December 9^th 2022

Qazvin – Hesar Valiasr, Iran

Miles: 90 (140km)

Miles total: 14’060 (22’630km)

Unfortunately, our last destination in Qazvin is closed. The largest water tower (with only one dome) in Iran from 1812. Bad luck. Now off to a supermarket for shopping. Shopping in supermarkets in Iran has its pros and cons. The good thing is that you don't have to look where the products come from, most of them are from Iran itself :-), so the transport distances are short. The less good thing is that you can't read or understand the expiry dates because they are written in Farsi and correspond to the Iranian calendar. At the moment, it's the year 1401. But so far, we haven't had any stomach ache ;-).

December 10^th 2022

Hesar Valiasr – Katale Khor Cave, Iran

Miles: 70 (120km)

Miles total: 14’130 (22’750km)

After a quiet night in nature, we head to our final destination, the Kharraqan Tomb Towers. On the big flat ground, the two towers, that rise out of the ground like chimneys, cannot be overlooked.

It is not known for whom these magnificent tombs were built. Because of the resemblance to a tomb tower in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, it is believed that they were made in honor of a military commander originally from Central Asia. Despite our winter jackets, it's getting too cold here and we set off. The further stretch is not very attractive, in the predominantly flat area intensive farming is practiced and the brown fields at this time of the year are moderately interesting. We come to the small town of Nur-Abad, where we want to have a bite to eat in a small sandwich shop. A young man named Ali Reza smiles at us and prepares two delicious falafel sandwiches for us. When it comes to paying, another guest insists on paying for our meal! We briefly show Ali Reza the camper when his sister Samira texts him that she would also like to get to know us. He invites us to his house for tea to wait for Samira. We accept the invitation. his house or his parents' house is just behind the sandwich shop. He is happy to show us the large garden where tomatoes, onions, parsley, melons, grapes etc. thrive in summer. A walnut tree and various fruit trees also enrich the garden. The in-house wood-fired oven for flatbread is also great, but it is used more in the warmer seasons. Now we step into the heart of every Iranian home: the fully carpeted living room. We make ourselves comfortable on the floor in the comfortably heated room (gas oven) and are soon served a cup of tea by Ali Reza's little sister. Soon the father joins them, then the mother comes home too and more tea, home-made dried grapes and nuts as well as tangerines are set out for us. Then Samira, Ali Reza's older sister, arrives and we talk to the interesting young people (unfortunately mostly with Google Translate).

After another two hours drive, we reach the Katale Khor Cave, where we spend a quiet night in the parking lot.

December 11^th 2022

Katale Khor Cave – Ali Sadr Cave, Iran

Miles: 70 (120km)

Miles total: 14’200 (22’870km)

Get out of bed, have breakfast and head into the cave. We are absolutely the only guests, so the gates to the cave are opened especially for us and the lights are switched on. We get a private tour, maybe also for the reason that we don't get lost in the huge cave :-). We go into the cave for over a kilometer! And that's just a small part of the multi-storey giant cave, that is open to the public. The 3-million-year-old cave is considered by some researchers to be one of the most interesting and spectacular limestone caves in the world.

We didn't find this cave, which was absolutely impressive for us too, in our travel guide, but got the tip from Javid (invited to dinner in Zanjan at home). We leave and drive 60 miles (100km) from one cave to the next. In this area of Iran, you are always at an altitude of around 6500 feet (2000m). A huge plateau extends to the horizon. The weather is currently cold and so it happens that along the way we are rewarded by sculpture-like shrubs covered with ice. 

We finally arrive at Ali Sadr Cave, our destination for today. We can only guess from the several huge parking lots how many people visit this cave in the high season. The temperature is already around freezing at 7 o'clock in the evening. Since our water tank cannot be heated at the moment, we prefer to leave the water out of the tank. We don't want to take the risk of a cracked tank!

December 12^th 2022

Ali Sadr Cave – Hamadan, Iran

Miles: 40 (70km)

Miles total: 14’240 (22’940km)

Today we stay a little longer under the warm blanket than usual. With the icy temperatures in the 10’s (about -7°C) it's about 40 minutes until the camper is heated up and we can then get in the cozy warmth ;-). To get to the entrance of the Ali Sadr Cave, we first cross a large park where all kinds of food and entertainment are offered in summer. Everything is in hibernation at the moment. At the ticket counter, we buy a ticket for 10$ each; a high entry price for Iran. Incidentally, foreign tourists pay higher entrance fees than the locals for every attraction (about 10 times as much). At the entrance to the cave, life jackets are handed to us and the gate to the depths of the mountain opens. The first part of the cave can only be visited by boat. The boatman in the pedal boat comes, we get into one of the four boats tied together and off we go. We glide silently through the crystal-clear water, which is up to 200 feet (62m) deep in some places! The journey leads through partly very narrow rock passages, until you find yourself in huge cavities, decorated with bizarre rock formations. 

