Hi All,

We stayed for 2 night in Lucknow, India and after that we rode to Agra about 335 km away. The first 50 km riding was a bit havoc, lots of potholes on the road, road works and worst of all, the undisciplined drivers. After that it was quite fine as the vehicles on the road became lesser and lesser and the road condition became better.

One thing we noticed about Indian drivers was that every one is in a hurry and they will squeeze their way without thinking about the oncoming vehicles. Honking is considered normal in India, it is not a sign of rudeness but telling the others to give way. Even when there is a 5 km traffic jam, they will still honk and expect the 5,000 vehicles in front to give him way to pass through.

The other thing that we are always asked by the locals whenever we stop during our rides is 'how much is the bike cost?' and 'how fast can the bike go?'. They will ask us in Tamil or Hindi, a language we are alien to but we can somehow understand because these questions are always asked.

Agra is famous for its the Mahal, one of the 7 wonders of the world. It is really a sight to behold and should not be missed.

Cheers,
Borneoman & Trailing Spouse On 2 Wheels

After Agra we rode to New Delhi on 23 April 2014 and we checked into Vista Inn Hotel which was recommended by the owner of the hotel in Agra. He co-owned the hotel and gave us quite an attractive rate of USD30 per night plus breakfast. We stayed in this hotel for 6 nights. The hotel location was good, with a very happening evening shopping bazaar nearby.

Like most city we have been to, we did not take Black V out when we move around because it attracts a lot of attention. In general in India, when you stop your bike anywhere, there would be many people interested in the bike, curiously touching every part of the bike. Taking photos alongside the bike is normal and if we were to charge 20 sen per photo, we could have made quite a sum.

Another thing we have learned about India is that never ask the same question to more than 1 person because you will definitely get different answers. Sometimes before you ask, they already gave you the answer.

In Delhi, we visited mostly the big shopping complexes and bazaar. The weather is extremely hot. We moved around mostly in rickshaw or tuk-tuk for short distance destinations. For further ones, we took the Metro train and it was very convenience, super cheap, fast and reliable. I think they run the best train system which is similar to Singapore. Though there are a few interesting historical places in Delhi, we only went to one, The Red Fort and skipped the others due to the hot weather.

Cheers,
Borneoman & Trailing Spouse On 2 Wheels



















On 29 April 2014 we left New Delhi for Rishikesh, a city about 230 km north east of Delhi. As usual the ride was slow and long due to the not so good road condition, hot weather, passing through many small towns and also the overly indiscipline road drivers and non-drivers. It took us about 6 hours to get to Rishikesh.

What is so special about Rishikesh? This particular place is known as the Hindu spiritual city, yoga capital of the world and meditation centre. It is situated along the fast flowing Ganges River and is surrounded by mountains. What interest me about this place was the number of outdoor activities available in Rishikesh - white water rafting, beach / jungle camping, hiking, rock climbing, bungee jumping etc. Beach camping referring to camping on Ganges River banks. There were many foreigners around including those from Europe, Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese mostly come to do / learn yoga professionally or simply do meditation.

We stayed in a hotel not far from the Ganges River facing the beautiful mountain. It has a small balcony and windy all the time. Every morning, we will sit at the balcony together with the monkeys (there are a lot of them in this city). Since this place is a 'holy' city, everyone seemed to be nice to each other - the swami, the yogis, the Europeans, the Korean, Japanese, the locals, the cows and the monkeys too seemed to treat you nice. The animals do not bother you at all. The only thing that I could not stand was that this place served 100% 'vegetarian food'.

We stayed for 6 nights in Rishikesh including a 2 days camping & doing white water rafting at the upper end of Ganges River.

Cheers,
Borneoman & Trailing Spouse On 2 Wheels

Keep on posting and have a fantastic trip! Once you get into Europe we´ll need to convince you to see Germany, too and we´ll certainly have a bed for the two of you.

Cheers
Chris

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Another update on our travel.

After about a week in Rishikesh, on 4 May 2014 we rode to Amritsar on about 450 km away. Amritsar is our last point/city before we enter into Pakistan. On the way, we stopped for 1 night at a place call Ludhiana , just to see what the town could offer, however nothing special about this particular town.

The 2 days ride to Amritsar was trouble free and also the Black V had performed extremely good.

In Amritsar, as usual we did the touristy activities, we visited The Golden Temple and also the Changing of Guards Ceremony at the Indian/Pakistan border. All in all, we spent 3 days in Amritsar because besides the 2 above mentioned activities, there was nothing much to do in Amritsar. Furthermore, we need to continue our journey into Pakistan.

Altogether, we have stayed for 24 days in India (16 Apr to 9 May), all in the Northern areas. We love this country but unfortunately not as much as we love Nepal. One of the main thing about India that became the issue for us was the chaotic traffic situation and the driving attitude of the people. Otherwise, all are good and we had a wonderful time in India.

