Burma - the missing link?

[Simon Harby]

For reference, we crossed Burma last June.

Visa's took two months to get in Delhi ( and a lot of hassling the embassy staff!)

Key admin point is - they must issue a "road permit" as well as the visa - if you do not have the Road permit the Indian Authorities will not let you approach the boarder.

Once you have these two docs. you need special permits for Nagaland and Manipur (india). We had our applications refused by the delhi authorities, but heard through the grape vine that you could get them in Calcutta. We were not dissapointed as calcutta issued them in three hours...but did ask for our marriage cert!!

Fianlly, all went OK though Burma but, getting out took 17 days!! No kidding! The Burmese Immigration insisted that we could not drive a 250km section near the Thai boarder and that we must send the bikes by truck and fly ourselves. Once the bikes were loaded the army refused to let the truck leave!! Eventuially it left and then dissappeared for the next 10 days! no information for us whilst we waited... all very very frustrating. But it did arrive eventually!

Good luck for anyone else trying to cross this military dictatorship...

[This message has been edited by Simon Harby (edited 29 September 2004).]