet to adjust the cost however. The poor guide Reza is caught in the middle, but he agrees with us. In future I would advise USA, Canadian, and UK riders contact an authorized guide directly. They work directly with a travel agent. (Young) Hussein has charged a lot of extra money for doing essentially nothing.
Tonight we went out after 8 when it was cooler and had some traditional Ramada fast noodle soup and and then of course kebab. Me in “the garb”. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4229/...6a98368a_b.jpgIran-30 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4277/...b44c2c1a_b.jpgIran-33 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4195/...59d40a0d_b.jpgIran-31 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4257/...9fe49643_b.jpgIran-32 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4214/...3c2de56f_b.jpgIran-34 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4201/...97f67248_b.jpgTehran-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
It is very hot today here in Tehran. We took the metro down to the city centre for .50$ each. It is very modern and air conditioned.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4260/...f3ebc6ed_b.jpgIran-35 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4281/...7ac90b41_b.jpgIran-36 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4199/...0ba95746_b.jpgIran-37 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr The core is closed to cars after the ISIS attacks last week. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4289/...7773c453_b.jpgIran-38 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4277/...b8ded6ec_b.jpgIran-39 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4259/...afc224a0_b.jpgIran-40 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4210/...b73ba991_b.jpgIran-42 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We then walked to the Bazaar. Here we bought some fruits and nuts and had to sneak them as if not we got some dirty look for eating in public during the day in Ramadan.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4260/...f956daf9_b.jpgTehran-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4260/...e3e5b812_b.jpgIran-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4060/...7065f0be_b.jpgIran-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4209/...9a708a05_b.jpgIran-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4064/...e17f41ac_b.jpgIran-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Then we had a long hot walk to the Jewelry museum. This is basically a vault in the basement of the National bank that is full of the ceremonial jewels of the rulers of Iran. This includes thousands of precious and semiprecious stones, gold, and art works. They have the largest pink diamond in the world, 3 black, and one red diamond. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4248/...374397a1_b.jpgTehran-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We took the metro back to the hotel, which is also nearby the former USA embassy with the famous wall graffiti.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4238/...ba43a3c7_b.jpgTehran-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4234/...2e01283c_b.jpgTehran-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4213/...99c0dea0_b.jpgTehran-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4209/...b35b3b6f_b.jpgTehran-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Orvar feels his rear tire will not make it to Russia and he managed to find a decent street one here and we will mount it in Isfahan so he can save the Heidenau for later. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4287/...44058e48_b.jpgEsfahan-20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Tonight we are driving about 45 minutes up into the hills to experience the Darband region.
“Darband, formerly a village close to Tajrish, Shemiran, is a neighbourhood inside Tehran's metropolitan limits. It is the beginning of a popular hiking trail into Mount Tochal, which towers over Tehran. A chairlift is also available for those not interested in hiking. The Persian term darband translates to "door of the mountain". The initial start of the trail at Darband is about 250 metres long and is dotted with a number of small cafes and restaurants. These are quite popular and are busy in the evenings, as locals and tourists alike visit the many hooka lounges along the trail.” This is packed with people strolling, eating street foods, and in restaurants. We picked a traditional one with bench seats and ordered Abgoosht, which is a dish cooked in a clay pot with tomatoes, beans, meat and potatoes. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4257/...175ec578_b.jpgIran-11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4059/...f85e890a_b.jpgIran-12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4100/...ec4b85f3_b.jpgIran-13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4255/...687f1417_b.jpgIran-17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4210/...580caa5a_b.jpgIran-18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4281/...c618059a_b.jpgIran-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4233/...72453548_b.jpgIran-16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4290/...d0cfbbeb_b.jpgIran-15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4206/...2b4477be_b.jpgIran-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4128/...e4b4fe2a_b.jpgIran-19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Today we are headed south on the Gulf Coast highway to Esfahan 462 km away.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4015/...da401701_z.jpgScreen Shot 2017-06-21 at 17.17.06 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4002/...ff32a435_o.pngScreen Shot 2017-06-20 at 16.01.13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Step one get out of the city, which is much easier than getting in as the highway is only about 3-4 km away. We needed to meet the guide on the street and then fend off all the people who wanted photos so we could get moving. Having a guide is still a challenge for us. We have managed to get him to let us lead and he follows on the highway. We also have convinced him not to weave in and out of traffic in the city. Reza "don't change lanes because even if you do we will not and you will have to wait for us anyway". https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4208/...20271548_b.jpgEsfahan by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4209/...5597d81d_b.jpgEsfahan-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We were very quickly in the desert and the heat, but this morning it was only 28-30 initially. This means you must stop at least every hour for shade and re-hydration. This usually draws a crowd.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4289/...6a51d555_b.jpgEsfahan-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4266/...45aac5f2_b.jpgEsfahan-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4288/...aa36de10_b.jpgIran-21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4046/...6872529a_b.jpgIran-22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4232/...674b8f6f_b.jpgIran-23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We made a detour in Kashan to see the famous and more than 800 year old Agha Bozorg Mosque.