An emaciated old man in his underpants sits on the edge and carefully ladles the hot sulphur water over his head. I carefully dip my foot into the pool and recoil: the water seems to be boiling! It's unimaginable to go in without getting burned. But the old man gives me an encouraging nod and very slowly I let myself slide into the pool...
...The feeling, which can be described as "agony", overwhelms me. Only the prospect of the old man's obviously biblical age allows me to endure the pain. Cancer red, completely cleansed and one (borderline) experience richer, we drag ourselves to the nearest teahouse and try to get our circulation back under control with strong tea.
Before we return to Tehran, we visit the hot springs of Abegarm. Volcanic sulphur water is collected here in pools in bathhouses and is said to cure all kinds of ailments. The facilities range from large bathtubs in simple rooms to Persian-style tiled plunge pools.
We are led through dark alleyways to a dimly lit cellar entrance. It smells pervasively of sulphur. In a small, damp anteroom, we get rid of our completely soiled clothes and enter the grotto-like bathhouse. We are greeted by a pool in the shape of an oversized cooking pot.
Biking over Tehran
Our trip is slowly coming to an end. But one highlight is still to come: biking over Tehran. Directly at the northern end of the city, a mountain massif rises up to almost 4000 meters. Tochal, Tehran's local mountain at an altitude of 3975 m, is our destination. Under the motto "trust us, and enjoy nature", according to the sign, an old cable car runs directly from the city in three stages up to 3700 m, where there is also a ski area. Thanks to Farid's good connections, we have the privilege of being transported along with our bikes. A relief after the exertions of the last few days.
We set up camp on a hilltop 3000 m above sea level. Below us, Tehran stretches as a sea of houses to the hazy horizon. Even up here, the hustle and bustle of 14 million people can still be heard as a murmur. Night slowly falls - and the show begins. One light after another twinkles on and transforms the city below us into an endless, pulsating sea of lights. An indescribable sight. None of us has ever seen anything like it. Fascinated, we look out over the city for half the night and marvel at the scale of this metropolis.