Again, I leave town at 5, in the dark. Only now I don't know what time I've been starting because it took a couple of days to remember Iran time is half an hour different to Dubai time. Then longer to figure out which way it's different. Then later I find out Iran is on daylight savings time. My Afghan friends told me the way I was planning was very long and winding (read mountainous). So now I'm heading towards Jahrom. Floss says 155. The signs agree. I'll probably stop at a small town after 110km, Mansur Abad, then go past Jahrom to the next city the following day.
My legs are rested. I feel strong. When I climb I know I've climbed longer, higher, steeper, harder, hotter. I pull off the road into Mansour Abad. I could push on to Jahrom but it would turn a good day into a bad day. Its a small mudbrick village. It's still early. Not hot yet. People are around.
Old men sit on a step in the shade. I stop. I ask where there is a hotel. There is no hotel. I knew this. People gather. We talk. Eventually I'm handed a cell phone with English on the other end. The voice wants me to visit it in Joyum. 5km away. How will I find you? The voice is coming to me. Soon a car arrives. The voice is the English teacher at the high school in Joyum. He invites me to stay with him. I follow the car 5km.
Entrance to the Eshghi courtyard Eshghi is alone at home. His wife is with her parents to have a baby. It's due soon, maybe a few weeks. I tour the town on the back of his motorbike. We visit his brother in the grocery store. And his brothers in the computer store. And his wife. We eat lunch and talk and sleep. He wants me to stay for a few days or a week, so he can practice his english. I can't. In the evening we are visited by Friends. Cousins. Inlaws. I will stay another day.
Lunch with Eshghi Junior and Senior The next day I spend the morning at home with his father. In the afternoon we sleep. He wants me to go to the grocery store with my bike and cycling clothes. It will be great advertising for his brother's shop. I do. I'm a spectacle. Everyone in town knows the Farangi on a bicycle was shopping at Eshghi's grocery store. I stop in at the computer store on the way back.
Later we make more visits, then we go to an orchard for a party put on for the school's teachers by the head master. We sit on carpets under the trees. Eat kebab and talk.
In the morning I leave after It's light. The father wakes up to make me tea, so I don't want to be too early.
Brown wheat fields start to appear. Jahrom 45 becomes Jahrom 75. The signs are messed up. The roads don't match the map.
Harvest. How wheat or anything can grow here I have no idea
I stop in Jahrom. Find a hotel. Try and send an email. Eat pastries and icecream. I'm on a small wire infested balcony when a young woman asks if I want to use the internet tomorrow. I think that's what she asks. Come and see the manager, he speaks English. I think it's the manager of the hotel. It's not. There's a small office on the roof. She is the secretary. We talk for a while. He is a business man. He has just come back from China. He has to visit his building later, on the other side of town. If I want to come with him he will take me sightseeing.
I meet him in the lobby. We drive to the building. It's a construction site. There is one shop open and he is selling security doors, bathroom fixtures, tiles. We talk with his store clerk and the secretary. The secretary's husband. Her sister. Around 9:30 he takes me back to the hotel. There's no sightseeing. There's no sights to see. I eat meat on a stick.
The rig 
I leave in the dark as usual. Hotelliers hate me. It's 170 to Shiraz. I'll stop half way at Bab Anar. I get to Bab Anar and i don't like it. I keep going. With 100km to Shiraz the signs change and now it's 110. When I've ridden 100km I stop at a lone shop with trees and a fountain. The fountain has donkey shit floating at the edge. I splash the water over my head anyway. I eat and drink cold things. I get back on the bike.
As I approach Shiraz there's more people around. More traffic. More trucks. In the afternoon I'm escorted by fleets of boys on motorbikes. They're going to get themselves killed. Or me. That would piss me off. The day gets long and I get sick of boys on motorbikes. This is why I don't ride in the afternoon. As I get closer to Shiraz the wheels turn faster. I'm a sliver bullet. I'm gone before voices reach me.
By the time I weave through Shiraz's leafy avenues I've been in the saddle for 11 hours. People still wave and shout, but it's different. The voices are different. There's a hint of a sneer in them. I'm in the city.
Chay mikhoram
Salaam Dan! Wow what an adventure. Funny how scarcity is so often an advantage, like your english. The people look friendly and the houses homely with their carpets and cushions. Those little legs of yours must be piling on the muscle with all those kms. Those rugged mountains look like pain.
ReplyDeleteLove Dad
I'm going to hide my crazy envy of your adventure by making fun of your flag - do you tell them about the toothbrush fence as well?
ReplyDeleteIs this the adventure of a lifetime or what?! You and your bike are getting a real workout, not to mention almost being television stars. Must feel funny being such a novelty item. I'm sure you are having a great respite in Shiraz now, after the gruelling 700 kms.
ReplyDeleteTake care. Love, Mum
Hey Dan, this is not really Anonymous...it's brother Rich!!!
ReplyDeleteYour blog is amazing! Sounds like you are having the experience of a lifetime. Love the vivid decriptions and blow by blow account. No idea how anyone can get sick of "meat on a stick" though. I suppose it's possible.
