Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB - Finding Freedom...World Wide Ride

Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB (https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/)

- Ride Tales (https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/ride-tales/)

- - Finding Freedom...World Wide Ride (https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/ride-tales/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride-65365)

Sara hears a loud bang on the last hairpin before the village and her rear shock was blown and spewing oil. From here the route gets very muddy and slick.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4222/3...2bfb47da_b.jpg 18882120_10154513175641003_286731286665561805_n by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4264/3...6e981937_b.jpg 18767408_10154513175941003_7948375987845602755_n by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We did go a bit farther, but when the road got really bad Dan and Sara decided to turn back, make for Zugdidi, and see what they could organize to solve this problem.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4219/3...6ff5c7df_b.jpg Ushguli-15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The ride up from there was the same in reverse, except the back hoe had made the 300 m of the construction even worse with deep churned up dirt. Hitting the pavement we pushed on 2 1/2 hours to our previous quest house, where they luckily had a room.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4226/3...c2ba25d1_b.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-31 at 12.02.17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4246/3...5a374138_b.jpg Ushguli-17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Trevor and Orvar pushed on the last 20 km,. the last 10 were very difficult and the last 2 took an hour. It poured all night, there “guest house” has no heat, no glass in the windows, and by morning no power. They said it was basically an abandoned building. The issue for them now is getting back out. They were able to arrange a transport for their luggage the 45 km to Mestia and this made the very challenging mud road much easier.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4221/3...cae68664_b.jpg 18921637_10154513157881003_815172937658892405_n by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4283/3...10aff7b8_b.jpg 18813958_10154513157486003_4375143727111810557_n by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4274/3...956d34df_b.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-31 at 12.00.56 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Meanwhile we have been trying to find out our options. Wolfgang was at BMW at 730 am, but they do not have an OEM shock in stock, nor do they in Munich, BMW parts centre will not ship the part except to a dealership, and that will not arrive on time. Wolfgang in Hamburg managed to source a shock from YSS (half the price of BMW) and they say they can ship today for arrival Tbilisi 5 days time. We also found HU HUBB a mechanic who will help us out. This leaves us 1 day to get to Yerevan, but pretty much screws up our tour in the east go Georgia and any of Armenia.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4203/3...702a53c1_b.jpg 18816760_1346570742091686_701800026_n by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4236/3...7393c705_b.jpg 18834729_1346504578764969_206780900_n by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

This whole ordeal was made possible by Wolfgang with the help of Thomas at TWOWHEEL suspension shop. That sounds easy, but involved Wolle making many phone calls, driving all over Hamburg, and a lot of frustration. Fed Ex and DHL wanted 350 Euros to ship, but he finally found on line and confirmed with UPS that they would ship for 90 Euros. Problem 1 the first shock Thomas was sent was covered in oil and he checked it and it was faulty…. Get a second shock, tested, good, go back to UPS.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4218/3...559d7221_b.jpg Screen Shot 2017-06-02 at 19.10.33 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4270/3...d0943f12_b.jpg Screen Shot 2017-06-02 at 19.10.07 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4216/3...17239d2c_b.jpg 18870141_1347003018715125_148853950_o by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4271/3...b2f8a2e6_b.jpg 18838406_1346772602071500_648363828_o by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Quote from UPS was for 5 kg…get to UPS is 5.3 kg and now 180 Euros….Very nice lady at UPS says “hmm its 5 kg” and 90 Euros. Wolfgang arranged all the paperwork for the “dangerous” goods transfer and shipping. We all celebrate!!!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4251/3...14f79554_b.jpg 18901390_1346771385404955_1560590826_o by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4215/3...b6d4f15f_b.jpg 18902233_1347968715285222_690949775_n(2) by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Problem 2 -9 pm we all get an email package is blocked as dangerous and they will not ship. Problem 3 UPS calls to say they have now lost the package. Poor Wolfgang up at the crack of dawn again to get a third shock, get Thomas to test it, and then spend all day finding a company that will ship it. Problem 4 TNT says they will ship this third shock as dangerous goods, but they close at 6 pm. At 555 pm while Wolfgang is at TNT he finally gets a call from UPS….the shock was sent, the night guys decided it was ok to send on, but did not document this or change the halt order on the tracking, nor did they inform the other UPS people. So All Wolfgang and Thomas’s work today was in the end for nothing! Luckily they had not shipped the third shock yet! Thanks mail box etc.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4268/3...cbc0ecdd_b.jpg Screen Shot 2017-06-01 at 21.30.31 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4274/3...370047a6_b.jpg 18767636_10154621770587337_7865887831200952723_n by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

While all this is going on we are moving from Zugdidi to Gori staying on the main road to make it easier on my pogo stick. We stopped on the way at a gas station to get an update on wifi, and then arrived to the guest house to find they had no internet due to construction on the system. We walked into town 1.2 km and toured the Stalin museum as Gori is his birthplace. It was a bit weird and they call him a hero and gloss over the bad stuff. We finally found a restaurant with wifi and camped out there for several hours getting updates from Wolle, booked a place in Tbilisi for the next 3 days, planed our route for the next days and confirmed the oil changes. Finally at 8 pm our time we heard the good news that the shock will arrive to Tbilisi on June 6-7 th.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4262/3...b02e5c86_b.jpg 18835773_1348500125232081_9216230674091424723_n by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

This is when we must be in Yerevan Armenia to apply for the Iran visas. Lucky for us Orvar has his already and he also does not need an Armenian visa (ours are single entry) and can stay behind on June 6 when we leave or maybe he will ride back to Tbilisi to pick it up for us. Or if we have no numbers we will wait it out.

