#2: [27-Mar-06]

04-Sep-2004 -- This is the 9^th out of 29 Confluences on our tour from Germany to China, the story continues from 32N 54E.

On the fourteenth day of our tour we started at 7 a.m. in Yazd (80 km from the CP). On our way to Kermān we decided to visit this Confluence, because it was conveniently located not too far from our route. There was supposed to be a turnoff at a town called Chashmeh. But there wasn't any town or village around. The turnoff was actually in the middle of the desert without any signing. From there it was another 7 km drive on an asphalted road toward Dehaj. Unfortunately, the closest we could get to the point was 2.2 km from that road. Since there were no further tracks leading in that direction, we parked the car and began to hike.

We had to go gradually upwards and it looked like we would hit the mountains. But we didn't have to climb; the CP is located in the flat sediment area and not in the bedrock. At the Confluence, we saw a shepherd with a couple hundred sheep. Suddenly the shepherd's dog ran towards us. We were scared to death. Maybe it was its territory and we entered it without permission. I have never seen a dog running so fast! But then, to our relief, we saw that the dog was hunting a rabbit. Both animals passed us (ignoring our presence) before they went eastwards until they were far on the horizon and out of our sight.

In the evening we enjoyed staying in Kermān. In a traditional teahouse we listened to Iranian music and had a dinner with local specialities: minted goat-pot and eggplant with garlic-yoghurt.

CP visit details:

• Time at the CP: 10:00 a.m.
• Duration: 1.5 h (until we were back on our route)
• Distance of car parking: 2140 m
• GPS height: 1603 m
• Description: Flat sediment desert with scattered clusters of desert grass. Mountains in 1 km distance to the North.
• Given Name: The Scary Dog Confluence

Story continues at 30N 57E.