December 6th, 1984

The customs officials arrived in the morning, not as early as we’d been promised.  They were reasonably thorough, but I made my usual reflection that smuggling would be a piece of cake really, since there were so many places they did not, could not, look.  But I suppose when one is talking about the sort of money that makes the thing professionally viable, other factors intrude.  The biggest headache this morning was the boxes of souvenirs, presents etc that C + A have stowed in the roof compartment.  Nothing of much individual value – plates, pots, brassware, etc – but quite a lot of it, wrapped in newspaper + packed in old cardboard boxes.  It was all pulled out + inspected, + eventually it was decided that the whole lot should be sealed.  C+ A suggested that the whole rear compartment of the roof be sealed, but that apparently wasn’t satisfactory, so they asked if we had any large plastic bags.  We didn’t, of course – it would have to be an enormous bag to hold the contents of 7 or 8 cardboard boxes.  It was also a bit of a cheek – if they were insisting on sealing things up, (+ I for one couldn’t see any point at all to the exercise) then they should provide the necessary equipment.  Eventually, a tangled ball of wire was brought out, + after a long discussion as to whether it would be adequate – one white-bearded, turbaned old gentleman insisted it wasn’t good enough… he was quite right, for a bit of wire wrapped Christmas ribbon-like around a battered cardboard box in no way constituted a seal – but in the end it was decided it would have to do.  To watch the 3 or 4 of them wrangling over it however, one could not have guessed they were professionals, who dealt with this sort of situation daily.

We were finally passed at about 10 o’clock, our guide came aboard, + we were off.  The guide seemed a pleasant + quiet chap, tho’ physically larger than we would have hoped.  He offered no objection to being put in the back with us – Colin + Alan were determined that they should not be usurped from their positions as driver + navigator respectively.  (I would have thought they would split the driving duty, but they seem happier this way.)  4 of us in the back was a little more cramped, but only required a little re-arranging.

Not much scenery to speak of – the Iranian landscape is generally flat, barren + desert-like.  Not that I was paying all that much attention, spending my time for the most part with my nose buried in a book.  Alan in particular is a tea-freak, so the stove would be lit at regular intervals, while we were on the move – not really dangerous, provided one was careful.  And we stopped for a meal at a barren + unpleasant café, supplying kebabs, lots of flat bread – filling enough, but boring.  And then back on the road, pushing on thro’ the night.  The boys had told us they would be stopping when the light went, but with the late start, + them quite obviously finding the traffic not quite as hairy as before, it was 7 or so, with two and a half hours of driving in the dark, before we pulled up.  Sleeping arrangements were a problem, now that there were 6 of us to contend with, but C + A nobly (very nobly, seeing as it was their van) offered to sleep up on the roof.  They were the only ones with sleeping bags, so the only ones for whom the alternative was practicable.  Our guide took himself off to the nearest hotel, claiming he had no blanket, but we rather quickly dug one out for him, + persuaded him that really we would be perfectly comfortable.  C + A wanted to be sure of making an early start – 4 o’clock or so – + that would be knocked on the head if we had to wait for Matey to re-appear.  And so we settled down to sleep.

Into Iran proper – not that we are seeing much of the place (even if I didn’t have my nose in a book.) Will this be our last brush with bureaucracy. Unlikely, with an awful lot of borders to come. And in the meantime, by no means an ordeal – plenty of tea, a warm van, pleasant company, western music.