Now we continue on foot, over floating footbridges or man-made stairs and paths. The cave is very well developed. Of course, there are also many stalactites and stalagmites as well as other pillars in strange shapes and different colors. We are always impressed by the works of art that nature has created in such caves over thousands of years. For the way back, we get back in the boat, but don't go back the same way, because there is another waterway that leads to the exit!

Actually, the Ali Sadr Cave is one of the largest water caves in the world! Our journey continues to the city of Lalejin, known for its high-quality pottery products. And this is definitely not to be missed! On the main street, shops are lined up one after the other, selling nothing else than crockery, vases, decorations, etc. made of clay.

But now we want to buy some souvenirs and stab into a large crockery shop. Since we're a bit short on time and there are soooo many similar stores, we're buying some great stuff from this one. We reach the city of Hamadan (6000 feet / 1,850m above sea level) when it gets dark. We don't feel like camping in the city and therefore take a cheap hotel.

December 13^th 2022

Hamadan, Iran

Out of the hotel and straight to the bazaar for shopping. The indescribable scents of the spice stalls penetrate our senses of smell and enchant us again and again. We buy a tea mixture consisting of half the tea stand and a seasoning mixture consisting of 24 different spices for cooking.

When mixing, we ask the seller what kind of dishes this is good for. He replies "For all food" :-). Well, then nothing can go wrong when cooking. By the way, the bazaars here in Iran are extremely pleasant! Nobody promotes you anything and often they just enjoy tourists and you get a friendly "hello, welcome to Iran". The bazaar is still a place where many people do their shopping and supermarkets are still the exception. Right next to the bazaar we marvel once again at a mosque with its turquoise mosaics on the towers and portals.

Hamadan is not known as a destination for Western tourists, but the city surprises us with some beautiful corners. In particular, the city's car-free Imam Khomeini central square with its historic buildings all around is a splendour.

We meet a street musician with his guitar singing Iranian songs. A rarity in Iran, because street musicians are hardly allowed in the country! And suddenly two men speak to us. Reza and Saeid, both almost 30 years old. They both speak very good English and ask where we are from and what we are doing in Iran. Shortly thereafter, they offer to spend time with us. Sightseeing together is fun, but the somewhat depressing conversations about real life in Iran for young people, are quite challenging but really interesting. One statement remains special to us. One of the boys tells us that he doesn't want to have children as long as they have to grow up in today's Iran! As a child, it's not your fault if you were born in Switzerland like us or in a repressive country like Iran like them. But as a parent you are responsible for what kind of world you place your children in.

Enough of that, Reza and Saeid take us to lunch between sightseeing. We end up in a restaurant that we would never have found ourselves. Specializing in stew, soup and pureed dips. Exactly to our liking!

Iranian cuisine has a lot more to offer than kebabs and rice :-) and this food is really delicious!

We are also invited back to Reza's house for dinner. But the day was so eventful for us that we need some rest and time for ourselves. Another day in Iran with very nice people. We enjoy a few quiet hours in the hotel before we go back to the central square late in the evening to have something small to eat.

December 14^th 2022

Hamadan, Iran

Miles: 40 (70km)

Miles total: 14’280 (23’010km)

Before we leave the city, we stock up on the essentials in a vegetable shop. There are now some larger supermarkets in the big cities, but they don't sell vegetables. The Iranian cityscape in general is very strongly characterized by small businesses. We are always amazed at how many tiny shops and stalls of all kinds there are here. And of course, there is a bazaar district in every city. By the time we finally leave the city, it's already lunchtime and on the way to a nearby attraction, we stop at a small restaurant.

We are lucky and there is a tasty Ash soup and a cheese and sausage skewer. During the meal, the in-house baker arrives and heats up his stone gas oven. The dough is ready and the happy man proudly demonstrates how he makes his flatbreads. He separates a piece from the large dough, rolls it out, places it on a curved mold with a handle at the back and presses it against the hot stone wall in the oven. The thin bread is baked quickly and is served warm from the oven, sprinkled with dried herbs. Delicious! We continue to a popular local recreation area close to the city, lying on the foothills of the 11’726 feet (3574m) high Alvand mountain, with a gondola lift, toboggan run, waterfall and the small historical sight Ganj Nameh, two inscription plaques carved in granite. About 2,500 years ago, the triumphal marches of King Darius and thanksgiving to the Zoroastrian deity Ahura Mazda were recorded here in three different scripts (Old Persian, Neo-Babylonian, Neo-Lamitic).

Before we move on, we treat ourselves to a bowl of Laboo, boiled, sweet beetroot, at one of the small stands. We are now big fans of this widespread Iranian snack! For us it's further uphill, over a 9200 feet (2800m) high pass of the Alvand mountains. The snow is getting closer and unfortunately so is the fog. There is also a small ski lift here, which is not yet in operation. 

