Hengam - Island Tour

It's about half past seven on Saturday morning (February 22, 2020) when the sun drives me out of the tent. After a small breakfast, I fill my garbage bag with plenty of trash lying around my campsite and stroll around the mostly deserted village. An Aryan helps me with some drinking water and then I continue my journey south. The coastal road is not suitable for hiking, piles of dirt obstruct the view of the Strait of Hormuz. So I decide to take a shortcut and cross a kind of plateau in the rocky, dry center of the island. In the late afternoon, I reach Old Hengam and set up my tent near a kind of harbor. Here I talk to David from Austria, who is relaxing in front of a hostel converted from a school. I spend the afternoon swimming and documenting my journey. During dusk, I take a stroll through the settlement. Here, too, I find many abandoned and destroyed houses. The cause of this is probably warfare, as a result of which most of the residents have moved to the northern part of the island. In the darkness, Julius is brought to the beach by a few locals and keeps me company in the evening.

On Sunday, I'm up already around six o'clock. However, getting up early is not really worth it, as the sunrise is once again veiled by the high humidity. So I linger a while longer until the warming sun finally drives me out of the tent about an hour later. After a small breakfast, I slowly pack up my stuff and am invited by David and Julius for a joint breakfast shortly afterwards. We exchange some information over tea and dates garnished with sesame sauce (tahini). It seems that the first countries have closed their borders to the Islamic Republic due to the outbreak of Corona in Iran. Crossing the border to Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq is no longer possible. Back at the tent, I realize two stupid things. I left Rango in the tent with insufficiently secured food, and I underestimated the heat under my shelter caused by the sun. The fat cat has therefore feasted on dry pasta, flour, some fruit, and a partly opened can of tomato paste, and then escaped outside because of the heat. In addition to the chaos in the tent, he also left me with a torn door. I'm pretty pissed off. So I have to clean my tent thoroughly before I can pack up my stuff. To make matters worse, David breaks my only remaining needle while trying to repair his pants. So a quick fix is ​​not possible at the moment. During the rest of our journey north, the mood between Rango and me reaches a low point. The path along the east coast is again not very impressive, dirt piles once again obscure the view of the sea. We take a break at an oasis. Here, plenty of trees provide shade, but a kind of puddle covers a large area of the ground. I can't find a suitable place to pitch my tent, so I decide to return to Silver Beach on the same day. After another break at a shrimp farm south of New Hengam, I reach my spot on the beach and set up camp. The attempt to temporarily repair the tent door with tape fails. So after a small refreshment, I go to New Hengam again, replenish water and food supplies, and treat myself to a cold malt beverage. Back on the beach, the evening bath is a bit milder, and the shimmering microscopic organisms are back in the water. Nevertheless, Rango is allowed to sleep outside for the night.

On Monday, February 24, 2020, I start the day with a bath shortly after six o'clock. After breakfast, I make another attempt to sew my tent door with a needle that is too large, but quickly give up. I need the right tool. After dozing off again, I take a walk in the hinterland with Rango and then head back to the town. At my coffee beach bar, I meet Julius again, who is on his way to Bandar Abbas. By now, Turkey and Armenia have also closed their border crossings with Iran, and for Julius, the overall situation is a race against time. He wants to try to get to Dubai by ferry, and apparently, he has already applied for the visa online. It all seems a bit panicky to me. I want to stay calm for now and see how things develop. With Rango, I'm not very flexible when it comes to getting around. So after coffee, I try to find a sewing needle, but to no avail. I refill my water reserves and wobble back to the camp. Here, I spend a few hours swimming, dozing, and taking a short walk with Rango during sunset. Then I stroll to New Hengam again and can actually find a suitable sewing needle. This also brings a new backpack for Rango within reach, as I have already made plans for it during the day. Back at the camp, I take care of dinner for Rango and myself, go swimming again in the glowing water, and then go to bed quite satisfied.

On Tuesday, I spend most of the day repairing my tent door. In between, I take a few more baths, go for a walk with Rango, and go to town, but I can't find fresh vegetables or a coffee. After dinner, when I go to bed, I am happy about my repaired tent door and decide to return to Qeshm the next day, even though leaving Hengam is really difficult.