We arrived to the hotel and were warmly welcomed. Too warmly as we were plied with Georgian wine and chacha (Georgian hazelnut and honey brandy). So much that we were drunk by 2 pm. We had to get a schwarma and then we were all asleep by 4 pm!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4236/3...111f8daf_b.jpg 18814849_10203483513365403_2177793691995855763_o by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4220/3...04611fd7_b.jpg Omalo & Tblisi-16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4204/3...f9718ddb_b.jpg Omalo & Tblisi-17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Hope you get sorted soon, enjoying armchair travelling with you guys now :-)

Gino & Fiona

Looking at that mud and steering with my butt cheeks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rondelli (Post 565020)

Hope you get sorted soon, enjoying armchair travelling with you guys now :-)

Gino & Fiona

Yes we are! Thanks mostly to our friend Wolfgang in Hamburg who got us the new shock and someone who would ship it. Dan and the mechanic in Tiblisi put it in on Tuesday. Better than the old one for sure!!! Loved your Nepal videos. You two are troopers!! xo Sara

Wolfgang has done a mini blog of the ordeal of the shock!!! Shown how much work he put into this.

We had been contacted in Tiblisi by a Belgian rider Joris who we knew from FB and he was headed to the city with a German rider Ben. They asked for a hotel recommendation and if we were still in the city. So we had an even bigger biker gang at the Hotel Mimino. More Chacha. It was nice to have a kitchen and cook for everyone.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4196/3...59d379ab_b.jpg Tblisis-11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Meanwhile we have been watching the tracking and the package has been in Germany all weekend, but on Monday am it Arrived in Moscow! The first event of the day it to brave the Georgian drivers and get to Pit Stop Moto for oil changes on the 3 BMW’s. Again Georgian drivers are a real challenge. The guys at the shop were great and efficient.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4207/3...27f747e7_z.jpg Screen Shot 2017-06-08 at 17.55.59 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4205/3...7650ce4b_b.jpg Tblisis-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4199/3...aeb7dcdd_b.jpg Tblisi by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We were contacted by Ana from UPS who was super helpful. She flagged the package urgent and said it might be here Tuesday. She also told us that we needed to go to a revenue services office to get a duty exemption form.

We had a small incident with the 650 even though they were being very careful the bike fell from the stand and the ABS sensor was damaged. We did not see this until we were leaving and the RED ! was still on 2 blocks later. We stopped, checked the oil and then returned to the shop. They were very apologetic and the owner very accommodating. They said they would do what ever it took to fix the situation. It is possible to get a Bosch part on eBay from Lithuania, a BMW from Athens, or they were willing to pay us the 150$USD for the part. Nice guys.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4227/3...6dfbe3c7_b.jpg Tblisi-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4241/3...d5c70178_b.jpg Tblisi-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
While we were there 4 Czech guys showed up to buy tires to add to their luggage.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4228/3...9f07f80c_b.jpg Tblisi-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Our mission now is to get to revenue services before 5 pm. The address is 1 Sarajishvili Street (with no other info), but when we went there it was clearly an apartment building at 1 Petre Sarajishvili St, Tbilisi, Georgia. Lucky for us a young guy who lived there stopped to ask us if we needed help. He said the problem is there is 2 streets in the city with the same name and we want the other 1 David Sarajishvili St. He did not know exactly where it was, but marked on the GPS the approximate area and we found it. We dropped on elf the bikes at the hotel since it was on the way. The GPS took us to #2 Sarajisvili, which seems like it should be across the road from #1, but its not. Luckily I had searched it on google and we still had it on my phone so we could see where we were in relation and it is about 800 m away back over the overpass and up a small single lane road where lo and behold in the parking lot of a very run down apartment building was the “Revenue Services” office. The staff was very helpful and since they did not understand what we wanted they called Ana at UPS who sorted it all out for us.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4217/3...5b1b22e2_b.jpg Screen Shot 2017-06-07 at 08.21.03 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4209/3...a646e4db_b.jpg Screen Shot 2017-06-08 at 18.02.45 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4216/3...eb68ef88_b.jpg Tblisis-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4249/3...df44d80a_b.jpg IMG_8664 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Now time to make decisions, should we check out tomorrow or stay again and wait for the shock? The problem was solved as the shock arrived to Tblisi in the morning. We had been told by UPS that we could not go there to pick it up, but had to wait for it to go out for delivery to the shop. Ana was amazing as she arranged for us to go to the depot and get it so off we went. The entire office there was waiting for us and so excited for us! Even the random UPS driver out side wanted a photo with us!
https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4256/3...1e4f64cf_b.jpg Tblisis-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4281/3...4aae7897_b.jpg Tblisis-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4238/3...3d47ddfb_b.jpg Tblisis-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4259/3...3eee394b_b.jpg Tblisis-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Now back to the shop. Iura the mechanic was great he and the team did a fantastic job. They did the install for us gratis after the issue with the speed sensor.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4238/3...50955b0b_b.jpg Tblisi-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The first snag was one of the lower shock bolt was torqued on way too tight and it took some doing to get it off. He managed to borrow a hardened steel driver and a 4 foot long pry bar, but off it came.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4205/3...4c67295f_b.jpg Tblisi-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

It was incredible to see the totally destroyed old shock!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4214/3...1b3fd59e_b.jpg Tblisi-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4289/3...e99b9a2a_b.jpg Tblisi-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4282/3...ddd09411_b.jpg Tblisi-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4276/3...5c797859_b.jpg Tblisi-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Next when they initially tried to seat the new one it did not look like it would fit. The upper frame bolt was in the way, but flipping it around solved the issue and it fit perfectly.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4277/3...223f47b7_b.jpg Tblisi-11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4242/3...842f9198_b.jpg Tblisi-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4284/3...de4d4036_b.jpg Tblisi-13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4211/3...bf46ae71_b.jpg Tblisi-12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

