So we made it, we're finally in Iran and no more Turkish keyboards!! I will mention a slight brush with death that we had after my last blog. We left the internet cafe in Doguybazit on the border of Iran and walked into a torrential storm, it had been raining whilst we were in the cafe but we thought nothing of it. Our campsite was in the foothills of the highest mountain in Turkey Mt. Ararat which accounts for what happened next. Six of us climbed into a taxi yes that's 7 including the driver but when in Rome. We drove out of the town up the hill but before we could do so we were met by a river of mud and debris racing towards us...the ever so calm taxi driver kept saying "no problem no problem" which soom turned into "problem problem" the photos don't do it justice as always but my camera at the time was still drying out so I couldn't use it for longer than a few seconds. Our taxi was virtually carried by the wall of water that came towards us, the force of such tore the road up which if I remember rightly is on the photo...after the adrenalin rush and the realisation we were safe it then became a highlight it's not everyday on a Sunday you get swept away in a yellow cab up to your waist in water!

After our 'upgraded room with beds' was utilised as a laundry for half the truck we woke up the next day to prepare for the Iranian border. Headscarfs on feeling a little out of character we got through the border in only a few hours without any hiccups, unfortunately our first dose of rain welcomed us in the shape of thunderstorms and grey clouds and with the plush green hills we almost felt at home (minus the scarf of course!) We bushcamped for the first night and now wish we hadn't. After food we had a couple of vistitors to our remote field, the Police (armed). They wanted to check all passports, passenger list etc etc and I was first to defend them saying if 34 iranians pulled up in a field on my sector we'd be certain to run just a few checks! Anyway the checks they did must have been to Mr Blair himself as they were with us for over two hours Steve told us all to go to bed and make it look as though we were staying and that we would only be there for one night, that didn't work. An hour later some Iranian soldiers arrived and both them and the police shook each of our tents vigourously with their guns in hand until we looked like we were leaving, finally Steve gave in, the majority of us were pleased!! Unfortunately the weather was awful and we drove around until 5am looking for a camp which ended up to be at the side of a petrol station on a patch of mud, all in all a horrific first night!   

The next day we drove towards Babak Fort 2,000m up in the mounatins in dense fog which was extremely hair raising with Kirsty at the wheel, many folk had their eyes closed!! We arrived to find a hotel which mirrored that of the hotel in the 70's classic horror 'The Shining'. We were supposed to camp but stayed the night there instead much neded after the first night! The next day we climbed another 2,000m up to the fort on foot and were above the clouds on a near perfect weather wise day. The guide book stated a 2hr climb our small group climbed in just under an hour, lacking the gym as I am I ran back down!

The Caspian Sea was our home for the next night after a long truck drive, the beach was a working beach and with a headscarf to contend with I'm glad we arrived at sunset, I slept extremely well on the sand. Our next point of call was Masouleh an enchanting small town full with Iranian tourists from Tehran. The next 'incident' was strange considering I feel the Iranians are the most welcoming people we have come across so far...

My friend Tor was walking in a gorge near Masouleh on her own (we had stopped for lunch jut before we arrived into the town) we had all left the truck and gone ahead she came up to the small restaurant and complained someone had thrown a stone at her, she sensibly ignored the two locals and walked on to meet us, the pain was getting worse so we went to the toilets and found she had infact been shot! When we walked the same way I had noticed a couple of lads with an airgun poiting it into the hills but I've seen so many random things on this trip I didn't think twice!! Not quite a war wound from Vietnam but certainly an interesting story to tell her folks! With 2 nurses on board she was well looked after, naturally I was thiniking about detecting the crime but they had left...

Masouleh was as I said enchanting, built into a valley crammed full of tea houses and sweet shops Dooley and Marcus you would have been in heaven...we stayed in apartments (of a fashion) but we got the short straw there was a misunderstanding in payment our local guide who sorted the rooms out paid up front but the old landlady also asked us for our money..the pair of them had a few crossed verbals on the doorstep and the next thing we knew (after already spending 2 nights there) the lady crept upstairs to our lodgings and turned off the hot water supply, naturally she's been scrubbed off my Christmas card list! Clever lady though! The highlight for me in the town was a 4hr climb up in the mountains, again above the clouds, stangely I'm not missing the beaches and the attraction of the mountains are becoming more and more appealing.  As I've said there are so many random things on this trip that words just can't express. On the way back down from the peaks we stumbled upon a local rave 'without music' the locals had we think indulged in a few too many hallucogenics on a Friday afternoon which was entertaining to say the least! In contrast on the way up we met a large group of women from Tehran, the Tehranians can be identfied a mile away just think Posh and Becks heels and glamour and they were rock climbing with headscarfs!! they were all showing lots of hair in a liberal fashion and told me to take mine off then cheered..See photos! 

We were a novelty in the town they rarely see English people and so many wanted a photo of us with them and they were the ones on holiday! One thing I would like to forget about in Masouleh is the local dish 'Dizzy' two words tongue and ear...say no more. (Lloyd would have eaten it mind!)

So after the mountain fog and the slight rain we're now in the heat of the desert in the beautiful city of Esfahan. We're in a hotel for three nights we did bushcamp for one night on route from Masouleh which was amusing we sat in the heat playing scrabble with headscarfs on, novel for a Saturday night with no alcohol! Hopefully my photos do Esfahan justice, it's an array of bazarrs, mosques and amazing people who smile and speak to us as if we were celebrities, the trip last year stated that Iran was the most welcoming and it's certainly holding up to that so far. (minus the shooting!) A few of us spent last night talking to an American called Bill he's an international lawyer who was here working by invitation of the Iranian government, very interesting...need to know basis though he wouldn't say alot and I tried to quiz him!

Anyway life in Iran is good. It's extremely warm I'm wearing long sleeves and the dreaded scarf but we fit in (sort of) a few are craving alcohol which is prohibited but most are grateful for the detox. It's so warm after lunch the locals have siesta and sleep we however continue to pound the streets in search of that ultimate photo! An example of such warmth from the people occured only this morning. We stopped in the Armenian quarter as part of a city tour, Lorna and I opted to stroll rather than visit the small cathedral and we bumped into a lady who asked (as everyone does here) "where are you from" the next thing we knew we were invited into her house and were being shown photos of her son's wedding whilst plying us with drinks and chocolate, her son then arrived and we got chatting about football! Yet more e-mail addresses to add to our ever growing list and something that just wouldn't happen in the UK..

We've met several young people who are desperate to leave due to having to conform. They hate their government. A snapshot of life for them...men are forbidden to wear ties and shake hands with a woman in public, dogs are forbidden (in this city) men and women have to sit seperately on the buses, women at the back, chocolate bars even say "for men" on them, it's not what we're used to yet they could not be more welcoming to us. 

A visa is hard to obtain but a trip here would be priceless for anyone..

I'll depart now folks I know I write alot and take far too many photos but I especially want to keep my family updated as I am not able to call home often if atall yet...We have a further 6 days in Iran and are making our way to the Pakistan border. My phone still has no signal but no doubt it will have soon. 

As always, missing you all, keep in touch.

Rach xx