2024-06-25 01:41:53
Over the mountains to the inexperienced plains of Iran, which does not even appear like Iran. From numerous greetings to lunch to a lit subject. From a small defect to a half-dismantled automotive. The yellow circus drives by way of the land of white Peugeots, the place a lot can occur in in the future that does not occur in a month at house.
The oil temperature needle goes up, the oil strain needle goes down. We’re dashing to the subsequent mountains. Solely with a automotive like a luaz (or a trabant) do you discover out the place it is uphill in all places as a result of each hill counts. And these are actual. As soon as once more we are going to descend to 2 and a half thousand meters above sea stage. And the engine overheats.
The hotter the oil, the thinner it’s and the tougher it’s to lubricate. And so we stand once more, and we drive once more, and we stand once more. Warmth, cool, warmth, cool. It is truly a form of peaceable journey. Our vacation spot is the Caspian Sea, or a lake to be exact. However between him and us lie mountains. And so the oil temperature needle goes up, the oil strain needle goes down.
Welcome to Iran!
After which they wave at us from nearly each different automotive. Iran’s driving model is, as an example, very distinctive, one may name it frantic, harmful, suicidal and missing in self-preservation. And he can be proper. On the one hand, we really feel that somebody is continually attempting to kill us, then again, that they actually prefer to see us right here.
“The place are you from? Welcome to Iran!”
Repeatedly. Typically they overtake us, cease and take photos of us, typically they drive slowly subsequent to us and take photos of us as properly. Typically they cease and wave for us to cease too. However we’re glad to go. One automotive, a “surprisingly” white Peugeot (Iran is a rustic of Peugeots and most are white), tries as soon as, and if we do not cease, tries once more with livid waving. And so we cease.
We invite you to lunch
The crew drives us enthusiastically, a girl jumps out of the automotive, rushes to us with the phrases “My English not good” and shoves a cellular phone underneath our noses with the translated sentence “Welcome to Iran, I want to invite you to my restaurant for lunch”.
We use on-line purposes able to translating the spoken phrase to return to an settlement right here on a regular basis, and the locals pull out their cell phone with a translator much more usually than we do. We have a look at one another and say why not. We do not know how far it’s or the place it’s, however we comply with a white Peugeot, which luckily has its hazard lights on so we will acknowledge it among the many different white Peugeots. Nonetheless, it occurs a number of instances that we’re not certain if “ours” has turned.
“My English not good” and shoves a cellular phone underneath our noses with the translated sentence “Welcome to Iran, I want to invite you to my restaurant for lunch”. | Photograph: Aktuálně.cz / Dan Přibáň
However no, he retains driving forward of us and follows our precise route. And he goes slower and slower as he realizes how sluggish our tempo is. Till lastly they actually flip within the wild serpentines winding over the border with Azerbaijan. We make ourselves snug on the delicate carpets and we’re steadily served tea, cake, extra tea, candies and eventually a big portion of meat.
Iranian hospitality is limitless. We are saying thanks, take an image, say goodbye and head down the limitless descent, and we’re actually glad that the frogs can brake with the engine, in contrast to the Trabants, as a result of they brake even worse with the brakes.
Iran Indonesia
When our altimeter drops to nearly zero and we’re on the shores of the Caspian and in entrance of us is a very completely different Iran. Tropical warmth, a number of folks, a number of vehicles and plenty of motorbikes, all wrapped in humidity, the odor of burnt diesel and warmth… Indonesia, we agree independently.
And so we drive by way of that Iranian Indonesia alongside the ocean, by way of stunning inexperienced plains and thru tons of of terribly annoying retarders to deal with the frantic site visitors. The Iranian police clearly have extra essential issues to do than cope with suicidal drivers. Like bullying girls who do not put on a headband.
And so we undergo that Iranian Indonesia… | Photograph: Aktuálně.cz / Dan Přibáň
In all this wild and colourful merriment, it’s simple to overlook that this nation is a theocratic totality experiencing its normalization after brutally suppressed protests. Hopefully the Iranians will do away with their usurpers in the future. They’d deserve it!
