Parham and his friend Roozbeh in Tabriz helped me to buy a 'VIP' coach ticket to Tehran and then we disassembled my bike, put it in Roozbeh's car and drove to the big coach station where we found the right bus and got my stuff loaded on board with a few minutes to spare, after stopping for some Ash soup at El Goli park. The coach driver charged me 8,000 toma (US$ 8) extra for my bike and luggage, which stung a little, but it was no time to argue and he had come down from his initial demand of 10,000.
The ride through the night was pleasant enough, and I got bits of shuteye. As the sun rose we were 30 km from Tehran centre, and I was awed by the number of cars already crawling along or stuck in gridlock so early in the morning. It took us about 2 hours or so to reach the coach stop. I hopped out and started reassembling my bike, then set off to find my lodgings...
I had chosen to arrive in Tehran on the 10th November - the earliest date that my letter of introduction/invitation for Uzbekistan would be available. Sadly it wasn't - and still isn't! I had applied and paid for the invite on the 26th from Stantours, and have been in constant email contact with them since. I simply cannot understand how it can take 3 weeks to get a simple letter done.
Additionally, on receipt of the letter I'd have had to take it to the consulate with paperwork and pay additional fees, and then with luck receive the visa 10 days later or so. Only with that visa taken care of could I then begin applying for a Turkmenistan transit visa (the only type available) and wait an additional week or more for that too, probably.
Fortunately, I had lined up some Couchsurfing hosts for Tehran and was able to avoid paying for hotels whilst I waited for the visa. I have fallen in with some really great people here, and am enjoying the comforts. Despite feeling a little weak the day after having taken the night coach (and not sleeping much), I seem to be about back to normal, health-wise. I am still not sure what I had, but I have decided to proceed with caution and be on the alert for a relapse. My appetite has returned with a vengeance, despite the relative lack of exercise, and would discredit any claim of being ill.
The next problem, though, was that my Iranian visa was due to expire in just over a week's time, and I was not sure I would have the money to extend that, get Turkmenistan & Uzbekistan visas and manage to have money to keep eating, so I reluctantly opted to buy a plane ticket. Due
to the desperate situation in Pakistan right now it is more or less impossible to obtain any kind of visa to enter from Iran, which is a risky enough proposition in itself with the lawless Balochistan province having seen quite a few kidnappings of cyclists over the years.
I am kinda relieved that I am no longer in limbo with regard to what happens after Iran, and I am considering heading down to Esfahan to pass a few days before the flight.
I am pondering how to locate a great big box that my disassembled bike and luggage can all fit inside for the flight. The usual way is to approach bicycle shops and ask for the ones their new stock arrived in, so I will give this a go. Then I'll have to take a bus or taxi the 30 km or so to the Imam Khomeini international airport.
Tehran, then. Well it is enormous and hilly. Bicycles are few. As elsewhere in Iran, traffic lights are rare, and crossing the road is a delicate dance between driver and pedestrian - it is necessary to simply start walking out in front of the cars and aim to be in the gap between lanes at the time the cars reach you. They usually slow down or stop without complaint if you are in their way. Somehow there is always a sliver of road on which you can stand - very still - as they hurtle past. It is rather unnerving for the likes of me, but a normal part of daily life for anyone living in this metropolis. Meanwhile, the Tehran Metro seems to be about as good as most others I've used. And the network is already quite extensive and growing.
It is getting a little cool at nights, but as for the rest of my time in Iran, I am not sure that I have seen a cloud in the sky anywhere!
Hehe, I see that I've only managed to subjectively describe the local transportation options of this mighty city. I will write more about it when I've seen a bit more and have the time.
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