10 July 2009
So much has happened since our last blog entry, it’s hard to know where to start!
Our last days in Pakistan were pretty stressful. We joined a convoy with friends to join another friend in Sukur. The plan was to cross Balochistan together, as a convoy of 5 cars. In Sukur, our friends Laurent and Amandine had brake problems, so we stayed an extra day there. We were in the police station, sort of closed in like zoo animals. I’m pretty sure it was the hottest day I’ve ever experienced. I don’t know if I felt like that because the entire situation was overwhelming, but it was nearly unbearable... Jonny was tummy sick and in the car all day, I can’t imagine what he was living through!
Once out of Sukur, we made it to Quetta and organized police escorts to cross the Balochi desert. There were a few misunderstandings along the way, but all worked out. At 5am we left with our escorts for a long long long day of driving all the way to the border. We slept on the Pakistani side and crossed into Iran the next morning.
Getting 5 cars into Iran is pretty time consuming. Carnets and passports being snatched from our hands from various police officers never makes for a calm situation. Jonathan and I try to stay positive, although I did snap when he disappeared to go look for Fabrice and I was left with an army man who kept walking away from me with our passports... Anyway, in tense situations we say “Jalan Jalan” which means “just visiting, or sight seeing” in Bahasa Indonesia. I see it as a reminder that this is why we’re doing this trip, to visit. If there are bumps along the way, there’s no reason to get riled up and take things personally.
Once in Iran, we weren’t exactly home free. We had police escorts all the way to Bam. Sometimes, they even sat in our cars with us. I don’t like Kalashnikovs in the wombat... One of the escorts was pretty entertaining. He asked me to play guitar for him, something I had never done while in the rolling car. Another one tried on Jonny’s Pakistani hat from Gilgit...we all had a good laugh. I guess you have to remember the good things in the unpleasant situations!
Right away, we could feel that there is a huge difference being the police and the average population in Iran. The police seems to be on this glorified power trip, while the people, at least in public, seem to fear standing out...We saw a man get arrested for no apparent reason in Zahedan. He was walking down the street and the police, who was escorting us, began searching his bags, pushing him around and questioning him. We didn’t see what made the cops want to search him, but it was a horrible sight to witness. We had been in Iran for less than a day, and we already witnessed what the government imposes on the public...I’m starting to feel that making women wear a veil (especially in this heat!) is a drop in the bucket of what the population has forced upon them by the government...
After a hellish evening in Zahedan (trying to find a place to park for the night caused problems), we headed to Kerman. First, some people absolutely needed diesel to make it to Bam. You have to understand that diesel is hard to get in Zahedan because it is near the border. They want to avoid people buying diesel for 2 cents a litre and selling it in Pakistan for a big profit. Also, you need a special government issued card to buy fuel, something none of us have... In Zahedan, you have to be ready to beg if you need diesel. I am so grateful that the Wombat can take 180L of diesel. We had just just just enough to make it to Bam, thank goodness. As Flo was filling his reservoir with a jerrycan, it spilled everywhere. He told me “This is the smell of Iran, get used to it”. It made me laugh.
Once in Kerman, Jonny and I were both surprised at how developed Iran is. It felt like we could have been in Canada! The cars were a bit 1980ish but other than that it was like home! (there is a peugeot 405 factory in Iran. They are everywhere!) We spent 3 days in Kerman doing absolutely nothing! We said goodbye to Lucie and Fabrice who were heading to Teheran. Amusez vous bien les amis!!!
After Kerman, we headed to Persepolis. We spent Jonny’s birthday exploring the ruins. I was really impressed. I kept picturing myself attending one of Xerxes’ New Years parties there 2000 years ago, it must’ve been so much fun. In the evening we had a dinner with some of Jonny’s favourite things: Greek salad, garlic bread, steak, chocolate cake. Our French friends even magically made a beer appear :) Spending your 26th birthday in a strict Islamic (and therefore alcohol free) country could be rough...so thanks Flo, Amandine, and Laurent! On s’est beaucoup amusé.
We said our goodbyes to Flo, Amandine and Laurent after a great time with them. We headed to Isfahan, but they kept going. In Isfahan, we were taken in by a young couple, Millat and Mona. They are our age, and so so so hospitable. They showed us what Iranian hospitality is all about! I was so happy to see that Mona metamorphosed into what I think is a typical 23 year old woman when she was in her home. She changed into jeans and a nice top, took off her veil, styled her hair, laughed, yelled, sang, danced, addressed her in-laws as friends, and spoke to Millat as her equal. It is very sad what people live through in Iran, it’s like a double life! Sure there are a group of strict religious people who agree with what the government imposes, but I think that many aren’t comfortable with what they’re forced to do. Millat told us that you can get arrested for having a glass of water outdoors during Ramadan....
Before we came to Iran, there was a federal election. A large group of people were not happy with the results and protests were held in Tehran. There seems to be a revolution on the horizon...Many people seem to be ready for a change.
The rest of our time in Iran was good. We saw great sights, had good tea, welcomed new friends to practise their English with us. We are astounded by the hospitality in this country. You read about it, but you don’t understand it until you’ve lived it! I will come back to Iran some day. It is a fascinating place, with so many layers to discover!!!
(by the way, I learned to dress like a real hip and liberal young Iranian woman: Pretty tunic or stylish tight trench coat, jeans, styled front of hair, veil pulled back as far as it can go without falling, and tons of makeup...serious amounts of make up!)
Coming into Turkey was a bit of a hassle. Not complicated, there was just a lot of waiting. Now that we’re here, we feel like we’re “home free”. There were some realities we had to face while travelling in Pakistan and some parts of Iran that could made things stressful. Now, we feel like it will be smooth sailing until we get to Luxembourg.
We’ve booked our flights to Montreal. We leave Paris on the 22nd of July. That’s in 12 days... and we’re sitting next to a pool at a campsite with wifi near amazing sedimentary structures...it’s hard to get our ass in gear!!!
I’m really looking forward to seeing everybody back home. We are so happy to have had the chance to do this trip, it’s been an amazing journey, but I can’t wait to hug all my family members and loved ones at once. When I return, I request the world’s largest group hug to occur.
Marie-Claude
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