Iranians are friendly people. It's a cliché, but one that does not really register properly until women in restaurants smile at you and wave, their husbands nearly shouting: "Welcome to Iran". I felt like a celebrity. It was eerie.
Riding through Iran the first day felt like a combination of Jordan and Turkey. A bit more lush than Jordan with enjoyable twisty roads and nice scenery, like in Turkey. The roads are excellent, unlike in Turkey. The traffic in villages and towns is even worse and much denser than in Turkey. Istanbul's traffic mayhem seems like a walk in the park in comparison.
Gas is cheaper than water by a factor of 3. One litre of gas is 9.91 cents CAD, versus 2.24 dollar CAD in Turkey. A factor of roughly 22.5. In US measurements, a Turkish gallon costs 7.48 US, versus 33 cents US in Iran.
I found out that the exchange office within the truck clearance center on the Iranian side of the border (Bazargan) had the best exchange rates for Rials. It was actually right at the XE wholesale rate. Minutes later, I was a millionaire many times over.
See the links below for more details on the various places I visited throughout Iran.
Other
Iran - TEHRAN, Embassy of Canada
Address: 57 Shahid Sarfaraz, (Darya-E-Nour),
Ostad-Motahari Ave., 15868, Tehran, Iran
Postal Address: P.O. Box 11365-4647,
Tehran, Iran
Tel.: 98 (21) 8873-2623/2624/2625/2626
Fax: 98 (21) 8873-3202
E-mail:
teran@international.gc.ca
Internet:
http://www.iran.gc.ca
Border crossing
Visa: Yes
Carnet: Yes
Bike insurance: No
Intl. drivers license: No
Entry point: Bazargan
Exit point: Zahedan