UK to Australia
 

Hi All,

I'm looking to do a trip from the UK to Australia, at the moment its just a dream. But I am trying to find out as much information as needed to help me fulfill the dream.

I looking for route information, costs etc. Pretty much any information will be useful at this time.

I have a XT 600 Tenere (1990) at the moment and I am looking to use this if I go ahead. Is this a good choice?

Thanks

Scott Barrow

Scott

I am thinking of the same thing but not all the way to Oz and only beginning to plan.

My route plan is all over the shop, but something like leavinging Istanbul on the 27th April and going to Georgia across the Caspian Sea, Iran, Paki, India, Nepal, India, China, Thailand then going to Laos and Vietnam, back to China and Trans Sib back to Europe.

I am told that China and Burma are problem areas so I am trying to get Chinese Authorisation and bypassing Burma.

Alot of Visas but alot of fun.

Any advice would be great and I'll pass like wise.

======================
email address removed by Grant - see http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/faq.shtml#notify for why.

[This message has been edited by Grant Johnson (edited 22 January 2002).]

I'm also planning a trip to OZ but like you I'm in the very early stages. I've done alot of travelling and have also heard of dificulties in burma which I'm looking into. My other big concern is getting the bike from Thailand to Australia, which I'm also looking into.

I'm looking to leave around June/July so keep in touch and we can possibly arrange to meet up and discuss possible routes.

Hi guys

My friend and I are planning to set off for Aus November 2001 and get to India for New Year. Our route is still vague, maybe turkey, iran, pakistan, india. From there I believe that flying the bikes to Thailand maybe the most effective method. Aeroflot? Don't know how to get from Singapore to Aus yet. Any ideas appreciated?



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Sean

Hi Scott and all,

Two friends and I are also in the planning stage of a trip from UK to Oz, but we're not thinking of going until March/April 2002.

The reason for leaving UK at a bloody horible time of year is so that we miss the really hot weather in Iran/Pakistan and India, but also we'll hopefully have good enough weather going up the Himalaya's. We're trying to reach Oz by Aug/Sept so will again miss the wet season up North and the really really hot weather!!

We're also thinking of using XT600's and if you look around the sites it seems as these are the most popular choice of bike's - I haven't bought mine yet though!

As for the route we're thinking of taking, it looks like Delhi or Katmandu are the best places to depart for SE Asia (probably Bangkok) - I originally wanted to go via Tibet but it's looking very difficult.

All the best............Mark

thinking of doing the same trip, starting late summer 2001. ural with sidecar and my mediumsized dog "bebelman". will wait until the new 750cc. Ural will be on the market. hope to hear from you guys once something materializes. Keep your spirit !

Hi Guys

Still planning, but our route so far:

Start in UK, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal, fly bikes to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, ship bikes to Darwin, Sydney and fly home. Rough timescales, 2 months getting to india, 2 months in india/nepal, 1 month in Thailand and 1 month in Aus.

Key question is when? Chris Scott suggests heading east in the Autumn (we won't be ready by then) but I also take Mark's comment about setting off in March. And I really don't want to leave it until Autumn 2002! Anybody got any good ideas?

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Sean

As you seem to be ahead of me so far, I still haven't got round to doing much planning.

What do you reckon the cost of such a trip will be?

Well.. Somewhere between £6K and £10K I guess, depending on the indulgence level. I've just started collecting estimates of shipping costs for the various sections as a part of the planning process. I'll just put my finger in the air for the other likely expenses.

Also, I believe that there is a ferry from Venice to Istanbul which might be of interest and cut out some of easter europe. Anybody got any info?



