Category: Bikepacking Southern Iran 2016

“Meester! Meester! Your bicycle!” “Yes, yes!” I reply, scurrying across the forecourt to where the second driver is struggling to find handholds through the plastic sheeting. I relieve him of his duties, extracting the bicycle from the hold of the bus and hauling it over to a nearby bench in the sun. Doors swing shut, airbrakes hiss, and the now-empty bus pulls away. Now comes the street performance every adventurous cyclist must perform: the assembly of a pile of clanking metal and multicoloured bags into a fully-loaded touring bicycle. Out come the pedal wrench, multitool, hand pump. Bored taxi drivers trickle… Continue reading →

This new story is a simple one. I went on another cycling adventure, had some noteworthy experiences, and reckon there’s a decent yarn in there. There will be no convoluted backstory. I desperately needed a break, and ticking off a long-dreamed-of bike trip would be perfect. The dream in question? Exploring the deep south of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in particular the Persian Gulf coast – the land of the Bandari people, of Arabic speaking, black African Iranians, of thousands of miles of empty white beaches and warm inviting water the colour of the mosaic-tiled turquoise domes for which… Continue reading →