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Norway, EU, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal, during April 2011 Norway, EU, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal, during April 2011
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Photo by Lois Pryce, schoolkids in Algeria

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Photo of Lois Pryce, UK
and schoolkids in Algeria



 
 
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Old 25 May 2011
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Norway, EU, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal, during April 2011
Hi. A couple of weeks ago I finished my trip from Oslo to Kathmandu on a Hyosung GT 250 Comet. I'm not a story teller, but I'll answer any questions to people who have them. I have recorded nearly every second of my route here:

Morten Hustveit: Travel Plot

Alternating colors represent alternating days of travel. Here's a few dozen pictures with small comments:

Morten Hustveit: Photo Log
Morten Hustveit: Photo Log

A list of a few things that weren't straightforward:
  • A Green Card (proof of vehicle insurance) will eliminate the need to buy insurance in Turkey and possibly Iran. I didn't have one, but buying insurance at the border was easy enough. In Turkey, there's an ATM at the border.
  • Gas stations in Turkey all accept credit cards, except in Kurdistan.
  • In large parts of Turkey, you have sub-zero degrees in April partly due to elevation. There was no snow on the road itself, though.
  • In Turkey, you must buy prepaid cards to be able to pass toll plazas. If you lack one, the barrier won't open (but a motorcycle can sneak past).
  • In Iran, absolutely no foreign credit cards are accepted. Not at the international airport, not at 5 star hotels and not anywhere.
  • In Iran, the interval between petrol stations is about 100 km. When you leave Bam for Zahedan, the interval is 220 km.
  • You don't have to look for a police escort in Zahedan. They will find you. You will be stopped at around 30 police checkpoints between Zahedan and Quetta, and in most cases you will have to write down your personal info in a logbook. Travel with police escorts will be slow -- about 40 km/h except when they are passengers on your bike -- and sometimes you will have to wait for half an hour or so.
  • You may have to sleep in Meer Jawe due to the border closing early and the escorts through and from Zahedan being very slow. If this is the case, the escort takes you directly to the only hotel.
  • Speed bumps in Pakistan are massive, and appear without warning.
  • Large parts of the road between Taftan and Quetta are in terrible condition, and you will be hard-pressed to travel faster than 30 km/h. They are currently under reconstruction, though.
  • (Makeshift) petrol stations are easy to spot from the road in Pakistan, and appear frequently, even in small towns.
  • Most of the larger cities in the south of Pakistan have exactly one hotel for western tourists, often in the "P.T.D.C Motels" group.
  • In Pakistan, foreign credit cards are not accepted anywhere west of Quetta, or in Bahawalpur. Generally, one in five ATMs accepting VISA will accept foreign VISAs. Bank employees know which ATMs do, but police and hotel workers are frequently mistaken.
  • For entering Nepal, Norwegians (and many other nationalities) don't need a visa in advance. However, the visa can be paid only in US dollars cash. Credit cards are not accepted.
  • In Kurdistan, Iran, Pakistan, India and Nepal, nearly all local motorcycles are smaller than 200cc. Consequently, shops don't have chains or tires for larger bikes, even 250cc. I was able to locate a shop that serviced bikes as large as 1000cc in Tabriz, Iran.
  • Hero Honda is by far the most popular brand.
  • Flying my bike from Kathmandu to Bangkok would cost approximately 1100 USD through Eagle Eyes.
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