We want to fill our water tank at a spring along the mountain road. But we are not the only ones here! Good drinking water is a rare commodity in Iran and many people from the city of Hamadan come here with their jerry cans to fetch excellent mountain water. We also take the opportunity and throw ourselves into the crowd with two large plastic bottles. For us, the large number of people is not exactly ideal, as we empty the two bottles into the tank and have to queue again straight away. Of course, we attract attention with our blending method and are always let in front. Some friendly gentlemen also help us out with their 5 gallon (20L) canisters! So, we soon have our tank half full (approx. 40 Gallons / 150 liters) and drive on happily, but with soaking wet shoes. 

December 15th 2022

Hamadan – Kangavar, Iran

Miles: 70 (120km)

Miles total: 14’350 (23’130km)

The days in Iran lately have been characterized by driving, sightseeing and meeting people. What is clearly missing out is exercise and rest days. We work against one thing and walk around for half an hour at the "castle" in the area. Well, a "castle" according to Google Maps, but actually just a huge pile of brown, compact earth :-). Nevertheless, the little exercise is good! 

It goes on. We drive to a small town and go buy bread. Well, nothing special, but since we are in Iran, it is even worth reporting about the bread shopping. We see a bakery that bakes fresh flatbreads. In the bakery is an oven with a large, slow-moving disc (7 feet / 2.5m diameter). One baker places the flat dough on one side of the disc, the other takes the freshly baked bread off the disc on the other side and hands it to the customer. To our astonishment, the genders are separated here when queuing. Women to the left of the serving table and men to the right. We wait 15 minutes to get our two hot flat breads. We are probably the first tourists to buy bread here :-). 

Before we continue our journey, we end up in a confectionery and are served two large glasses of carrot juice in addition to the unhealthy sweets. Well fed, we continue through the mountainous, but unfortunately it is a grey, cloudy area. Our diesel tank should now be filled once again. We were refused to get diesel twice in the last few days. At the first gas station, the young gas station attendant asks us to drive next to a small house, without a gas pump, of course. He can't give us diesel at the pump because we don't have a diesel card. He gets a 5 gallons (20L) canister of diesel from the room, we put it on the spare tire and fill the 5 gallons (20L) into our tank with a hose. Cost: 2$. Well better than nothing ;-). 

The gas station attendant is amazed that we are traveling alone, because apparently this gas station is also known to camper tour groups. A good deal for sure. Unfortunately, we don't see exactly behind it, where she organizes a diesel card for people like us. Arrived at our destination Bisotun we spend the night in a park with many picnic areas and bungalows.

December 16^th 2022

Kangavar – Bisotun, Iran

Miles: 10 (20km)

Miles total: 14’360 (23’150km)

The Iranians are also an enthusiastic picnic folks, this is definitely a part of their culture (similar to Turkey)! Since today is “Sunday” (Friday), around noon our overnight park slowly fills up with groups of families and friends meeting up for a picnic. Some rent a heated little house (of course carpeted ;-), others “just” sit under a shelter or on a blanket in the grass. Although we are a bit hidden, we are discovered by a group of young people who are interested in looking at our camper and of course invite us to lunch. We want to move on, but we can't get away without getting a plate full of fruit from the lovely people! Every day we are overwhelmed by the immense hospitality of the Iranians! We say goodbye and drive the short way to Bisotun archaeological site. Its spectacular location at the foot of the high Bisotun massif alone inspires us! Carved high above the ground into this mighty rock face is the famous 60 x 23 feet (18m x 7m) Darius relief, which depicts King Darius' victory over his main opponent Gautama and contains large inscribed tablets (again in three languages!) with important historical events. It dates from the 521st century BC. Unfortunately, the relief has been almost covered by a scaffolding for years, so you can admire the historical work of art from afar and with binoculars! In order to get a better view, we did a short climb, but unfortunately without any particular success ;-).

An even larger work of art would have been created a few hundred yards (meters) away. Here a huge area of rock (650 feet x 110 feet / 200m x 33m) has been sanded smooth and prepared for a gigantic rock carving. Apart from a small carved head, the project was never completed. A curious and impressive historical vestige! However, if we had not been in an archaeological site, we would have thought of preparing a quarry when we saw the wall ;-). We stroll through the park for a while, look at other smaller reliefs, inscriptions and statues, stop for a few selfies with friendly but fleeting acquaintances, are presented with biscuits and then make our way to a well-known picnic spot in the middle of a beautiful mountain backdrop, where we set up camp for the night.

December 17^th 2022

Bisotun – Kermanshah, Iran

Miles: 20 (40km)

Miles total: 14’380 (23’190km)

We leave the beautiful overnight place and soon arrive in the city of Kermanshah. On the short route, along a military base, we encounter several concrete elements with the words "Down with Israel" or "Down with System USA".

