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.

Glamping in a village

Valleys unaffected by time

Simple irrigation that works

Abandoned factories

Not so mobile home but a very mobile “pet”

Those water pipes again

Crematorium type tunnels

Soviet era apartments

 

Soviet style maintenance. Hats off to these guys for their ingenuity.

Cars we meet along the way. Some forlorn , others still hanging in there. Honest engineering still going strong decades later.

So ugly one cannot help liking them. They still make them today

Lada’s galore. The Soviets based it on the Fiat 124 that was manufactured between 1966 and 1974. Lada continued producing it until 1988.

A Lada for sale

A Lada station wagon posing under a water pipe

Another water pipe poser

 

 

A “modern” update on a soviet classic -the Bova

And yet another water pipe poser . This one, in its day, a 3 wheeler

One almost feels sorry for them

In Iran tens of thousands of these pre- revolution Paykans also known as the Iranian chariot. Built from 1967 -2005 they were based on the British Hillman Vogue. Available in any colour of choice , as long as it is off white.

And these pre- revolution 1970’s Nissan pick-ups known as Zamyads ,which are still made today. Available in any colour of choice , as long as it is blue. Basic no frills engineering that simply lasts.

A4 size parking tickets

Something straight out of a Hollywood film set.

That thinks its from Germany

Not sure if Mercedes would have opted for this trim

The tyres are a clue as to its true origin.

As does the cab with bed (above the motor) & “Pirelli “calendar

 

 

Coals to Newcastle?

Anything can be bought on the roadside here corn on the cob

Clothes

Spices

Herbs

Wooden gym dumbells

Dates

Watermelons

Dolls (in SA also known as poppies)

even in the middle of nowhere

This laid back road side vendor does it in comfort , when on duty

Street cobblers

Pedestrian and horse cart friendly highways

Helmets may be mandatory, driving into on coming traffic is optional

Even if you have to mount the pavement to do so

Toddler seat not required

When you run out of space….

Go vertical

& if you do topple over a body shop is also optional

Necessity becomes the mother of invention

in traffic ( we teach ourselves the Farsi alphabet by decipehring the number plates)

in load carrying

in sun protection

in remaining mobile

and in sealing road drains

Josephine springs a petrol leak. In Tajikistan she sprouted oil and required a catheter, now she will need a diaper of sorts. I hope this is not a sign of things to come for me personally as we are not too far off in collective wear & tear.

I will need a workshop of sorts where

In just 7 days I can make you a man ( with thanks to Rocky Horror)

And maybe a bit longer for me to develop 1 or 2 lines of those six packs. Beard optional..

All premised though on the beer not being as old as the label suggests