So we have made it into Iran and, as it happens, are already half way through our expensive 30-day visa (touch-wood, we may be able to extend it).We are in Qom, a holy city with a big holy shrine and – like all Iranian cities it would appear – filled with people shouting:
“Hello!”
“Welcome!”
“Where are you from!?”
“I LOVE you!”
Iran is a fascinating place to be and it is great to be able to speak to the people who populate a country all too often in the news for the wrong reasons. Many are all too aware of this fact and we are constantly asked:
“What did you think of Iran before you came? And what do you think of it now?”
The subtext is clear: we know we get a bad press but I hope you can see we are good people.
Our answer is always the same though: we know plenty of people who have travelled in Iran and they all told us the same thing, that Iran is a wonderful country and the hospitality unprecedented. Our experiences have only confirmed that.
By way of timely example, just yesterday a truck driver pulled over to talk to us and ended up inviting us to his home, 50km away. He drove his truck to Tehran, 200km away, then drove a car all the way back to his home town that evening just to host us. His family welcomed us like heroes, and have been stuffing us full of food at every opportunity since and spent today taking us around the local attractions.
Less good is the return of winter. Or, more realistically, the continuation of winter. I had just convinced myself that the two or three mild days were a sign of an early spring in Iran but we have since had some of the bitterest weather of the trip: a cruelly biting wind that leaves digits painful within seconds of exposure, makes the face ache with cold when not covered and provides a little extra stress to every moment on the bike.
Still, they tell us it’s always warm down at Bandar Abbas (from where we’ll take the boat to Dubai) so we will hold our breath and pedal south as fast as we can.
Next on the agenda are the historical cities and sights of Isfahan, Shiraz and Persepolis. With any luck, we’ll also catch up with our friends, the adventurers Leon McCarron and Tom Allen who fly out here next week for an expedition.
Internet connections in the Islamic Republic are not as prolific as elsewhere in the world (the least well connected country of the trip so far, in fact) so apologies for the comparatively sparse updates. We are, at least, getting plenty of stories and images to fill the blog once reconnected to the world wide web in hyper-modern Dubai next month.
5 Comments
Hadi
Hi heroes. there is cold winter and im worry for your health. i have friends in Qom, Kashan, and Bandar Abbas that i speaked with them to help you if it is necessary. then in these cities it is better that calling them. they can’t speak English and at first call me to make an appointment and give your cell phone number to them.
with the best regards
Hadi
Rik Williams
Hi Tim,
I bumped into your site via your Adventure Travel magazine article (awesome skills). A friend and I were wondering though… what’s the deal on needing a guide for overland travel in Iran? Visa Machine state:
“If you are travelling through Iran overland you will require a guide to travel with you. You will need to provide us with your guides details when we apply for your Authorisation Code.”
Is this a new fangled requirement, or something that you managed to circumvent?
=) Rik & Rachel.
Tim Moss
Hey Rik, thanks for the comment. Glad you liked the AT Magazine article.
When we were going to Iran, there were rumours of a change. Specifically, if you were American then you would need a guide and if you were British then you *might*. We didn’t and never heard of anyone that actually did (though I wouldn’t claim to have researched it deeply).
It is entirely possible that the rules have changed but it’s equally possible that it’s still just rumours and rumblings, and the Visa Machine are (understandably) just covering their backs.
You might try a few different visa companies, dig around on Lonely Planet Thorn Tree forums and/or look on Twitter.
If you get stuck then do let me know and I’ll ask around myself.
Good luck!
Tim.
rikglynwilliams
Hi Tim, thanks for your thoughts. I’ve just bumped into this[1] over on WarmShowers. Seems as though the rumblings about Brits *not* needing a tour / tour guide have come to fruition:
“Just heard from another UK cyclist that he had been told that the Irish & Dutch embassies had told him a tour wasn’t necessary for his visa application … the usual Iranian tourist websites that I’ve checked are still stating that a visa for Brits is only available for those who book a tour so not sure if they just haven’t been updated yet.”
=)
[1] https://www.warmshowers.org/node/98497
Tim Moss
Well I’d hate for Iranian visa applications to be transparent and easily obtained. Where would be the fun in that!?