Arrived in the city we first eat an "Ash" and roam through the bazaar. It is striking that many stalls have a siesta for about three hours in the early afternoon.

Back in the hustle and bustle of the city we see a rather sad picture: the many garbage collectors in the city (also in other Iranian cities). Mostly gaunt, some older men, rummage through the garbage, separate cardboard and plastic and can probably hand it in somewhere for a little money! Judging by their neglected appearance, they struggle every day to have something to eat. We give an old rubbish collector who is sitting with his head hanging on the ground a bit money, and show him our mobile phone, which says in Farsi that he should go eat something good! A sad picture.

We are unsuccessfully looking for a similar restaurant for dinner as we found with Reza and Saeid in Hamadan. There's another Ash for dinner. In a quiet location above the city, we end the day.

December 18^th 2022

Kermanshah – Mir Hassan, Iran

Miles: 60 (90km)

Miles total: 14’440 (23’280km)

We take advantage of the glorious weather to take a short morning walk in the beautiful mountainous surroundings around our overnight stay.

 From the quiet park area, we continue to the lively city of Kermanshah, which is mainly inhabited by Kurds. For us, this is particularly evident in the clothing of the men, some of whom still wear their traditional wide trousers today. In addition, we are now in areas where the Iran-Iraq war raged during the 1980's. The city of Kermanshah was constantly bombed and badly damaged. This is one of the reasons why the historically and architecturally worth seeing buildings are limited. We first visit the bazaar, where we buy saffron, pistachios and Nan-e Berenji cookies, which is typical for this region and is made from rice flour. Speaking of saffron: Iran is the world's leading producer of the precious spice! The last stop in Kermanshah is the early 20th century Tekiyeh of Muavin al-Molk house. Once built for religious ceremonies (now a museum only), the site is known for its painted ceramic tiles depicting various historical and religious episodes.

We leave the city and continue west, deeper into Kurdish areas. The scenic route takes us through small villages and lonely mountain regions.

December 19^th 2022

Mir Hassan – Ilam Dam, Iran

Miles: 120 (170km)

Miles total: 14’560 (23’450km)

Another day in which nature shows itself from its most beautiful side. The road meanders almost constantly along beautiful rocky landscapes. Lunch is on the agenda again. Our goal of not eating meat fails much more frequently in Iran than in any previous country. On the busy traffic axis, we see several small restaurants and many trucks in a town.

The otherwise already narrow range in many Iranian restaurants has been reduced again from soup, kebab and rice. These places only serve kebabs and flatbread! However, the appetite could disappear, because here, in the Kurdish Ilam province, everything is a little different than before in Iran. Right next to the several restaurants, there are live sheep in pens, next to them skins from the freshly slaughtered sheep, and in between the head of a cow.

But now the journey continues towards the Ilam reservoir.

In the stream bed of the steep rocky landscape we suddenly discover a kind of marten. A rarity to be able to spot wildlife.

Shortly before our destination we see a dog family with 3 small puppies. We feed the shy animals our old bread and drive on. After a few miles, we reach our sleeping place and immediately afterwards the five dogs arrive.

And once again we feel bad about the four-legged friends and cook them a pack of pasta.

The area around the fenced off Ilam Dam is fantastic and we hope (you can see us well from the road) that the police won't come and chase us away.

December 20^th 2022

Ilam Dam – Abbas Abad, Iran

Miles: 90 (140km)

Miles total: 14’650 (23’590km)

No wonder the three little dogs are nearby, waiting for their breakfast; some bread will have to do. As already suspected yesterday, the police actually comes and want to know who we are. They are friendly and we chat using Google Translate. Passport and visa control. They want to know what we're doing here at the dam, and luckily, we can show them a photo of the dam in the guide book and explain that we're tourists and we're marveling at the beautiful area. Everything is fine and they still want to know what we think of them, the police, and whether we have dealt with the police before. Of course, we say that we understand the checks and that they are friendly :-). They also want to know our route so far. After a few minutes, they walk away with a smile. We too soon set off and after a few miles discover a fresh water source where a few local Kurds are near the water (with the typical wide harem pants). We join them and soon realize that the people in this deserted area are more shy and reserved than in other regions of Iran. However, as soon as we try to talk to them, they are very warm and friendly. We can fill our tank with the best drinking water and take small side roads through the beautiful, rugged mountain landscape before returning to the busy main road. Along this main road we visit a small but nice canyon, where two Iranians want to invite us to their home.

Very lovely guys, but we're still moving on. And suddenly it's there again, the noise of the transfer case! But we almost expected it. The chain seems to have expanded a bit again. The noise is relatively weak, but from now on we have to adjust our driving style again.

