Tabriz

It feels odd being in Iran; to think that we have driven 5000 miles already and yet we are only a third of the way through our journey. Iran has passed all of our expectations – a country that is often vilified by the west is by far the most charming that we have visited. We were all fairly uneasy about the prospect of the Iranian border. Borders in general are a bit of a mission; you drive around collecting stamps and then when you have all the stamps you can go through. Getting out of Turkey was fairly easy and so we passed through a huge iron gate that symbolised our entry into Iran. We were first met by a border official with a revolver on his hip John Wayne style. He looked at our passports with a slightly confused look, asked whether we were German (we said no) and then ushered us into an office which I think was the Ministry of Tourism. At this point we were all thinking this isn’t going particularly well. However, from then on we met some of the most delightful people we have met all trip. One border official asked whether we liked football and then started to lecture us on the failings of Arsene Wenger. Another simply wanted to know what a Subaru was. The whole experience was topped off by the insurance man pulling Charlie to one side and whispering that he would give him a ‘very good price’ – a 30% discount. Iranian roads also have a certain degree of charm to them. The standard of driving is alarmingly bad but it’s quite an experience when another car attempts to give you their Instagram details whilst hurtling down the motorway. Our fathers (Harry’s and mine), wanting a short holiday, are joining us for part of the Iranian experience. Whilst that is obviously great, it’s not as great as the Iranian fuel prices. Our bank account got hammered by Turkish petrol prices and so has welcomed the arrival of petrol at 20p a litre. Following the bazaars of Tabriz, we headed out into rural Iran. The scenery was jaw-dropping and was a huge contrast to the smog filled cities. It must be said that this rural expedition provided a moment that has crowned Harry B as supreme basket case. We had found an extinct volcano with an impressively deep crater. Most of us sensibly decided to keep our possessions away from the edge. Not Harry B, however, who managed to lose his Aquapure traveller waterbottle over the edge – it filters water and so is a fairly crucial bit of kit (can be bought from Objective Travel Safety). Anyway its onto Tehran and then Esfahan. KBO.