Cyrstal clear blue water coming from a huge Dam up ahead
Climbing up over a mountain pass....Thats what you call a good early morning workout
The view from the conquered mountain pass...
Mike contemplates on the tough climb.....
Another roadside Mosque...Stopped here for..would'nt you know it..a kebab!!!!!
Brian being candid about something or other
Met these Iranian cycling enthusiasts...25km from Qom
Mike with our newly made Iranian cycling chums
Qom versus Tehran in soccer and at full stadium capacity....
Khan Khan on cycles
At the Holy Shrine in Qom
Pure gold ceilings at this gaff
Devoted Muslims inside The Mosque of Jamkaran (The Biggest Mosque in Iran)
Sneaky pic of a father and son praying inside the Mosque...(apologies for poor quality)
Thousands of Iranians flock to Qom each day...It is claimed to be Iran's most holy city..
Paul and Mike outside Jamkaran Holy Mosque...
Mike and Ali (our cycling buddy/tour guide) pose for the camera...
Not to harp on too much about Iranian hospitality, but by Jesus (Yes your allowed say this in Iran!!) they are damn friendly. Ali (the above mentioned cyclist) took us on an all expenses (including taxi's and food) tour of Qom and its major landmarks/sites/mosques. He then organised us a place to sleep for the night in a local sports centre (incidentally, these places are worth their weight in gold as places of refuge/shelter). Its truely amazing that Ali, who met us just hours beforehand, took us under his wing and pretty much catered for our every need....Cheers again Ali. You have left yet another great memory and impression of Iran and their people in our minds....Best of luck with your cycling/touring also...
The sun sets patiently....on the Golden Roof of Jamkaran
"Crane in a Mosque"....Huge renovation/restoration is underway at alot of these Mosques
A little observation we have made about cities in Iran is that they all claim to be the holier than each other...For example when we were in Yazd, we heard this claim....then it was the turn of Esfahan and now it's Qom...They all claim to be the holiest place in Iran....Its all case of trying to "outholy" each other perhaps!!....Take Qom, and especially at Jamkaran (pictured above), they are currently building onto the existing Mosque thereby enhancing it at least three times its size....so when they say its the biggest Mosque in Iran....most of what we observed was 21st century mass concrete in nature....We think that the bigger the Mosque your city has....the more tourists that will flock to it and more importantly to the city itself ($$$$Rials$$$).....Not that we are suggesting anything untoward...... now but in summation.....Qom is trying to be a pretty holy place indeed....
Paul, Mike and Ali inside our free accomodation in Qom (a sports complex)
All safe and sound for the night...Our beloved bikes...(They sometimes talk to us too)
Day 97: Qom - Saveh (75km) - Distance travelled so far 5,296km "Same Same...Boring day to be fair"
Farmers keeping tabs on their herds of goats....
Brian thinking that...a banana will do the trick
Same old...same old....bikes n' roads...Damn boring somedays
We stopped to admire a local tombstone engraver just outside Saveh
The handy work of one craftsman....
Saveh here we come....(Just approaching the city centre here)
We bed down in a hostel that had been spray painted all over...Yes...the light bulbs, the windows, sockets, switches....Very funny place...but good value....
Oiche Mhaith....Zzzzzzz
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