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Amazing traffic congestion

PHOTOS: If you want to see the photo’s full-size, click the photo, it isolates to a new page and click it once again.  Use browser’s “back” to return to blog.
CURRENT LOCATION:  Upper right corner is my Delorme inReach Explorer satellite tracks provided by SPOTwalla.  When activated, it provides a real time track of my travels.  The tab “All-Star Motorcycle Circus & E” opens for more options.  “Adjustments” enables the viewer to select more days of the tracks.

The tracks are archived back to my arrival in Heidelberg, April 16.

Use the zoom slider on the left to open up the map to see our entire route. The two tabs in the upper right “Map/Satellite” switches the map illustration with satellite photos.

GlobeRiders has it’s own BLOG “Silk Road Adventure 2015 LiveJournal!”  There is a complete description of the excursion, rider bios, updates of the ride, and an active satellite location link.
Day 19, Thu, May 21, 2015

Start Location:  Rasht, Iran

End Location:   Tehran, Iran

Distance:          319 km (198 miles)

Hotel/Pension:   Laleh International hotel, Dr. Hossein Fatemi Avenue, Tehran, Iran

Money Conversion:

Iranian Rial: $1 USD = 28,349 Rial or Rial 1 = $0.000035 USD

Internet access: has become a major challenge.  Internet WiFI is available BUT a stable connection is not!  At 11PM I had disconnects every 5-10 minutes.   All social media is blocked.

On a scale of 10:

Baku hotel = 5 – stable Wifi but slow

Astara hotel = 4 – stable Wifi extremely slow

Tehran hotel = 3 – unstable connection WiFi extremely slow

No photo’s today.  Basically a repositioning day into the City Center of Tehran.
Because of the past embargo on Iran, US and Israeli riders could not get a VISA for Iran.  To ride the Silk Road they had to load the motos onto a freighter in the Port city of Baku, cross the Caspian Sea from to Turkmenistan.  The freighter has no schedule, no cabins or food.   Sometimes they had to wait 3-4 days for the freighter to arrive.  They purchase food before bording the freighter and payed the cook to prepare the food and pay the crew to give up their bunks for the overnight trip.  Once at Turkmenistan they waited 2-3-4 days for the freighter to unload!
One of our GlobeRiders is Israeli.  He cannot get a VISA to enter Iran.  He waited in Baku 5 days for the freighter.  We will meet him in Askhabad, Turkmenistan Mon, May 25.
GlobeRiders has never brought a group through Iran.  Our trip is the first to actually enter and ride big motos through Iran.  Our first time Iranian “tracks” were a combination of tracks from the Iranian guide and Helge.

It had a half-dozen minor errors which I as resourceful rider work around … riding on the forbidden toll road, jumping curbs, riding on sidewalks, riding against traffic on one-way streets, etc. anything to move towards the hotel in monster dog-eat-dog traffic.  If you missed a turn the next U-turn/traffic circle could be 1-5 km away.

Today is a short ride, approx. 200 miles, into a hell-hole challenge of Tehran’s legendary traffic.  We were told that motorcycles were not allowed on the toll road.  It seemed the “track” took us through every village, town, city in a straight line to Tehran.
Most cities main boulevard has 6-lanes divided.  The left lane is the left turn lane, which has 2 speed bumps before the turn, the center is through the city, the right lane is turning and loading.  The 3 lanes turns into 5-6 lanes of traffic with speed bumps and bottlenecks at each traffic circle. Vehicles are cutting from the far left lane to make a U-turn.  Many ride the line between the left & center weaving left & right to try and control both lanes.  So every vehicle is fighting for position and pushing other vehicles out of their lane.  We are in the middle of this!  In the tight jams we are walking our motos inching forward trying to avoid the really aggressive drivers.
I happened to be leading 3 other riders and in this inching traffic we are totally separated, as the aggressive drivers will push between us. As riders we are at total concentration, watching for the aggressive drivers, finding holes to shoot through, feathering the clutch, working the front brakes cause our feet are on the ground most of the time.  All the time our engine temp are at the high end of operation.  The Strompasours never went past 3 bars but after 20 minutes of inching along the engine begins to stall.  A quick hit on the starter button and all is good.
In the middle of all this chaos, drivers and passengers on each side of us want to talk!!!!!  “Hello!  Where you from?  Would you like tea?”  After forcing me out of my lane, they want talk and take my photo and invite me to tea while we inch forward!

This happened at least 25 time today.

Now we are 50 km from Tehran.  Between the GPS “Tracks” and autoroute to the hotel, I missed another turn and found myself on the forbidden highway.  At last 100 kmh!  I had enough of the suburb Tehran traffic so I rode the highway all the way into Tehran thinking if I get a ticket it can’t cost that much.  After a few minute I see scooters on the highway!

We later learn that some police will let large motos on the toll road.

Welcome to Tehran!

Curt from Thailand said he was 2.5 km from the hotel then missed a turn and then was 5 km from the hotel then 2.5 km on the opposite side of the hotel and again missed a turn and again was 5 km from the hotel.  This went on several time as he worked his way around the hotel.
All bikes and side-car rig were safely in the hotel parking lot by end of day.  In all of this there was only one asphalt nap.  Joe Hutt was stopped when a truck next to him nudged his pannier.  He was releasing his foot brake and clutch when tapped and by the time his foot got to the asphalt the water-cooled BMW was too far-gone and over he went.  A large truck blocked traffic while several drivers/passengers came over to help him up.  Joe said the truck driver shrugged his shoulders climbed back into his truck and inched away.  There was no damage to him and only some cosmetic scratches to the pannier.
In out hotel, out on the streets as we explore around the hotel, the everyday people we meet are friendly, curious, and helpful.
Tomorrow a tour of Tehran.
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9 comments to Amazing traffic congestion

  • Michelle

    Thank you for taking us along for the ride! It is simply fascinating!

  • Bob Kunihiro

    Nice. Stay safe.

  • Cletha

    Holy Smoke Batman, what an adventure!!! Glad you all arrived safely at the hotel. Thanks for the posts.

  • Dave Chiurazzi

    This description is epic:
    happened to be leading 3 other riders and in this inching traffic we are totally separated, as the aggressive drivers will push between us. As riders we are at total concentration, watching for the aggressive drivers, finding holes to shoot through, feathering the clutch, working the front brakes cause our feet are on the ground most of the time. All the time our engine temp are at the high end of operation. The Strompasours never went past 3 bars but after 20 minutes of inching along the engine begins to stall. A quick hit on the starter button and all is good.

    Thank god for the Srompasourus!!!!

    GREAT report Dean – Did you take them up on their offer for tea? LOL

  • Tom

    Bro….great description of the ride! Best part was everyone made it to the hotel in one piece.

  • Joel Key

    Exciting stuff!

  • Cathy

    WoW, Thanks for the ride. Stay safe!

  • emerson

    Very interesting since Mahnaz was from Tehran. Women still dress covered up and have hoods?? thanks, dean

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