When I cycled to Iran - About fear and feeling displaced | Bikepacking documentary

Watching the entire video now, I am shocked how frightened you are! I visited Iran a couple of years ago, and I found the people very friendly. Iranians are not their Islamic Arabic regime. In fact, the opposite is true. A number of times I was invited to stay with people , even over night. I was amazed as how genuinely nice they were. Watching too much the western media about the regime makes people think that they represent their people which is not the case. Iranians as a whole are very secular. Millions of Iranians have left the country due to their opposition to the regime and all the restriction and economic problems. People are awesome. I hope, I can visit Iran again, hopefully after the regime is overthrown! Get to know people! The purpose of your travels is to learn about different people and cultures. If you just stay with your friends, you might as well not travel! Iran is safer than most countries, especially here in the US!

I am Turkish. I live in Turkey. I have a friend of Iranian origin. I even want to think about the possibility of leaving Turkey. I love him and his family very much. Turks are also very hospitable, but we are very pleased with Iranian people. They are all friendly and trustworthy people.

I (male, NZ) travelled with a friend (female, FR) for a few weeks in Iran, around 7 years ago. We had all the same fears before arriving, thought we'd be cut off from the internet, etc., etc. I don't think we've ever experienced such kindness as we did in Iran, it was madness (in a good way). It still blows my mind.

Iranians are very hospitable and will share their food and anything they have with you. It's part of their culture.

Welcome to Iran 🇮🇷💚🤍❤️

Iranian people do an incredible job keeping love with nomadic cyclist

welcome to our country, don't let what the media says take a hold on you. Iran is a beautiful country

Iranians are famous for hospitality! They have a proverb: "Guest is God's blessing!"

The people of Iran are incredibly generous and beautiful humans. The government on the other hand.... Thank you for showing us your experience.

The people in Iran would love to meet you! In 2015 we (father and son) spent three weeks in Iran, just after Nowruz in March. The second day in Tehran we went to the Grand Bazar where we met an Iranian young man, Muhammad who invited us for lunch the other day. So we went there and it was fantastic: the whole family (father, mother, aunts, uncles, siblings, nieces and nephews) were there, seated on beautiful rugs on the floor (but of course separated). On the wall portrets of Khomeini and Khamenei. Lunch was wonderful, visually attractive and very tasty. Later in Shiraz we had lunch with a more modern family, seated around a table. The ladies there did not wear a scarf (in house) until later that afternoon the grandmother and some aunts arrived. On the wall a panorama photo of the skyline of New York. Another time we were near the bazar and my son asked some youngsters where to buy telephone cards. They took us to a newsstand, talked to the salesman, got a card, payed for it and handed the card to my son. Both my son and I tried to pay them back but they kept refusing. They didn't speak English except for a few words but wanted to know where we came from: Ah, Ollanda! and spread their arms as if they were the Dutch soccer player van Persie who had shortly before made a remarkable goal (a header) against Spain. Later we went to mount Tochal, north of Tehran, by subway to Tajrish and further by taxi. But the last part to the cable car station went by bus. A very crowded bus so we entered through the back door like a lot of people and during the ride I tried to get to the front to be able to pay. I couldn't really get there so I asked a man standing in front of me how much for the fare, waving with a few banknotes. He turned round to the driver, handed him some money out of his own pocket and when he turned back to me he steadfastly refused my money, all the while saying: Your welcome! We have been to Shiraz, Persepolis, Kerman, Mahan, Yazd, Esfahan and some smaller places. But everywhere we went people were glad to meet us. With only one exception: a hotel manager who scolded a woman who wanted to give me (a man!) her phone number in case we were to visit the town where she lived. He reacted as if she were a prostitute offering her services ... The woman just looked at me, shrugged her shoulders and said: This is Iran! I surely hope you will be able to enjoy Iran and its people to the fullest.

Iran is a good place for adventure environment,culture,and people. I went there before but it is a job related and I enjoy my job assignment there food and environment. Stay safe in cycling cheers from Isla Filipinas.

Der Wahnsinn!! The hospitality of the Iranian people is legendary, I've wanted to bike in Iran for years, so following you guys and enjoying your experiences. Very real documentary you created. Viele Grūße!

I love this country. Beautiful, good food, fabuous history and very hospitable people

Never been to Iran myself but I know several Iranian people. This level of hospitality is just part of their DNA. Honestly, the best people on the planet.

Iran is magnificent country and people of Iran are one of the most hospitable people on this planet! I have cycled nore than 3000km through Iran and made many friends and had a great time. I also loved the like on Mars landscape and enjoyed beautiful coast. If you go to Pakistan you are just about to see the next level of hospitality! And start drinking probiotics at least 7 days before Karachi 👌🫣😉😎🚵‍♂️

I cycled through Iran some years back and had a similar reaction to yours. As soon as I crossed the border I was like :Wow! this is so different. The attention could get overwhelming and whenever I was in a city I also spent a lot of time at the hostel. But the friendliness of people and the help I recieved everywhere is what stuck with me the most. Although I spent plenty of time worrying about things, looking back, Iran was possibly the most amazing country I've visited. Hope to return some day.

Hello... Fellow bikepacker here. I have been waiting for you to post this vlog about traveling through Iran. I am glad you and your partner made it through without a hitch. I admire your courage to go towards the unknown and genuinely try to understand the countries and cultures you travel through. I especially admire your ability to share your vulnerabilities to help others overcome theirs. I would like to offer you a possible explanation as to why you felt the way you did in your first week in Iran. This is solely based on the commentary you offered in the vlog. Prior to entering Iran, you had built in your mind a certain template on how you think the Iranian people would be. That template is based on preconceived notions seeded by what you had been reading, hearing, and watching on Iran and Islam in general. The negative template that you constructed in your mind over a long period of time (could be years) generated a lot of fear, pent-up negative energy that those of us who watch your videos of your ride to the Iranian border and once you entered the country could feel in your voice. The reality you encountered once you started interacting with the Iranian people did not match the template you had in your subconscious; the Iranians were helpful, kind, smiling. It didn't make sense. The fear you felt is real, the pent-up energy almost has a physical presence in your body, but you can not justify it; it is incongruous with your current experience of the Iranian people and it does not make sense. Consequently, you started feeling withdrawn. Because the fear is in you and you can not get rid of it, you get rid of the interaction with the Iranian people and instead, turn towards what is familiar, i.e. the group of European cyclists you met at the hostel. My recommendation to you, if I may, is to embrace the opportunities to interact with the Iranian people, especially women of your age, to try to understand the culture and the religion and to deconstruct your negative template you carried as you crossed the border. It is only then that the fear will dissipate and you will start feeling more in harmony with your environment. I look forward to your future vlogs biking through Iran. Good luck.

It's such amazing how 100% of the videos about Iran, everyone get impressed with the kindness of the people. Regardless our midia make them look like monsters I prefere believe on normal people from YouTube

The way you share your feelings with us is really special. Thanks!

A warm and deep welcome for coming to our country🥰