Another pool, Rob?!!

Yes, I know, there's already a picture of a pool in an earlier post, and this one doesn't even have water in it. But this was the SHAH'S pool!

My first full day in Iran was spent riding about 50 kilometres from Imam Khomeni International Airport to my hotel in Tehran. Traffic in the city is harrowing, I got lost, and ended up frantically following a very generous man on a motorcycle who took it upon himself to guide me to my destination.

But on the second day I toured the palaces and summer homes of the country's deposed royalty. I saw bedrooms and dining halls with walls decorated with thousands and thousands of tiny mirrors. I was led by a guide through the Shah's former office, which if you can believe, had a fully-functioning dentist's office though one door for the royal family's private use. I even got to peek through the doorway of the Shah's bathroom. (The toilet wasn't visible so I cannot say if it was actually golden, as some reports during the revolution suggested.)

Today I will take an all-night bus to Shiraz in southern Iran, which is the jumping-off point for the ancient Persian ruins at Persepolis. I was only granted a ten-day visa so I hope to get that extended there. If not, as Han Solo would say, this is going to be a really short trip.

Son of Thunder..

T.E. Lawrence owned seven Brough Superior motorcycles but this is the one he died on. It's at the Imperial War Museum in London and of all the exhibits there -- which include a German V-2 rocket -- it's the one I spent the most time staring at.

On the tragic morning in 1935, Lawrence of Arabia was riding at an outrageous speed near Bovington in southern England when he came upon two young cyclists. He swerved, clipped one of the bikes, was thrown over the handlebars and cracked his skull. He died several days later.

I rode through the area myself last month and the tale of Lawrence's demise reminded me to (a) slow down a bit on tight downhill turns, and (b) watch out for the kind of nutjob who'd own seven 1000 cc motorcycles and race them on one-lane country roads!

I don't really want to knock Lawrence too much. In 1909 he did an 1,100-mile walking tour of Palestine and Syria, so I imagine he'd think my plans to cycle the Middle East were pretty cool.

And if like me you're wondering what happened to the cyclist Lawrence clipped, there's no further mention of him at the War Museum. But a brochure I picked up close to the crash site last month noted both riders testified at the inquest the following week, so he couldn't have injured too badly.

Back on Track..

It's been a month of ups and downs, but finally Mom is out of hospital and I'm about to hit the road again. On Wednesday, August 12, I fly to London where I've been informed the Iranian embassy has a visa waiting for me. Thanks to everyone for your kind wishes during this trying ordeal.


Being here in Newfoundland resulted in a strange coincidence last week. I answered the door and found the chairman of the board of adventure travel, Bernie Howgate, standing on the steps. To explain, Bernie writes books about his adventures kayaking around Newfoundland or pedalling accross Canada on a rickshaw, and then sells the books door-to-door. The last time I saw him was almost 15 years ago when he and a CBC crew showed up at my house and I agreed to let them shoot video of Bernie making his sales pitch to me. Back then I told him I'd always dreamed of taking a bicycle trip. This time I was able to tell him about all the trips I've taken.


So, will Rob's bike survive the vicious baggage handlers at Pearson? Will British customs officials at Heathrow force him to eat Marmite? How much clothing will Rob be wearing in the next picture on this blog? Keep checking to find out.


And on the topic of pictures, how do you like this sketch Jesse Cunningham drew of me during my going away party in April? I may be biased but I think I make a pretty good cartoon!