-29°C and last rites are read to the van

17th January - Bostanabad to Bostanabad

We woke up to thick ice inside the windows of the hotel and on looking outside it was clear that last night had been a cold one (without stating the obvious!). It later transpired that temperatures had plummetted to -29°C during the night in what is the coldest part of Iran. For some, the "health" of the van was of utmost importance to them and it was quickly apparant that the frozen van was not going to move for some hours, not aided by an additional puncture. Despite the best efforts of the EverestMax team, they were unable to move it from its resting place of the previous night. After Pauline hijacked a local to tow us onto the main road a car mechanic came along and placed a gas heater under the engine to thaw out the fuel line. With Sarah not back to her best fighting health, we decided to stay in Bostanabad for another day to get the van back to life.

Jamie, Rowena and Pauline decided to go for a cycle to see if there were any alternative hotels in the area, but no one told Jamie to look where he was going. Clearly becoming complacent, he decided that he didn't need to look in front of him and promptly cycled right into the back of Rowena. Jamie - this clearly isn't the style that elite cyclists should follow whilst riding at the back of the pack. Maybe one day you will watch and take notes on how Dom and Nic ride. Having said that, you may be too far behind to see them.

After lunch Rowena and Pauline went shopping in Bostanabad for the ingredients for bread and butter pudding whilst Dom stayed at our new HQ with Sarah. This left Dickie, Jamie and Nic to take the van for a ride with the aim of charging the battery after it was jump started. All was going so well and after 50km they decided to turn around and head back, via a restaurant which looked very appealing. After turning off the engine the innoculous words of "Just imagine if the engine didn't restart - let's try it quickly now" had one obvious outcome. Yes, the van was dead, there was nothing, last rites had been read to it and with a tear in his eye, Dickie almost had to admit that his and Rowena's baby was dead. Zed's dead baby, but was the van? Using the fluent Persian that had been picked up over the past week, the men succeeded in explaining to some locals what had happened and how they needed a jump start. Key tip: make sure you learn "jump start" when going to a country where it is very cold. Second key point: make sure the car mechanic checks all the connections to the battery. Luckily the men pulled the van back from the brink of scrap and made their way back to HQ to meet up with the team again.

After tales were told of their heroics (modesty was clearly apparant by the 3 intrepid adventurers) the weekly weigh in took place and then off for more food. Another cold night is clearly in store for the EverestMax team (early acclimatisation for the mountain) with ice already forming on the insides of the hotel windows. Let's hope that the van pulls through..

Posted by Nic

Bostanabad Belly!

16th January - Bostanabad to Bostanabad - distance 0km - av speed 1 lap per hour in pool - current location hotel restaurant

Sarah couldn’t have timed feeling ill at a better place…… a spa town! No way can you get somebody to do 140km on a dodgy stomach so we have had a ‘rest’ day. Some people might go sight seeing, go to cafes, lie in, enjoy the blue sky and snow and go for walks…….but they are not in the EVERSTMAX team !!! We seem to fill any spare time we have with admin that we didn’t know existed. Ro was in charge of auditing all the film we have shot so far …and that is a lot. Dom and Dickie tried to make our accounts balance….tricky! Nic tried to get a satellite connection without arousing suspicion from any of our mythical secret Iranian army spies. Jamie and Pauline braved the freeze outside with hot water and will power to try and clean bikes that don’t want to be clean. As the water touched the metal it froze giving a rather nice shimmering effect if not a tad dysfunctional. The bikes look ready for the next 5000km…oh yes we have completed our first 2000km bench mark!

All of us indulged in a hot springs experience Iranian style for an extortionate sum of £1 each. Of course us girls went to our section and the men went to theirs. It has been the first time that we have seen the personalities behind the veiled image of the Iranian woman. We didn’t have to wear veils but we were given these rather colourful and somewhat mop hat like swim caps. Sexy is not an adjective that springs to mind. Once in the pool area, we met a family group of about 10 females aged from 4 to 80 years old. They wore what looked like the 1920’s male swim suits , the ones with shorts that merge into a vest like top. All of them were too big, some too see-through and none particularly attractive…but who cares, they were having a great time together. It was a bit like watching ladies from Jane Austin era who are full of fun out of the sight of polite society. They are very tactile with each other and went around in two’s of threes hugging each other, giggling and laughing…not always at us although we did cause them some amusement, especially Ro’s elegant fall backwards into the spa pool which she had intended to be forwards!

