Cycling through Iran is about the people. The road to Mashhad was long, hilly, and full of dangerous truck drivers. Then we arrived and were welcomed into our friend’s family. The smiles on their faces – the twinkle in the eyes of 95 year old mother and father of the family – their kindness and lovingness, make cycling in Iran so special.
Lovely family in Babol
We arrived in Qaem Shahr as exhausted oily grease spots. The road through the mountains leading up to the high pass is never flat, climbing, then falling, and then climbing again. All this was done in the bright sun. Then descending towards the Caspian Sea, the weather changed – it was colder and started to rain. We were almost run off the road several times by some reckless truck drivers ploughing through roadworks. Our altercation with a truck driver was all made good when a man in a little shop saw it, welcomed us in, and gave us drinks and food. He was as angry about the trucks as we were.
Road to the Caspian Sea
Our evening was amazing. We met the whole family – the two brothers and their happy, smiling, welcoming 95 year-old parents. They are all so keen to show us how the people of Iran are – welcoming people, that, like everyone else in the world, just want to enjoy life, and be part of the world community.
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