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Today we were heading into Iran, so the girls put on our long gear and headscarves. We packed up and left first thing to drive the few kms to the Iranian border, arriving there about 8am.At the turkish border we were stamped out in quick time, but because of a mix-up with the truck permits it took a bit longer to get the truck organised and through. On the Iranian side we were told to get off the truck one at a time and present our passports so they could see who we were, then we were herded into a waiting room where we sat for the best part of an hour while our passports were stamped. Once we were all stamped and through, we went through to the other side of the building and waited for another age while the boys tried to arrange to get some money changed at the bank there. There was a restaurant upstairs where they had delicious lamb stew in a small clay pot. All this time, Adam and Steve were having a nightmare trying to get the truck through with all the right taxes and insurance. By the time we were actually allowed to leave, it was about 3 Iranian time... about 6 hours after we had arrived on the Turkish side.
The guys decided to push on and get to Tabriz tonight, otherwise we would have to miss out on it, so we drove for another 6 hours or so to get there. When we arrived the traffic was still pretty bad and we realised just how insane drivers are in iranian cities. It was like an only slightly less frantic version of driving in Cairo. The campsite we had been heading too was actually closed and dug up for sewage works, so we headed out of town to another one only to find that there was a massive fair on and the "campsite" was actually just a park where you are allowed to camp, and it was swarming with families having picnics and generally partying. Steve and Adam dcided to head back into town to find a hotel, and eventually at about midnight, we were inside and into dorm rooms after more mucking about. It was a very long day and I hope there aren't too many more like it, but borders seem to be a bit random - after all that they didn't even check our luggage or, as far as I know, search the truck at all.
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