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4218/...564c1656_b.jpgEsfahan-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4263/...c91b0617_b.jpgEsfahan-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4261/...4ddf57a8_b.jpgIran-24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4104/...2b0b6f4b_b.jpgIran-25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4101/...1cbe29bc_b.jpgIran-26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4037/...e952af69_b.jpgIran-27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4014/...c92df4ef_b.jpgIran-29 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4119/...2ef3de52_b.jpgIran-30 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The 650 had been acting up a bit again the last 2 days with hiccups, poor power, and i noticed the voltage meter was reading 14.1 instead of the usual 14.3. Leaving Kashan the hiccups became very frequent. When we pulled over to vent the tank the gas exploded out and was very hot. Lucky in the desert and with the 43 degree heat we were pulled over by a fir tree farm where we could get some shade.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4266/...96bd5865_b.jpgEsfahan-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4265/...66705d5b_b.jpgEsfahan-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Initially we hooked up the GS 911and there were no fault codes. We noted that with the last software update several functions are no longer available…like checking the fuel pump or injectors. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4310/...a17fa4a9_b.jpg35588390851_0cb55f2597_o by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Step one removed side panel and vent system. Not blocked proximally, but blocked distally. Under the seat we could see it was pinched under the frame. This done there was venting, but the bike still would not run very long. We had sent Trevor for cold fresh gas and this did not work. So fuel pump it is. Dan is smart and we happen to have one, We moved the bike to a better spot with more shade and swapped out the pump. Now Lulu is back to her old self no issues, voltage of 14.3, and lots of power. The kinked exhaust line had killed the pump trying to suck gas in a vacuum and this had drawn too much power as well. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4053/...7011907d_b.jpgIran-35 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4217/...7314b87e_b.jpgIran-36 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4111/...6e8cce83_b.jpgIran-37 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4278/...57745980_b.jpgIran-39 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Our guide Reza so happy as he did not think Dan could fix the bike himself!! https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4285/...6cd5cec3_b.jpgIran-38 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
That wasted 90 minutes and means we will no take the planned side trip to Abeyeh “traditional mud” village as it is a 60 km detour and now must go direct to Esfahan, It is another 165 km from here thru the desert. For got to mention that motorcycles and not allowed on the highway, but no one cared, and the tolls are then of course free. In fact the law here says that big bikes can only be driven on Fridays for 3 hours and it is against the law for women to drive motorcycles of any kind. We did see one woman riding a scooter near Tehran.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4238/...90a6ce28_b.jpgEsfahan-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4250/...ec286d86_b.jpgEsfahan-19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4266/...15cb5d59_b.jpgEsfahan-18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4209/...96c95184_b.jpgEsfahan-11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
It was very hot today, but it has dropped to a much more tolerable 36. The ride into the city was pretty civilized. In general the drivers here are much better.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4281/...2afd6fae_b.jpgEsfahan-12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4264/...a908ec10_b.jpgEsfahan-13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4238/...cd90338d_b.jpgEsfahan-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4206/...802a48e7_b.jpgEsfahan-15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4230/...ae9236dc_b.jpgEsfahan-16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Breezing thru the toll booths is nice. The roads here are mostly 4 lane straight highways thru the desert. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4216/...b9561c6e_b.jpgEsfahan-17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4241/...29b300bf_b.jpgEsfahan-18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4261/...fdce45bf_b.jpgEsfahan-20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4284/...b0cb256f_b.jpgEsfahan by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4212/...b44cb411_b.jpgEsfahan-22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We led the guide to the hotel as Trevor and Dan had it in the GPS and we thought this was faster then him stopping to ask directions all the time. At one intersection I thought this woman was trying to cut Trevor off, but she was offering him a huge piece of traditional fruit leather. When he said no thanks she said please take it and he did! He had to stuff this big thing in his pocket before the light changed. Arriving we were warmly greeted by Maria and served cold juice. Iranians are very hospitable people!
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4290/...a1a614e1_b.jpgEsfahan-21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr We gave Reza the night off and we ate at the hotel’s roof top restaurant. After dinner it was much cooler and we walked to the main square. It was packed with families and lots of the kids came up to talk with us and practice their English. The mosque is beautifully reflected in the pools. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4261/...673a42c7_b.jpgEsfahan-24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4238/...c0183504_b.jpgEsfahan-25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4260/...83282ef1_b.jpgEsfahan-26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4265/...6144eb40_b.jpgEsfahan-27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4208/...03665139_b.jpgEsfahan-29 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Today we slept in a bit while Orvar took off his wheel so we could take it to a shop to swap out the tire. A great deal for 6 $.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4240/...621b71f3_b.jpgEsfahan-30 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4208/...18a16e8c_b.jpgEsfahan-31 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4232/...d44366b8_b.jpgEsfahan-37 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Nice to have Reza’s car. This was convenient as well as we spotted a Bosch dealer and went in to buy another fuel pump. They had 2 viable options, but Dan decided to do some more research and ended up buying a pump in Shiraz for 15$. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4018/...c8358c26_b.jpgIran-40 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
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