Segregation between Men and Women: In Iran, the segregation between men and women is almost complete – from the buses, the metro, schools and school buses, airport entrances and metal detectors, wedding reception halls and park entrances to bread lines! But there are some peculiarities to the system: for example, you must enter the park […]

Teheran: We arrived in Teheran amid a yellow cloud of pollution and appalling traffic. The traffic and pollution were my first impressions of this city, and they will be my last. There are 12 million people who live in Teheran, and they all seem to be on the streets at the same time. The traffic […]

With Morteeza: The first thing I noticed in Tabriz was the preponderance of black chadors – or “black bags,” as Stephane says. We met up with Morteeza, Shamsey’s brother, who was a 22-year old British Literature student at the University. He showed us around the bazaar, the new commercial street, the famed Blue Mosque, Elgoli […]

Towards Tabriz: The first 30 km. after the border were the easiest we’ve ever done – all downhill from the mountains in Turkey to the Iranian steppe. The arid steppe was made up of steep mountains and dry, cracked earth, brown except for where rivers ran and added green trees. Large sunflower fields, mostly cut […]

Crossing the Iranian Border: We left Doguybayazit late – after the palace visit – and had only 40 km. to bike before reaching the border, but it was dark by the time we got there. I was scared half to death more than once when huge, unfriendly dogs chased me coming down the mountainside, then […]