Out of the mountains, into the desert.

After leaving Tblisi we spent three excellent days in the greater caucuses. A night in a homestay in Kazbegi and our first meet up with another traveller, a 'lifer', 11 years on the road, cycling to Beijing. Hiked up to the beautiful church above the town of Kazbegi, then on to the base of a glacier - well almost the the base of the glacier - we ran out of puff - below the 5000m mount Kazbek. Beautiful weather and stunning views all around. Next day decided to let the car do the work driving into the Truso Gorge on a mountain track. As I mentioned in the last update Georgians like to drink, so much so that even a stop to ask for directions leads to shots (plural) of vodka before we we were allowed to wend our (by then very merry) way further up the gorge. Camped in a stunning mountain valley that night after the road petered out (yet to be fixed up after the winter) before returning to Tblisi the next day and onto the Armenian border. Our tactics for the border now set, Cadie stays in the car and ferries it around while I deal with room after room of sweaty men, 5 hours to be processed marginally better than our 'in' to Georgia, but it still took a few utterings of the more universal words of the English language before we were 'seen' at all. After a stay in Northern Armenia - nice hills but grim old industrial towns - product of some failed 5 year plan no doubt- spent 3 days in pretty Yerevan below Mount Ararat waiting for our Iran visas, staying in another homestay with a half mad Yerevani lady as our host. A day excursion to the beautiful Geghard monastery, unassuming from the outside, inside huge rooms carved carved out of the cliff, water running through and intricate ancient carvings. Exhaust pipe sheared off from the rear silncer on the way there, fixed up back in Yerevan at no cost, the helpful mechanics even giving us some bread for our trouble! Yerevan itself having a very southern European feel, lots of posers and cafes etc, though without the good food or the style. Iran visas in hand (at a whopping cost of Euro 200 with all the necessary 'permissions' thrown in) headed off through highland southern Armenia. A relaxing night by a lone olive tree drinking the local wine, disturbed by a few farmers the following morning whose summer camp was just around the corner. An invite for coffee taken up, Cadie forced to dance around (a recurring theme) before we had to sit down for a very horrible breakfast of oily noodles, way too much salt and stale bread.. Every mouthful an ordeal, neither of us were able to quite finish our plates, though that didnt stop them trying to give us more of everything they had, incredible generousity yes, but we wished we stayed in bed! Following day lots of switch back roads in, up and over the Voratan Canyon, roads either ruined tamrac (worse of all surfaces) or dirt. A beautiful campsite high above a village and the canyon below, an opportunity to eat good old camp cooked food after the horrors that morning. Next day check out the stunning Tatev monstery, this time gatecrashing a service with what seemed like half the Amrenian army top brass and the ubiqitous film crew. The landscape getting drier, birds more colourful, bugs getting bigger and people getting smellier all the way down. - Birdlife a particular highlight, from golden eagles in the Greater Caucuses to huge Storks in the Ararat valley and large white eagles on the mountain plain, now blue birds and eagles in Iran - . That night's camp below a 3000m pass just before the Iranian border, drinking vodka and eating pork products before being disturbed by an attack of horseflies. Into Iran the following day, a very bad 'out' of Armenia, made to take all the stuff out the back, my contact lenses a source of great interest to the customs officers before, 5 hours or so later, we were allowed in to Iran. The difference noticable instantly (and not just the Hejabs and no booze), a very relaxed, friendly welcome from the Iranian officials and through in under two hours. Iran is undoubtedly the most welcoming country either of us have been to, we find it hard to pay at restuarants and shops (at least out of Tehran), people chatting to you in the manic traffic, even passing us nuts through the window and offering any help we need. A night near the border and a night in Tabriz, took in the 3rd centry BC ruins of Soleiman before arriving in Tehran two days ago. Managed to time our entry into Tehran with the returning bank holiday traffic, cars reversing / overtaking at speed up the hard shoulder, no one obeying lanes as such. The road tolls a particular point of chaos, which seem to many of the locals to be a nice spot for a picnic, in the middle of the road. When the traffic slows, both in and outside Tehran, the best tactic seems to be to stick right on the bumper of the car in front, otherwise the traffic just merges in front of you, much like a river flowing round a rock. Not suprisingly Cadie has taken a liking to it and she toot toots away and weaves in and out of the chaos. Fuel in Iran so cheap as to be virtually free, 60 litres of diesel, US$1, which by todays exchange rate works out at around 1 p a litre. 1 pence a litre!! - at a stroke what had been our biggest expanse in Europe cut to nothing. Iranian food not the best, kebab after boring kebab washed down with 'parsi' cola or 'fana' orange. We had an Indian last night, same slow service as at home but no trying to sneak another round of beers here!

Having applied for our Turkmenistan transit visas, which take 10 days to come through, we are now off to Southern Iran. We have spotted what looks to be a promising piste that tracks round the edge of a salt lake in the Dasht-E-Kavir desert, and hope to have a couple of nights in the desert before arriving in Eshfahan on Sat for an all important date with the telly for the England world cup game. We will then head back to the edge of the desert to Yazd where there the Zoastrians have kept a fire burning since 400 BC (which shall have to resist the temptation to 'piss it out' - to quote Samuel Pepys) before a bit more desert action and our return to Tehran. We may or may not go as far as Shiraz and the ancient ruins of Pesepolis, we will see how hot it is as we move south before deciding. Its already very steamy, particularly if you are in a Hejab! Will update again probably on our return to Tehran. Go on England!

Pictures are of Cadie in Hejab in front of the ruins of Soleiman, flowers on the highland plain of Armenia, Mount Kazbek from its base, the church above Kazbegi and alpine flowers on the walk up.