Cheers,
Borneoman & Trailing Spouse On 2 Wheels

Great thread - I will soon embark on more or less the same trip but the other way round. Will be interested to read up your next updates.

Have a safe trip and all the best.

Hi All,

Some updates on our travel.

After India, we crossed into Pakistan at Wagah border. In our initial plan, we only planned to stay for about a week in Pakistan, however we stayed for a month instead. We found Pakistan to be very interesting with many places to explore. Furthermore the people are very welcoming, kind and hospitable which made our stay in Pakistan a memorable one.

Honestly, what we had experienced in Pakistan was not the same as what we saw and heard on the media. Though certain areas in Pakistan are considered 'not safe', we did not at all feel 'unsafe' throughout our stay in this country.

The places we have traveled in Pakistan are as follows:

a. Lahore from 9 May to 14 May
b. Islamabad from 15 May to 16 May
c. Karakoram Highway from 17 May to 26 May
d. Rawalpindi from 27 May to 29 May
e. Lahore again from 30 May to 31 May
f. Traveling from Lahore to Bahawalpur, Shukkor and Quetta from 1 June to 6 June
g. Travel from Quetta to Dalbandin and Pakistan/Iran border from 7 to 8 June
h. We crossed into Iran at Mirjaveh on 8 June

Cheers,
Borneoman & Trailing Spouse on 2 Wheels


We are officially in Pakistan


Meeting with members of Motorcycle Association of Pakistan (MAP)


Meeting with new friends, Mr Omar (3rd from right) and his group of friends


Pakistani policewomen working (gossiping)


Many choices of dry dates


Political rally in Lahore


Local dessert (very yummy)


Info about Lahore Fort


Building around Badshahi Mosque


The famous Badshahi Mosque in Lahore


The building in front of Badshahi Mosque


Borneoman at Badshahi Mosque (look at the size of the guard)


Badshahi Mosque, Lahore


Entrance to Badshahi Mosque


Trailing Spouse (Celeste) and the view of Badshahi Mosque taken from Lahore Fort


Another view of Badshahi Mosque


Hello from Borneoman


Black V, Borneoman and local men


A church in Ayubia, outside Islamabad


Motorcycle is toll free


Holiday resort Ayubia just outside Islamabad


Pakistan men


Having tea outside passport office in Islamabad


Local truck drivers


View of Black V


Ride stop at a local town


Motorcycle parking in town


New friends in Lahore


Our guest house in Islamabad


Ride stop between Lahore and Islamabad

Hi All,

More photos in Pakistan, our rides to Karakoram Highway (KKH).

It is a 'must do' thing for anyone who are exploring Pakistan. Beautiful scenery, challenging ride (any type of vehicle) and you would be meeting people full of kindness,warm and hospitable.

Would we do Pakistan again? Definitely yes.

Cheers,
Borneoman & Trailing Spouse on 2 Wheels


Riding on KKH road


Good scenery and challenging road


KKH road


KKH road


Sunset view


View of the mountains


Heading further north of Pakistan


Nearer to Pakistan/China border


More mountain view


View from the road


Hardly meet any vehicle for miles


Once a while you meet the villages


Stop at police check points to register your presence


KKH roads


The local police would escort you in certain areas consider 'not safe'


The Black V on a good road


The Black V on a NO good road


The road runs along the famous Indus River


Another police escort group


Following a different police escort vehicle


Crossing small stream on the road. You find many along the long KKH road


View from our hotel balcony in Karimabad, Hunza Valley


View from another angle of our hotel's room


Borneoman with the local men in Hunza Valley


Celeste and the 'decorated truck'


Doing a 3 days mountain trekking to Fairy Meadows during KKH ride


Taken in Fairy Meadows


(l to r) Our police escort, Borneoman, Ahsan - the Resort Owner and Celeste


View of the chalets at Fairy Meadows at the back


More photos of the chalets in Fairy Meadows

Hi Chris,

Thank you for the kind offer but unfortunately Germany is not in our route in Europe. However we are keeping our option open because just got information that Celeste's (my wife) visa for Morocco has been rejected and mine approved. I do not know how the heck they expect us to travel together by giving visa to only 1 person.

Cheers,
Borneoman

Hi Moto32,

I trust you will have no regret in choosing these countries. You will definitely enjoy your travel. When are you starting your journey?

Cheers,
Borneoman

HI BRO ,HAVE view all photo n note .

n wish to joint u .ha ha ..it is great experience 4 this type

of trip .

TAKE GOOD CARE Do not FORGET to sent back KUEK RAYA .......

Hi James,

We would be in Europe till October, probably we can meet in one of the country we are going to. Please pm me if you can make it.

Cheers,

Hi All,

We were in Iran from 8 June till 19 June 2014.

In general we like Iran but not as much as we like Pakistan. This was probably because the scenery and general outlook of the country landscape is about the same as Pakistan, so not much to feel the 'wow' feeling. The people in Iran generally are very kind and warm especially those in the country side. The one in cities are mostly minding their own business.

