Europe to Australia - August 2012
 

I'm currently biking it down from the UK to Australia and about to leave Zurich tomorrow morning to go through Northern Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and either Bosnia H-Serbia-Bulgaria or Albania-Greece (any advice on which is the best/fun route greatly appreciated!) to Turkey

Will spend a couple of weeks in Turkey (while I wait for my Iranian visa) and then head down through Iran, Pakistan, India etc. Wondering about chancing my hand at getting into and through Burman with the bike given recent changes - won't hold out hope but it's worth a try.

Anyone around for any of the legs above to ride or share a beer? VERY rough dates are:

• Slovenia to Istanbul 21/08 - 30/08
• Turkey 31/08 - 14/09
• Iran 14/09 - 29/09
• Pakistan 30/09 - 15/10

Cheers,

Matt

Hey,

Can't help you with any advice unfortunately. Just wanted to chime in as I today have started thinking of EXACTLY this trip! So it was a bit spooky seeing this post and shame you are already gone...haha! Is there anywhere one could follow your progress? I'm obviously interested.

Other than that: good luck and enjoy!

Hi Matt

Great to hear of your plan to try to get through Burma - it's becoming more open and should improve. I'm hoping to attempt this route maybe next year and my plan should I fail to get the bike in would be to strip it down and ship it in boxes on a truck - risky but would be a challenge - what do you think?

Paul

Blog
 

Hey Voelser,

Great that you're looking at doing the trip - absolute shame that we're staggered time-wise. I've just started a blog but it's in its infancy and I need to get used to providing more useful information rather than just waffling.

Link is: Motorcycle Tour To Oz

So far it's just a few bits from my ride around prior to setting off but over the next few days I'll be trying to put up more helpful information re planning and prep as well as highlights of routes etc.

Hope you're planning goes well!! If you have any questions just let me know and I'm more than happy to help if I can - I'm a complete newbie to this but if I can share some knowledge I certainly want to give back to the HUBB :)

Burma - worth a try?
 

Hey Paul,

I'm really not sure what to expect at burma and will probably make a decision once I get close from what I hear from locals etc. I'm always game to give it a try but while the country is changing and becoming more open, I have a sneaky suspicion that the last people to hear about this new found liberalism will be the border guards. I'll update my blog when I'm there and try to let you know how I get on.

I like the idea about putting the bike in boxes when stripped down - should be doable as long as they don't check the boxes... :)

I heard somewhere that you had to enter and leave through the same border pot in Burma - need to check that myself but that might be an issue if true...

Where will you pick up your Iranian visa?
İstanbul,Ankara,Erzurum or Trabzon.
Between you and me,best is Trabzon!!!
Did you make the application in your home country or will you make it in İstanbul?

Hopefully club garage will have something for welcome drinks.

Wish you all the best.

Hey Matt,

Thanks for the reply. Frankly I enjoy the waffling, so keep it up. I kept a blog on a trip last year (sans bike) and can waffle with the best of them:

Voet va Vols | stories of a Voelser abroad

Reading your blog also makes me thing we would've been good travel buddies, but it's not to be right now. I'm not even planning yet, just got the notion bored at work yesterday! I'll be following you closely!

Marcel

Iranian Visa
 

Thanks!!

I'm getting the Iranian visa through Iran Visa Application - Iranian Visa (evisa) after recommendation on the HUBB as there's currently no Iranian embassy in the UK (it was fire-bombed and then closed down :( ) and am picking it up in Istanbul as I thought there's more than enough to keep me occupied there while I wait for it to be processed.

I'll be giving the Istanbul HUBB contingent a shout to try and arrange a drink and would love to catch up with you if you're around?

Cheers!

Hey Senorc, is your Pakistan visa sorted? If so, how was the process?

APPLICATION PROCEDURE FOR IRAN VISA.
Consulate accepts applications until midday.So better be there at 9 am.You will be given a piece of paper for payment generally by the door guard.Go to the bank,have the fee payment.While walking back to the consulate,have one photocopy of the receipt.Make your application form ready which must be already filled.Give both of them to the officer.Iran is visa free for Turkish citizens so not so crowded.
Then you are free for 1 week and there is a lot to see and enjoy during 1 week waiting period.
Generally passports with visas are given the following week the same day in the afternoons.For ladies, photos with covered head is a must.

İRAN İSLAM CUMHURİYETİ İSTANBUL BAŞKONSOLOSLUĞU

Ankara Cad. No.1, Cağaloğlu, İstanbul
Telefon: (212) 513 82 30
Faks: (212) 511 52 19
iranconsulateist@ircgi.org

Blogs
 

Hey Marcel - absolute shame that we're doing it at different times but hopefully you can learn from my many mistakes, as will be chronicled on my blog, and have a successful trip! :)

Thanks for the link to your blog - I'll be working my way through it during my journey!! :)

Sorry!
 

Hey Fraser - sorry, I meant to reply to you on facebook when I had my visa and knew rough timings of the trip from then...but forgot :( Sorry!!"

Yes I got my visa but it was an unneccessary ordeal really. They ask for a lot of paper work for any visa and even more if you're going by motorcycle. In the end, I had to give them:

1. passport and photocopy
2. copy of driver's licence
3. itinerary of my whole trip from UK to Oz (I made up a rough itinerary for this)
4. Letter from my employer, which I wrote myself on some headed paper
5. covering letter explaining the trip
6. copy of MOT
7. copy of V5 for bike
8. they wanted a copy of the carnet but I explained I was waiting for the visa before i got the carnet
9. detailed itinerary of where I would be entering and leaving Pakistan and where I would be staying when there
10. copy of last 3 months of bank statements

Having handed all this over I was told 'we'll call you'

Long story short, they didn't call me and it took 3 visits to the embassy in London, virtually camping there, to actually get the visa. The first two times they told me it had been sent off to be reviewed but the third time the guy came out with my passport and application, which had been untouched by the embassy since I lodged them. He said there was no rush on my visa as I wasn't entering Pakistan until about mid September. As you can imagine I was more than a little irate but you have to stay calm and polite - this visa was holding up my entire trip and I'd explained to this guy the exact nature of the ride when I first made the application. When I explained it again he went away, had a word with someone and then told me to pick my visa up in the afternoon.

Overall a painful experience so I would suggest you apply early, have all the above documentation ready so they don't send you away to get it. Turn up to submit your application early, if doing it in person, and keep on top of them so you don't have the pain outlined above. Alternatively, if I was doing it again I would probably just use an agent and have them do all the queuing etc for you - I met loads of them when I was there each time and think it could be money well spent.

Hope the above pseudo-rant helps :)

Brilliant - thanks!
 

Absolutely brillaint information - so helpful and will ease the process no end!! Thanks for taking the time to provide it...I definitely owe you a drink! :)

I'll be following it with interest, but I hope you won't make too many mistakes...;)

Hah! only when you are bored I hope. Maybe the OZ bits will be of some use...;)

Marcel

Interesting! I've heard a few people suggest trying to apply for it without mentioning the 'over land motorcycle' part. I'm not sure how viable this is. Eitherways appears to be a right pain in the ass!

How much was you're carnet etc?