With out cash
The palm bushes and the warmth are lowering, the hills are growing. We’re heading to the mountains once more. We go away the Caspian behind and climb once more. Our vacation spot is Mashhad, the historic metropolis we wished to achieve on our first journey with Trabants, however as a result of we could not get gasoline in Iran, we by no means received there. Hopefully it’ll work out this time!
However we’ve got a little bit of an issue. I’ve no cash. Not that we’re broke, however we managed to lose an advanced Iranian fee card and exchanging cash right here will not be simple. Resulting from large inflation, the entire nation makes use of fee playing cards, few folks have money. Luckily, we nonetheless have 1,000,000! Which is about fifty crowns. And so we go to purchase bread and canned items.
The banker brings tea, then disappears someplace, quickly returns with bundles of notes… | Photograph: Aktuálně.cz / Dan Přibáň
The following day the banks open, however they don’t have any cash. Iran is seemingly not an excellent nation for financial institution robbers. After we attain the primary financial institution within the metropolis by successive referencing. Cash will be exchanged there. Solely the official price will not be as advantageous because the one on the black market.
The banker will alert us to this and provide an answer. He brings tea, then disappears someplace, quickly returns with bundles of notes and exchanges for us on the black market price. We do not ask the way it works. We take our 15 centimeters of cash and go purchase breakfast.
Huge issues within the shade of acacia bushes
There may be solely a day left till the dream Mashhad, when our provisionally repaired gearbox begins to behave surprisingly. Even weirder than earlier than. Not solely is it not possible to get rid of the 4, because it has been doing since Turkey, however it is usually not possible to incorporate the three.
That is already unhealthy.
We attempt to go along with it someway, however it would not work.
And so we leap into the shade of acacia bushes subsequent to a busy street and end. We have to discover out what’s mistaken with it.
We open the gearbox once more. What number of instances already?
However this time it’s clear that the issue is larger. On the one hand, it is unhealthy, on the opposite, we lastly have an thought of what actually occurred. It appears to be like like the entire three and 4 axis is free. We research the schematics till we lastly establish the potential offender. The mom holding the axis is probably allowed. The issue is that to get to it, we’ve got to disassemble a 3rd of the transmission and half of the automotive.
Half of the automotive taken aside
And so, within the shade underneath the acacia bushes someplace by the street, we dissect a frog. | Photograph: Aktuálně.cz / Dan Přibáň
And so, within the shade underneath the acacia bushes someplace by the street, we dissect a frog. Within the meantime, we get lunch from the native employees, after which a grandfather from a close-by home brings us tea. And we disassemble and disassemble.
After we out of the blue see one thing familiarly blue! Misplaced Iranian fee card. Effectively, we did not anticipate this. It is a disgrace we let her get blocked within the meantime. Typically a automotive stops subsequent to us asking if we want assist. A mother with two youngsters is taking photos of a large clock for a faculty venture not removed from us, after which they convey us ice cream.
Grandpa will say goodbye to us for now, saying that he has to set the wheat on hearth. We’re questioning what he meant when the sphere behind us bursts into flames. “We’ll plant rice and it is sooner this fashion,” he explains. After we assist him put out the fireplace that was slowly attempting to burn his home, we lastly discover out that the rationale for the now mainly dysfunctional three and 4 is the mom who determined to grow to be a trumpet. Her thread disappeared.
One other mom must be discovered.
The issue is that this one is, as traditional, atypical. With a smaller exterior diameter than traditional and with a distinct thread pitch than traditional.
Nothing that would shock us!
No, after all we do not have the surrogate mom with us, however we do have the quick messenger Marko on his hound Duck. And he goes to a close-by city to search out his mom. Quickly he returns and brings a small one with the right thread, then a big one with the mistaken thread, and eventually your entire lathe.
It would not match both. | Photograph: Aktuálně.cz / Dan Přibáň
It solely took a second to clarify what we wanted, and Marek and the lathe left once more. A couple of teas, treats and sodas acquired on the town later, they’re again along with their mom. The turner tries to place it on… and stories that it would not match. Then when he enjoys our expressions sufficient, he laughs and tightens it. It suits completely! We’re saved!
Now simply fold all of it up and cargo it. Now we have to maneuver to be on the border of Turkmenistan in time. Will probably be tough there. And Mashhad? Maybe subsequent time!