The Road
The route, not the destination
Some things must be lived before they can be understood.
Iran, by its roads
Travelling by motorcycle has let me know Iran not only by its destinations but by its roads — with wind and rain, heat and cold, fatigue, the hardship of the road, and everything else that is lived along the way.
These years
Each of these went on for years. The figures are approximate, because nobody counts years exactly.
- 01
Mountain and rock
More than twenty-five years of mountaineering and rock climbing. The mountain teaches a person to look at the route before setting out on it.
- 02
Mountain biking
Close to fifteen years, mostly on the mountain — rocky, off-road trails, hard climbs and descents, and routes that carry fear and excitement at the same time.
- 03
Motorcycle travel
Close to a decade on adventure motorcycles, alone and with his brother — his best friend through all of it — across a large part of Iran.
- 04
Guiding
For close to twenty years I have worked as a tour guide — travelling in Iran and in many countries of the world, meeting many cultures and many people.
- 05
Red Crescent volunteer
Several years, as a volunteer. Helping is a decision before it is a skill.
The mountain
For me the value is not only in taking the summit; it is more in the route, in the silence of the mountain, in the short but close conversation with a climbing partner, and in the moment you realise you can still step past your fears.
Responsibility, and the value of a life
Relief work, for me, is not just a skill; it began with a simple feeling — that when someone needed help, I did not want to be only a bystander.
The same subject, in two books
The Motorcycle First Responder
A scientific and practical guide to rapid response by motorcycle at incident scenes
In the moments when seconds decide an outcome, there are people who open the road — not for themselves, but for the lives of others.
A motorcycle first responder is not merely a fast vehicle; he is a link between the human being, knowledge, and responsibility.
This book is an account of the skills, the decisions and the pressures running through every mission: from the first look at the scene to the quiet ride back once it is over.
An account of relief work that gives speed its meaning through safety, power through ethics, and duty through humanity.
Guiding
A good guide does not only know the route; they have to be able to move alongside the traveller, manage the circumstances, share what they know, and make sure the traveller takes home something more than a few photographs and a few memories.