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Laos -> China -> India Laos -> China -> India
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West and South Asia From Turkey to Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Ladakh and Bangladesh
Photo by Hendi Kaf, in Cambodia

I haven't been everywhere...
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Photo by Hendi Kaf,
in Cambodia



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  #1  
Old 28 Jul 2007
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Laos -> China -> India
Is it possible? or am I already wasting my energy contemplating it?
My intentions were to travel from Laos into China staying close(ish)
to the Burmese border and round into India. If It would be a
nightmare to get the bike in/out I was considering to buy a
bike somewhere near the border once I'm inside China then
sell before india - would it be simple enough to do so?

Is this route even accessible? it looks like a hell of a lot of
mountains on google earth
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  #2  
Old 1 Aug 2007
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scrubs,

I don't have an answer as I am a humble newbie but let me know if you've found an answer ... same obstacle ... Thailand to India

wheels
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  #3  
Old 1 Aug 2007
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Not easy!
I havent even tried to do the route you mention, but been travelling in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and followed whats written in some forums... so, here´s my view:

Getting into China, with a foreign-registered bike "officially" does require a large amount of paperwork, and can be costly. Officially you will need a guide to go with you into the country, too, which might cost in the neighborhood of 100-200 usd per day. Getting some company to arrange all you need to cross the border might cost around 700-800 usd per bike.

A guy went from Thailand to Laos to China this spring, but he had a chinese-plated bike, and they actually let him in without any guide, or costs whatsoever. Perhaps the ´right´ plates helped him a lot, he basically just "sneaked" in, but with foreign plates I would think its a whole different story. He wrote some fabulous reports from that trip, too, you might want to read them (at The Golden Triangle Rider Thailand/Asia Motorcycle Touring Information forums).

Some say theyve crossed from Kazakhstan or Pakistan, with foreign bikes, with no guides, etc., but its a huge country, so even if it would be possible over there, thats no guarantee you can do it from Laos. Dont know if you could do it from Vietnam, and again, getting foreign vehicles into Vietnam is at the moment practically impossible.

Once inside China, you´d need to get into Tibet, which is a sensitive area, and even if you did get in, better get ready for some very very high mountain roads. I have no idea if there even exists an international border crossing from that part of China into India, wouldnt be surprised if there is not. Some of the highest mountains in the world as an obstacle there, too.

Myanmar is most definitely off-limits with your own bike.

It seems to be much more common to get a freight for your bike between Thailand (or Malaysia) and India (or Nepal).. the overland route there just seems so complicated.

But surely it would be a huge adventure, and very much "off-the-beaten-track", if you can pull it off I think! So good luck to you, if you decide you want to go that way..
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  #4  
Old 1 Aug 2007
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Thanks for that. I travelled Cambodia and Vietnam last year and enjoyed it.
I will be following Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos to begin with.. In hindsight
I believe it will be much less ball ache to sell my bike and buy another in China and cross the border by bus. I'm hoping with the olympics going on
it will be as better time as any to not get too much hassle. I was thinking
to turn into India before I enter Tibet and enter India to Tinsukia riding in between Bhutan and Bangladesh.
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  #5  
Old 2 Aug 2007
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Gud luck bro
Scrubbs got family in HKG if you get stuck n need rescuing!! Learnt livin in that part of the world that taking a non Chinese registerd bike/car into China is a nightmare. Even from HKG.

They just dont like it? Also China/Tibet/India border is allways sensitive so best is to buy cheap in the country if you can, ride it to death cross the border in a bus or horse back if you can, and ride again I guess.

Gud luck Bro.
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