Yesterday one manager of the hostel had said/mimed that I could have breakfast at 6 what would have fit perfectly into my plan to leave early for the 130km tour, but the next manager didn’t know about that. So, I left at 6:30 without breakfast, but with some fruits I had bought and some chocolate I was well equipped. The chocolate (and 2 bananas as part of dinner) were excused by some problem in the guts I wanted to “cure” with it. (Worked well!).
Arash, the friend of Nader in Shiraz, had contacted Ali, another friend of his in Abadeh and we had made an appointment for later afternoon, something that should be possible even with headwind and many breaks.
On the way out of the city, a driver waved and then I saw it was that man, who had shown me the way to the hostel.
Mr G (=Garmin from now on) showed me a new record:
follow the street for 112km straight!
East of the street was a high and long mountain that provided shadow for a while so that until 7:30 I felt fresh and for another while still not hot.
In a village a man came out of a shop with a bag full of biscuits and he waved me to come to get two.
Then I drove for a while, realizing that the first 4-5 hours I feel very good and don’t need breaks for recovering, only for eating or putting on sunscreen etc.
10 o’clock is sun screen time! (The eco-Sun cream is hard to spread…)
The Germans on top of the pigeon tower in Isfahan (day 074) had said that they only had seen two bike tourists in Iran. With Nader, I had seen only one, and this one was most probably a local. We only saw him by chance, as on highways there is that central strip blocking the sight. And now, since Qom, I am driving on roads where the both directions sometimes are separated by 50 or even more meters. So, maybe dozens of bikers have passed my way without noticing each other?
And then I saw something. Two bikes riding side by side far in front of me. I tried to catch up and only slowly came nearer, apparently the were fast! I did my best and when I was near enough, I saw that only one was driving a bike, the other one a motorcycle and he was pulling the cyclist. I slowed down again, but this was not the last time for the day when I was driving faster than I wanted.
15km before Abadeh. A car stopped. A man came to me, and after the first standardized questions, her made a call and gave me his phone. It was his sister, talking in good English and inviting me for lunch. It was around 13:30 and I was probably too early anyway to meet Ali, so I agreed to this surprising invitation.
I should follow the car as their home were “near”.
Again I tried to be as fast as possible, hoping we would arrive soon, but it more than 10km! First, he drove at my speed, then he drove ahead and waited somewhere and then I didn’t see him anymore. Another car stopped and without words the driver gave me a package of cookies! When I had stored them in my bag and again looked around to find the driver, he suddenly was again next to me and the hunt went on. But it was not long anymore.
Amirhoeesin, so his name, brought me to his home where his sisters Arezoo and Elham waited for me. Arezoo is working as English teacher at university and in a private school and she translated for the family. For me was interesting that her maman sometimes walked around in my presence without headscarf, her elder sister Elham had put it away compltetely after some minutes and only Arezoo had it “on” (on half or sometimes less of her head).
After lunch (only Amirhoeesin and I were eating, the others were finished),
Only Amirhoeesin and his father were available for a photo
he had to go back to work, but he and Arezoo wanted to help me to find Ali’s home.
So, again I was hastening behind his car to the place that Ali had marked in a google map and then we said good-bye.
I started to write a message to Ali, when another car stopped, mother, grandma and a child. They wanted to help me and called Ali. He said to them, they should bring me to another crossroad to wait for him. Ok, driving behind a car again. But only 1km this time. They left me and I waited for Ali. A group of boys gathered around me and practised their 3 or 4 sentences they knew in English. Then Ali arrived and for the last time of this day I followed a car. We didn’t go back to the place that had been marked on the map, but to a kind of office.
Department of Development and equipping schools in Fars province
As Ali could speak only little English (and I still no Farsi), Arash had connected Ali with Nader to make some things clear. So, I would stay alone in a room of that office looking like a guest room
and Ali would come there in the morning.
But first, he went out again to bring food and after coming back he prepared tea. I thought we would drink tea together, but then he left.
I ate the food, drank the tea and started with my diary and uploading.
In the later evening Ali came back, he wanted to bring me something for dinner….
I ate all five peaches in the evening, because the were so ripe that i feared they wouldn’t be good in the morning. Maybe now I am not good in the night….