This shock is even lower than the previous and it can be cranked up into the usable range and I can sill touch the ground! This will hopefully prevent the overheating issue. Also we thing the shaft was bent probably last year on the goat path in Albania!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4229/3...9c5a0ffc_b.jpg Tblisi-15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Trevor and Orvar had taken a day ride up to the battle of Didgori monument and then planned to leave for Armenia, but checking there spot they were not back to the hotel yet.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4195/3...8c3c5001_b.jpg 18881750_10154525516356003_4831111584560534843_n by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Photo credit Trevor

Video credit Orvar

https://youtu.be/3XH53O8fVkM

We messaged them and they came by the shop and we now could all head south together. We left the shop at 230 and rode south.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4241/3...c7da6284_z.jpg Screen Shot 2017-06-07 at 15.15.07 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We stopped about 25 km from the border to have one of the best meals we have had in a long time at a small roadside place.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4258/3...8801f4f9_b.jpg Stepanivan by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4215/3...168479c3_b.jpg Stepanivan-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4277/3...d8c34c32_b.jpg Tblisi-16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The border was very civilized and there were very few other vehicles. The first step is to get your exit stamp from Georgia. The agent wants your passport and bike registration.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4270/3...6da8dedb_b.jpg Stepanivan-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4197/3...a6105210_b.jpg Stepanivan-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4263/3...c5248df3_b.jpg Stepanivan-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Next you ride about 1 km to the Armenian border. Here the agent wants your passport and registration and you have to remove your helmet for ID.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4276/3...c458ed66_b.jpg Stepanivan-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4251/3...a8777ee1_b.jpg Stepanivan-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4288/3...9601926a_b.jpg Tblisi-17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Now you ride 200 m to the customs parking. here we were met by the insurance agent who spoke English and directed us where to go. This was nice sine the border guy never told us we even had to go to customs. In customs they also want the passport and registration and fill in a TVIP. This seems a bit stupid, since I checked the VIN on Dan’s , which was correct, but when I said mine had 1 number worn the guy said “ it’s not a problem” and would not fix it….Trevor was last and funny thing was he did not even type in his VIN on the form! Useless paperwork.

Now you check out at the police gate and ride over to the insurance office. It is valid for 10 days and cost 35$US.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4243/3...0139217f_b.jpg Stepanivan-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4278/3...7a3c6d63_b.jpg Stepanivan-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Its now getting late in the day at almost 5 and we have 154 km and 2 1/2 hours to go to get to Sevan. We decided to just see how far we could get and stop at the first decent place. We did make a directional mistake just after the border when the GPS’s did not agree on the direction. The correct one was go left to Noyemberyan, but we went right.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4218/3...7af05e86_z.jpg Screen Shot 2017-06-07 at 07.54.45 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4207/3...0557bc9c_b.jpg Screen Shot 2017-06-07 at 15.18.19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4243/3...5dc7a552_b.jpg Stepanivan-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4261/3...81c0e822_b.jpg Stepanivan-11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4243/3...27389f9e_b.jpg Tblisi-18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4197/3...720cbe34_b.jpg Stepanivan-12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4264/3...3e10f590_b.jpg Tblisi-19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

This was going well on the paved M6 that goes along the deep valley floor until after about 10 km of dirt and construction when a back hoe driver flagged us down to say the road to Sevan was blocked this way. He did mark the waypoint on the GPS for the town where the detour ends and we headed there. This was a back track to a switch back road up the wall of the canyon.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4252/3...0c76868e_z.jpg Screen Shot 2017-06-07 at 07.55.18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4240/3...9288f8d9_b.jpg Stepanivan-13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4214/3...7c78c511_b.jpg Stepanivan-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4210/3...b74da5ec_b.jpg Stepanivan-15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4216/3...92492c51_b.jpg Stepanivan-16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We finally arrived to Stepanavan at 830 pm. This is a biggish town and we made for a hotel listed in the GPS. It was ok, not cheap especially by Armenian standards and a bit Bates like. There was however great parking and a very good restaurant 2 blocks away.

Great to see your sorted, suspension is good!

Enjoyed your interview, interesting stuff

Ride safe and enjoy

Gino & Fiona

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rondelli (Post 565178)

Great to see your sorted, suspension is good!

Enjoyed your interview, interesting stuff

Ride safe and enjoy

Gino & Fiona

Thanks so much. This one so far is way better. I am cranking it up still can get my feet down, Fingers crossed. Dan swapped his stator out AGAIN today with only 30,000 km. At least we have another one and a gasket. Hope this gets us to KL. My sister can bring us another when she meets us in Vietnam in November. *&^!% BMW as i'm sure you agree. Sara

We have a very short 124 km ride today to Sevan on the lake.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4205/3...aae026fb_b.jpg Screen Shot 2017-06-08 at 18.15.53 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4196/3...373575cf_b.jpg Sevan by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The road is pretty patched and totally under construction in the town of Vandzor (which looks a bit post apocalyptic).

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4226/3...13c17eeb_b.jpg Sevan-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4212/3...06ec483d_b.jpg Sevan-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

On the way there we came across a Dutch couple having coffee with a view. We had actually seen them at the Turkish border (second crossing).

