Stage 88: From Isfahan to Varzaneh

After the three rest days, Gabriel thought his knee was feeling better. According to some locals, the route from Isfahan to Shiraz is not particularly scenic by bike. But we planned to continue towards the desert to Yazd anyway. As always, we started late and the sun was already scorching. After about 15 kilometers, we passed a large military training ground, with another 'nuclear facility' sign, whatever that means. Unfortunately, Gabriel's knee quickly worsened. We rode together for a few more kilometers and then took some time to arrange a ride for him. Sometimes you get lucky with hitchhiking, sometimes not, and having the bikes with us limited our options. In the end, I rode the last 40 kilometers alone, and the route was not particularly spectacular. We met again at the hostel in Varzaneh, where we had a host who spoke good English and gave Gabriel tips for his knee pain: a hot turmeric drink with honey, from Ayurvedic medicine. Cheers! Gabriel swore by it, but still had problems with his knee a few weeks later... At the accommodation, we also had a delicious dinner cooked by our host's mother. Other than that, there was not much to do in the town. It was deserted and there wasn't much to see. Flo and Gisi were in the area, but they had booked a night of camping in the nearby Varzaneh Desert and would only return the next day.