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30 Dec 2018
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Back into the hamster wheel again, in Oslo - Norway. Did a 5 year RTW trip/250 k kms, 2014-2019
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Note that there are mandatory guide and permit laws in Myanmar and Thailand for foreign vehicles. In Myanmar there are no way to avoid them and they can be quite expensive too. And to get the price down its probably best to join a group of other travellers or organize on group yourself.
In Thailand it seems quite easy to avoid the permit and guide thing coming through most bordercrossings, but the Mae Sot - Myawaddy crossing is stubbornly holding on and they do enforce the mandatory guide and permit rule. So as it seems forvthe time being you will need guide and permits crossing into Thailand too. The good thing is you can organise a quick transit through in 2 days or so and then enter Laos or Cambodia. Then spend some time there and re-enter Thailand without guides and permits and then spend more time there.
Remember these permit and guide things must be organised well in advance, you cannot just rock up at the border and expect to get things organised there within a few hours or overnight.
__________________
In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....
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2 Jan 2019
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Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 300
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Quote:
Originally Posted by moondusted
Thanks for the tips!
I am also from Leuven, and we know each other already - this is Kim, the one who broke down on the Discover Overland weekend ;-)
I'd love to take you up on the offer, so after I've done a bit more preparations I might contact you in the course of January to pop in sometime! Thanks :-)
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I didn't connect the nickname to the person 
But regardless, you're welcome to drop in for a coffee and travel talk any time. 
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3 Jan 2019
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Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Netherlands
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Hi
I sort of have the same route. Maybe we could meet up somewhere.
Here is my travelplan.
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6 Jan 2019
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Join Date: May 2018
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sushi2831
Check out about the situation on guides in Thailand. Not the passport is a problem it's the bike. As it is in China and Myanmar.
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Yes, I read that it's not as simple anymore to ride around your bike in Thailand.
I'm hoping it won't be too much of an issue, or if it is, that I can deal with it on the border, go ASAP to Laos, and then Cambodia, and normally at the border crossing from Cambodia into Thailand they're more lenient and may let me go without a guide.
Regarding China I know what to do, and I'm in touch with Adi from West China Expeditions to help me and take a tour from Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan, hopefully with others to reduce costs. For Myanmar I'll do the same, but I'll wait a bit more before booking that, maybe while I'm in Pakistan or India.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sushi2831
What are your plans in Australia?
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I'm not sure yet, probably arrive in Darwin and travel around for 2-3 months. I love the country (been there before) and have always dreamt of traveling it with my own bike so that's also why I hope to make the trip there in 8-9 months max so I still have enough time left in Oz.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sushi2831
Start your trip in Turkey, till there it's just transit, 1 week till Istanbul.
Focus on the countries that you will not revisit too soon.
Pakistan visa, guide tours, and the weather/rain season are your fixpoints, less how long you'd like to stay at a place.
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Yes I am going to drastically update my timing in Europe. I would love to check out the TET around all these countries, but it is indeed stupid to waste time there now, since I can always return in the future and just take a few weeks or a month of holiday, which I can't do to get to Pakistan by bike for example.
So far I'm focusing on the weather to be able to go to the mountain ranges in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Pakistan, less on the rain season. I can't have both, and the mountains are more important to me.
Pakistan visa I'm working on together with Karakoram bikers, I hope to manage to get a 1 year visa, giving me the time to apply while still home and take my time traveling there.
Thanks for al the tips again! 
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6 Jan 2019
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ElsieE
Hi
I sort of have the same route. Maybe we could meet up somewhere.
Here is my travelplan.
Attachment 21829 |
Hey Elsie, that sounds great!
How are you planning to cross from Tajikistan to Pakistan without going via China though?
Sure, it would be nice to meet up somewhere!
I'll send you a PM with my details.
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26 Jan 2019
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Join Date: Feb 2017
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Turkmenistan: very hard to get a visa but good luck!
Myanmar, Laos, Thailand: Like someone said before you can't cross the border between Myanmar and Laos, Thailand is the way to go.
I don't know how the situation is now but 2 years ago Thailand changed requirements for foreign vehicles. Requiring guides, permits and heaps of paperwork and the same is required for Myanmar. Unless you do this in group it can be very expensive.