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Sean

We are doing this trip in reverse and are at present in Thailand organising air freight to Katmandu. Have been advised that it is the safest way. Will give out all the details once we have completed the 'transfer'
To get from Asia to Australia is the real easy part. E mail Geoff Lock, a biker who works for Perkins Shipping on geoff.lock@perkins.com.au or
fax 61 8 89410991
Who ever is considering going to Australia for a month really needs to re think or trade his/her bike in on a helecopter. Just not practical to attemt to do Australia that quick.
We have been gone 6 months and did the center road of Aus. We live north of Sydney, so rode south to Adelaide then up the centre to Darwin, shipped to Singapore,then on to Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, back to Thailand and now ( if its meant to be) on to Nepal, India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey etc. Forget Burma. Even from Thailand we could not get our bikes in, even for a day trip. And China is not ready for us motorcyclists yet either.Spend a good amount of time in Thailand. The road that follows the border between Burma and Thailand from Mae Hong Son to Pai and Chiang Mai is wonderful bike country. As is the Ranong area in the south. We are taking longer than we intended ( and spending more money than intended) because it is better to go a bit slower. I dont mean miles per hour,I mean take the time to look around.
And even buying fuel takes longer than at home. People want to look and talk about you, your bike, and what you are doing. As we have 2 Honda cruisers and we are in our 50"s we tend to draw crowds for 2 extra reasons. Not only are we old, but one is an old female. . . . . We call ourselves a moblie tourist attraction. Take the time to talk to the people. We have good memories of the people we have met along the way. But however you do it, make sure you do it.
Life is way to short to just dream about it and read reports from others who have done it. You are a long time dead, and there are no lolly shops in heaven,so we are told.

Hi Dave and Cheryl

I made contact with Geoff Lock and he has been very helpful with information, thanks for the tip. Also, be very interested to hear how you get on with shipping the bikes from Thailand.

I take your point entirely about sending time in Australia, but we really are on a whistle stop tour. We'll just land in Darwin and ride down the coast to Sydney before flying home. I can only negotiate 6 months away from work, so it's either that or nothing....

Maybe I'll leave the BMW and take the R1.

Best of luck with the next phase of your trip.




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Sean

We could well be home in Australia by the time you all get here. Keep in contact with us our e mail is
(in the link above)
You just may need a free bed by the time you get here. We are on the beach 3 hours north of Sydney. Will give you the details of Thailand to Nepal when we have completed it but can warn you now that Nepal insists on a Carnet and not all carnets have Nepal listed on then. Napal can be added so make sure that is how your carnet is. We had to get ours endorsed and it was a bit of a hassle. Muck better to have it from the start.

====================
email address removed by Grant - see http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/faq.shtml#notify for why.

[This message has been edited by Grant Johnson (edited 22 January 2002).]

Hi

Thanks for the offer, we may well take you up! And best of luck with Nepal http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif


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Sean

I keep flogging this one, but what the heck, I really do want to work out the best time for us to set off!

I have managed to get the following weather info for our route UK to Aus, based on a whistle stop schedule and leaving in November. (I've created an excel spreadsheet with principle towns en route and weather summary for each month if anyone wants a copy. Can't vouch for its accuracy as I pulled the info from all over the web)

Basically:

November : Hungary, Cold 4-13C, Wet
November : Bulgaria, Cold 4-13C, Quite wet
November : Turkey, Cool 14-18C, Very wet
December : Iran, Cold 4-13C, Fairly dry
December : Pakistan, Warm 19-23C, Fairly dry
January : India, Warm 19-28C, Fairly dry
February : Nepal, Cool 14-18C, Quite wet
March : Thailand, Hot 29-33C, Fairly dry
March: Malaysia, Hot 29-33C, Very wet
April: Darwin, Hot 29-33C, Wet
April: Sydney, Warm 19-23C, Very wet

Can anyone add any real life experience to travelling in these countries at these times of the year. Given that we've only got 6 months and India should be nice January/February perhaps there's not much choice for our particular 'off' date.

Any flesh to the bones much appreciated

PS Anybody going to Bernd Tesch's thing in Belgium this April?

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Sean

Scott,
my girlfriend and I are planning to go back to Oz via Africa, middle east and Asia,leaving around August. I've collated a fair bit of info so far, in particular on Burma which is a no no and China which is a major hassle. Shipping the bike from Nepal to Bangkok is, allegedly, a fairly stress free encounter as is shipping from Singapore to Darwin. I'm quite happy to mail you everything I've got if you want it.

Goose.
=================

email address removed by Grant - see http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/faq.shtml#notify for why.

[This message has been edited by Grant Johnson (edited 22 January 2002).]

check our webpage: http://www.homestead.com/shanghaibikers for updates regarding biking / travelling by Motorbike in China. Currently it's getting more and more difficult.
BUTCH
RDMC Shanghai

Sean Kelly,
one month in Oz won't even scratch the surface, in all seriousness, if you want to see a reasonable chunk of the country give yourself at least six months.

