Looking forward I cant PM you at the moment because I haven't posted enough (spammers) but ill be in touch soon.

One question myself and a few work colleagues have, How have you been talking to family and friends in the UK. any apps or social media work?

Hi Churchy


Email, phone, whatsapp and packages.
Com is way cheaper from ME to Europe than vice versa


I even send occasional snail mail letters and it works :-)

thanks, wondering which provider is best for packages

will what's app do voice calls without a vpn? if not which vpn works well? thanks

Pretty much al VPNs work out here (so my friends tell me ;-) ) and there are many other ways round the loopholes, don't worry about it. We Skype with our daughters at Uni quite often., also Messenger, Whatsapp, etc. BBC iPlayer, film streaming, torrents etc. It's not an issue.

Notes from my motorcycling friend


Import is pretty straightforward. On arrival of the vehicle at port, there will be a customs assessment based on the documents provided. After that, he has to take the bike on a trailer [not to drive it unregistered] to the registration authority for a fitness and verification [VIN, engine #]. Once that is done, get the insurance, pay the registration fees and you are done.


BTW - if the bike is imported in UAE, then get a clearing agent to process the customs paperwork as it will require a import-cum-re export permit.



Vision insurance is a good company for bike insurance in Oman for expats. There's a guy called Vincent who is very helpful. +968 99010831 is his contact number.


There's a guy called Ani Varghese who runs KTM/Enfield dealership + workshop in Muscat. He also operates tours for expats and visitors.


Then there's quite a few off road guide books (look for one by a guy called Michael Nott - very good) and a friend of mine called Marina Bruce recently started a tour company there. I'll get you details. More for 4x4s but she knows the area.

thats great, thanks for finding that out for me it's much appreciated.

it looks like I'll be selling the bike in the UK and buying one in oman. I've got some contacts in oman and uae upon which I'll contact once I'm there.

thanks for your time.

Hi Churchy,

as I live in UAE at the moment I can't tell you too much about living in Oman/Nizwa nor about getting a bike in Oman.

However, I wanted to share a video that I just finished about one bike trip to the Hajar mountains about a month ago to give you an impression of what to expect if you're into dual sport/adventure riding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vFMKQKXwuE (lots of sight seeing and story, riding starts somewhere ~8min - I have subtitles ;-) )

Also, just one thing to consider, if you're moving there summer you'll have some time onsite before you "need" to buy a bike as it's too hot anyway. And to evaluate the options onsite is certainly easier then doing it remote.

__________________
http://onforeigntrails.com