In a small town, we stop to buy bread. We find a confectionery with bread and to our amazement we find crusty buns for the first time in Iran! We also take some biscuits and patisserie pieces. Now the owner's husband comes in and is overjoyed that he has tourists in his shop. He speaks some English and explains that we are invited. We decline at least 4 times (3 times would be enough for Taarof :-)), but he insists because today was his last working day as a teacher. With full pockets and a slightly bad conscience we take off. After all, you shouldn't disappoint people and you accept such gifts. By the way, we were invited home four times today (partly probably because of Taarof) by complete strangers (at the water filling, at the canyon, in the confectionery and by two other funny guys). 

We find a lovely place to sleep near a river where you can hear a herd of jackals howling at night.

December 21st 2022

Abbas Abad – Cham-e Murt, Iran

Miles: 90 (140km)

Miles total: 14’740 (23’730km)

We're leaving. The landscape, simply spectacular, no matter in which direction our eyes turn. In what feels like a gigantic canyon, the leaning rocks, with hundreds of stacked slabs and other fascinating rock formations, pass us by.

On the way, we pass several ancient bridges, which are around 1500 years old.

Along the spectacular route we visit the small Afrineh waterfall. As we are in the canyon towards the end of the day, sleeping places are limited, so we end up near a village on a large gravel lot on a hill and only later realize that this is a (probably) newly created cemetery.

December 22^nd 2022

Cham-e Murt – Chorramabad, Iran

Miles: 40 (70km)

Miles total: 14’780 (23’800km)

Now the reason, why we have been on the road so much in the last few days becomes apparent. We had studied the weather report and wanted to experience the beautiful landscapes before the bad weather comes. Now the time has come, and it's cold, wet and gray outside! We're taking off. The beautiful canyons and rock formations are soon history and after a short time we arrive in the city of Chorramabad. The city with its 360,000 inhabitants is located at almost 4000 feet (1200m). We go to one of the typical tiny fast food restaurants to eat something. These are usually only 8 feet (2-3m) wide, about 25 feet (8m) long and have only a few places to sit. We order a falafel sandwich, two vegetarian samosas (dumplings with potatoes) and a water. Cost: 1$! At such prices, we not only have a guilty conscience, but ask ourselves once again how people survive? Where does this lead to? How big does the discontent of the population have to be before something changes? We can't do anything and move on. Right next door we visit the 1500-year-old Falak Al-Aflak Castle, which towers over the city and houses an ethnological/archaeological museum. The museum is more exciting than most.

With lots of photos of the different areas and nomads of the province of Lorestan, as well as lifelike depictions of how the people live, it was quite exciting! Around 20,000 rural and nomadic residents of the western province of Lorestan still work in various small, rural handicraft businesses. The products of these companies are mostly used for their own needs or the local markets. Widespread out-migration of villagers is one of the social problems of the region, however, promoting handicraft products in rural areas can help prevent some out-migration.

After the museum and the castle, we visit another ancient bridge which, like the castle, dates back to the Sasanid period (224 – 658 AD). Despite our half-defective transfer case, we scramble up 1000 feet (300m) to a park in the evening to spend the night and enjoy the city from above.

December 23^rd – 25^th 2022

Chorramabad, Iran

The park, which stretches across the entire hill, is very popular for picnics and is a meeting place for young people in the evening. Young men in particular meet here with their cars in the parking lots, drive around to loud music, let their engines roar or make donuts in "our" parking lot. Well, we're used to quite a bit and for a place to stay in the city it's still not that bad ;-). And you also have to understand that in many countries (especially in Muslim countries) there are no bars, discos or other public places where young adults can meet informally. A big trend are the modern cafés, which serve as a meeting place for young people in the larger cities. After a rainy night, we are surprised by the most beautiful weather in the morning. We take advantage of this to hike to the highest point of this city hill. 

In the early afternoon, we are back at the camper and shortly afterwards the lovely young man Bahram speaks to us in good English. He is an active member of the Internet platform “Couchsurfing” and regularly hosts tourists at his home. We spend the rest of the now rainy day and another night here in the park. The next morning, we get another short visit, this time from the park director and his staff, who are probably making a check drive through the park, and are curious about who we are and what we are doing here :-). The weather forecast for the next two days is bad and we want to wait for good weather before continuing our journey through the Zagros Mountains. We therefore decide to stay in a hotel for the next two nights. Before that, we drive into town to organize cash and a new SIM card. We park and, as so often in Iran, a young man approaches us and asks if we need help. He shows us where to find an exchange office on Google Maps and gives us his phone number in case we need any further assistance. We change 100 dollars and are shocked: the exchange rate has risen again! Today we get 42 million rials for our dollars (by the way, the largest bill is 1 million rials, currently 2.5$)! Since we entered the country a month ago, the Iranian rial has lost 15% in value and, according to our research, is at a record low. Since the protests and the associated additional sanctions, the otherwise already battered currency has been gradually depreciating. The economy and thus the entire population has been struggling with high inflation for years. For lunch, we find a nice restaurant in a converted old hamam (bathhouse). 