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4195/3...0e859deb_b.jpg Armenia-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We stopped in Dilijan at a very modern cafe run by university students for coffee and apple cake.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4223/3...f1fd7e6a_b.jpg Sevan-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4290/3...0d929d8c_b.jpg Tblisis-12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4203/3...6413308e_b.jpg Sevan-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The cabin we had rented for the next 2-3 nights is just past Seven and on the lake for 10 euros each a night including breakfast.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4255/3...7188f51c_b.jpg Sevan-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4203/3...51b77341_b.jpg Armenia-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4229/3...fccb4b31_b.jpg Armenia-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The early day meant we had time for some bike maintenance, laundry , and RR catch up. The GS 911 says that the 800’s charging is not perfect. We swapped out the regulator and no change. Later we started the bike and the voltage meter still showed 13.9 -14, but riding at speed it was up to 14.2. Next we will swap the batteries to see if that is the issue. It is more likely since the stator has only 30,000 km.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4239/3...8bc6679a_h.jpg IMG_8687 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4261/3...783f2e2e_h.jpg IMG_8688 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4266/3...42b14cae_b.jpg Armenia-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

This is a bit of a strange spot. They have 3 tethered Reindeer, an airplane, and a tank on the lawn.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4253/3...67d6bf5a_b.jpg Armenia-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We will also today visit Orbelian's Caravanserai.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4232/3...334122a2bf.jpg Screen Shot 2017-06-09 at 09.09.25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

“It was built in 1332, by prince Chesar Orbelian to accommodate weary travellers and their animals as they crossed from, or into, the mountainous Vayots Dzor region. Located at the southern side of the pass at a height of 2410 meters above sea level, it is the best preserved caravanserai in the country.”

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4233/3...e933a702_b.jpg Orbelian's Caravanserai-12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4221/3...b2e5c580_b.jpg Armenia-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4205/3...63c7c86c_b.jpg Armenia-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4271/3...cde1f26d_b.jpg Armenia-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We passed the a funeral and all of us noted there was not a single woman present.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4252/3...f5ed621a_b.jpg Orbelian's Caravanserai-17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The next small village had 2 shops that sold exactly the same things. There was a group of older gentleman there who were quite interested in us. One of them spoke German as he had been stationed in Berlin for 3 years and so Orvar could speak with him. He was so happy to be asked for a photo and proudly pulled his medals out of a bag in his pocket for the picture.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4284/3...895ac7ef_b.jpg Orbelian's Caravanserai-18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4277/3...64d75909_b.jpg Armenia-12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4251/3...5c886b57_b.jpg Armenia-13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Just at the top of the pass we met another Czech rider headed to Iran with a transit visa for 4 days of riding.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4289/3...4f5f18e2_b.jpg Armenia-16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
We stopped about half way back for some kebab for lunch and bought groceries to make dinner.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4214/3...be4345c6_b.jpg Armenia-17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4244/3...c052116a_b.jpg Armenia-18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Orvar of Sweden's latest video on the ride east.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avcA...&feature=share

Well first man down Trevor has been fighting a cold for a few days. Since it is Friday and we have no news yet from Tehran we decided on another day at the lake to laze about.

Dan’s voltage meter has been below 14.1 for the last few days. he put on the 911 and charging is not optimal. We swapped out the regulator and then the batteries and still looks like the stator. Drag as this one has only 30,000 km. Lucky as we have 2 with us.

We decided to see how it went on the ride out Saturday to Yerevan. It started out at 14.1 and was good all day until the traffic in the capital, it was 39 degrees, and the fan kicked in then it was 12.5. We rode out from Lake Sevan and noted the heavy police presence here. There are speed traps everywhere.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4228/3...488abaaf_b.jpg Screen Shot 2017-06-13 at 14.09.01 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Just before the capital we took a detour up to the Monastery in Geghard. On the way there is a great view of Mount Ararat.

 
https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4264/3...4cdde4ea_b.jpg Armenia-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4277/3...ebd52f2a_b.jpg Armenia-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4244/3...0229a4bc_b.jpg Armenia-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 

It was mobbed with tourists. There were cars and buses everywhere. Daniel kept going thru the mayhem and low and behold the taxi drivers waved us on to park in the shade behind one of their cars. We crammed 4 bikes into a small space.

There have been people worshiping here at the spring since pre Christian times. The Monastery was founded in the 4 th century, there are inscriptions dating from 1160, and the current main church was built in 1215. It is also know as the cave monastery. The spring still flows and the faithful fill of with bottles of the hole water.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4222/3...2060847c_b.jpg Armenia-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4287/3...0ab7f013_b.jpg Armenia-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4215/3...08cdfd2c_b.jpg Armenia-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4253/3...5a283cf4_b.jpg Armenia-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4283/3...62622787_b.jpg Armenia-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4284/3...95089efa_b.jpg Armenia-11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Looking good guys, nice pics!! You have the sun as well, whats not to like. Get that stator changed Dan it wont fix itself :thumbup1:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rondelli (Post 565369)

Looking good guys, nice pics!! You have the sun as well, whats not to like. Get that stator changed Dan it wont fix itself :thumbup1:

I'm behind in the blog my friend....Its done and 14.1 all day long.... Damn BMW. We have 1 left for me and we will get my sister to bring another to Vietnam in November. SP

NEWS FLASH

The pain and stress is finally over we will pick up our Iran visas in the morning. This makes us 5 days late to enter and now our 20 days is only 15, but at least we are in! This means a very long (10 +) hour day tomorrow to get from Yerevan, Armenia to Tabriz, Iran.....We may be off line not sure if we will be able to access ADV in Iran. Wish us luck!!

SARA & DAN

Good luck! 10 hours on tarmac, easy peasy:innocent:

Back down the road we detoured to Garni to see the Garni Temple.

“It is the best-known structure and symbol of pre-Christian Armenia. It is the only standing Greco-Roman colonnaded building in Armenia and the former Soviet Union.

The structure was probably built by king Tiridates I in the first century AD as a temple to the sun god Mihr. After Armenia's conversion to Christianity in the early fourth century, it was converted into a royal summer house of Khosrovidukht, the sister of Tiridates III. According to some scholars it was not a temple but a tomb and thus survived the universal destruction of pagan structures. It collapsed in a 1679 earthquake. Renewed interest in the 19th century led to excavations at the site in early and mid-20th century and its eventual reconstruction between 1969 and 1975. It is one of the main tourist attractions in Armenia and the central shrine of Armenian neopaganism."