The main pool was full of brown very warm spa water which is where we all played and swam ( Iranian style swim lasts about 5 metres straight arms and legs and head under…with nose plugs). There were also three jacuzi type pools, two of which I would have cooked our vegetables in they were so hot. One was bearable and had a cold water hose pipe that you could cool yourself with or use as a weapon against all bystanders who were vulnerable. Ro and I fell victim to this but I soon got the hose and found MY genetic strain of The Terminator and let everyone have it! They turned the hose off….ooops. The plunge pool beckoned…but not for long. The boys apparently spent most of their time in the plunge pool because they are so hard but they have no witnesses……do you believe them???

Our hotel chefs have been fab at letting us take over their kitchen to cook Sarah friendly food ie...no kebabs! All in all we are up to speed with pampering, admin and bike maintenance….let the cycling commence!!!!!!!!

Posted by Pauline

A Lazy Day

15th January Tabriz to Bostanabad - distance 65km - av speed 17km/hr - ascent 200m - current position 46,50E 37,50N

A planned lie in for a change meant we arose like coiled springs eager for action at 8. Well we got up. Mr Hossain our newly acquired best friend, and celebrity from the Lonely Planet, whether we needed him or not, arrived 5 minutes early in true military style. His role was to get the wagon some insurance whilst the rest of the team in no particular order of priority, posted the blog, sent emails, mended broken wheels, changed tyres, ate breakfast, and slept.

The reason for such outrageous laziness was that we only had about 50km to complete to get in sync with hotel stops on the way to Tehran. If you cannot resist knowing where we are off to read on, otherwise look away. (Miyane, Zencan, Takistan and Kerec for a day off). Open your eyes now. We could have had a full day on the road but over the last few days it has been bitterly cold in the van and Ro and I are struggling with the temperature, so it is important that we have all mod cons available. The brave, awesome, inspirational and slightly insane cyclists really want to camp and it takes all of mine and Rowena's powers to persuade them not to each day. So the hotel option was taken.

The cycling started 2 hours later than advertised at 2pm, with the bikes competing with the cars in the Tabriz demolition derby. By the time Rowena and I caught up they still had all their limbs in tact and I was very relieved. We passed a few dented vehicles by the side of the road so I could tell that Pauline and Sarah had been before us.

Today gave us our first real taste of the Iranian landscape as the clouds cleared and the sun shone on the mountains for the first time. It is very impressive and the virgin snow is in desperate need of some fresh tracks (I cannot wait until Saturday when we are off skiing). All my previous thoughts of Iran have been of deserts and dust so to be confronted by snow has been eye opening. Culturally, Iran is a lot more western than you would anticipate. There are many fashion shops, restaurants, coffee houses and everything you would expect on a high street back home. We have seen more women on the streets than Turkey and Syria. Many wear black but I have not seen a Burkha anywhere. The people have been fantastic, welcoming and always willing to help. Hossain is a great example of this hospitality, and although paid, greatly enhanced my knowledge of the area. His eccentric approach to describing life in Iran over the past 40 years was wonderful and gives me a much greater hope of remembering things in the future.

We arrived in Bostonabad at about 6. Famous for its hot springs, we had great expectations but unfortunately we didn't have time to visit by the time we found the cyclists. Foolishly I went back down the road to Tabriz to look for them when all I needed to do was visit the first cake shop. Dom et al have developed amazingly sweet teeth over the last few weeks. Today they visited 3 cake shops. I know it is cold but all that sugar will rot their teeth and will spoil the summit shot smiles. Rowena and I continue to provide a balanced diet but when the parents are away the children play. I quickly ushered them out as we only had 200m to the hotel. Ok so I lied it was a km down the road but we now have them safely fed and watered and ready for action.

Posted by Dickie

Mayhem in Tabriz

14th January Ev Oghli to Tabriz - distance 133km - av speed 16km/hr - ascent 411m - current position 46,17E 38,05N

The plan for today, cycle all the way through to Tabriz, 135km due east. Whether or not this was going to be possible depended on the terrain, the weather, and how much luck Dickie had collecting the vans Iranian number plates. A delayed start was due to an early morning snow fall but with Ro's scrambled eggs fuelling the cyclists, there was no doubt in their minds that they weren't going to make the distance.

