At home, we have lived on the banks of an estuary/wetland for a few decades. A wonderful place to live with a close-knit community. Why is one attracted to water, aside from the need for survival, and that it can comprise as much as 75% of our being? Maybe it is because water can evoke emotions of peace and tranquillity? What we do know is that we are curious to experience a different kind of wetland from the one we are familiar with. [...]
We consider ourselves extremely fortunate to be able to travel with our bikes. Something we remind ourselves of, often. It does however come with its caveats, like most things in life. One of these caveats is a smothering bureaucracy-the rule of no one. A modern form of despotism which saps one of all civility. We have encountered this on every trip so, on balance, we should know what to expect! To comprehend the intricacies of bureaucracies, one must first "embrace" that for bureaucrats, [...]
Our journey takes us to Western Iran and its border with Iraq, a predominately Kurdish region. It is a mountainous sparsely inhabited area with tracks that seem to lead nowhere, or so we thought. Numbering over 20 million, the Kurds are one of the largest non-state nations in the world. Their homeland, Kurdistan, has been forcibly divided and lies mostly within the present-day borders of Iraq, Iran & Turkey with smaller parts in Syria, Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Kurdish nation, with its distinctive [...]
‘A great silence overcomes me, and I would wonder why I ever thought to use language’ This is a well used line by Persian poet Rumi. He may have never been to the desert towns of north eastern Esfahan but his line could have been written specifically for them. Dasht-e Kavir is one of two deserts dominating the landscape of eastern Iran. It is a mix of sand and salt that is as blinding in its whiteness as the desert is deafening in [...]
Our trip to Tehran left us with many questions which we are unable to answer. What we are acutely aware of is that is not our place to pass judgement but rather to observe without prejudice. And remind ourselves that so often perceptions weigh at least as heavily as facts. And herein lies the conundrum. Iran and its relationship with the rest of the world leaves us with more questions than answers. So much of history depends on where you start from and [...]
On the slopes of the Alborz mountain range in northern Iran a remarkable village dating back to 1006 , Masuleh , still bustles with life today. The unique ochre-brown structures of Masuleh resolutely follow the steep 60-degree slope of the mountain that the village nestles on—or rather, grows from—giving the village its most unusual quality - an ingenious use of limited public space. With no marked boundaries, all rooftops double as courtyards, gardens and public thoroughfares for the inhabitants on the level above. Meandering [...]
I often listen to music while riding and a song called Time Warp ( Rocky Horror Picture Show) rings true as we pass through Armenia and Northern Iran. “It's astounding; Time is fleeting; Madness takes its toll" With its gray identikit buildings, cars from another era and a pace of life long forgotten one could quite easily feel frozen in time Here are many pictures: Timeless villages Those utilitarian yellow steel pipes still carry water to homes, decades later. [...]
As a child I had a fascination for ships and anything that floats. In those days the government harbour and rail agency, the SAR & H (South African Railways and Harbours) controlled everything – they even had their own drab olive green uniform police force with standard issue snor (moustache). It was this police force that was tasked with preventing undesirables from entering the harbour, particularly for fishing. As a child I knew I had the ignorance of youth on my side, slipping [...]
Cast your mind back to 1989. The Cold War was ending, The Berlin Wall was coming down and satellite Soviet States were demanding democracy. Mass protests and revolutions in the streets caused communist regimes to fall in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria and on and on. Perhaps you remember watching this, in South Africa, on those old cathode ray Telefunken, Barlow, Hammerstein and if your parents splurged, a Sony Trinitron TV set. The country I probably remember the best was Romania! Here the [...]
It has been 6 years since we last rode our Dakar’s and we wondered how the bikes would be after such a long period of inactivity, not helped by our friends in Germany reminding us that they are kaput. One could argue that these are inanimate objects but for us they very much alive. Cherish them with decent oil, fuel and maintenance and they will respond in equal measures. Disregard them and they will let you down in revenge. Named after two 1920’s [...]