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4227/3...12554a10_b.jpg Armenia-12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4265/3...e0d5ebc8_b.jpg Armenia-13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4257/3...a1f9089c_b.jpg Armenia-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The second issue of the day (will it never end) I noticed on the way down from Garni some hesitation with the gas. Initially I though bad gas or issue with fuel pump…. But it was super hot and my Beemer buddy grip pad was ? slipping ( I had not glued it on yet as I'm undecided about keeping them yet). We were in a bit of traffic and the issue seemed to be getting more frequent until the bike died. I could not restart it. Luckily i was going at least 50 and on a hill and could merge over 2 lanes to the side. Bike restarted, good gas with throttle, we took off grip pad, then off we go…no died as soon as put in first. Orvar had 1 later of gas from his stove so we put that in. Problem "solved". We had bought gas on the way to the pass and there was some issue with the pump to see the caravanserai. We wonder if there was water in the gas or the station tank was low. I have had this issue before with bad gas under 1/4 tank in Bolivia too. Lets hope this is all it it. If it is the fuel pump at least we have one with us.

Well now it is 3 pm and 38 degrees and we have abandoned the plan to go to one more sight today and we will retreat to the hostel. The gas issue happened about 2 km from the “Villa Rosa” and I managed to get there without issue with new gas. Dan’s stator was another issue. We arrived and had great shaded parking for the bikes, but the hostel leaves a bit to be desired. The Kitchen is used by backpackers and we can not even consider sharing this space UGH! The water is boiling then freezing, but at least the rooms are clean and the wifi good.

Dan was up at 630 while it was still only 25 degrees and swapped the stator out….charge 14.1! The rest of us rose after 10 and are cowering in the shade. It was obviously toasted!!!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4242/3...75570ffe_b.jpg Armenia-28 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We walked into the city again about 2 and did a bit more wandering about. Had to make a stop at the famous Grand candy! We managed to sort out the metro and took that home for 100 D (30 cents). Arriving home the Swede had dinner ready for us!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4209/3...9c468c3b_b.jpg Armenia-30 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4227/3...ee219700_b.jpg Armenia-31 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4268/3...9fa165e6_b.jpg Armenia-29 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4279/3...627598fd_b.jpg Armenia-32 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4247/3...6dcc42b9_b.jpg Armenia-33 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4212/3...3e0224b4_b.jpg Armenia by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We awoke Monday morning to an email sent at 2 am that our actuation numbers had been issued. This means we will try for visas today.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4227/3...2b51908a_b.jpg Armenia-35 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4197/3...ee771d18_b.jpg Armenia-34 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We took a taxi to the embassy for 700 D (2.40/can $) at 11 am, but they said to come back between 2 and 4. ( The hours on line say it is open 9-5, but we had read reports that the hours are really M/W/F 2-4 and yes it is). Taxi back 800D to the hostel. Taxi back to the embassy 1000D. We arrived at 145 and rang the bell at 2 “go around to the left door”. We were met by a very friendly man, passed thru the beeping metal detector, and “took a ticket” even though we were the only ones there. Trevor went first and after 20 minutes the very nice lady told us that yes these were valid Visa grants, but our names were not on the printed list she had. “come back on Wednesday. Later we found that everyone who was issued a number that day had the same issue.

We had last night already booked an apartment for Monday night to Wednesday since we did not think we would hear from Tehran. We were prepared to eat the fee and just go south today, but we are happy now to have a place. It is 3 pm and 34 degrees. The apartment we rented had GPS coords and the pin on Bookings was in that spot. The apartment however was not. The street address name is the same as the neighbourhood name. 4 different people we asked had no idea where #17 is. After driving around for 30 min we stopped and asked a taxi driver to call for us. Even with instructions this guys drove in circles for 30 minutes until he made a second call and the renter met us up the road. The renter was a bit of a jerk and refused to admit his address and GPS on booking are incorrect. The place is 3 streets over to the east. These “streets” are steep and narrow. That said it was a very nice place.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4215/3...d3653931_b.jpg Screen Shot 2017-06-12 at 17.56.04 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We settled and and Trevor went shopping for beer and made us Indian food. The first thing we did was get all the suits in the washing machine! This is time consuming since the cycles are so long!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4284/3...4c5267d3_b.jpg Armenia-36 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4281/3...7eaf4dd4_b.jpg Armenia-37 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4279/...49f0e9da_b.jpg Yerevan-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4206/...619c54a7_b.jpg Yerevan-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Just after 2100 a huge black cloud rolled in and it started pouring. Then we heard this incredible noise and that was a huge wave of hail the side of walnuts.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4119/...434d5be7_b.jpg IMG_8759 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4052/...50fa2897_b.jpg IMG_8761 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

When we came out to the bikes at the apartment this morning there was a card from a local moto shop put there by a friend of the owner. Moto Shop Armenia. You will not find them on a google search for shops or service. On map.me they come up as an apparel shop. They do have a FB page. They offer service and sales of gear and oil. They had Motul chain lube and so we were all very happy.

Today is a hurry up and wait day we had big plans to go 25 km to the Church built in 301 AD. But as the day got hotter we got lazier.
Dan and Orvar had been given the name of a tour company here in Yerevan that might have tires. Thanks Trevor Angel for the lead. Orvar wants to put on a street tire to save the Heidenau tread. They have a tour company, but have a full service centre, shop, and tire service. Dreamriders Armenia.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4230/...0456200a_b.jpg Dream Riders Armenia by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Meanwhile Sara walked 2 km in the heat to find groceries for a pork dinner before we go to Iran!!
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4236/...d7f2d022_b.jpg Armenia-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Well after another 2 days of waiting here in Yerevan tensions are running high. Orvar has waited for us long enough and he is headed south today so at least he can see something of this country. He will ride to Tatev and visit the Monastery in the morning.

