Round the world trip: help needed India - SEA - Australia
 

Hello all! I'm a 25 year old Belgian currently riding around the world.

I left Belgium some months ago and reached India through Turkey, Iran and Pakistan. This leg was all prepared for in my homeland but now I have to prepare for the next one.
India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia to Australia with the departure date on leaving India being somewhere end of April.

Now I did some looking around and the current situation about several parts of this trip seem pretty vague and I was wondering if somebody could update me on them.

1. Myanmar:

-It should be possible to enter the country through Moreh and with a guide + gov. official.
But i've read conflicting information that states that if you enter through Moreh you also have to leave through the same border.
- No open border to Laos so have to go through to Thailand.

2. Thailand:

According to my research as of May 2016 foreign vehicles travel is restricted to the province you entered in + 30 days maximum.

3. Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia should be possible?

4. Indonesia should be no issue, just have to look into the best place to take a ferry to Indonesia.

5. Indonesia to Australia:

I guess the only option is by using a forwarder to ship the bike and fly myself.


It would be greatly appreciated if someone can share their insight or experiences in this matter! ;)

Best Regards
Sol

Edit: just for information, the third leg is from Australia to South America to Alaska and finishing in New York.

1. There is a recent thread somewhere covering Myanmar/Burma.
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...t-2016-a-87977

2. There is a recent thread somewhere covering changes in Thailand.
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...7th-june-88229

5. Yep. East Timor to Darwin is doable. Another thread somewhere...
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...darwin-79395-2

I just have to find them... .. arr Thailand ..inserting link and done the rest of them .. hope that helps.

Thanks for the reply!
It's a shame that Thailand imposed this new law..
To pay a guide for Myanmar would be a pain in the wallet but still worth it imo.
However to do it for Thailand aswell, things are getting expensive real quick and riding with a guide just doesn't cut it for me.

Had to ride with escorts for the most part in Pakistan and it bothered me a lot, even if they are some of the friendliest escorts you could imagine :)

Yes ... 'escorts' are annoying. :funmeterno:
I find it strange when you might buy a local bike and ride around without an escort.

So the alternative ... is to miss these countries and ship around them.

For Myanmar you will need a guide yes and paperwork etc so you better contact one of the agencies that arrange such guided crossings - or alternatively get in touch with other travellers that are about to do the same crossings so you might can do the crossing together to get the costs down.
The same goes for Thailand - guides, permits etc but beware the paperwork thats needed for thai crossing have increased to ridicuously amounts, IDP from the 1949 convention - not the 1968 convention. Proof of paid roadtax and proof of valid roadworthiness sertificate and valid translations of these if theyre not in english. Plus a lot more that I dont remember for the moment. Its probably best to start that carousel early to get all paperwork sorted. Its a real PITA!

Or you could ship from India or Nepal to Kuala Lumpur....

Hmmm I might just ship to Malaysia, store the bike somewhere and hitchhike for a couple of months through SEA.
Or buy a cheap local bike and then sell it again.

If it was possible to ride by myself I would go through the hassle of paperwork and such but to be guided through really kills it for me.

I'll think about it for a while..

Hi Sol

There is a Facebook group - 'Thailand- new regulations affecting overland travellers' which has some useful info (and some not so if I'm honest). I'll be following your route in September but it sounds like everything is going fine apart from the admin.

Chris


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Goodluck, I start my rtw april, maybe we meet. Cheers

'Bike on a Hike'. Available at WWW.Amazon.com

Chris.W thanks for telling me about the fb-group!

Sandersmith, thank you but staying in hotels for years on end would be quite expensive.. I usually stay in hostels or at someone's home :thumbup1:

aditya raj kapoor, sure hit me up! where do you start?

Yes you can do it the hardest way for shure but whynot just flying and renting bikes in different countrys insted of wasting time and money for importing, guides and shiping your bike? Just follow this plan: The best way to travel from Europa to Australia

1. Cause I like my bike :scooter:
2. I'm already on the road with it
3. In a way the challenges you face make the trip worth more in my opinion,
even if at times you get frustrated :)

oh and I don't have to be afraid to crash it while doing stupid stuff f.e. riding on mountainroads covered with ice or sandy riverbeds, etc

This isallways better to do with a local bike wich everyone knows to repair in a country were all parts for this bike are available ;)

Round the world trip: help needed India - SEA - Australia
 

Could you not go India - Burma - Laos - Viet - Cambodia then find transit to Malaysia?

I want to a similar trip in Jan 18 - buy a motorbike in Nepal.. Would what I've said above work and be easiest with regards to ease of travel?

Cheers

Sadly you can't cross the border between Myanmar and Laos at the moment.. :(

You might want to check up on road conditions during January in Nepal.

Thanks for feedback - unfortunately trip has to be between Jan and April next year and Nepal seems to be most sensible place to buy a bike ?!

Where are you at the moment and how do you plan on getting to Oz?

Cheers