Qheshm - Im Zeytoun Park

On Saturday morning (February 29, 2020), after breakfast, I tinker with my equipment before taking a ride into town with the Dicken. I can only briefly use the found Wifi, so I head back to the tent without a longer break. After an espresso, laundry is on the agenda. After sewing a new laundry bag, I head back into town with the Dicken. I can determine that due to the Covid-19 situation, regular ferries no longer travel to Hormuz Island. Maybe I will find a fisherman who can take me there in the next few days. For now, I can't unlock my locked smartphone, despite the help of a local, and currency exchange is postponed due to closed exchange offices. On the way back to Zeytun Park, I make a small purchase and after training, shower, and dinner, I go to bed.

After cleaning up my campsite on Sunday morning, I head back to Qeshm. The exchange offices are still closed and I am turned away at the bank branches. Eventually, I can exchange $20 with a local, which helps for the next few days. I then visit an IranCell shop regarding my locked phone. They cannot help me there, but they can in a mobile phone store nearby. Unlocking it is too expensive for me at 30 €. So first I go to the barber and then to a coffee bar. Here, Mohammad makes another attempt to get my phone working again and also offers me a hotspot. Unfortunately, the network is not good enough for Skype, but I find a solution at an ice cream parlor shortly thereafter. The internet is good and the ice cream is very tasty. It becomes clear that I will probably visit here more often in the next few days. Then I go back to the camp, clean my gasoline stove, sew something on the tent, and cook food for the Dicken. After the evening routine, I go to bed, with Rango being allowed under the tarp again. I quickly regret it, as the Dicken punctures my tent again and is thrown out.

Also on Monday, March 2, 2020, after breakfast, I head into town. This time I find coffee and wifi in front of a hotel and get into conversation with an Italian and a Dutchman. They are stuck here and are looking for ways to leave the country. However, due to the increasing problems with the coronavirus in Europe as well, they are not sure if returning home is the best option at the moment. Back at Zeytoun Park, I start sewing a new backpack for Rango and in the afternoon, I have company at my camp. I chat with Annelie, a German woman who runs the beach bar in front of which I am camping, together with her Iranian husband. She is interested in buying some dollars and temporarily solves my cash problem. Later, David sits down at my camp and keeps me company during dinner. A young family from Zahadar and three young Iranian women join us for a pleasant evening, accompanied by David's guitar music.

Tuesday starts with some sewing on the dog backpack. After finishing the work, I treat myself to a bath before heading into town with the Dicken. Here, I meet Mohammad again, who convinces me to go on a fishing trip. Pieces of tuna serve as bait and I can record two decent bites. However, my reel gives up the ghost, apparently not designed for sea fishing. Meanwhile, my companions enjoy some Arak and are quite drunk on the way back. It is already dark when we return to the city. On the way to Zeytoun Park, I can still buy a little something. Mohammad visits me again with his wife and treats me to chicken wrap. After feeding Rango as well, I go to bed.

On Wednesday (March 4, 2020), after breakfast, I pack up my things and walk into town. Here I meet Mohammad again, who wanted to organize a boat trip to Hormuz for me. Unfortunately, the plan falls through as the fishermen are afraid of getting into trouble. So in the early afternoon, I check out a possible place to camp and fish for the next few days. Unfortunately, there is no drinking water at the chosen spot. The location in the northeast of the city would be suitable for fishing, but getting the essentials there is too complicated. So for now, I decide to return to Zeytoun Park, where I know what I have. On the way back, a small shop refuses to serve me for the first time, the owner has a problem with Rango. I can then easily buy my stuff elsewhere, take a break at my ice cream shop, and after setting up my camp in the park again, have a small dinner before going to bed.

Over the next few days, I can finish Rango's backpack, I regularly visit the ice cream parlor, and several locals fail to register my smartphone.

On Sunday (March 8, 2020), it slowly feels like it's time to move on. I can't make the final decision yet, but in the evening (around seven), the police help me make up my mind a bit. I have to clear my campsite due to Corona. So I find a spot for the night under a pavilion on the coast, but even from here, I am driven away by a security guard shortly before midnight. So I spend the rest of the night directly on the beach. I'm too lazy to set up the tent, so the sleep is a bit lighter than usual.