Goose

Hi Goose

Point taken, unfortunately I can only get away for 6 months in total. Given this limitation, it would be a dream come true just to make it to Aus and spend a month riding the coast from Darwin to Sydney.

If your offer for sending info. is open, I would really appreciate anything you could email.

Cheers


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Sean

The biggest problem is your starting time : in november it's possible to find snow either in Romania and Bulgaria ...also Eastern Turkey in december will be very hard ...my advice is to take a ferry from Italy to Turkey ...should be possible from Venice or Ancona

Hi

Yes, the weather is a major concern to us, I believe it can reach -5C in the east of Turkey!!!! I think our best bet will be to set off as early as possible in November and sprint east as quick as possible. At least we should get reasonable weather during our stay in India.

Paolo Volpara has sent some very useful and detailed info on the ferry from Trieste to Istanbul if anyone is interested, I can forward it. Also he says that starting April 4th, there will be a ferry from Venice to Izmir every Saturday night. This is operated by Turkish Cargo Lines. Their phone numbers are below. They have no Venice agent yet, closer to the 4th Venice agent name can be obtained from these numbers.

Istanbul 0212 244 02 07
Izmir 0232 464 88 64



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Sean

I haven't looked here for some time, but glad I did as there's some really good comments.
Sean (or anyone), have you found out anymore about getting from Nepal to Thailand, as I've heard this is quite difficult! It may be easier to fly from India, which is what we're thinking about at the moment!
As for the trip from Singapore to Darwin, I've spoken to Perkins and it seems they're happy to take bikes and know what they're doing, as they do the trip a couple of times per month - David & Cheryl were happy with them. I was quoted US$275 for a bike and the trip takes 7 days (just enough time for a stopover in Bali)!!
Sean, I understand your time schedule and 1 month is easily enough to get from Darwin to Sydney - it just means you won't be doing alot of sight seeing.
All the best......Mark

Hi Mark

Paul Ackland got through Turkey into Iran the last week in October, whilst there was cold and snow, the roads were good and the hostels/hotels warm. It shouldn't be much worse by the time we get there.

Also, I got some really helpful, detailed stuff from Ken and Carol Duval. They shipped Aeroflot, Delhi to Bangkok. It was less hassle than Nepal, cheaper and they got to go on the same plane. I'll forward you the email that they sent and maybe ask Grant to put it up on the site.

Geoff Lock at perkins seems very helpful and we'll certainly be using him for the leg to Darwin.

Otherwise, I'm just trying to pin down the final departure date with work so I can start addressing the visa problem.

Roll on summer



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Sean

Amazing amount of information flowing in this thread! We are working at improving the trip p lanning section, so as you are planning, please send us any solid information you come up with, whether it's lists of gear, contacts for shipping, weather information or whatever, if you think it's useful, we can use it and will post it asap for all to use.

Have a look at http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tri...shipping.shtml for all sorts of shipping info. You can get there via the home page, Trip Planning / Shipping. Should be everything that's discussed above. If not, PLEASE FORWARD IT TO US!

Thanks,

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Grant Johnson

Share the Dream!
at: www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Sean

Can you send me the details you have for the Delhi to Bangkok air freight, Cheers.
I picked up my BMW 1100GS last week and am just arranging the Panniers,GPS, etc so we're still on target to leave around Aug/Sep, how are your plans?

Hi Goose

Good to hear you're plans are going well and a nice new bike to boot! We're stalled at the moment over whether to commit to November or not. Ideally I think we'd go the same time as you, but it's just not possible.

Anyway, Grant has posted the Delhi/Bangkok details on the shipping page. It certainly looks like a good option, if you can face riding to Delhi after being in Nepal for a while! Being paranoid, I particularly like the idea of being on the same plane as the bike.

Good luck with the final preparations.



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Sean

Hi guys

Not much action in this thread for a while. How's everyone getting on? Anybody set off or about to set off yet?



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Sean

Had qoutes for panniers, GPS, etc from CW Motorcycles in Dorset, David Lambeth and Bracken, all of whom came over as very professional outfits.Bracken are winning the race for my dosh so far, this is purely based on talking to them on the phone. I'm going to visit their workshops on Friday to play with some toys and will let you know the outcome.
Goose.

