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Published: April 21st 2010
Under cover
The staff of Hotel Fahaden in Yazd were so helpful they provided a cover to keep the hillman from prying eyes.Sunday 16 April
Yazd was a delightful place to stop and the hotel we eventually found was so peaceful and welcoming. The morning we were due to leave we walked around the small bazaar and the allies that offered up all sorts of small industries, from bread making to a butchers and even a bicycle store full of old rusted bikes that reminded me of an underwater scene, so eerie was the sight of these bikes. After fond farewells to the reception staff who had looked after us so well at the Hotel Fahazen, opposite the Prison Alexandre, we set off for Karmen. Now, we both knew that the next few days would be difficult as we were entering the far eastern areas of Iran, a land that few travellers know about or who have travelled through. Our hotel last night was enormous but empty. We were even asked to pay up front despite the reception having our passports in safe custody. Then we were asked to pay in Rials, all 720,000, which was unfortunate as we had worked out our finances to pay hotel bills in dollars. As it happened after I had done some calculations, we were able to
Mud plaster
We were fascinated to see the outside of the wall of this beautiful hotel being coated with a layer of mud and straw, Many of the houses and buildings in this town are made of this material. pay, and indeed we realised that we should get rid of Rials before leaving the country if we could.
Today the drive has not been without incident. We have covered close to 350 miles travelling through Bam, an earthquake struck area in 1993 that killed many thousands, and then onto Zahedan where we thought that we would be in the ‘Tourist Hotel’ earlier than normal which was situated in Mirjaweh some five kilometres from the Pakistan border. We had also had to pass a terrible accident where a lorry carrying melons had been hit or had hit an oncoming vehicle with the result that the lorry was on its side straddling the road with melons everywhere! And locals scrambling to pick them up to clear the road. Then at Zahedan on its outskirts we had our first stop by the police at a major check point. This turned out to be the place where all ‘tourists’ are corralled and then escorted to the Pakistan border. Of course our car caused much interest and curiosity as the police checked out passports, looked into the car and then asked to see my photographs. I fexpected to be deleting them all but we
Market area of Yazd
This was where we got to when trying to find a hotel next to a prison! We spent the next hour asking the way and wandering the allies of this amazing town. were just warned not to take any more photos in this sensitive part of Iran, at least I think that is what he was saying. Then a young girl, only 20, joined us and we learnt that she had been brought to the police check point from the bus station for onward channelling to the border. Sarah was her travelling name and she was indeed a remarkable young, adventurer. Of Canadian/Italian extraction she had left home at 16 and been travelling to disputed and trouble areas for the last four years earning some money here and there as she went. This all came out while waiting for a police escort to Mirjaweh and the border. We waited for over an hour for what we thought was going to be a proper escort, but it turned out that a youngish soldier stopped a local car, jumped into it with Sarah and told us to follow. This we did until another police check point where we hung around again. Then the rather pompous boss, clearly at his wits' end decided that there was room in the front of the car to carry the soldier escort, us and Sarah. I think John couldn’t
Tourist Hotel, Merjerva
This town in Iran, only 5 kms from the Pakistani border, boasts a tourist hotel, but you need to be escorted there and out of it! We arrived here after several hours being escorted to various police check points, having passports checked and after much discussion as to where we should sleep. John and I did have a reservation at this hotel. believe what he was hearing and thought it just impossible. Guess what? It was not inmpossible. John had the soldier virtually on his knee and I had Sarah beside me by the door while I drove to our next destination. Driving was a little tense as I too was perched half on and half off the gearbox housing, and Sarah was getting a dead leg from me! It was a comical sight and one that we wished we could have recorded. We did however reach our destination safely, another police check point and after some very good humoured hand-shakes by the new set of police now controlling our destination we eventually got them to understand that we did have a reservation in the ‘Tourist Hotel in Mirjaweh. Another pow wow and we were off, having been told that the border was closed for the night but in the morning we would be escorted from the hotel to the border. And that is where we are - in a small, very , very hot room next to the local mosque, preparing for tomorrow’s adventures.
Our intention is to try and reach Quetta by tomorrow night but we might have to stop
Desert - Iran style
An idea of how desolate and desert like it was on the way to the Pakistan border in eastern Iran. before then because the clocks go on a further one and half hours making us 5 hours ahead of everyone in the UK.
So very soon our adventures in Iran will be over and a new chapter begins in Pakistan.
Wednesday 21 April
Good intentions and all that! Our ‘Tourist Hotel’ kept us under control until the following morning when another Iranian police escort arrived to take us the five kilometres to the Pakistan border. On arrival various people directed us to the appropriate official to finish the paperwork to get ourselves and the car out of Iran and then off we went into Pakistan. We also said goodbye to Sarah who was catching a coach to Quetta. People have described the change us quite a contrast and can we support that view. Taftan is a dusty, desert like place with single storey buildings in the main scattered indiscriminately across a large area to cater for the huge number of trucks that regularly ply between the two countries. We only had to advance our watches 30 minutes so that was not so bad but having left the Iranian side of the border, by the time we completed all entry requirements
Rugged terrain
The terrain is almost lunar like in its structure it was gone midday and no chance of reaching Quetta that evening. So the very kind Pakistan customs people said quite happily that we could remain in their customs area until the morning and then an escort would take us on to Quetta, some 400 miles away, but where we wished to get to over night. John and I ended up being offered a bed in one of the customs officer’s houses, which turned out to be another experience. We shared the same room where the air conditioning stayed on full blast all night, whistling over my silk sleeping bag all night, while the fan rattled away too. John blew up his air mattress and it went down again during the night so I think by the time I had talked cricket, John flicked through some dodgy TV channels with our host, we had shared the very basic ablutions on offer, we were pretty keen to move on despite both being quite tired.
