#1 We can't pickup the Russian visas in Taskkent as Tashkent is in Uzbekistan and we aren't going to Uzbekistan we are going to Kazahkstan and around the Aral sea down to Almaty to consult David B in person about Krygistan. A quick flip around Kryg then north out at Semipalantinsk and a run to Mongolia hopefully fast enough to not need visa registration but we might anyway. Both Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan proved to be too big a visa headache and too costly for tour escort, and if all we are going to see in Turkmenistan is the road to the Uzbek border then there is no point going there and instead go see the Aral sea area instead which is perhaps going to be more interesting than the road to Uzbekistan. And hey nobody goes via Ataku if we manage it we can report back about it and go off the beaten track as EVERYBODY goes the Baku Turkmenbashi route.

#2 I heard of that in that visas for bikes are inconsistant 3-5 days while the visa for the person is 30 days , and you pay a fine on leaving $15-40. But since Todderz is going through Azerbaijan also he will experience the same problem also, we may try the trick of sit on a big hill outside Baku and watch the boats coming in and out. Ride in once it comes out, no real way around it as if we enter via Sochi in Russia we need a triple or multiple entry visa or we skip Kazahkstan or Mongolia.

I see no other possible route other than doing it backwards, ie ship the bikes to Korea, ride to Sochko, ship to Zubrino (if it is still open) ride to Mongolia , and thus again only requiring 2 entries into Russia. Another guy Tatters who posted on here recently is going for a run straight across Russia via Ukraine entering Mongolia and coming out via the Stans and Iran. he again also needs the double entry Russian one.



#3 Didn't say I was going to China I am going to the border to see the dunes of the Gobi, once we get to Korea we will probably use the £70 ferry from Icheon to Shandong (can get visas in Seoul $70) and the train down to Hong Kong. (My citizenship is HK SAR rather than mainland china though this does allow mongolian visa waiving scheme and also reduced cost of visa to visit China mainland.

4. 14 days was a toughie and I thought it possible but biting the bullet and getting one for $25 in Ankara on the way. We are also picking up the Kazahk visa on the way Ankara / Tblisi or Baku and various other European cities we can pick it up from.