Paykan’s, Peugeots and Paddy Fields

Location: Sefid Kenar Hotel, Bandar Anzali, Iran
Date: 21st April, 2008

We’d arranged our driver to pick us up at 1030, so, as is the way, is was nearer 1130 when we left. It was a long and pretty boring drive amongst the mighty Kamaz trucks to the Azerbaijan/Iran border at Astara.

The border is a door at the end of the street. A little unusual, but we founf a porter and were whisked though Azeri customs and immigration in 5 minutes with a salute and a “good-bye and good luck”! The Azeri people are truly nice.

Welcomed into Iran by a 20 year old smiling soldier with ginger hair who would have looked more at home in Dublin than Iran, we had our passports taken and told to sit down. While they were very friendly, we were sitting for a hour or so while they found the fingerprint kit. I don’t know why they did this, but it was the old, dirty and inky way. Still, it was done with good nature and apologies, although one stern looking guy took great delight in watching our faces as he slowly snapped on the latex gloves - just before laughter all round. Whew…

Once fingerprints were taken, we picked-up our bags (no one looked at them) and Amir, our driver and guide for the next 16 days whisked us away in his car.

A 2/3 hour drive, punctuated with surprising views of rice growning in paddy fields, hundreds of Paykans (a ubiquitous car made in Iran), and Peugeots made here under licence, a stop at Gisum Beach, ended at our hotel in Bandar Anzari, where we crashed after a long day.