The cloud level was low and the freezing mist stayed with us for most of the morning. By about 1ish we were all starving as we had been climbing continuously and we had only covered about 60km. This was a worry but with a brief lunch of cold rice from a plastic bag (cooked the previous night), we cracked on hungry for more miles.

By about 3.30pm the cyclists were reunited with the support crew who had successfully fitted the van with number plates. At this point, Nic, who was obviously feeling the pressure from Jamie's high performance decided that his 2 broken spokes in his rear wheel needed some attention and replaced his back wheel for one with a slick tyre. Nic and Jamie then set a good pace downhill towards Tabriz. This obviously panicked Dom, so much so that he too broke another of his spokes, allowing him to catch his breath back before the final stretch into the city (I think they call it a shoelace stop in the army).

We were now out of daylight and the car dodging skills of both the cyclists and the support team were required to navigate the icy streets of Tabriz during rush hour. Sarah, although wearing her flourescent jacket, was obviously not visible enough for some people, and in true style she chose to ride into a stationery car rather then plough straight into the pedestrian who had just stepped out in front of her. Pauline also showed amazing recovery skills whilst riding the Tabriz gauntlet. She swerved so sharply to avoid a car door that we all thought she was going down, but somehow, legs spread and one hand in the air waving hand signals at the culprit, she kept the bike upright and still lives to tell the tale. Dickie and Ro led the cyclists to a cheap and cheerful hotel and as quickly as possible the very hungry team went out for some food.

Posted by Jamie

International Rescue

13th January Maku to Ev Oghli - distnace 117km - av speed 23km/hr - descent 400m - current position 45,15E 38,45N

Woke early as we are keen and ready to get some miles under our wheels after our drawn out border days. The road was wet but not icy and the weather was cold but not freezing, snow all around and undulating roads….EASY DAY FOR AN EVERESTMAX TEAM!

Nic had an incident with his spoke……sounds nasty but it just meant he took it easy on certain stretches and let Dom beat him up a few hills….good to keep the boss on side.

Pauline performed an international rescue to enhance Middle East Relations. Some poor lady was stuck in the toilet and due to exceptional skill, Pauline bashed it open. The lady was a tad shocked to find a very muddy woman with shades and a helmet was her heroine. Beats wearing knickers on the outside of your trousers.

Jamie started a snow ball fight with some local children….I will let you guess who won. Sarah is constantly raving about the rock and its formations…..it keeps her happy.

We are tonight in a Red Crescent Hospital (Iranian version of Red Cross) which Ro and Dickie found when no hotels or places to camp for us were available. It is fantastic, it is clean and they are treating us like celebrities….not sure how we were sold but no complaints from me!

Posted by Pauline

Another day another border

12th January - Dougubayazit to Maku - distance 60km - av speed 20km/hr - current position 44,30E 39,20N

Jordan to Syria – 4 hours
Syria to Turkey – 18 hours
Turkey to Iran – 44 hours… yes, that's right.. 44 HOURS!!!!
That is from the first passport checkpoint as you leave one country to the final passport checkpoint as you enter the next. 44 hours!!! That is surely the longest we will ever have to go through.. or is it? Who knows. Maybe one day we will spend a week at a border, set up our tent and light a fire.

I am not going to fill you with details of administration, rather give you a feeling for what a 44 hour stint at a border is like. What on earth are we doing for all that time?

Entering the border we usually have a bet how long it will take.. The first time Dickie said 20 minutes, I said 45. And I always thought I was the optimist. This time we only wondered if it would be as bad as the last one. Surely not.

Every border is different (obviously!) some shiny and new, some old and rambling. Some have clear English signs, others don't. Sometimes it is obvious where to go, often it isn't. But that's ok - there seems to be an endless supply of people who are willing to spend many hours of their day leading you through the chaos, if you are lucky they also translate. Some know exactly what they are doing, others.. well you really can't be sure but in the absence of anyone better, you follow. This time we were immediately adopted by a boy of about 13 in a suit and ski jacket who ran through the snow ahead of the van, leading us from building to building. We probably could have worked it out for ourselves but he seemed keen. After half an hour he asked for money whilst showing us his new mobile phone. We gave him a couple of biscuits! Another man stuck with us for the entire time on the Turkish side – he only really wanted to change our money. There are no uniforms - just jumpers, coats and often woolly hats. There are old men and young men (never women) tidy ones and scruffy ones. Anyone coming to help might be looking for a quick dollar or be the Chief of Customs. We haven't yet managed to tell who is who (apart from the 13 year old) so you give everyone plenty of time and respect just in case.

