WEEK SEVEN:After an edgy but fascinating drive through Pakistan, we made our way through the Baluchistan Desert and arrived in Taftan, a grim and isolated border town between Pakistan and Iran.
Luckily, the Pakistani customs formalities were relatively painless, and we weren't stuck in this dusty hellhole for too long.
As soon as we entered Iran we encountered the beast that is Iranian bureaucracy. Army officials demanded that we have an escort of two armed guards with us in the Hummer. This is standard procedure for western travellers, given recent kidnappings in the near-lawless southeastern region of Iran.
The two young soldiers assigned to the job were eager to hear some western music. At first we found the situation novel, but it began to wear on us, as every 20km we were forced to stop for long periods at army checkpoints, where our passports were taken by seemingly overcautious soldiers. Who were we to argue, though? They were the guys with the Kalashnikovs.
Soldiers still onboard, we arrived in Zahedan, our first stop in Iran. With 75 per cent of opiates destined for Europe passing through this region, Zahedan is a focal point of the drugs trade. We were told by local solidiers to stay in our hotel until we were escorted out of the region, the next morning.
Heading southwest, it was a 10-hour drive on Iran's surprisingly smooth roads to the coastal town of Bandar Abbas, overlooking the Strait of Hormuz and the entrance to the Persian Gulf. Bandar is Iran's busiest port; from here we intended to catch a car ferry to the United Arab Emirates. We explored this bustling town and its markets, filled with smuggled goods of all description. The lack of tourists here meant that, rather than trying to rip us off, vendors were simply confused by us.
After two days in Bandar, the unorganised ferry operation was eventually ready to depart. We arrived at the port in the afternoon, but it was a day-long ordeal to organise paperwork and permits to leave Iran.
We eventually set sail on an empty ship at 4am the next day.
Now we're looking forward to next week, when we will be visiting Dubai and Oman.