The journey to Quetta has to be a story of endurance and amazement. Readers must realised that we were travelling very close to the Afghanistan border and as we got closer to Quetta the more aware of
Sign Post
This pic actually directs us to the Pakistan border. security one became. The road was little more than a track in parts, speed bumps, that jarred the car and ourselves if we missed spotting one, while at the same time we were three abreast in the front of our car carrying an armed guard. Stopping to sign in to give passport details was frequent, so some 95 kms from Quetta, it was six o’ clock and not looking good especially as by now we had a vehicle escort that was travelling very slowly until it stopped and the escorts with a great cheery grin said “On you go to Quetta - fly.” We had heard that once past the town of Nounski, the road was good but when we hit the first unmade up road, our received advice did not seem true. We drove on into the night. Our advice to any road traveller in this part of Pakistan is don’t! The road is lethal at night, with few road markings, many speed bumps, no lighting and little signage to indicate direction. At one point we seemed to be travelling the wrong way down a short dual carriageway. We quickly assessed it was not the right road, turned round
Custom House, Taftan
After clearing all documentation, it was too late to tackle the long journey to Quetta, so we stayed here for the night! and took another road that looked promising -as it turned out it kept us going towards Quetta. We came across a road toll where, when asked if we were on the right road to Quetta, the folk around thought it funny - I think by this time we were both aware that with a 7.00pm curfew in the city, here we were still trying to find the (bloody) place. Ten kilometres we eventually were told. Finally the lights of the city came into view - then we found ourselves at a major road check manned by police and soldiers. The first thing we were told of course was that Quetta was a high risk security area and dangerous. The second, good news this time, thing was that they would escort us into the city - did we know where we were going. The Hotel Bloom Star we said, which has been a favourite haunt of many traveller in the past, with security for vehicles and a lovely inner garden surrounded by the basic but comfortable accommodation. Also all staff were able to offer advice on onward travel etc. After three sets of escort, dodging at six further road blocks as
German couple
That afternoon we were joined by another pair of nomads, a German couple who were on their way back to German in this box home made from a military subframe and Toyota caravanette. They also had a large black mixed breed dog with them. Never got to stroke it though! police tried to stop us, we arrived at about 9.00pm.
I said to John that with what we had just gone through, the car had been carrying us over some appalling roads, we needed to recuperate, check out the car and prepare for the next three days to get us to Lahore. I think John was grateful for that suggestion - we have been able to catch up on sleep, and the hotel management has organised a mechanic to check over the car and do one or two things on the car, like change the air filter, and refit the windscreen water bottle retaining bolts that had come loose. We may well have to consider redoing the rear springs again, but not yet. That said the car has performed amazingly well and has now covered over 5000 miles and despite the additional passengers, has coped with the battering it has taken over the last 24 hours. I think from now on, we can expect a very mixed bag in road conditions.
This hotel has been really worthwhile coming to - with rooms only US$20 a night - friendly and helpful staff, while I write this the war in Afghanistan is
English and German travellers
A togetherness in times of need. We did get a place to sleep in one of the customs officer's houses. He slept there too! brought into stark reality as jet fighters roar overhead of us. We are restricted from going into the city on our own, except the internet cafe I hope to get this off, and tomorrow morning we will have another police escort to take us to our next destination. We have also met up with Sarah again who described her 14 hour coach trip, as a very scary experience - we thought so too as we watched these coaches flying across speed bumps with no reduction in speed, passing on blind bends, forcing us off the road at times, we thought passengers were on a road to hell, or even the most exhilarating fairground ride that anyone could ever devise!
I hope the pictures that I will get posted with this blog tell some of the story of the conditions that people live in here - we have seen some sad sites, with dead camels and cattle alongside the road as we crossed the desert areas of eastern Pakistan, and donkeys are still a main form of transport and work beast for locals in the rural areas. It can be quite heart wrenching to see a little donkey pulling a cart
Pakistan trucks
Waiting to leave the following morning, along with us, these are the amazingly colourful haulage trucks of the Pakistan trucky scene. with master on it as it struggles to cope with the passing of coaches and incredibly decorated trucks being driven by aggressive drivers to meet their times. In this part of the country electricity is also in short supply and this leads to constant blackouts throughout the city.
Just to finish off this blog before the next one it might be worth saying that with nearly a month gone, here we are in a place that few travellers get to now because of the troubles here, and we are both in good shape. I have a cough that won’t go away, but generally health is good and so far not too many mosquitos have been around, although my ankles and feet might tell a different story!
And on into Pakistan - under escort!
Until the next time.
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Annie Smith
non-member comment
Great
Well you have done it again you should write a book when you get home like Euan McGregor did when he went round the world on his motor bike, keep it coming I can't get enough. Best wishes Annie