You can’t easily describe the driving conditions in Tehran. We arrived at the outer bus park to await the agency driver who was to escort us into the city to get our Turkmenistan visas and then on to an innercity hotel. By 10 am we were following a car with flashing lights into 7 or 8 lanes of traffic, all ducking and weaving no attention is given to lanes or indicators. I tend to be the lead bike in these situations now as I cause a bit of trouble – due to men slamming on their brakes and often just stopping to stare at the first female on a motorbike they have ever seen.
By the time we were in the inner city we had at least 50 motorised mosquito’s ducking in and out of the group and jostling us as they were so excited by the large bikes. The city limit here is 125cc and 200cc in the country. During this chaotic time as I shouted at men (have only seen one woman driving) who were cutting in on our lead car. Usually I was given right of way as I suspect most hadn’t been yelled at by a woman before. One elderly man cut me right off and as he sat sideways across my path asked if I needed a husband. As I replied that I had enough already he was given a smart move on by a bus bumper.
So on we battled. Parking for 20 minutes outside the travel agency caused absolute pandemonium. We had the road police dealing with the rubber neckers travelling up the road on the wrong side, the cc police trying to get our bikes confiscated, the army also arrived, the scarf police wanting me to get decent and another group wanting our passports. Our travel agency sorting our visa dealt with all these things very well. Of course we loved all the attention and it seemed sad to lock our beasts in the bowels of the hotel away from sightseers.
We all shrieked with delight at the adrenaline rush of riding through what has been called the “most dangerous city in the world to drive in” and went to have an afternoon nap. Seriously this is like the madness of India on speed.
Happy Birthday old Mary from your baby.
Thanks for all the emails. Internet becoming slower and more difficult to find.
xxJo
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