OzBus 14

Today is the day of change; new driver, new bus, new culture, new country and, for the first time, a local tour guide.

Border crossing into Iran is a long and lengthy process.  As we say goodbye to Martin, we head into Iran via foot.  After some waiting and a few more fingerprinting, we meet our new team, Mustafa our driver and Hassan our guide.  The bus is an actual coach rather than a minibus, meaning that we all have the luxury of a set of seats each.

Mountainous peaks greet us into Iran.  Dull weather is still lingering but the new land is exciting and intriguing.  Breif lunch stop and some confusion with the Iranian toilet signs, then off to the hotel.  Once there we have the fun arrangement of connecting rooms, slowly breaking us in to hotel life from the hostel driven accommodation of late.

The province of Azerbijan doesn’t have much to offer so we go for a walk.  Girls feel a bit ill so it’s not too long before heading back to the hotel.  It’s a short night and a short stop as we move on again in the morn.

Our last stop in Turkey is a border town.  A long drive ahead means we won’t have much time in the place, so we assume it’ll be a case of dinner and rest.

On the way, less than one hour after we depart from Erzincan, a wheel from our trailer carrying the luggage comes off.  As we were driving along, we hear a loud thud followed by a scraping sound and a wheel flying by the window.  Unfortunately for our driver the wheel manages to roll into the nearby river, unreachable if you don’t wade in.  The weather had turned ugly; rain turning to a blizzard, sideways snow and a freezing temperature.  After one and half hours of trying to catch the wheel, we eventually get it back, but the trailer is no more.  Bags on the bus, but it’s the last day so we’re fortunate.

7pm and we enter the town of Dogubeyazit (doggybiscuit as we’ve renamed it).  Hotel Grand Derya is nothing special, something that we’ve all become accustom to.  The town is small, quiet and dusty; our first glimpse of what is to come over the next few weeks.  Dinner is cheap and we go as a group for a kebab (obviously).  At the hotel, internet is on everyones mind.  Facebooking and blogging.  Tomorrow is a big day for us all – IRAN.

The drive fore today isn’t far from the norm. Next stop for the tour is Erzincan and has a lot to live up to after the idyllic Goreme. As we head off into the country the sun is waving us ... [Continue reading this entry]

6am and there is a minibus outside the hotel ready to take us on our ballooning trip. We drive to the head office of the ballooning company and get registered. After a complimentary cup of tea, we drive to our ... [Continue reading this entry]