Hi

Am new to this website, having read the AMH book.

Am also planning an expedition from London to Singapore, hoping to head off in the next 12 months. Taking an F650 Dakar.

Proposed modifications:
Remove currrent exhaust with catalytic converter and install staintune exhaust (lighter and I understand may help performance);
install extended Toratech fuel tanks for total capaiacity of 39L (expensive but can't see any other option) - will also need to change the front forks I believe to cope with the additional weight;
[have yet to work out a luggage system];
[possible GPS - but then again I might just take a book];
[need to be able to switch the ehadlight on/off - at the moment it comes on automatically];
sealed battery;
[thinking about tyres and rims]

I've divided my proposed route into three parts:

Stage 1
London to Istanbul [no particular views as to which way to go]

Stage 2
Istanbul to Delhi

Istanbul, to Syria to Jordan to Syria to Eastern Turkey to Iran to Pakistan (trip up the Karakoram highway)and onwards to Delhi.

Stage 3
Delhi to Bagladesh (possibly with a jaunt into Nepal) to Burma to Thailand to mAlaysia to Singapore.

I note that Burma may prove difficult for a visa. Have found the following website which I will follow up on www.burma-travels.com

Interested in any comments others might have on my proposal.

Richard

Hello All,
I am a Canadian currently planning the same trip.
My idea is to arrive in england in may 2002 and purchase a late 80's or early 90's BMW ( k100lt-k75-r80 or equivelent) and travel twoup through Europe in the summer.I would be in Turkey by September, Iran in October and Pakistan by November, then India.Fly the bike to Bangkok,travel to singapore with maybe a side trip to Vietnam , then fly to Australia. Sounds easy on paper doesnt it guys.
Sean, I to am concerned about weather in Iran in the fall. Has anyone done this at this time of year?
I am also having difficulty finding out about registering a UK bike by a foreigner( canadian buying a UK bike)the Government vehicle regitration site will not accept my email, seems locals only.Regular mail and telephone only gets me the run around.Bike dealers say its not a problem but don't know the specifics about registering and VAT. Any help or ideas would be appreciated.
thanx

Cameron,

No worries buying a bike, registering and VAT. As Canadians, we registered our foreign bike and had no trouble.

They're happy to take your money, so no worries on _paying_ the VAT. You may be able to get it back when you leave the EU, as travellers are able to claim for VAT refunds. There are caveats, like time in the EU etc., so check with UK customs.

Registering is easy, all you need is an address, and you can get that easily at a "Mailboxes etc." There's one in Windsor on St. Leonards Road. You MIGHT be able to get away with a Canadian address, worth trying.

For more info, see the post "Can a UK citizen answer my registration?'s" in Trip Paperwork at http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb...ML/000084.html

I would suggest not getting a K100LT, a little big and fragile (read - expensive) for the inevitable fall in Turkey - Australia section.

Iran in October is getting cold. See the newsletter around last October-December for travellers accounts of the area through to the KKH and Kathmandu.

Also note that many travellers are now going through Indonesia enroute to Oz and giving good reports.

------------------
Grant Johnson

Share the Dream!
at: www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Hi

Go this note some time ago from Paul Ackland which I found useful:

"re the weather in Turkey and Iran. We found the more northerly
route through Turkey (Erzerum, Dogubayzit) cold and we did this route with
winter gloves but no electric gadgets, heated grips or such like would have
been appreciated at this time. This route takes you over 4 high passes a
couple of which had some snow lying around but none on the road itself. The
snowiest of these had been cleaned by a snow plow (or something) as snow was
in small banks on either side of the road. We did this run in the last week
of October and some we can only guess that there would be more snow and it'd
be colder!.

On a positive the roads were not at all crowded, sceenery was lovely and
hotels were centrally heated. We really enjoyed a hamman after a cold day.

Road surfaces were excellent and the routes were very gradual- no steep
sections. Road speeds are enforced by the cops; we were stopped doing 65-70
once and told it was a problem. Dicussion immediately shifted to football
and the speeding thing seemed to have been dropped

We did deliberate about taking the southerly route entereing Iran west of
Orumiye. Other travellers travelled Eastern Turkey without any sense of
trouble re the Kurdish issue. More importantly this route allows you to
travel at a lower altitude much further east and only has one high pass.
Unfourtunately as we never went this why we can't comment on the road
surface.