On the second attempt, we accidentally meet our friend Bahram again, who, along with his brother and father, is on this street runs a vegetable stand. He comes with us to the shop and helps with the translation. Now we are ready to send some Christmas greetings. Otherwise we don't feel anything of Christmas here, it's a day like any other. 

Among other things, he shares with us his anger against the government and its brutal dealing of innocent citizens and that we should tell our friends back home that the Iranian people are not supporting such a government! A moving text that the majority of Iranians will certainly agree with! We move on and treat ourselves to a piece of cake and coffee in a café, which we enjoy outside on the beautiful terrace. To keep you nice and warm outside, a gas fire with lava stones blazes in the middle of each table. Well, natural resources are treated carelessly due to the subsidized prices...

December 26^th 2022

Chorramabad – Khazineh Valley, Iran

Miles: 100 (160km)

Miles total: 14’880 (23’960km)

Breakfast at the hotel is nice too. Nothing to prepare, a choice at the buffet and nothing to clean :-). But before we finally leave the city, we stop by Bahram to say goodbye and hand him a ten Swiss franc bill (smallest bill in Switzerland). He makes a collection of bills of all his Couchsurfer acquaintances and later wants to give them to his daughter. He is really happy that we wanted to see him again :-).

But finally we go, and the weather, as predicted in the weather forecast, is very kind to us. Once again, the scenery on the southwest side of the Zagros Mountains is amazing!

It's definitely going down from the Iranian plateaus to the lowlands. However, we make a detour in the wrong direction to a well-known canyon before we finally go to the flatlands. 

A few kilometers later we turn onto an unpaved road and park half a mile later right on the edge of the impressive Khazineh Canyon. 

Near the main road we cross the area of nomads who live here 4 months of the year during winter with their countless sheep and some goats. Of course, we are discovered, and one of the shepherds greets us friendly and wants to invite us to tea. We decline with thanks and say that we first want to walk a little further and stop by again on the way back. 

And so, we do this and are greeted by another shepherd and invited to tea in the nomad tent. As in absolutely every Iranian household, the shoes are taken off before walking on to the carpet :-). We chat with Google Translate and soon head towards the camper before it gets dark.

December 27^th 2022

Khazineh Valley – Dez Damm, Iran

Miles: 60 (90km)

Miles total: 14’940 (24’050km)

We want to explore the fantastic canyon again and descend a path that leads us into the canyon and leads to a former suspension bridge. There are many steps in the cliffs, amazingly overgrown with fresh green grass. A rarity in the otherwise rather barren area. The green ledges attract climbing goats, of which we discover a whole herd on the rock face opposite. It's a mystery to us how the animals get there... Unfortunately, not much can be seen of the suspension bridge, the remains are hanging down into the deep canyon. Suddenly, high up in the canyon, we see a man waving at us and shouting “Hello, my name is Mogahed Biravand”. Somehow this name sounds familiar to us and through the binoculars we recognize the shepherd of yesterday. He tries to drive his goats out of the ledges and his sharp calls echo through the canyon. Mogahed soon reached us and kept showing us his or other goats frolicking in the rock faces as we head back. He stops at a small tree, picks some pieces of resin from the trunk and puts them in his mouth. This is good for the immune system. We also try a small piece: tastes good and still sticks somewhere between your teeth after an hour ;-). Mogahed can also communicate with birds: he skillfully imitates the chirping of birds and the birdie answers him promptly :-). He also shows us two stalactite caves in the opposite rock face and explains to us how high the water flows in spring. A great discovery tour with this lovely man :-).

Back at the camper, we say goodbye to him and he rushes away on his motorbike. But before we definitely leave here, as promised, we make another stop at the camp of Mogahed and his family. First there is a camper tour, then Mogahed proudly shows us his rifle, which he says he uses for hunting, and wants us to take photos :-). They also show us their binoculars, one of which is probably from wartime, because Mogahed's father only says "Saddam"... Of course we would be invited to lunch, but we want to continue. The family is very friendly to us and we give them one of our Swiss Army Knives. This is not possible without them also giving us one of their knives! During the scenic drive to the town of Dezful, we stop briefly at a street vendor to purchase a pot of cooked chickpeas and beans. Here we make contact with four Tehrani, both women without headscarves.

The obligatory selfie and phone number exchange follows :-). A little outside of Dezful we find a great place to stay.

