Stage 86: From Kashan to Abyazan

The next morning, I continued alone as Gabriel didn't want to risk his knee. While the three of them hitchhiked to Isfahan in the afternoon, I had a stage with a decent incline ahead of me for the first time in Iran. The landscape was still 'desert-like' today, making the small oasis villages that stood as green spots amidst the barren sand even more surreal. There was hardly any traffic on the road, as most cars prefer the main road on this section. As I passed by a nuclear facility, I was given strange looks, but no one stopped me. I had already covered 75 kilometers and about 1200 meters of altitude at Natanz, so it was high time for a break! The locals were definitely not used to tourists, and I found myself in several conversations with the help of Google Translate. 15 kilometers further, the road ran parallel to railway tracks and was hardly used by cars. In search of a somewhat protected place to sleep, I decided on a narrow strip next to the tracks behind an underpass that was impassable for cars. There was a well-secured facility nearby, which could have been a factory but could just as well have been a military compound. I didn't want to attract too much attention. In fact, I had peace from people at my campsite, but unfortunately, a few wild dogs discovered me while I was cooking... As it was getting dark, I wanted to scare them away as quickly as possible by banging loudly on my cooking pot, which only worked moderately well. After an hour, they were back and barked non-stop. After a second loud warning from me, at least half the night was quiet, and the occasional passing trains were the lesser problem. All in all, not a particularly restful night!