If I was you I would consider this option as a possibly warmer way into
Iran.

Iran itself was not the hot desert country we thought it would be. We were
rained on once for a whole day; like the UK!. It could be warm in the sun
but once on the bikes it was 'wrap up as for a chilly day at home'. Roads
are really fine and once out of towns you can leave the traffic behind. We
found the north busier than the south. The country is made up of flat plains
with areas of rocky mountains out cropping which often are ridden around
rather than through.
Petrol is easy to get and costs about a quid to fill my 43 litre tank! So
far such a big tank has been unnecessary but convienient.

Like Turkey hotels and guest houses in Iran were warm. Some times too hot;
we wondered if the Iranian's were doing all they could to use up their oil
reserves ASAP. "

Hope this is of interest



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Sean

Hai boy's and girls,

August 2002 I will leave on this route from europe (holland) to OZ. Research has dictated that I should leave half august. Then I will not drown becouse of rain and I will not freeze. Iran should be an avarage of 17 degree's and little or no rain in sept. The same goes for Pakistan (a bit warmer)
I wil drive from India to thailand through bangladesh and myanmar (burma does not exist anymore) I should have no problem with the visa.
From Singapore I will take a ferry to Sumatra or Java and go down the Islands by ferry. I know that I can fly from Timur to Darwin with the bike (uncrated) for aprox. $100.

My journey will not stop in OZ. I'll also do NZ and from there jump to South America. Now that is still a problem as there is only one airline that fly's to Buenos Aires and they don't like to take "dangerous goods". But I'll sort that out wen I get there. I mean, if we arange it all from the comfy home, what adventurers are we anyway?

I will just follow the climate couse I don't like rain ;-)

Anyone like to join me?

Maarten
==============
email address removed by Grant - see http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/faq.shtml#notify for why.

[This message has been edited by Grant Johnson (edited 22 January 2002).]

Hi Maarten

Route sounds interesting, I'm planning on leaving around the same time on a similar route...

Can you provide more info on getting from India to Thailand without having to fly. I'm sure a lot of guys will be interested.



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Sean

Hai Sean,

From India to Thailand overland:
I have the exact route not with me here at work, but roughly it goes like this:

Calcutta (India)
Dhaka (Bangladesh)
Imphal (Myanmar)
Mandalay (Myanmar)
Yangon/rangoon (Myanmar)
Chiang Mai (Thailand)

Ofcourse the exact route is not definite. The situation in Myanmar is a bit rocky, so I have to inform to the situation just before entering.
A visum is no problem only the (military) goverment wants you to exchange a certain amount of cash ($200). There are a few area's you have to avoid when in Myanmar, but they are mostly up north.

I know there is a discusion going as to wether or not you should visit this country, but the simpel fact is that since tourists have visited the country, the civilian situation has improved dramaticly. So, what is more important: Politics or poverty.
My choice is to ignore the politic boycod since my presents in the country helps (OK, it's just a bit, but every bit counts) the locals.
Lonely planet online has some good info on these isues (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinat...t_asia/myanmar)

Ofcourse a lot depents on the situation at the time I get there, wich is somewere in november 2002.
(Ask a sahara traveler for the political situation in the country he will visit, and most of the time he can't tell you couse it can change overnight)

Something else:
What are your plans exactly, maybe we can combine?

Maarten

Been off line for a while but it's good to be back and see so many plans and so much info.

We also have concerns about getting the bike from India to Thailand, a Bangladeshi friend of ours maintains that there is a busy shipping route but I have yet to research this.

We've changed our plans due to this weeks events, we originally intended to ride to, then ship from Morocco. I think that until the USA have made a definitive move, avoiding any country with strong Muslim links is prudent. We're therefore shipping the bike from the UK to Namibia and will be in Cape Town for Nov and Dec if anyone else is around.

Our website is now up and running although we havn't finished it www.gooseontheloose.com

Grant-Sorry I havn't updated the link yet, will do it shortly.

Goose.

[This message has been edited by Goose (edited 15 September 2001).]

Hai there,

My previous message (about crossing Myanmar)might be a bit to optimistic.
Although the border is open (Int. border Tachilek-Mae Sai), it seems you need a permit to drive your motorbike into Myanmar.
At this time I am waiting for an awnser from the Myanmar ambasy at Bonn, Germany to clearafy this isue.
As soon as I have more info I will post it here.