Your blog reminds me of my own blog a bit...we are both having some really amazing adventures it seems...
Saturday 9 May 2009:
10:14am. I am woken by the sound of dishes being loaded in the dishwasher. I presume it is a signal from my wife. My allocated sleeping time has expired.
10:19am. I cannot stand the sound of clanging dishes any longer. I pull on my track pants and stumble to the bathroom. Door is locked. Apparently the culprit "will be out in a minute". Bad timing. Third day in a row. Reminds me that Shar and I need to find our own place soon.
I return to my room and loosen the cord on my trackpants. "A minute" turns into eight. I finally do my business. Brush teeth. Splash water on face. Look outside. Another beautiful rainy day. Go to my laptop and check my diary. Completely blank. Nothing scheduled...or did I just not update my diary? Only thing that pops up is a reminder to take my pills. I go and take my pills. What else was it I had to remember today?... That's right! I go back to my laptop and open Outlook. Write a quick happy birthday email to mum before I forget. We are going there for dinner tomorrow night...Mother's Day. No need to call. We can talk when we see each other. An email will be fine for now.
I go and check the mailbox. Too early, postie doesn't come til later. Make a bowl of All Bran and rolled oats with light blue top milk. I'm trying to be healthy. Back to my emails. There is a sale of laptops at PB Technologies. There is a sale on all printers and toners at Warehouse Stationery. There is a sale on manchester at Briscoes. Delete. Delete. Delete. How did I get on so many emailing lists? No other emails.
I was going to go and watch my brother-in-law play rugby league this afternoon, but he receives a text message. The game is cancelled. Grounds are too soggy. Damn, I have to find something else to do this afternoon. I switch on the TV. Turn to BBC World. I have to see the latest on the Swine Flu. Just a human interest piece about...not sure what it is about...I change the channel. FOX News. That's better. Let's see what is happening with the Grand Old Party today. Dick Cheney is being interviewed. I decide to work out instead. Ouch. My shoulders and back are aching from days of over-exertion. Have decided to get fit again, so exercised every day since Monday. Maybe I should schedule a rest day. I soldier on. Then I jump in the shower.
12:30pm. Shar gets home from the gym. I promised her I'd walk with her up One Tree Hill today. Might as well get it over and done with. Rain has stopped. Shar is keen as mustard. I'm a bit less keen. We set out walking. We pass two "house for sale" signs on the way to One Tree Hill. Reminds me that we need to find our own place soon.
Half way to One Tree Hill domain. My legs are tired. We haven't even got to the hill yet. It starts to rain again. Should have brought my windbreaker. We get to the base of the hill. Want to go up? asks Shar. Of course, I say. We've come this far haven't we? Two minutes later my calves are on fire. Two and a half minutes later my calves feel like they will explode. I think they might already have. I ask Shar to slow down. She drops back and holds my hand. I stagger to the summit. The rain stops. Shar points out a rainbow. I think I see it, but it may just be the blotches in my vision. I really need to get fitter. Nice view, but freezing cold. We head back down.
2:25pm. We arrive back home. Almost two hours of walking. Feels like I've run a marathon. I check the letterbox. Yes! the mail is here. A credit card statement and a power bill. Great.
Back to my laptop. No new emails. I decide to make dinner. Check the fridge. Eggs, bread, milk. Not much else. I Google "easy souffle". Find a rceipe with three main ingredients...eggs, bread, milk. Make the souffle. I hope it rises.
Do some work on the computer. Just boring accounts and stuff.
Souffle rose well. I think.
Turn TV back on. Almost time for 6 o'clock news. Can't wait to see what is happening with the Swine Flu. News comes on. Policeman killer still holed up in his house. David Bain trial continues. No new cases of Swine Flu in NZ.
Sports news comes on. A pre-game analysis of the Chiefs versus Hurricanes match kicking off at 7.30pm. Should be a close one. At 7:00pm I switch to the SKY Sports pre-game analysis of the Chiefs versus Hurricanes match. They think it will be a close one. 7:30pm. The Chiefs versus Hurricanes match kicks off and I am glued to the TV. The game is a close one. Chiefs win 16-8. I text Jonnie congratulations. He texts back to wish me luck for the Blues versus Brumbies game coming up next.
9:15pm. I watch the Blues versus Brumbies pre-match analysis on Sky Sportz. They don't know if it will be close or not. 9:30pm. The game kicks off. It's not close. The Blues get smashed. With 15 minutes still to play I can't handle it any longer. I switch to Sky Sports 2. St George Dragons versus the Queensland Cowboys. Rugby League. Much better. I hate rugby. I hate the Blues.
11:30pm. My mood it foul. Best thing to do is retreat to my room. I take Time Magazine in to read. Cover page is...Swine Flu. I skip that article and read about the history of the US Supreme Court nominations instead.
Midnight. Shar comes to bed. Not my bed though. She has a single bed and I'm on a mattress on the floor. Reminds me that we really need to find our own place soon.
Lie in bed thinking about the Blues and how much I hate rugby. Think about my sore legs. Maybe I will rest them tomorrow. We'll see.