North Iran towards the Caspian Sea
Days 31, 32 and 33, 7700 km
Day 32 - Morning. What a breathtaking view we enjoyed this morning! I just had to share these couple of pics FYI. We usually wake up at 7 am, but as it gets warmer, we have to rise earlier. The sun rises around 5 am, and things heat up quickly, making it feel like a furnace in the tent by seven. We’ve decided to gradually wake up earlier as we head further east. It typically takes us about an hour to pack everything and hit the road towards the nearest café. We found one 50 km further east in a small village. Not traditional breakfast really, but the most delicious Persian pastry. We dug in.
Day 32 - We’re heading east through northern Iran aiming to hit the Caspian Sea, the biggest inland body of water in the world, at Astara. Our journey starts by climbing up from the desert-like plains near Tabriz, reaching rolling green mountains at over 2000m in altitude to end with diving down sharply to the Iranian coast in Astara which is at -22 meters under sea level. It’s June 5, and Iran is celebrating its Khordad Uprising holiday, which honors the 1963 protests against the arrest of Ruhollah Khomeini. Everywhere we look, we spot Iranian families having picnics in the mountains and hills, soaking up the peace away from the bustling city life. Just before we get to Astara, we run into Hamed and his buddy, two Iranian bikers on the same route as we are. Hamed quickly invites us to stay at a resort by the sea, managed by his father, where we can pitch our tents just 2 meters from the Caspian Sea. Pure magic!
Day 33 - We set off from Astara, heading along the coastline towards Bandar Anzali and then south to Rasht. Many of the beaches here remain untouched, allowing us to take our bikes onto the sand along the shore and ride for kilometers between the sand and the sea. But the heat seeps into our bones and after covering hundreds of kilometers in the past few days, we desperately need a break. We head north to Rasht and check into a friendly local youth hostel. Really a lovely place here, we meet many Iranian students, got to listen to local artists like Homayoun Shajarian, and I discovered that my tea is far too strong and needs to be diluted with more water. In any case, we decided to spend another day here to get our visas extended and to relax.
Day 34 - Finding a safe spot to park your bike for the night can be tough, but we managed to get them securely into the super nice Orosi hostel courtyard in Rasht. We decided to stay here for an extra day to sort out our visas: Gion’s was only good for two more weeks, which wasn’t enough to reach the border of Afghanistan. We set out early to the police station that handles external affairs, visas, and passports, and we both got an extension until beginning of July. The process here in Rasht was straightforward, took only about 60 minutes, and cost us only 2 euros. As usual in Iran, the officials were super friendly and helpful. We met amazing people here at the hostel, if you are in Rasht, it’s a great place to stay.