December 28^th 2022

Dez Damm – Shush, Iran

Miles: 70 (110km)

Miles total: 15’010 (24’160km)

So, we continue to the city of Dezful, where we first go to a delicious, good restaurant and then treat ourselves to an ice cream to celebrate the day. Well, it's not a special day, but the temperatures invite us to an ice cream for the first time in ages :-). The only thing we visit in Dezful are the ancient ruins of water mills. Really something new and interesting for us! We imagine what it must have looked like 1700 years ago when the first of the 50 to 60 water mills standing in the river, grinding grain here! 

We drive on and go to the outskirts to fill up 27 gallons (100L) of diesel without any problems. As soon as we set off, someone stops us and asks where we are from and where we are going. Soon he says we absolutely have to go to the nearby town of Shush. Otherwise we're missing out. Well, let's just follow the man's advice and head for Shush :-).

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December 29^th 2022

Shush – Shushtar, Iran

Miles: 60 (100km)

Miles total: 15’070 (24’260km)

We notice very well that we are in the southwest of Iran, where a large part of the population has Arab roots. The men wear long, wide robes with a kind of turban on their heads, and Arabic is often spoken. In order to get to our destination, the archaeological site of Susa, we first drive through an Arab, very busy bazaar district, where we are a bit overwhelmed by the new culture. Arriving in the area of the ancient city of Susa, the first thing that catches our eye is probably the most striking building: the castle built by the French archaeologist de Morgan in the late 1890s, which at the time served as accommodation for the French archaeologists. We save the castle for later and first visit the very extensive grounds of the ancient city. However, there is not much more to see here than a few foundations and the remains of individual columns. Unfortunately, much of the architecture of the old city was destroyed in the early years of the excavations (from 1850), due to poor excavation methods by the archaeologists of the time. Many structures also have simply collapsed over the years. Almost all of the significant artefacts found were brought to Paris and are now on display in the Louvre. The finds date back to 4000 BC. Susa is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The huge area, in which the ruins are located and where we can stretch our feet, is very impressive for us :-). A school class is also on the way in the area, waving at us from afar and calling “hello”. Outside we meet the bright kids again and have a lot of fun together :-).

Finally, we visit the castle where there is a small outdoor museum with tools and an old Landrover used by French archaeologists. On the way there, a young man speaks to us in English and then accompanies us to the castle. He tells us that his grandfather, who is almost 100 years old, helped with the archaeological work of the French and made sure that the French didn't steal everything ;-). From the castle, you have a beautiful view of the adjacent "Tomb of the Prophet Daniel", which is very important for Muslims. We take a picture of it and say a few words about it. Then, the young man says goodbye to us quite abruptly and moves away. Did we do or say something wrong? We don't know... But now we're hungry and treat ourselves to a falafel sandwich in a small fast food restaurant across the street. Another family is sitting in the restaurant and when the man at the cash register pays his bill, he indicates to us that he paid for our meal at the same time! Another of these moments in Iran! There is another archeological site on the way to Sushtar. Here, too, we are dealing with an ancient city, Choga Zanbil, of whose remains the approximately 3,500-year-old temple tower (ziggurat) is particularly worth seeing. Originally around 160 feet (50m) high and with four tiers, the temple was richly decorated with glazed brick, glass and even ivory. Today none of this is visible anymore, the only recognizable details are some inscriptions carved on bricks.

We are accompanied without being asked by an "official" guide (no English), who leads us through the facility at high speed and takes us to some otherwise forbidden places... Since we are not quite comfortable with the region (there were various checkpoints on the route here) and we don't want to spend the night here, we continue to the city of Shushtar. We find an acceptable place to stay in a guarded parking lot of a women's park (effectively only accessible to women and children!). In the Mostofi restaurant, a historic house of a wealthy family, we get a delicious dinner.

Here is an addendum for December 14th, 2022 (Hamedan-Kangavar)

While writing the above scene with the school class, another funny experience came to mind that we unfortunately forgot in the corresponding report. Before we leave the city of Hamadan, we fill up our tank at a small LPG gas station. By the way, in Iran more and more cars are running on gas, but CNG gas. The LPG gas required for our purposes is not widespread, so the gas stations are rare and not so professionally equipped. There are hardly any safety regulations at the small gas station, the experienced gas station attendant has to operate all the ball valves by hand. During the refilling, three teenage girls come along, chat with us briefly, and then move on.

Shortly thereafter, as we drive on, we see the girls again, they wave wildly and want us to stop. We get out and agree to take some photos together. They start screaming with full excitement (no joke!) like we are famous stars! From somewhere, more girls come and flock to us! Again and again they say "I love you" to us (unfortunately they don't speak much more English)! The passers-by are already looking from afar and we are somehow uncomfortable with the great attention ;-). After the photo session, we say goodbye to the screaming but lovable groupies and flee into the camper :-). There probably aren't too many tourists in this area ;-).

