Driving back or flying back from India to NL?
 

Hi,

I'm in doubt between driving back or flying back (bike by boat then probably) from India to NL... I know driving back is not going to be that interesting, but money is a big concern: what's the cheapest/best value option?

Can anyone give me some advice on this? Thanks!

Hi Peerke,
Not a good question. Are you a man or a mouse? If a man, you'd love the adventure. Driving in India certainly is unique, and also cheap. Same in Pakistan, less dangerous, but great scenery. Iran a bit dull, but dirt cheap and absolutely nice people. They'll do anything for you if you behave (don't even think of sleeping with their women). Turkey a great driving experience; also inexpensive. Greece more expensive, but great riding. Ferry over to Italy cheap and reliable. Europe expensive. But stick to secondary roads, and you can manage. Think of camping here. The whole trip can be done in two weeks, if you rush it. It beats fighting Indian bureaucratic red tape and corruption when shipping your wheels. So, I say, go for it! You only live once.

Ok, let me explain what I meant http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif

I'm going to ride slowly and enjoy my trip from NL to India, ride around all these countries you mention and Nepal, Karakoram highway, etc, the whole thing. But then the time comes to go home again... so I've seen all I could already and I just want to get home. So what's the best option then?

I think this may be an answer only you can give yourself. I felt the same way before I left. However, I rode to India last year and said to myself when I got there, "right that's it.. great stuff. Managed to get here and I'm still alive, that's enough for me". Well 2 months later I rode from India to Nepal then Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore. I shipped the bike back from KL (Klang) but if I had the time I would have ridden it back. Escape red tape (there was quite a lot when taking it back to the UK via boat because it had left the EU!!) 3 days after I got back to the UK I felt if someone asked me to go with them overland, I would say yes right away. Anyway, you can go different ways for sure. No need to go the same way back.
Cheers
Dave

ps. not sure NL is as much of a rip off country as the UK but it cost me as much to open my crate in the UK(160 pounds) as it did to crate up, do paperwork and ship my bike from KL to UK!

[This message has been edited by Spud (edited 01 October 2003).]

Now that you have clarified your status, let me offer some more advice. If you wish to ship bike back, I suggest you ship from Dhaka, Bangladesh, not exactly paradise, but better than crooked India. Check the entry on this site for shipping from Dhaka. I used the services of Homebound Packers and Shippers to ship from Dhaka to Bangkok, and was very satisfied. Homebound is a Canadian company and reliable, I can recommend them.