10 September 2019
Palangan - "Smugglers View" - Urumah Takht - Zarivan Lake
Orux map screenshot:
BLUE line is the planned route
RED line is the actual route we drove
Today we will see the most bizarre and interesting scenery throughout this journey till Iran, the Smugglers View, as I call it.
First we drive through wild beautiful nature...
...over narrow bridges...
...crossing rivers...
...passing villages...
In Iranian villages we don't see as many mosques , as in the other moslem countries we visited.
On the way to Urumah Takht, a village embedded in the mountains of Iran near Irak, we see one truck after the other carrying 2 mules.
We are wondering, why? Well, mules are specialists in climbing steep mountains, so maybe they are used for smuggling or for tourists to discover the mountains.
We get the answer at one point, where some mules are downloaded.
A kurdish man explains, that indeed they are used to transport the smuggled goods and we should drive up to the peak of the mountain at the Iran/Irak border to watch.
The road up is one of the most frightening ones, we have experienced in our trip. Extremely steep and narrow without barriers. I wish not having followed the man's recommandation.
But we made it and are rewarded with a bizarre spectacle. One man after the other is coming up with a big heavy load on his back. We get the information, that they carry the goods - different items from all brands, such as TV's, refrigerators, kitchen utilities,....- from Irak over the steep mountains over the border to Iran. It takes them about 8 hours to reach the peak and with the heavy load on their back, some of them collapse or slip down and die.
Interesting is, that many people, like us drive up to watch the Smugglers and take photos. There is even a ice cream seller.
One of the spectators, explains, that this Smuggler, runs fast and takes the short track away from the spectators, because he smuggles alcohol, which is strictly forbidden in Iran.
Everywhere we come we are welcomed by the Iranian.
They want to take photos with us and of course Tara is the most popular dog now in Iran.
Down the road again is the exchange point from the goods. The Smugglers get paid per kilo.
After the goods are uploaded on the pick ups they drive like crazy to reach the next distribution point, so that the police or army don't catch them.
Also this kurdish family was driving fast trying to catch us, only to welcome us, talk together and inviting us to their home to have dinner together. So friendly and interested.
Finally we reach Urumah Takht
Further on to Zarivan Lake, we find a nice camp site through iOverlander app overlooking the lake. Some locals, who pass by are wondering how we found this hidden place
View from our camp site
Tara curious about the wild turtle
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