The 3 Canadian rode up to Moto Shop, which is 3 blocks from the embassy and they were kind enough to let us leave our gear inside and they covered the bikes up to shade them for the 36 degree heat. This way we could be more respectable to go to the Iran Embassy.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4286/...e03e5930_b.jpg Armenia-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We made sure we were there early as we needed to be first if there was any chance to get the visas today. From the number of people who where there Monday we could not change it. We were first and the nice lady recognized us from the last time. She processed the papers and then said “ the consul is not in today, they are only open m/w//f 2-4, this Friday is a holiday so …Monday 5 more days for pick up!! AGH!! Then she said if we could get to the bank today and return she would see what she could do. OK RUN! Outside we rushed 1 block up to the main road a flagged a cab. he knew where the “Iran bank” was and agreed to take us pronto, wait, and return. We got in at 1424 and had to go across the city to the bank. Arriving there we took a number, but there was a dozen people waiting. We had some good fortune as the “cash payments” teller then arrived back form lunch and served us right away.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4256/...2d7194d8_b.jpg Border to Tabriz-26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We were back in the cab headed north at 1451 and back at he embassy to get a number at 1510. Big tip for the cabbie! She was surprised how fast we were, made a call, and said the consul agreed to do the visas and we could pick them up in the morning even though the visa office for foreigners is not open on Thursdays, It is closed this week on Friday for a holiday and then is not open again until Monday! She said to come at 11. That will be a week later that we planned. Hallelujah! That will mean a very big day for us tomorrow 10 hours riding (plus the border) to Tabriz, Iran to keep to are very truncated and adjusted schedule that has gone from 20 days to 14. We sent a message to Orvar that we would meet him the border and to the guide that we were finally coming.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4231/...ed1a5d78_b.jpg Border to Tabriz-23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4216/...5e78a2c7_b.jpg Border to Tabriz-24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We had found a hotel also on the park and walked over to check in before going back to the Moto shop for the bikes. It was a fantastic evening and we went for a long walk. The streets were packed with people. We stopped in for a little “Greek” fast food.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4261/...1aeddf76_b.jpg Yerevan-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4265/...ea499691_b.jpg Yerevan-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4259/...269c65f0_b.jpg Yerevan-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4258/...39c06967_b.jpg Yerevan-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4212/...4e5f49d5_b.jpg Yerevan-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Tradition bread baked in a clay oven

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4284/...80b0b640_b.jpg Yerevan-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4282/...2f67e279_b.jpg Yerevan-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We were all up early the stress is really been rough. We walked over to the grocery store to stock up so we could make only gas and WC stops today. Sara went over to get the passports at 10 15 when the office opened. The guard made a call and said come back at 2-4! I said but she said come at 11… So he said then come at 11! At 11 i arrived and took a number 40 minutes later the same women came out and called me to the desk. She said I only have 2 visas and the computer is not working. She said wait another 20 minutes until she leaves for lunch to see if it is working. Trevor and I had visas, but Daniel did not. At 12 she said there was no luck and I lost it and started to bawl from the 2 weeks of stress, all the set backs, the possibility of having to go to Azerbaijan and get the “ferry” from Baku, being so close, now having to wait 4 more days in Armenia and have basically just enough time to transit Iran I had finally had it. That must have done the trick as when I asked if I could come again at 2 she agreed. Messages sent again to update everyone of the delay.

Going out to tell the guys was no fun. They were all packed and ready. Well at least there is a good cafe with wifi in the park outside the embassy. At 2 I went to the embassy and rang the front door bell (the visa office is on the left side). The person who answered said “ the visa office is closed come back on Monday!” Trying to keep calm I said “ I am the Canadian for the visa and was told to come at 2” and I was directed to the side door. Eventually the guard opened it after 220 and he let me in. I took a seat and waited just after 230 one of the embassy staff showed up with Dan’s passport with a visa. YEAH. Now we are finally ready to get out of here. Update everyone again on the new ETA.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4280/...ac09c154_z.jpg Screen Shot 2017-06-20 at 15.57.04 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4075/...af5e922a_b.jpg Screen Shot 2017-06-20 at 16.05.06 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We arrived to the border at dark and there is no signage. There is a gate that looks like the entry to Armenia from Iran, but it is actually the exit as well. Here you hand over you passport, which they look at and then send you on another 500 m.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4207/...4be4e899_b.jpg Border to Tabriz-21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Again there is no signage, but you come to a large building and the exit is on the right. Pull past the booths and park. Then you go inside to the customs office with your passport and TVIP, which they stamp and sign. The agent then comes out, takes your TVIP and checks your plate number. You are then directed to the gate. Here the agent Opens the gate and asks to see your passport and checks the photo (with a flashlight). Here they send you another 400 m to a small shack. They want to see your passport, vehicle registration, and Armenian visa to get your exit stamp. All was going well until Daniel’s turn when they found that the Iran embassy had stuck the Iran visa onto the Armenia entry stamp. It is a faint yellow colour nearly impossible to see. They could see part of it. The officer and Dan walked back the 500 m to the first office to discuss the issue. 20 minutes later he was back and they decided to let him go once they checked the bike. Getting out of Armenia moderate challenge and took almost an hour so its 10 pm except its 1030 pm in Iran.

There is no lighting at all on the Armenian side, but once you cross “the border bridge to Iran” it is all lit up. Just after the bridge is the police check. They look at your passport and then tell you to walk 100 m up to the office where a second officer looks at your passport. He sends you into passport control. Here we also met up with Reza our compulsory guide for the next 2 weeks. He said he did not see Orvar at the border earlier, but he thinks he passed him on the road.

