Exploring and off road riding through the amazing Iran. I am following the silk road but from time to time I go off the beaten path to explore the remote and unspoiled places of Iran.
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In April 2019 I left on a big motorcycle adventure starting in Belgium all the way to the Himalaya’s and beyond. My plan is: take no highways, ride off-road when possible, wild camp and stay with people as much as you can and try to rock climb in every country.
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Route: Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Australia, ….
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I was driving from Tabriz towards the north of Iran and eventually drove all the way to Jolfa and Aras valley. The Aras river is on the border of Iran and Azerbaijan and soldiers have been fighting there for a long time defending the former Soviet Union and Iran empire. It used to be a highly guarded and patrolled border with checkpoints every few hundred meters, no cameras allowed, no unnecessary visits, no parking of your vehicle, and so on…But I must confess I committed a felony since “Officially” you are not allowed to take pictures… and there were signs everywhere. But It would be a shame to not photograph this valley so I drove during the “golden hour” took some pictures and was enjoying it to the fullest! Arriving at an old Christian Church, the locals advised me not to stay there “because it was dangerous” and they sent me to a nearby resort where I could stay for free and have a free dinner. Thanks for that! (Iranian hospitality is crazy!).
The day after I continue my journey east and set up camp in the grassy hills. While trying to take the perfect shot of the setting sun, two shepherd boys approached me. Arriving at the top and seeing my motorcycle & camping setup, I can smell their entertained and amazed mood! They ask me something in Persian and I answer them in English. They start giggling like two young girls… Of course they don’t understand me, like I don’t understand them…
“I am trying to capture the sunset” – I say to them. They probably thought I was crazy and start laughing even more! “Can I take a picture of you?” – I ask, and when they finally realise I wanted to photograph them, they run shyly and giggling away. Just beautiful! The same shepherd boys eventually came back, although I couldn’t speak their language, we had a great time together! At the end I could take some pictures of them and in return they could hold my camera and take some pictures themselves. The smile on their face was priceless!
I continue my Journey towards Razmian, which is apparently a motocross paradise and I meet a young, Iranian rider girl with her dad. For Iran this is pretty crazy, and so was my respect to her! Ride on girl, you rock!
Arriving in Tehran, my best friend visited me for 2 weeks and we had some awesome “holiday” time exploring the country. No motor biking, just public transport, sightseeing, enjoying local culture, heritage sites and delicious food!
After flying back, it was time to arrange some visas for Turkmenistan and China. but nothing went as planned… I ended staying almost 2 weeks in Teheran but eventually got all the visas. Time to go to Turkmenistan!
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A big thanks to GIVI and GIVIExplorer for supporting me with their awesome luggage system, helmet and auxiliary lights!
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A big thanks to Mat2Composites for helping me with the Rally Inspired front fairing!
Music:
– Im Everywhere – TeknoAXE
– www.bensound.com