I'm currently biking it down from the UK to Australia and about to leave Zurich tomorrow morning to go through Northern Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and either Bosnia H-Serbia-Bulgaria or Albania-Greece (any advice on which is the best/fun route greatly appreciated!) to Turkey

Will spend a couple of weeks in Turkey (while I wait for my Iranian visa) and then head down through Iran, Pakistan, India etc. Wondering about chancing my hand at getting into and through Burman with the bike given recent changes - won't hold out hope but it's worth a try.

Anyone around for any of the legs above to ride or share a ? VERY rough dates are:

• Slovenia to Istanbul 21/08 - 30/08
• Turkey 31/08 - 14/09
• Iran 14/09 - 29/09
• Pakistan 30/09 - 15/10

Cheers,

Matt

Hey,

Can't help you with any advice unfortunately. Just wanted to chime in as I today have started thinking of EXACTLY this trip! So it was a bit spooky seeing this post and shame you are already gone...haha! Is there anywhere one could follow your progress? I'm obviously interested.

Other than that: good luck and enjoy!

Hi Matt

Great to hear of your plan to try to get through Burma - it's becoming more open and should improve. I'm hoping to attempt this route maybe next year and my plan should I fail to get the bike in would be to strip it down and ship it in boxes on a truck - risky but would be a challenge - what do you think?

Paul

Hey Voelser,

Great that you're looking at doing the trip - absolute shame that we're staggered time-wise. I've just started a blog but it's in its infancy and I need to get used to providing more useful information rather than just waffling.

Link is: Motorcycle Tour To Oz

So far it's just a few bits from my ride around prior to setting off but over the next few days I'll be trying to put up more helpful information re planning and prep as well as highlights of routes etc.

Hope you're planning goes well!! If you have any questions just let me know and I'm more than happy to help if I can - I'm a complete newbie to this but if I can share some knowledge I certainly want to give back to the HUBB

Hey Matt,

Thanks for the reply. Frankly I enjoy the waffling, so keep it up. I kept a blog on a trip last year (sans bike) and can waffle with the best of them:

Voet va Vols | stories of a Voelser abroad

Reading your blog also makes me thing we would've been good travel buddies, but it's not to be right now. I'm not even planning yet, just got the notion bored at work yesterday! I'll be following you closely!

Marcel

Hey Marcel - absolute shame that we're doing it at different times but hopefully you can learn from my many mistakes, as will be chronicled on my blog, and have a successful trip!

Thanks for the link to your blog - I'll be working my way through it during my journey!!

Hey Paul,

I'm really not sure what to expect at burma and will probably make a decision once I get close from what I hear from locals etc. I'm always game to give it a try but while the country is changing and becoming more open, I have a sneaky suspicion that the last people to hear about this new found liberalism will be the border guards. I'll update my blog when I'm there and try to let you know how I get on.

I like the idea about putting the bike in boxes when stripped down - should be doable as long as they don't check the boxes...

I heard somewhere that you had to enter and leave through the same border pot in Burma - need to check that myself but that might be an issue if true...

Where will you pick up your Iranian visa?
İstanbul,Ankara,Erzurum or Trabzon.
Between you and me,best is Trabzon!!!
Did you make the application in your home country or will you make it in İstanbul?

Hopefully club garage will have something for welcome drinks.

Wish you all the best.

Thanks!!

I'm getting the Iranian visa through Iran Visa Application - Iranian Visa (evisa) after recommendation on the HUBB as there's currently no Iranian embassy in the UK (it was fire-bombed and then closed down ) and am picking it up in Istanbul as I thought there's more than enough to keep me occupied there while I wait for it to be processed.

I'll be giving the Istanbul HUBB contingent a shout to try and arrange a drink and would love to catch up with you if you're around?

Cheers!

Matt

i'm going similar route. I need to get Iran visa as well. Keep in touch, we Might catch up in Iran/Pak/India.

Regards
steven

__________________
Steven
Perth to Perth 2012

Had a minor bike accident in Split so already behind by at least a week as its in to be repaired. Will watch your progress and if the bike is able to make it onwards, would be good to catch up along the way!

You are always about 2 weeks in front of me, so if you loose fuel, I pick you up.
Cheers
Heinz

Hello Matt;

Hope you recover soon and will be on the road again.

I will be reading the blog with interest as Im planning the same route two up throgh the M.E. starting next April, will be speding a couple of months touring Turkey so setting off early. Re: Visas for Iran.. i think you can pick them up from quieter embassies i.e. Erzurum, or Trabzon rather than Istanbul. (this is stuff Ive read on here though and not first hand experience.. also one of my friends he applied about 3 times from the UK and it got rejected everytime then in Turkey he went to Erzurum and got one). According to legend sometimes they don't even require ref number (but best to turn up with one) and might give longer visas compared to the busy embasies. Some people have been getting 8 day 10 day visas even when they apply for the 30 day ones. I'm half Turkish and was looking forward to my amazing visa-less entry experience but as of today the rules have changed and will have to apply for visas again.

Anyways all the best and hope all goes well!

P.S.
Ow if you get to greece do some mountain roads like from Ionnia (there is a nice lakeside campsite in ionnia.. you can't miss it) to the other coast towards.. there is a place called Meteora on route.. have a nosy there.. when you get to the other coast there's quite a lot of beach campsites so you could chill there (around Skotinas).. then enter Turkey from Ipsala (through Thesaloniki).. pay your 5 euros for insurance...ride to Kesan if you wanna see Istanbul carry on.. if you wanna head to the Aegean beaches turn right and head to Ecebat see Gallipoli... then Canakkale |(try some fish in local restaurants) then head towards Izmir and you're in the HOT bit.. although should be nice in Sept. Then you can do the south coast etc etc...