We finally got a passport stamp and headed back to Police officer #2 and he checked the stamp and directs you back to the bikes and to ride thru the gate “pointing somewhere over there”. You ride about 300 m and past the decontamination chamber and a guard waved us to stop. They were very friendly here and helpful. The customs officer asked for our passports and Carnet de Passage and he entered these in the computer. He walked us over to the boss to discuss the Carnets’ The boss said immediately “ you are the 3 fiends of Orvar”! They did the paperwork very quickly and then wanted photos. They did not look at any of the luggage and only ask if we had any liquor. I said “ of course not we are in Iran” big laughs.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4241/...551dba22_b.jpg Border to Tabriz-27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4251/...c3381e0a_b.jpg Iran by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Now to get some money since we can not access currency inside Iran. The rate here was very favourable and for 200 USD we got over 7.6 million Rials. One last stop for a passport check at the exit gate.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4229/...b6dc6abf_b.jpg Border to Tabriz-28 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

It is now 1130 pm and we have 255 km to go to get to Tabriz. Most of the way is on a narrow windy road, but it is in good condition. Still a challenge at midnight after such a long day.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4280/...ac09c154_z.jpg Screen Shot 2017-06-20 at 15.57.04 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4056/...2f39f995_b.jpg Screen Shot 2017-07-02 at 18.19.53 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We stopped 35 km from Jolfa for something to eat, but this turned out to be 4 whole grilled fish!

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4258/...b77055d0_b.jpg Screen Shot 2017-06-21 at 18.06.17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4217/...5d85a59c_b.jpg Iran-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4277/...875d23e3_b.jpg Iran-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

About 1 am we are eating and messaged Orvar to see where he is… Jolfa. We asked him to get up and we will pick him up in an hour….no reply. We figured he read the mail and then said no way and went to bed. So when we dropped by his hotel just of the road we were very surprised that there was the bike all packed up. Now we are 4 tired bikers and the guide in his car at 200 am. We still have 2 hours to the hotel in Tabriz. 30 km from the city we finally found an open fuel station to fill up before one of us ran out of gas.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4237/...15cb2a94_b.jpg Border to Tabriz-29 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

4 hours of sleep is not enough after such a long ride. We had also not set the phone ahead and did not long onto wifi and so we were already 30 min late getting up. We scarfed down some breakfast and rushed down to the parking to find the guys packed up of course.

As an aside this whole women must have their hair covered thing is quite daunting. You can not leave your room without ankles, elbows, and head and neck covered. I am more careful of this when in regular clothes, but when out riding i just pull my buff over my hair and call it a day.

We headed out of Tabriz for our first view of Iran in day light. The plan is was originally to ride 10 hours and 664 km to the coast of the Caspian at Chalus, but after yesterday and 4 hours of sleep we shortened this to 5 hours and 310 km to Astara.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4289/...7243c116_b.jpg Screen Shot 2017-06-20 at 16.11.10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

This meant the travel agent changing the hotel for us…We went east on the toll road and then off on the secondary roads. The traffic was a bit of mayhem in the towns. There are no rules, there are always more lanes of cars then lanes, and they turn right from the left lane and left from the right lane infront of you. When in the one “left turn lane” there may be 3-4 rows deep and any of them could actually be making a U turn into you as well.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4206/...21a0b230_b.jpg Astana by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We stopped at a butcher to pick up some meat for a BBQ dinner we had been invited to. While parked we were mobbed with people welcoming us and wanting photos with us.

The invitation was from (old) Hussein. The story is that old Hussein is the original man who has been booking tours and arranging Carnet free riding here. He is in the Lonely Planet apparently. His identity has been “stolen” by (young) Hussein who has tried to pass himself off as the Hussein. The younger even has called his company almost the same name as the older he just switched the word order. We had actually booked with the younger and he did arrange for our LOI for Turkmenistan and for our actuation numbers and we did eventually get into both of those countries. Friends had used the older and did not. That said the younger is just a fixer and not a registered guide or travel agent, which he says he is. He charges a lot of money for work others actually do. We would recommend you book with a registered guide if you need one and they will contract the hotel booking to a travel agent.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4259/...3fa5ed79_b.jpg Astana-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4212/...c3437868_b.jpg Astana-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4242/...dff2e65f_b.jpg Astana-22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4251/...1ff10573_b.jpg Iran-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4290/...7a0eb485_b.jpg Astana-23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4248/...b654e820_b.jpg Iran-11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We crossed the plains here and it is dry and mostly flat as far as you can see. Many of the cars that pass us are waving and honking. Sara attracts a lot of attention as they never see a woman riding a moto. She had one super fan who followed (too close) for over 10 km.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4284/...ed682ae4_b.jpg Astana-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4277/...b445a623_b.jpg Astana-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4256/...b1520bf0_b.jpg Astana-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We resorted to putting stickers and a yellow dry bag in the guides car so we could spot him from a distance.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4285/...3d55d864_b.jpg Astana-12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4217/...ed060fd6_b.jpg Astana-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Heading up over the mountains we were in the clouds. There is only 1 road and it is a single line of cars and trucks. People are passing at high speed. There are hundreds of local picnicking at the side of the road, under the clouds, and surrounded by trash. Not very appealing to us.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4231/...a3a2a582_b.jpg Screen Shot 2017-06-20 at 16.11.32 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4206/...283d4a55_b.jpg Astana-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4279/...2284422f_b.jpg Astana-16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

12 km before the hotel we were invited to the home of a friend of the guide better known and Old Hussein a famous guide here. We had a kebab meal on the lawn.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4282/...dc9c2969_b.jpg Iran-12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4255/...23127f2f_b.jpg Iran-13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4218/...30de657a_b.jpg Iran-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4206/...df9dd9fd_b.jpg Iran-15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The “hotel” was a bit sketchy. The lobby was a construction site and they have a car repair shop in the parkade. There is no wifi of course. The rooms looked like they were once apartments. The bedroom was sparse, but clean. The living room dusty and mildewed. The bathroom a squat loo and the “shower in the room” type we particularly hate. Who thinks a shower directly into the bathroom is a good idea? Well at least there was hot water and air con.

