Getting parted from Iran

Near to Mashhad, in the crazy Iranian traffic, happened something, what you cannot avoid, you can just hope that it will miss you. I had an accident. In spite of breaking heavily, a car ran into me from the rear. The next moment I was lying on the ground. I was hit on multiple places, my elbow was swollen, I had multiple bruises, but thanks God overall I was in good shape.

The bike was also hit heavily and requires repairs on multiple components. The guilty driver gave me a compensation fee, but he was not fined by the police. The truth is, through these stories, you can feel the not so shallow gap in the way of life between Middle Asian and European people. Thanks to my splendid health state, the recovery progresses fast; my wounds were healing nicely. Although I was only able to find a bicycle shop left behind from the stone-age, but the bike was also be repaired.

In Mashhad I had many, nice locals who offered me a stay. Thanks to them I collected a ton of memorable experiences. After almost two month and thousands of kilometres from my home I was able to speak Hungarian. One of my hosts played the Sitar (a plucked stringed instrument) for me. From Mashhad I sent out postcards to my friends and sponsors; I visited the tomb or Imam Reza. The town was full with pilgrims, but I have not met even a single European tourist. The tomb is surrounded by mosques, squares and buildings – a city within the city – as a non Muslim you will need a tour guide to enter here, who will follow your every step.

Only 200km is left from Mashhad to the Turkmen border. The traffic was sparse, the landscape was turning into a desert and rocky terrain, the heat was continuously increasing; these were all the signs that the Karakum Desert is near. From Mashhad I cycled 138km to the thousand year old Robat-e-Sharif Caravanserai. I spent my last night in Iran, here, on the most authentic place.  The first courtyard of the Caravanserai had covered stalls for the animals to feed and rest, and from here, thorough a decorated gate, the visitors entered the courtyard where they cabins were. Arminius Vámbéry might also spent a lot of nights within walls like these. Reaching the border at Sarakhs my 33 day long stay at Iran ended.

Visiting Iran was ones again a great experience for me. People are open, nice and offer hospitality; they are entirely different from the surrounding countries. The Iranian people are really curious. Because of the language barrier they sometimes just sit next to you and watch how you live your life. This is what makes this country so extraordinary. If you encounter any issue, the Iranian will do everything for you to fix it. I can just wholeheartedly recommend this country to anyone. If you have a time to spare come and see it for yourself. There is no doubt, it is worth it!