Iran is a no go

Dear all,

I've just been told my visa request for Iran has been rejected. They didn't even bother to explain why. Chances are we'll be spending the rest of our journey in Turkey. As the Middle East is still in turmoil we don't think it wise to head south. A possible alternative would be: Caucasus => Caspian Sea => Kazakhstan, but we are not informed well enough about this option to rely on it blindly. Will keep you posted!

Yuri