December 30^th 2022

Shushtar – Ahwas, Iran

Miles: 60 (100km)

Miles total: 15'130 (24'360km)

Shushtar is known for its unique historic hydraulic system and associated mills. This structure is also a Unesco World Heritage Site. Already in the 5th century BC. one has begun to build two large canals. Incidentally, one of them, with countless tunnels, is still used today to supply the city with water. 1800 years ago, people began to build so-called qanats (underground water channels). This required a level of architecture that was unbelievable at the time! These underground water channels were used to extract groundwater, which came from higher regions, to irrigate the city and the sugar cane fields.

The approximately 1600 feet (500m) long weir over the Karun, Iran's most water-rich river, was the core of the historical irrigation system and the underlying area contains mills, bridges, dams, basins, a water level measurement tower and a castle. An impressive building, where a river is dammed and comes back to light on some underground path. In the area, we can watch a man weaving carpets and buy one of the carpets made there from him.

Now to another spectacle. We need water for our tank and will soon find the perfect water refill station! A shop where you can fill up freshly filtered drinking water directly from the water pump! The owner of the shop is very happy that we come to him and we feel welcome! It doesn't take long before there are about 10 people around us.

The onward journey is boring. Flat and straight. At the roadside, we see some stalls where hanging pieces of meat from sheep, or almost whole sheep are sold. Next door is an enclosure with live sheep that have to watch as their colleagues are slaughtered! On the way, we treat ourselves to an ice cream in one of the many gelaterias on the side of the road. Unfortunately, we don't get the typical Iranian saffron ice cream as we wanted, but have to make do with bananas ;-). We soon arrive in the city of Ahwas with a population of 1.4 million and move into a good hotel near the city center.

December 31^st 2022

Ahwas – Abadan, Iran

Miles: 90 (140km)

Miles total: 15’220 (24’500km)

In the quite better hotel (33$) the breakfast is of course also great :-). Today we start the project to send postcards to our godsons. At the big post office, we are chased back and forth between the counters. Of course, no one speaks English. But it doesn't take long before we are helped by the lovely Iranian Shoree, who also has to do something at the post office and speaks good English. First, we need to buy two envelopes (paid for by Shoree before we realize it) in which to put the postcards. We have to fill out these official envelopes at another counter. Not so easy, because for us "From" means the post office, since we don't have an address in Iran! And with "To" comes the country at the top and somewhere our phone number. When it comes to paying, the postal workers are not sure what to do. Probably nobody has sent anything to Switzerland for years :-). They first stick four stamps on the envelope, then they discuss for a minute and then add another three stamps! Better safe than sorry :-). Outside, Shoree, our dear helper, also makes her great anger with the government and Islam loud (of course quietly). We stroll through the bazaar and finally leave in the afternoon.

But we won't get far. Suddenly a man with a long beard (looks very religious) waves out of his civilian Peugeot right next to us, points something and head again to the back. What was that? We continue. Then he drives up to us, pulls over to the right and stops, and we now stop too. He only speaks Farsi and we don't understand a word. He drives on, stops again at the edge and we pass. After all! He is coming again, but this time with red/blue flashing lights hidden in the radiator. The civilian police! And this on the penultimate day in Iran. we stop. The man, probably very conservative, shows his ID and we take out the passports and visas. He is more of the serious sort and not laughing friendly like we are used to in Iran. He calls, we wait and wait. Suddenly another civilian police car comes with two police officers. They are also studying our visa and have the feeling that we have overstayed. Hopefully it doesn't get out of hand, checking with your mobile phone and browsing through photos etc..! We're a little uncomfortable! We are also in the border region with Iraq, and increased caution seems to be warranted here. The police officers discuss among themselves and one suddenly laughs and says to the other in bad English “Tourist, not terrorist”. Well, that would be clarified :-). One explains that we have to wait because the chief of police is still coming. So, we chat with the men until 15 minutes later the boss and another policeman finally show up. So now there are five of them! We notice more and more that they seem a little confused with visas, passports, etc. One leafs through the passports and asks at a Chinese stamp: "Israel?" Now the boss and a colleague come into our car, they look around, but find nothing suspicious. The whole exercise is finally over after 45 minutes, and the longer the control lasted, the friendlier the men became :-).

The route towards the Iraqi border is barren, flat and on both sides of the road there are shallow lakes and several high-voltage power lines that accompany us forever. Now the picture becomes even more unfriendly. At dusk, we see gas wells and brightly burning gas flames high in the air as we pass completely broken giant billboards surrounded by rubbish and dirt. We don't take photos here (although it looks like in an apocalyptic film), we're still in Iran.

Arrived in the city of Abadan, we first have dinner, our New Year's Eve meal. Consisting of a surprisingly yummy salad and a pizza. Unfortunately, without beer ;-). We slept through the end of 2022 wonderfully in a cozy hotel!

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