Day 40 Zahedan

Parked up outside a police compound in the city of Zahedan, about 50 km from the border with Pakistan. It's 5:30 am. Worried that I am not eating enough: crappy kebabs last night (again). 8:10 am and we are still here. 27 degrees C. Henry has turned up from Tehran - he'll be driving. Should be heading off to Mir Javeh, on the Pakistan border.

11:05 am and sat in the customs' hall on the Iranian side of things. Cannot change Iranian money here - don't have very much but might be able to change it on the other side. Bought several small bottles of some cola drink - yuck. A big customs' hall -much more modern than the one back at the Turkish border crossing. The building is called the Mir Javeh Border Terminal. 11:58 am and we are no on the Pakistani side of things. Crowded, but some organisation. Lots and lots of people. Lots of dust blowing about outside. Hot winds blowing fast across the desert. 3:25 pm - we've been driving some time but now stopped at a police roadblock - we have to write all our names and passport numbers in a small ledger being passed around the back of the bus. Sand blowing about - gets all over the place - and in between one's teeth - gritty. Something like 500 km to Quetta in north-western Pakistan. 7:45 pm - we've stopped for the night in some small town about 300 km from Quetta cheap hotel. The town is called Dalbandin. Walked along the town's main road (a linear town - like a cartoon strip - watermelon shops repeating every fifty feet). Stopped by the police - very professional - had Simon, T and I surrounded. Grabbed Simon's arm - lots of guns (AK47s); ubiquitous pickup truck, complete with man in back behind electric window (lowered), wearing dark glasses: told in no uncertain terms to return to the hotel and not to walk about the town - for our own safety. At this point we were about 500 metres from the hotel, walked back - all okay so far. Tonight we sleep on the roof of the hotel - I think simply because it's very hot and there aren't enough rooms in anycase. Wish I was climbing. Long drive day tomorrow - talk of 1000 km to beyond Quetta: but there's no way we will cover that sort of distance on these roads in one day. For the first time since leaving Turkey we can get beer: available in hotel; incredibly no beer bought for Simon by Hot Rock - despite him having driven for something like 36 hours. Appallingly rude.