So after a very pleasant evening in Yasd it was time to move on towards the Pakistan Border at Taftan.

Another Desert bush camp was made interesting by Nicole's 'Random Truth' game...actually it's a lot of fun if you ever find yourself bored in the desert! Basically everyone submits a truth about themselves and then you have to guess who's truth it is....I came 8th and got a free Efes t-shirt! Oh aren't I the lucky one! After yet another early rise we headed for Bam which was once renowned for it's mud brick city! Unfortunately the city is a big pile of rubble (which is currently being restored) after an earthquake in 2003. The locals are working very hard on the city as it was a major tourist attraction of the area and of course now the tourists have gone! Passing through the town the devestation was mind blowing....it was as though the earthquake had happened last month not 4 years ago...the shops are shipping containers which people are also living in....and repair work on houses has barely begun! There was debate as to whether or not we should visit...I'm glad we did. I felt bad staring out the window of the truck at other peoples misfortune but they want tourists back and though it was obviously very little we did spend a little money in the town and were welcomed with open arms! We spent that night on the Iran/Pakistan border surrounded by armed guards and police. The Taftan border in apparently the most dangerous into Pakistan as you enter Boluchistan and bandit country. I was on cook duty that evening....mash(with sand) and cheesy veg(with a little sand) and choc bananas(with some more sand) all prepared in front of an audience of about 20 armed guards and a few locals to boot! Talk about the pressure!

A rude awakening by hundreds of utes and their passengers(normally around the region of 25 people per ute) saw us leaving Iran and entering Pakistan. It felt like we were in Iran for months and not weeks. I would love to visit again...though at this time it's very difficult to get a tourist visa or transit visa unless you are part of a group....but not impossible!

So now for country number 11......