Nasreddin Hodja

Nasreddin was a sufi satirist known for his witty anecdotes which contained bits of wisdom. His jokes and stories have been translated to many languages including Urdu language where he is known as Mullah Naseer-ud-din. Uzbek people believe he was born and lived in Bukhara. Here are a couple of anecdotes about him. One evening … Read more

Bike Fixing In Bukhara

My bicycle suffered few blows during the ride in Turkmenistan. Today I went in search of a bicycle repair shop in Bukhara. After asking for directions innumerable times, I found myself in an old narrow-streeted bazar with shops full of used spare parts and mechanics, both men and women, busy in their work. I just … Read more

Chinese Visa

It turns out it was indeed wise to apply for the Chinese Visa in Tehran as it couldn’t have been any easier. All it was required was a filled application form, which included the itinerary details, a passport photo, and a visa support letter from the German Embassy in Tehran. Apart from that, no supporting … Read more

Iranian Currency

Iran’s official currency is Iranian Rial, but everywhere the currency people use is Tomans. In a simple scenario, 1 Toman = 10 Rials. So far so good, but things get confusing when number of zeros increase. If for example a taxi driver shows you 3 fingers, it means means he wants 3000 Tomans = 30,000 … Read more

Thierry On Slowing Down

I met Thierry in Marand, Iran by chance when my host Akbar was leading me to a guesthouse. On the way we saw Thierry surrounded by a number of policemen and passersby outside a police station. He had been brought there by a taxi driver whom he had refused to pay after a terrible misunderstanding … Read more

Caught In Rasht

After cycling 112 kilometres today I reached Rasht, Iran. Despite feeling a bit tired I went out for a walk in the local bazar where I saw this gentleman selling oranges. I was fascinated by the play of light and shadows on the oranges and how he was lit by the energy saver lamp hanging … Read more

Start of Donauradweg in Vienna

I have been looking forward to cycling the popular Donauaradweg (Danube Cycling Route) for quite some time. I bought specialized cycling maps for that purpose. My ride on Donauaradweg started in Vienna, Austria and ended in Esztergom in Hungary. I cycled 275 km in one day.