We move on from Yazd towards the Iranian and Pakistan border and have to travel into the Baluchestan desert, this area is considered to be dangerous to westerners. Our tour leader Polly briefed us on safety matters as we would be bush camping in the region. Out guide is not completely happy with it, so we go with some trepidation. The first day we drive through the desert areas we encounter a rise in temperature, and after a long drive, we camp near a field but it was still dry and the crops appeared to be struggling even though there was a fast flowing irrigation stream running nearby. I took water from it to wash in as we needed a wash after such a hot day on the truck. We move on closer to the border, and stop in a city called Zahedean the people have now changed, they are darker and wear traditional Pakistan clothes, also there are very few women around. We have to find diesel for the truck in this city, and for a country that is a major oil producer it is so hard to find refined fuel, every petrol station has queues. Our guide and truck team struggle to find fuel but eventually get to a stn where we can fill up for the border crossing the next day. There are even kids selling fuel from cans outside the petrol stn, from their parents unused quotas. We move on towards the border, then in middle of nowhere and in the searing heat our guide realises that he should have left us in the city and asks to leave, the truck stops and he leaves, probably at the worst time for us as we have yet to negotiate through the border, or find a bush camp?. So we say our goodbyes to Mohammed, his stay with us not always been perfect for him, but he has given us a good insight into the Iranian way of life and things are not what they always seem.
We stop by the side of the road near the Iranian border and Adam our driver tries to arrange for us to stop near the border crossing, the guards will not allow this and insist we stay in the police compound in the nearest town Mirjaveh, so we are escorted there, but the police refuse this and take us to the nearest guest house and after a little money is paid we are allowed to camp in the grounds, but due to the reputation of the area the girls stay on the bus. As there are not enough rooms at the inn, most of us are unhappy with this situation as the area is believed to be dangerous, we feel something should have been booked at the nearest big town, to reduce any risks, also the police have taken our passports until the morning, I guess to stop us from moving on. After a hot sleepless night we get the go ahead to move on to the border....for the crossing at Taftan