Sand beach and salt cave

Sunday, February 16, 2020, starts fairly late for all campers. The teriyaki experience from the night before hasn't gone unnoticed. Especially Patricia and François had a restless night, they were feeling quite uncomfortable. After breakfast, I can borrow a bike from the family and set off with Rango towards Salakh, 8 km away. The big guy trots along nicely next to the bicycle, I just have to make sure I don't roll him over. After stocking up on supplies for the next few days, we head back to our beach camp. In Gambron, a few other travelers treat me to a coffee, I refill my water reserves, and after a short ride, we are picked up by a pickup truck that takes us to our destination. Here, relaxation is the order of the day, we go for a swim and Rango plays with Örs. In the late afternoon, we revisit the crater-like structure from the previous evening, it makes much more sense in the daylight. In the evening, I cook chickpeas, which takes hours. When I finally manage to feed myself and the big guy with the delicacy, it has been dark for quite some time and it's time for bed.

Monday morning, we are a bit earlier and we wake up with the first rays of sunshine. At Örs and the family, I can refill my drinking water reserves, I decided to stay for another day at the beach due to sufficient food supplies and the beauty of the place. The rest of the gang sets off to circumnavigate an island. I go with the big guy to an old abandoned fortress not far away and wander around. The rest of the day flies by with swimming and relaxing. In the late afternoon, we are visited by a few Iranians who have a young shepherd dog with them. Rango, in excitement, tears apart parts of our tent, again, and even annoys the young lady. Stupid beast. So, once again, I spend the evening repairing our shelter and go to bed somewhat disappointed.

Tuesday morning (February 18, 2020), I spend a good hour repairing the tent before it's time to pack up and move on. Along the coastal road, we continue northwest to a salt cave. My first stop. The path offers no shade, and Rango, in particular, struggles with the sun. We rest at Darre Shour, a side valley with plenty of bizarre rock formations. Then we continue and once again, we are offered a ride on a pickup truck. Together with the group of Iranian tourists, we visit the salt cave. A small oily-salty trickle flows out of the mountain, which is supposed to be good for the skin. After the tour of the cave, we continue, and shortly after, we stop at Kany for a small picnic. Then we head north, passing Chahou Canyon (actually my second stop) to the mangrove forest at Gavarzin. It is already dark, so I wait on the platform for my pickup travel group to return. In the meantime, I am besieged by a school class from Kish Island, who promptly invite me to visit the island. Then we drive south on the pickup truck to Shib Deraz, where boats depart for Hengam. The island will be my destination for today. At the harbor, I experience the first restrictions due to the coronavirus, which has now found its way to Iran. The crossing is denied to a few travelers. I'm not quite sure why I am allowed to cross with Rango, probably thanks to the mediation of my pickup travel group. In New Hengam, Kara receives us, a tour guide and friend of my companions. First, I am supposed to register with the island police, but then it turns out it's not necessary. The islanders seem to be afraid of the dog and of Covid-19. It's not quite clear which is the bigger problem at the moment. After getting a tip on where to camp, I make my way to the recommended Silver Beach. Searching for an unknown camping spot at night is always suboptimal, but I can settle down at a beautiful spot shortly after. After setting up camp, there's a little dinner for me and the big guy. Before I retreat under the tarp, I treat myself to a bath in the clear, calm lake. To my surprise, the water glows with every movement around me. Those must be special bioluminescent algae or other creatures that Txell told me about. So the bath lasts a bit longer than planned, Iran has once again pleasantly surprised me. Somewhat excited, I go to bed around midnight.