A phenomenon that is prevelant on Iranian roads we have labelled, “road lice”. The maximum size bike here (apart from ours) is 125 cc and they are everywhere, mainly ridden by very young men (normally two up) who have nothing else to do but cruise the highways all day. With petrol at 16 cents per […]

We were told that riding a motorcyle through Tehran was absolute madness, that the drivers there are merciless and we would all end up hospitalised. So we practised a technique to get through the city’s famously congested streets and survive the antics of its equall famous suidcidal drivers. We have called it the “Silkrider Wedgie”. […]

It has been 10 days now since we entered Iran and the effects of no booze are beginning to show. As his immunity has steadily declined, Bryan has come down with the lurg that had previously hit Joanne and Gareth, Phil has swollen wrists and is struggling to see, Brendan has been riding off by […]

Just out of police “house arrest”. Had to look on the funny side and I found it rather interesting that they demanded all the boys passports but didn’t think I would have one. I had to send mine down to the station later when we thought the police were going to change our visas. There […]

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 […]

Today we held a press conference for Iranian television and newspapers. It was well attended and we covered why we’re doing this crazy exercise, acknowledging that very few have done the whole Silk Road from Constantinople to Xanadu. Besides there’s no way we can claim to have yet and we have formidable barriers yet to […]

Those of you that follow cars will remember, I am sure the Hillman Hunter a car assembled in NZ by Todd motors. The Hunter provided, to car starved New Zealanders, four doors, a good sized boot, zippy performance, good fuel economy all at reasonable price. Well when it was dropped from the Rootes group line […]

A feature that has struck me almost from the day our journey began, has been the of flocks of sheep and goats grazing the common land along the roads of eastern Europe, and in increasing numbers in Turkey and Iran. Each flock of up to 100 sheep and goats is looked after by a shepherd, […]

The evening prior to our departure from Erzurum we returned to the hotel after the inevitable Doner Kebab and all bundled into the very small lift, the doors closed with lots of hilarity about losing weight, pulling in tummies and no breaking wind. Within seconds of the door closing the lift door flew open. Two […]

Leaving Turkey, I was full of mixed feelings. The hospitality, the people, the harshness of the eastern side. The weather that nearly had us stuck in Erzunum with the high plains summer zero degrees and sudden heavy snow fall. Then in Agri the push off my bike followed by several locals helping lift the bike […]