Not many people in Iran are able to communicate in English so conversation with them and them with us really was an issue. Their cities, towns, roads and even villages are very modern so life is really easy for the Iranians. We did not see or hear any issue about war or fighting, religious elements or political sentiments from the Iranians. So, if the media is telling that Iran is not safe and not peaceful, I would say it is all bull****. We have been to Iran, we traveled from big cities to small towns and did not see or hear any such things happening in Iran.

For money availability in Iran for foreigners, everything is by cash. You are not able to withdraw money through ATM or use your credit cards.

We had made quite a number of friends in Iran and quite a number of them had invited us to their homes. We will cherish their kindness and hope one day we will meet them again. The places that we had traveled in Iran are as follows:

a. Zahedan
b. Bam / Kerman
c. Shiraz
d. Isfahan
e. Tehran
f. Zanjan
g. Tabriz

Petrol in Iran is extremely cheap, for foreigners is about USD0.30 per liter. If not mistaken it is only USD0.10 per liter for Iranians. They use their card (I believed it is their petrol subsidy card) and if they have used up their limit they too have to pay higher than USD 0.10.

There is not much choice of food in Iran. Their food are mostly dry and not much to our liking. However, they have many fruits - peaches, apples, grapes, plum, banana and they are very cheap. Overall, food and beverages in Iran are affordable so anyone traveling to Iran should not worry at all about the cost.

As for accommodation, there are many average and budget hotels available all over Iran. Wild camping is another option and would be fun due to the beautiful landscape.

Iran is not an internet friendly country. Though wifi is widely available in hotels and cafes but many websites are either blocked of restricted.

How do we rate Iran in term of liking the country? We would give Iran a 7 out of 10.

Cheers,
Borneoman & Trailing Spouse on 2 Wheels


The flag of Iran


Police escort at the Iran border assigned to take us to Zahedan City


On the way to Zahedan City. Police escort is in the front


Half way the journey another police escort from a different district took over


On the way to Kerman City (from Zahedan)


Iran beautiful landscape


Iran beautiful landscape and they also have good roads


Salt Lake in Shiraz, Iran


On the way to Shiraz, Iran


Lunch at local restaurant, grilled chicken and roti


From Shiraz to Esfahan, many more km to travel


Hasht Behest means Eight Paradises in Isfahan, Iran. Built in 1669


A fountain facing the palace. Not many buildings left to be seen


The famous Siose Bridge in Isfahan (the bridge with 33 arches)


Many shop owners giving free drinks and cakes to whoever around


Dinner in Tehran, typical Iranian food


Black V stopped at a small town mosque


Traffic in Tehran, Iran


Beautiful scenery


Iran landscape makes the traveling pleasant


No problem traveling in Iran, good road, good scenery and wonderful people


Street signs in Tehran


Another traffic condition in Tehran


A mosque in Tehran


Another mosque in Tehran


Signages found on Zanjan street


Met another overlander in Iran. He is from Spain crossed into Iran from Turkey.


Our hotel in Zanjan. We parked the bike inside the hotel


Nearing the border into Turkey


Near Bazargan, Iran/Turkey border. In the front is Ararat Mountain

Sorry for the late reply... I thought I would get a notification that you'd answered my post, but I didn't.

Thanks again for taking the time to post more pictures and info. It really is interesting and encouraging to read your experiences. Your pictures are great too...

We start our journey from Portugal. We first had in mind to follow your route through Iran and Pakistan, but then ended up considering the Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan route. These countries sound really interesting too. However, we still are unsure as to what to do when we get to Kyrgyzstan! I read on a forum that it is possible to fly our bike, and ourselves, from Bishek to New Delhi. Can't get a confirmation about this unfortunately. Now that I read your posts I am wondering whether we should go the Iran/Pakistan way which would simplify things.

Are you planning to visit Portugal? Send me a PM if you do (before the 7th of September). We can put you up and you can use my garage to do any maintenance on your bike. If you are in Spain you aren't far...

Hi Moto 32,

I have no experience in those countries that you had planned to go to, so I am not able to share any advise how to go about it especially about flying out your bike from Bishek to Delhi. However through my personal experience, everything is 'doable'. For example when we failed to get our visa for Iran before we started our journey, we just planned to airfreight our bike from Pakistan to Turkey. Fortunately, when we were in Lahore, Pakistan, things took a change and we managed to get our Iran visa through a different party. So, it just made our travel easier.

You are right about riding through Iran and Pakistan, it is simpler than avoiding them. Iran and Pakistan are beautiful countries and a 'must see'.

Thank you for the offer house us in your place and definitely will contact you if we are able to make it.

Cheers,
Borneoman

Good point, everything is indeed doable.. I'm sure we'll work quite a few things out as we go along.

Hopefully you can make it to Portugal. Please pm me if you do so that I get your message as early as possible.

Have a happy and safe journey.