After a 12 hrs trip by night train we arrived in Bandar Abbas. Even though we got off at 7AM, the heat was unbearable. By noon, it was already extreme. I never felt such heat before in my life (from natural causes). You have to feel it to believe it!

In the first picture we are with Hamid (from the ocean shipping company) and his family at the Strait of Hormuz beach, separating the Gulf of Oman from the Persian Gulf. The water was hotter than I would use for a shower!

The next day, after some 6 hours spent in the port, we managed to unleash Palomina. The process involved obtaining approvals, signatures and stamps from more than 20 officials but, as opposed to the situation in Vietnam, all of them were friendly and even served us with tea and coffee while waiting.

Now, with only 13 days left on our visa, we are preparing to cross the desert as soon as possible, to use the remaining time in Tehran and Tabriz.

Funny thing: while in other Asian countries the local calendar is used merely for ceremonial and religious purposes, the Persian calendar is used in Iran for all official business. Meaning that, in my Carnet de Passage, the entry date for Palomina was recorded as 31.02.1391 🙂