Indonesia: I crossed Indonesia in 14 days, but this involved riding from early morning till late in the evening way after dark.
Be careful about potholes though, me and another rider both bent our front rims but were able to continue.
This is a very ambitious plan, leave some leeway for trouble as there will always be trouble.
Also research the climate, season, weather were you are going.
I crossed the mountains in south eastern turkey to the Bazargan border in winter after days of snow, it was a pretty stupid move but I made it through with some ropes tied around my back tire.
Best of luck!
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29 Jan 2019
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Location: Zagreb, Croatia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by moondusted
Hi everyone!
I am planning to leave by mid-March on a RTW trip by motorcycle from Belgium to Australia. From France until Bulgaria I am also planning to ride stretches of the TET here and there.
My preliminary planning (amount of time per country, + visa applications for the countries I will need to do on the go) would be as pasted below.
Now, my question to all of you - does this look doable? Are there stretches that seem "crazy" (too little time etc.)? Any suggestions/remarks/tips?
Thanks in advance! :-)
Countries----Time-------Total time----Starting time of year----Applications
France-------5 days------5 days--------March - 15
Italy---------1 week-----12 days-------March - 20
Slovenia-----4 days-----16 days-------March - 27
Croatia------5 days------26 days-------April - 1
Bosnia-------6 days------26 days-------April - 6
Montenegro-4 days------30 days-------April - 12
Albania------4 days------1m 4 days----April - 16
Macedonia--5 days------1m 9 days-----April - 20
Bulgaria-----2 weeks----1m 23 days---April - 26---------------E-visa Turkey + Azerbaijan
Turkey-----2 weeks-----2m 7 days-----May - 10
Georgia----8 days-------2m 15 days---May - 24----------------Transit visa Turkmenistan & E-visa Uzbekistan + Tajikistan
Azerbaijan-5 days------2m 20----------June - 1
Armenia---10 days-----3m--------------June - 6
Iran--------1m----------4m--------------June - 16---------------Pickup Transit visa Turkmenistan?
Turkmenistan-3 days--4m 3 days------July - 15
Uzbekistan-1 week----4m 10 days-----July - 18
Tajikistan--1 week----4m 17 days------July - 25
Kyrgystan-1 week-----4m 24 days-----August - 2
China------5 days------5m--------------August - 9
Pakistan---3 weeks----5m 21 days-----August - 14
India-------1 week-----5m 29 days-----September - 4---------E-visa Myanmar & Cambodia
Nepal-----12 days-----6m 10 days------September - 11
India------3 days------6m 13 days------September - 23
Bangladesh-1 week---6m 20 days------September - 26
Myanmar--1 week-----6m 27 days------October - 3
Laos-------8 days-----7m 5 days--------October - 11
Cambodia-6 days-----7m 11 days-------October - 19
Thailand--10 days-----7m 21 days------October - 25
Malaysia--1 week-----7m 28 days------November - 4
Indonesia-10 days----8m 8 days-------November - 11--------E-visa Australia
East-Timor-5 days----8m 13 days------November - 21
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Fully agreeing on what other recommended on the planning, and I would reduce the plan as following to have more time in case you ran into some troubles with the bike or with paperwork or any other reason for that matter. I will just write the one I would be cutting short to enable more time:
Slovenia: 2 days
Croatia: 3 days
Bosnia: 3/4 days
Montenegro: 3 days
Albania: 3 days
Macedonia: 2 days
Bulgaria: 3 days
Spread these days you have managed to acquire in European part of the trip to have more fun for the rest of the journey.
As someone above already said, you can get back to Balkans and to these areas of Europe very easy later in your life. You can get on a train to Villach in Austria and start riding Alps from there and then move towards south.
cheers
dooby
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30 Jan 2019
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I forgot to mention this but for Pakistan when I applied for the visa I could only do it in my own country (Belgium) not abroad.
This might still be the case + you will need a letter of recommendation from somebody in Pakistan, I contacted a trekking agency in Pakistan for this.
The expiry date for entry for the visa was quite short so be sure to check that out aswell!
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