England to Burma and back, Feb 2012
 

Hi guys!

I'm a medic and I've got a 3 month post in a refugee camp in Myanmar (what was Burma) next yr end of March so thought I'd motorbike there.

Current plan is something like England, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, China, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar on the way out.
Then 3 months later back through China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Belgium, England.

Planning to set off February 2012 and would be keen to travel with someone if anyones going that way or interested in joining me for a leg.

Cheers all, Happy biking
Alex

Hi Alex,

:welcome: to HU.

Surely, the camp is not inside Burma? People generally flee from Burma to neighbouring countries. There are lots of such camps in Thailand.

Please browse or search the SE Asia forums. You will find lots of challenges along your proposed route, e.g. visas for Iran and Pakistan, requirements for guided tours in China, just to name a few.

Finally, you can't take your bike into Burma, unless the camp really is inside and there is an illegal border crossing that you have to use.

Good luck and have a great experience. I did.

Hey Peter,

Thanks for the heads up! Yeah the camp is in Burma but I'm meeting people I'm working with in Thailand, storing my bike there and going over the border with them.

Yeah I think the Iran Pakistan border and first 300miles of pakistan are going to be a challenge.... I'm not sure what it will be like travelling as a lone female either, hense considering budding up with someone for some of the countries.

I'll check out the SE Asia forums

Cheers again :)

So you are planning on only 8 weeks to ride there? That will be quite a rush. Feb. in the Balkans and Turkey will be very cold and you will probably find some roads blocked by snow. :freezing:

One way for you to save a lot of money would be to store your bike in e.g. Kathmandu, fly to Thailand and if you have time to ride there rent a bike. Then pick it up on the way back and ride back.

wrong timing....

Hey Guys,
Yeah I know its not great timing as far as weather goes unfortunately it's the only time I have..hmmm
The other option one of my friends from that area suggested was to bike to East India and get a ferry across to Thailand which might save some travel time and borders..
Thanks again :)

You can't: that 'ferry' burnt down decades ago. For bikes the best option is to fly Ktm or Dhaka to Bkk.

better you get the train from İstanbul to Tehran..bikes accepted and fares very cheap. no other choice for the winter of East Turkey....

Consider an easier option: fly to Thailand and rent a bike for the trips you want to take.

Or, buy a bike and register it in your name in Phnom Phenh. The time and money you save will allow you to stay longer in SE Asia and you can ride your bike to Thailand, Laos and Malaysia.

If you want to go that way check out Khmer440.com.

Hey Guys...
Sorry been away on holiday. Thanks for all your advice. I'm going to look inot all the options you've suggested especially as far as balcans/turkey goes that time of the year. Thanks again :)
Alex

Welcome to HU.

This sounds like a great trip but as mentioned above has lots of barriers to be overcome. I would consider flying out and 'backpacking' around. This will be cheaper and not have as much bureaucracy.

You do not want to be rushing to get to your camp by a particular date, so whatever you plan, build in lots and lots of additional time so you can experience the places you are travelling through. You need to allow for one or two rest days a week and make allowances for technical problems and illness: 3-10 days per incident!

Having said that there are lots of nice motorbike trips that you can put together out of the countries that you listed.

My view is that if you only have a limited amount of time then you are better off spending it in the far-away countries (fly/drive). The near countries can be visited in shorter windows on motorcycle.

Check out the various travellers' reports for Plan B.

Enjoy
Niall