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Northern and Central Asia Topics specific to Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, China, Japan and Korea
Photo by Hendi Kaf, in Cambodia

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Hendi Kaf,
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  #16  
Old 13 Feb 2018
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I did not say that I did not believe you.
I was just curious that all this things happen to you.

Usually that only happens, when you mark the wrong signs on the papers ( tourist when you have business visa )

And for the rest is the same, it is also my experience.

I was in India in September traveling around with a motorcycle so my experience is from November.

Also I have been 3 times now to Mongolia on different routes and I tried a lot of time to change dollar bills.
So that is what I found out.

Usually I do not pay in dollar because you do not get a good rate, and also I was betrayed one time in Kirgistan when paying with dollars.
That is also why I avoid that.

And I remember my first time trying to pay with a lot of 10 and 20 $ bills.
I still had them at the end of the trip, at lest most of them.

but now it seams that you don't believe me.
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  #17  
Old 15 Feb 2018
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Quote:
Originally Posted by klausmong1 View Post
I did not say that I did not believe you.
I was just curious that all this things happen to you.

Usually that only happens, when you mark the wrong signs on the papers ( tourist when you have business visa )

And for the rest is the same, it is also my experience.

I was in India in September traveling around with a motorcycle so my experience is from November.

Also I have been 3 times now to Mongolia on different routes and I tried a lot of time to change dollar bills.
So that is what I found out.

Usually I do not pay in dollar because you do not get a good rate, and also I was betrayed one time in Kirgistan when paying with dollars.
That is also why I avoid that.

And I remember my first time trying to pay with a lot of 10 and 20 $ bills.
I still had them at the end of the trip, at lest most of them.

but now it seams that you don't believe me.
I guess we´re talking about different things. First of all, in Stepansminda I had a business Visa, and what saved me was to confirm that I was a tourist. I told them, that it it isn´t fuxxxg possible to visit Mongolia and Kazachstan without a business Visa, even as a tourist, and that I´m a tourist, and they released me.
Second thing is, I am talking about the ban of 1000 and 500 Rupee bills, and there was no change and no no money from the banks, I hope you know about what happend in Nov. 2015 in India (that happend before-exactly the same ban). And small $ bills saved everyone who had some. There was no rupees to change from $ !!!! And I never, ever had to change $.
so the good advice of our controversal experience would be to take enough small and big bills ;-)
Because as all travellers know, the experiences you make can differ very much.
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  #18  
Old 15 Feb 2018
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Your case in Stepandsminda was different, and I know some travellers now who had troubles coming to Russia and write "tourist" on the border declaration.

Then they ask.
I do not know what they decided wrong with you at this border.

And the story with the ban of rupee bills is something different than the regular way of changing and paying in these countries.

You can advice anyone to get a lot of smaller bills in this countries.
But my experience in Kirgistan, Usbekistan and also Tajikistan is completely different.
Smaller bills for police yes, but for change not.
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  #19  
Old 10 Apr 2018
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Hi Mickael
I leave Ireland early May on a similar route to you but i am finishing in Magadan or Vladivostok.
As a newbie to this kind of thing, I have been asking those in the know and been advised to take US$3000 in cash plus euros for Europe. Plus a mastercard, a visa card and two eftpos cards.
So thats what I am going to take with me.
I would appreciate any feedback on this.
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  #20  
Old 10 Apr 2018
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I think if you are carrying that amount of cash on you I would add two bits of advice:

- this may be too obvious, but have some kind of secure hidden money belt. I've used these to carry cash, a spare credit card, passport, etc. You can't be too careful.

- a 'throwaway' daily wallet. Keep the cash you need for the day in this, say $50 or equivalent. Maybe add an expired drivers licence, invalid bank card, etc. That way if you get pickpocketed or robbed, you don't suffer too much grief.
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  #21  
Old 11 Apr 2018
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hi, maybe we have chance to meet on the road !
what is your motorbike ?
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  #22  
Old 11 May 2018
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Use only ATMs at Banks wherever possible. The more you use your card the greater the risk of cloning so don't use it to pay for goods if at all possible, especially in garages. Mine was cloned, I think in Ukraine, and then they attempted to use it in Russia. Fortunately the bank picked it up and declined the transaction which was for £700 equivalent.
I carry my money split up and also carry my 'bribing money' in a pocket on it's own, usually 10-20 euros. I can usually talk my way out of the situations without paying anything but if you get out a wad of notes to pay a legitimate (ish) 'fine' then your going to struggle to negotiate it down.
I also have a wallet of old out of date cards.
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  #23  
Old 11 May 2018
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Originally Posted by pat.deavoll View Post
Hi Mickael
I leave Ireland early May on a similar route to you but i am finishing in Magadan or Vladivostok.
As a newbie to this kind of thing, I have been asking those in the know and been advised to take US$3000 in cash plus euros for Europe. Plus a mastercard, a visa card and two eftpos cards.
So thats what I am going to take with me.
I would appreciate any feedback on this.
totally unnecessary to carry that amount of cash, it puts you at risk of losing (possibly painfully) a substantial amount of money. $1000 or equivalent max, but thats several months salary in some of those countries so even that is probably too much
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  #24  
Old 11 May 2018
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You had to be in India at the time to realise what turmoil they cause by withdrawing the two largest notes (and the most commonly used) from circulation with no notice and before there were enough new notes to satisfy more than 1% of demand. Having US dollars didn't help a lot because you could only change about $60 per day which didn't pay for reasonable meals for the day. Currency exchanges everywhere were closed because they couldn't get rupees either. I prefer not to use credit cards but really had no choice during the three weeks we were there.
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  #25  
Old 12 May 2018
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Originally Posted by Tony LEE View Post
You had to be in India at the time to realise what turmoil they cause by withdrawing the two largest notes (and the most commonly used) from circulation with no notice and before there were enough new notes to satisfy more than 1% of demand. Having US dollars didn't help a lot because you could only change about $60 per day which didn't pay for reasonable meals for the day. Currency exchanges everywhere were closed because they couldn't get rupees either. I prefer not to use credit cards but really had no choice during the three weeks we were there.
$60 a day for food in India! were you feeding the 5000?!
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  #26  
Old 12 May 2018
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Haha it is quite a challenge to spend 60$ on food each day in India. You can already eat a meal for 50 rupee.
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  #27  
Old 12 May 2018
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I was kind of wondering that as well. It's been almost 20 years since I visited India but I remember it being incredibly cheap compared to Western countries.
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  #28  
Old 14 May 2018
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Originally Posted by brclarke View Post
I was kind of wondering that as well. It's been almost 20 years since I visited India but I remember it being incredibly cheap compared to Western countries.
Small $ bills couldn´t be changed either, but we where able to pay our bills for acc. and food.
We just paid in $, €, Pound...
The locals from Goa didn´t want to accept foreign money, but the hostel owners from Ladakh did. So we stayed with them. That was the trick.
The other possibility was, to stay in big hotels where you could pay by credit card. But as thois was out of my range, I had to stay with the LAdakhis which was really nice!
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