Dream of Driving Through Iran Has Most Likely Burst

Our dream of driving through Iran has most likely burst.

An article at Tourenfahrer.de shows that since 23 July last year no motorcycles with a motor volume bigger than 250 cm3 may be imported - not even for transit. The law apparently has existed since 2005 but only last year the government decided to implement it

We will probably switch to the ferry from Baku (Azerbaijan) to Turkmenbashi (Turkmenistan), but it is supposed to be a disaster: there is neither a timetable, nor does it travel directly to the destination port for sure, but for some unknown reason can simply bob a few days in the open waters in front of Turkmenbashi.

In Turkmenistan, however, the transit visa has to be ordered for a specific entry day and is only valuable for 5 days. A tourist visa, which requires a guide, would be an alternative.

So we have new conditions ... I will inform you about the decision asap.

source Google Maps

Lecture «Leaving Home Function» in Münsingen BE

Today we visited, together with Hansjörg and Res and all our wives, the lecture of the artist collective «Leaving Home Function».

The three women and two men of "Leaving Home Function" drove four Ural sidecars from Halle (D) by land via Russia to New York. (Of course, they couldn't drive on the easternmost part of Russia and, of course, the Bering Strait.)

source: http://leavinghomefunktion.com/de/

We enjoyed two and a half extremely exciting and entertaining hours of a presentation held by the entire group. I would have liked to see a few more photos and films - but they will probably be used for the book and the movie  to come.

The five young sculptors have experienced many adventures with their very puncture-prone Ural motorcycles ... but they had quite a naive approach to the matter. The choice of the motorcycle e.g. can hardly be justified with good research - the susceptibility of old Ural motorcycles - especially with the heavy load on this expedition - is commonly known. In addition, no one of them had ever driven a motorcycle before nor had anyone an idea about mechanics. But this is "only" a technical aspect, which nevertheless plays a decisive role in planning and executing a journey like this. The amount of time spent on repairs could be used for better. However, technical problems make it very easy to get in touch with the local population.

source: http://leavinghomefunktion.com/de/

It was impressive to me that during the two-and-a-half-years of the expedition, they always slept together under an open tent roof. They did not have any tents with them, but consciously chose a kind of common bedroom to shape the processes of the dynamic in the group. So you could not retire and had to face the group. Exciting - but also difficult, I think.

source: http://leavinghomefunktion.com/de/

In order to get further east from Yakutsk in Siberia, they had to transport the four sidecar motorcycles around 1600 km on a river because there is no coherent road network. That is also the reason why we had buried our original plan to drive to the Bering Strait relatively quickly.
Leaving Home Function has built a float construction and a small ship propeller driven by an adventurous construction on the cardan drive of the Urals.

Unfortunately, they did not come very far after this "boat trip" into a restricted military area due to technical problems and were evacuated by the local authorities. Through their media presence they had great support from the population and many authorities. The motorcycles were stored in a container somewhere in Siberia and are still standing there, waiting for some crazy adventurers to repair them and keep going - or back ...

They flew to Alaska via Magadan on the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and continued their journey with the four motorcycles they had started in Germany with and which they had had to give up the autumn before.

What an impressive adventure!

We have defined the itinerary more precisely

We have specified the itinerary because some countries require an early application for a visa, while others allow us to complete the application on arrival at the border.
We had help about current travel information from Mätteli and Fäbu of the Bernese team "Eye of the Taiga" (website mongolrally.ch), who drove this year with a Fiat Panda to Ulan Ude and back. 
Also one of Lorenz's many friends from Bern has been able to give us valuable information about the regulations in Russia. For Iran, we will have to deposit part of the vehicle value at the embassy. Turkmenistan we would have to leave within 5 days with a transit visa and entering and leaving the country is only possible at certain border crossings. 

We looked at the map and counted wrist times π how far we might get in a week and put together our preliminary route. This is not carved in stone and will be changed by local information, as we will not board the fastest routes, but like enjoy the most beautiful ones...;)

• On Saturday, April 5, 2019, we say goodbye. In the morning with a brunch in Bern and then in Basel with a small (?) Party.
• On sunday, 6th april, we start our journey.
• Over Austria, Hungary to Budapest in the first week. That's about 1000 km.
• Budapest - Romania - Bucharest - Bulgaria - Istanbul in the second week. That's about 1500 km.

• From Istanbul we travel along the Black Sea coast to Georgia. It is about 1700 km to Tbilisi, which we want to drive in about 10 days.
• On May 1st, we want to enter Azerbaijan and then travel comfortably through Iran, so that we can enter Turkmenistan on June 1st.
• In May, about 2100 kilometers are planned.

• In June, Turkmenistan is first announced. Asgabat is the capital we want to visit. And then of course the gate to hell or the "Crater of Derweze", a burning hole in the earth. These are within 5 days about 800 km.
• We continue through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
• In about 3 weeks we will cover this distance of 3800 km ... if that is not too much.
• At the beginning of July 2019 we enter Russia, but drive directly to the Mongolian border.
• It is about 2500 kilometers to Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.
• Another 1000 km from Ulaanbaatar via Ulan Ude to Irkutsk in Russia.
• We want to arrive in Irkutsk July 15.