Day 372-378: To Duzduzan via Tabriz

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 After letting the custom officer scanned all my 10 fingers repeatedly, I'm finally in Iran.

 Takes time getting used to the heat and lack of shades...

Outside a police checkpoint, think this truck got a fine for overloading

Sandstorm

I was riding into the city when I saw a guy on bicycle riding towards me.
Later then I found out he is the famous host, Akbar! He has many spies on the road ie truck drivers who will informed him of 'incoming' cyclists that is how he knows I was nearing. I'm number 615.

And his friend Mohammadreza came to ride with me into the city too.

Our dinner spread *drools*

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Delicate hands.. Reza is making a carpet - can you tell its a bicycle design

I was invited to Reza's mum's sister place and they were making dried apricots

Plums

Drying room

Dried apricot

Apricot paste with mixed of other fruits

This is the after product of the paste above, Lavashak - very tangy, flavoured apricot 'leather', if you try to chew on it, it'll get stuck on your teeth, so best to suck it
 

Then we took a short drive to their apricot & cherry farm

Picnic under the trees... this is dough (ayran) mixed with cucumber, flat bread and some spices

Can you see me? Gonna help them pick cherries for making jam

Nice view from their farm

Then we went up the mountain to their lovely cottage - some of my touring friends have slept here before me

Enjoying this little paradise

Putting my paw print on this cloth.. I'm the 27th cyclist

Reza mummy - her hands covered in cherries juice as she was de-seeding the cherries to make sour cherry jam

Dinner in making on the fire while enjoying the view overlooking the city

City nightscape

Caught ya! On our way down we were trying not to ran into these mouse. Ain't they cute but I think farmers hate them

Thank you so much for the lovely time and Reza's mum for taking great care of me

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To Tabriz

Dried fruits & nuts for sale by the roadside

 Cey, sheets of flat bread and milk in plastic packets

 Fruits season

 Dried flower petal.. I think they grind this into powder I use for cooking too

The largest covered bazaar in the world

  

 

 

Ark-e-Alishah - unfinished mausoleum

 No camping?

 Blue Mosque, it was closed when I was there... so I could only zoom my lens for a peek

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One of my favourite fruit!!! I always imagine lugging one on my bike

They requested for a photo... but... can you not offer me 1 piece of watermelon? Please Please?

Grey clouds... oh no...

 


Today I finally swear out loud with the 'F' word... I was on my bike drinking water by the roadside when a big truck pulled up, overshadowing me. Still puzzled why he was blocking me, I tried to move on when the driver came round with a glass and bottle of water and keep forcing me to take it... THEN while doing this, his other hand reached out to touch my chest (he was probably aiming for the boobs huh). I was fuming, sweared, pushed him hard against his truck, spat on his face and rode away. grrrr...should have punched him

With the help of the local people, the mayor was contacted and I had a roof over my head including dinner for the night. The next day he brought his daughter to meet me :)

 With the mayor / counsellor and staffs of the Duzduzan municipality.
Thank you!

A gift which they insisted... Persian sweet treats plus another big box of chocolate

 Then these guys caught up with me after hearing from the counsellor, one of them was from the tourism board at Sarab. They invited me to visit some museums at their city but I had to turn it down due to time. Two of them were policemen who stopped to see what was going on...

Poor thing... must be very crammed

 How calm does this photo look... the rest of the day was strong headwind and ascending

Lack of inspirations of what to snap on my camera, I think I just took this randomly

Today, a small truck driver has been stalking me for a distance, kept beeping and trying to talk to me while driving then started blowing flying kisses. I didn't have any patience left and started shouting at him... if he didn't drove off I guessed I might start throwing stones at this ass hole.

10 Jul 15: 76.92km [Sunny]
11 Jul 15: 67.47km [Sunny]
13 Jul 15: 83.67km [Sunny]
15 Jul 15: 96.60km [Cloudy]
16 Jul 15: 62.12km [Sunny, headwind]