This evening it is drizzling, but we walked out for some tea and a tour of the local Bazaar. The guys stopped for shaves and hair cuts. Here i bought a Manteau, which is basically a longish garment that you can wear over your clothes to adhere to the dress code. The guys were hungry so we got some falafel.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4210/...7d54f70a_b.jpg Iran-18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4195/...9f0e83a8_b.jpg Iran-19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4204/...b9e82fb9_b.jpg Iran-20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4260/...6fc969d1_b.jpg Iran-16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4218/...50e3a441_b.jpg Iran-17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4257/...1416a965_b.jpg Iran-21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The closer we got to the city the worse the traffic and the driving. We were very overheated and stopped for some shade, rest, and lemonade. We had lots of people coming up to talk to us and get photos. One guy came up to me and said hi and when i said hi he said “ wow you are a woman!!”
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4289/...37e90959_b.jpg Tehran-22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

40 km from Tehran it was game on and you had to concentrate very well. Many drivers hug the line on your side or straddle the line. There are often no white lines and thus more “lanes” of cars than lanes. They exit and enter the highway from the left and the right at high speed and merge between the bikes. We were then stopped just after a toll by the police and luckily the guide had all the necessary paperwork for us. This extra security is related to the recent ISIS attacks. All he wanted was to see our passports.

In the city itself it is a free for all. They mostly stop for red lights except pedestrians and scooters. The rounds about are a free formal as there is no centre core and bikes, people, and scooters are going every way at once. The cars from the right try to block the box and you have to push into the intersection all the while trying not to get hit and avoiding the people who run out in front of you or the scooter that cuts you off.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4211/...8821e05e_b.jpg Tehran-17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4205/...4e0585e2_b.jpg 35696219075_ef5ea1477a_o by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

"Big" bikes are illegal here so that means no tolls!!

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4139/...b180ac4a_b.jpg 34855422744_c7e6a1753f_o by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

All this at 37 degrees. The last gas we got was poor and both the 800 sound terrible. The 650 cut out twice and we let it have a rest at the monument to Tehran. The fuel pump may be the issue and we have one. It may just be the heat and bad gas.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4029/...b4b21959_b.jpg 34855405274_65a2631f4a_o by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4124/...fd53332d_b.jpg 35657048926_2f4d8f11bb_o by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4232/...bef86913_b.jpg Bumot in Tehran by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4245/...099c6595_b.jpg Iran-27 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.jpg Iran-30 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4277/...b44c2c1a_b.jpg Iran-33 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4195/...59d40a0d_b.jpg Iran-31 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4257/...9fe49643_b.jpg Iran-32 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4214/...3c2de56f_b.jpg Iran-34 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4201/...97f67248_b.jpg Tehran-3 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.jpg Tehran-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4260/...e3e5b812_b.jpg Iran-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4060/...7065f0be_b.jpg Iran-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4209/...9a708a05_b.jpg Iran-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4064/...e17f41ac_b.jpg Iran-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.jpg Tehran-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.jpg Tehran-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4234/...2e01283c_b.jpg Tehran-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4213/...99c0dea0_b.jpg Tehran-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4209/...b35b3b6f_b.jpg Tehran-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.jpg Esfahan-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.jpg Iran-11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4059/...f85e890a_b.jpg Iran-12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4100/...ec4b85f3_b.jpg Iran-13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4255/...687f1417_b.jpg Iran-17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4210/...580caa5a_b.jpg Iran-18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4281/...c618059a_b.jpg Iran-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4233/...72453548_b.jpg Iran-16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4290/...d0cfbbeb_b.jpg Iran-15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4206/...2b4477be_b.jpg Iran-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4128/...e4b4fe2a_b.jpg Iran-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.jpg Screen Shot 2017-06-21 at 17.17.06 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4002/...ff32a435_o.png Screen 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.jpg Esfahan by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4209/...5597d81d_b.jpg Esfahan-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.jpg Esfahan-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4266/...45aac5f2_b.jpg Esfahan-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4288/...aa36de10_b.jpg Iran-21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4046/...6872529a_b.jpg Iran-22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4232/...674b8f6f_b.jpg Iran-23 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.jpg Esfahan-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4265/...66705d5b_b.jpg Esfahan-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.jpg 35588390851_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.jpg Iran-35 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4217/...7314b87e_b.jpg Iran-36 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4111/...6e8cce83_b.jpg Iran-37 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4278/...57745980_b.jpg Iran-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.jpg Iran-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.jpg Esfahan-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4250/...ec286d86_b.jpg Esfahan-19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4266/...15cb5d59_b.jpg Esfahan-18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4209/...96c95184_b.jpg Esfahan-11 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.jpg Esfahan-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.jpg Esfahan-24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4238/...c0183504_b.jpg Esfahan-25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4260/...83282ef1_b.jpg Esfahan-26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4265/...6144eb40_b.jpg Esfahan-27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4208/...03665139_b.jpg Esfahan-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.jpg Esfahan-30 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4208/...18a16e8c_b.jpg Esfahan-31 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4232/...d44366b8_b.jpg Esfahan-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.jpg Iran-40 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Next we sat by the fountain for some photos and met several very nice families.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4029/...65b666e9_b.jpg Iran-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Dan got up at 520 for some sunrise shots in the square. The rest of us were up at 630 to pack the bikes and bring them around from the parking. We had breakfast and were out the door at 745.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4243/...dc8f58c4_b.jpg Esfahan-17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr