Semnan to Damghan

Hasan was surprised. He wanted to bring me with his car towards the exit of the city east. But. I always continue walking where I stopped before. There is until now no interruption all the way from Germany until here. (Except my sideway to the middle east because of political circumstances) Everything is walked step by step.

Shortly after Semnan a sign: To Damghan 95 km. It was’confirmed‘ 10km later with another sign, what said: 95km to Damghan. Hihihi

Hasan told me before, the next possible place to sleep is a gas station 40km away. No house in between. But I cant walk every day 30 or 40km…. So I decided to relax and walk less. Finally a found a workers place in a quarry. I was invited to sleep there. As you maybe know I do walk without sleeping bag. So I have always to find something and ask for help. The next day I reached that gas station but was asked to go to the Red Crescent some 100m on the road for the west direction. Red Crescent is a big helper and I used a few times there hospitality, always nice people there too, but you have to leave after 12h. So if you arrive at 6pm, you have to go at 6am. ….

The day after turned out colder and colder. Also some rain. But the clouds helped me again while pooring more rain to the north and south. It felt the clouds which came from behind, decided themself to drop the rain right and left from me. Thanks so much. But the wind got bigger and stronger and colder and colder. It felt like 5 degree and even the wind and rain jacket could not hold the wind cold away from my bones. Brrr. In Qusheh I ended up in a little restaurant. Another friendly Hasan served me first and made sure that I got warm, then he organized overnight staying by Aliakbar. He is 70 years old and is farming with irrigation here, water melons, honey melons and cereals. Because he had seeds already in the ground he was worried because of the cold. Iranians like to heat there houses very well. Energy is cheap. And sometimes it feels overheated. But that day – I was so happy to have a overheated place….

The next day I started with 8 layers of clothes (day before only 6 layers). The wind was not so strong anymore. Puh. Little drops. 35km to Damghan. I was thinking of walking all the way that day. Finally after 10km a car stopped beside of me. Two men jumped out of the car and kissed me passionately. Majid is having a pilgims rest place nearby and Mustafa, I found out later, is a walking pilgrim, slept there last night. I guess he started walking this morning, when Majid decided to pick him up from the road again because of the bad weather conditions. Accidentally they found me walking there and initiated a friendly kidnapping. Mustafa is on the way from Mashad to Karbala in Irak, south of Bagdad, so from the tomp of Iman Reza to Iman Hossein. That’s all together around 2000 km, what he will walk in just 60 days. The 600 from Mashad until here he walked in 15 days. We arrived at the pilgrims refuge and I learned, there are more pilgrims from all over Iran or sometimes other countries walking to Mashad. I was very warmly welcomed. I got even a massage again. And it was a welcoming encounter. The shower room was heated by a Bunsen burner. I saw some big cuttings on Mustafas upper arm and neck and I understood that he did self-flagellation in Kerala before. In the evening I also gave him a massage. Massaging his head I felt on the top that he must have had a accident or so, because skill blanket must have been broken. This always laughing 27 year men showed me pictures, where you self-flagallate also your head with a heavy sword. Through that even his blanket were broken. Still days after I am a bit in shock. Anyway we became friends. The next day we left more or less from the some place at the road. Majid brought us. A last hug and a foto with his pilgrim stick and a green flag with white Farsi or Arabic letters honoring Hussein. Mustafa walking west. I am walking east. Every step distancing us. Another hug not possible anymore but still connected.