Eventually you end up talking to the right people. This time we spent ages the Turkish side as we were attempting to get back the $1500 we were promised when we entered the country. They wouldn't give it to us. The banks were shut and would not be open for another six days. We would have to wait. This was obviously ridiculous. They had lots of money right there and they owed it to us - it took HOURS. Some spoke a little English, most did not. Conversations went over our heads in Turkish. We watched the body language, searched for words we recognised and tried any method of understanding what was being said. Eight or nine different people were involved at any one point. Eventually someone translates in pigeon English. We respond and it is translated back. The discussion begins again. Off to another office, another official, another document that must be stamped, another discussion, more translation, more sweet tea, more dubbed Turkish television...on and on from room to room. Eventually it is late and too many people have gone home. We have to come back tomorrow.

We cooked a meal in the van and laid out our sleeping bags in the hanger-like Turkish duty free (the 24 hour hotel was shut!)

I don't mind spending forever on a topic if it is logical and makes sense. When all reason goes out the window it becomes very frustrating.. They would not give us our money because initially we paid in dollars. If we had paid in Turkish Lira they would happily hand it over and we could go.. We spent about an hour just on that topic and we never did get paid. We can collect it in London. Marvellous. It has to be said that some of the Turkish officials know that the system is mad and are helpless. There were some emotional moments when their hands were tied and they knew it was ridiculous. All thanks to them for trying. It didn't prevent us from spending 19 hours just on the Turkish side!

Iran was a different kettle of fish altogether. I put on my head scarf and became superfluous .. “Mr Richard, come, Madam, you stay.” Germaine Greer was shouting in my ear but I stayed. I drank tea and wrote my diary while Mr Richard went through a very smart, very well centrally heated but still incredibly lengthy process of getting another set of documents for Martha. Once again the previous country's papers were no good. Once again the daylight ran out. We were at least taken to a hotel.

This morning at 8am we were told to start the van so she was warm.. it would only take 20 minutes. At 1.30 we entered Iran.

Interestingly, the phrase that I heard most over the last two days was “No problem”

Posted by Ro

It's no yolk!

11th January - Dogubayazit - distance 0km - ascent 0m - av speed 0km/hr - current position 44,05E 39,35N

A frustrating day all round as we find ourselves stranded in the middle of bird flu territory. Dickie and Ro have gone ahead to check out the border with Iran while the cyclists have had to endure another enforced rest day. News from the front is not good. The $1500 deposit we placed for the vehicle on entering Turkey is now due to be returned. Rather conveniently the banks are now shut for a week due to a religious festival so if we enter Iran we will forego our deposit. All very annoying but such is the frustration of travelling in this area. Dickie and Ro are rapidly becoming expert hagglers in cross border negotiations!

Keen to make the most of the day the cycling team took a taxi up to a local palace above the town of Dogubayazit where we are staying. The views over the surrounding town were stunning. Mt Ararat (where Noah supposedly landed up!) soars above us at over 5000m in height. We're unable to load pictures until we're reunited with our kit tomorrow but they will definitely follow shortly.

Days off are usually very welcome but after losing a couple to bad weather we are itching to get back on the road. Today has been spent in a mixture of coffee shops and internet cafes and as I write Nic and Jamie have gone to the barbers for a shave while Pauline films the event. Sarah has busied herself updating the site from internet cafes - no easy task without our normal computers and software. (geek!) I have spent most of the day on the phone receivýng updates from the border and growing increasingly despondent! Not long till we're back on the road though and hopefully into Iran. We've all been looking forward to this phase of the expedition immensely and the weather should also improve as we start to head south and finally be free of border crossings for a whole month. We've had some brilliant support over the last week and some contributions through the supporter's page. All helps to keep us on the road...!

Posted by Dom