How to get from south asia to south-east asia ?
 

Hey everyone! :biggrin:

I'm planning a trip from Europe to south-east asia and I've encountered a problem during my route planning.
As Myanmar is impossible to ride through and China extremely difficult, I was wondering if anybody's got any other options for me? :helpsmilie:
For example, a ferry from India to Thailand. Or, worst case scenario, flying the bike from Kathmandu to Bangkok...

Cheers :mchappy:
Joe

It has been this way for the last 50 years. I flew the other way (Bangkok to Calcutta) with my bike 32 years ago, as this was the cheapest option at the time.

Garry from Oz.

I actually heard, that there has been a regular passenger ship going between Chennai and Penang as recently as the 80´s. But then it caught fire, or sank, or caught fire, and sank...

In case the guidebooks are correct, there are still regular services going between the Andaman&Nicobar Islands and mainland India, so maybe its possible, if you can find some boat to take you there from Thailand... even that is a long way, but if you´ve got time to work it out & money to arrange it, I guess anything might be possible in Asia!

But do take into account that handling the immigration & especially customs for your bike could be a lot more challenging, if entering India that way (clearing the vehicle into India often is, even when entering the ´regular´ way!) so all in all I would not recommend doing that, there´s no guarantee you can enter that way.

Getting your vehicle to move between India and Thailand has been a royal pain-in-the-___ for decades, and will probably stay that way for the foreseeable future. Freighting it by sea or by air, and flying yourself is possible however.

Yes, I have a very long and humorous story to tell some day (but not here) about the challenges I experienced getting my bike cleared before collecting it at Calcutta's Dum Dum (yes, that's the actual name) airport. It took me 3 days of running around, but the worse was when I left India for Nepal and the Indian customs officer there would not believe a motorcycle could fly on a plane into Calcutta and accused me of multiple forms of attempted chicanery!

Garry from Oz.

Fast and easy: fly in and rent there. (or get a used bike from someone)

Slow and painfull: get there government to ok you and your bike to do the ride you may need to lie and bribe your way in to, on the way and out. You will need a guide and may need some one there to ride your bike or truck it around. Getting a government to do anything is a pain geting one that dose not like you your government your bike and dose not realy want you there can and cant talk to you can be a bugger. Can it be done? Yes is it worth the time and money gust to say that your bike was in such and such a place I dont think so. Getting your bike in may be more than the bike is worth, new. Some places only alow low CC bike to be ridden and the fees and fines are going to drain you.

This may not be much help but may save you more that enof to ride the Americas.

Still $10,000 to ride China on your bike?