With 12 hours before I get on a plane to begin a four month cycle trip....cycle tour.....no, cycle odyssey across the Islamic Republic of Iran, I can't help but review my preparations:
1. Grow a beard. Yip, got that one well taken care of.
The first real obstacle was obtaining a visa. A little over a month, an internet money transfer to Turkey, and telephone reassurances that in fact, no, I am NOT Iranian (by my Dad. I wasn't home when the embassy called), and it was in the bag....... er, passport.
Two key ingredients: a visa and a fat wad of crisp American banknotes.They don't make it easy to travel to Iran. Their financial system doesn't intersect with the rest of the world. Which means, no credit cards, no travellers cheques. Cash Only. Which is probably fine for a week or two. Travel funds for several months in cash means a quarter inch stack of benjamins in your pocket. Not good if you're the nervous type. So far, no luck opening a bank account online or through a travel agent. It's first on my list when I get to Dubai.
Travel arrangements made, equipment became the next focus. A bike, obviously, is important in this type of excursion. I considered taking the 10 speed that has been stashed in Mum and Dad's garage since high school. But it's behind so many boxes that exhuming it seemed impractical. I settled on a new-ish second hand hybrid. Theoretically it's sturdy enough to take the beating, without being too sluggish on the road. Time will tell.
Then how to carry the load? Following some advice of dubious quality, I decided on a trailer. The alternative was panniers, and I didn't want to spend half the trip looking through dozens of little pockets and pouches wondering where the hell I put whatever it was I had misplaced.
Together, those two items fill my entire baggage allowance. So, I'm not really sure yet what other equipment will actually make it on the plane.
Which leaves training. The last time I did any serious road cycling was on that 10 speed, trying to make it to first period. But, I'm in peak physical condition. Maybe slightly off-peak. How hard could it be..... really......... gulp.
And of course route planning. Which depends on how I get to Iran from Dubai. Which I don't know yet. So I don't really know what my starting point will be. Makes planning a route tricky.
So, I guess I'm ready. For three months in Iran, and a month in Turkey or Armenia or somewhere like that.
Adventure here I come.