Just to be safe I also am inquering for "china-options", but I don't think this will work out.

Any other info about this?

Maarten

Latest we have on China is that it is possible - but you need to go through a huge amount of bureacracy, ($$$ and lots of time - months or even years) have a guide all the way in their own vehicle, and, oh yes, they only gave out 3 permits last year. So not a good option. Someday we hope...

------------------
Grant Johnson

Share the Dream!
at: www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Hi Maarten

Originally my friend and I were supposed to be setting off on our travels September/October this year, but had to postpone for various reasons. Kind of glad we did now....

We only have 6 months off work to get from UK to Aus, so it's a bit of a whistle stop tour really, and some would say a bit optimistic.

We plan on riding through eastern europe to turkey, iran, pakistan (KKH) and into india as quickly as possible.

Spend about 2 months in india/nepal with no particular agenda before flying the bikes from Delhi/Katmandu to Bangkok. Then a leisurely ride down to Kuala Lumpur or Singapore and ship the bikes to Darwin. I don't think we'll have enough time to island hop through Indonesia. How much time we spend in Aus depends on how quickly we get there, but head for Cairns, Sydney and fly home.

Intend to stay mainly in cheap hotels, roadhouses and hostels, but take a small tent just in case we're caught out somewhere.

Currently the trip is rescheduled for August/Sept 2002, which at least gives me more time to save up and put an oil cooler on the GS!

Stay in touch and let me know how your plans develop.



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Sean

Hai,

It has been a while, but behind the screen (and scene) the planning goes on. I'll still leave half august 2002. The bike is getting more and more prept and the route-info is getting clearer and clearer... sometimes a bit to clear when I encounter an unbreakale barier.
I'll just forget about myanmar. Even though I have heared some positive sounds, the general idea is and remains you can enter the country with your bike, but you MUST leave at the same point.
I'll try to fly from Dhaka,Bangladesh to Chiang Mai, Thailand. I know it will probable be easyer to fly from nepal or india to bangkok, but my goal is to travel as much as possible over-land.

In south-america I face a similar problem with Colombia. I'll take my chances with the Brazilian jungle.

Also the camping (read surviving) gear is almost up to date, so the only thing I still have to face is... getting about 30 shot's with all kinds of vaccin's (and who said travel was fun???)

Actually... if it was up to me I would leave today... but I'll better stick to my climate-plans.

How are you all proceeding?

Maarten

Hello Maarten,

I will be travelling on the same route, Belgium to Indonesia, leaving in April.

What can you tell me about shipping your bike from Dhaka, Bangladesh to Thailand? Is there a flight from Dhaka to Chiang Mai?

Richard, did you get more info from your friend in Bangladesh about shipping to Thailand?

What did the Burma embassy in Bonn tell you about going overland through Burma? Did anybody actually try to do that?

What about taking a ferry from Singapore to Indonesia (Sumatra)? And from Sumatra to Java, etc. Seems there are no ferry's taking cars and motorcycles...

Did anybody ride (or is planning to) his motorcycle into Bhutan? Any experiences?

All the best,
Diederik

Hai Diederik (and the rest ofcourse)

Shipping from Dhaka to Bangladesh should be possible. Thai-air fly's from Dhaka to Bangkok. I have not yet found a fligth from Dhaka to Chiang mai, but according to my info Chiang Mai has an international airport, so it would be logical to asume it might be possible (would, assume, might, hahaha)

From the Myanmar-ambasy in Bonn I heared nothing but ultimate silance. Very polite chap's. The dutch ambasy in that region could not help becourse they had no contacts in Myanmar.
From a Myanmar travel agency (www.asianbiketour.com)I got the helpfull awnser: It's impossible!
From Daniel Vetter I got a long Email explaining all the rules (he live's there)
He also told me: a guy, who was heavely sponsored by Vespa, rode in and had to fly out. Even though he had masif sponsoring by a vespa-inporter there.
I am afraid it really is not possible... only if you want to do it iligal, slip in and slip out :-(

As far as I know (and have heared) there is a ferry from (near) Singapore to Sumatra and from Sumatra to Jave etc... etc... all the way to Timur. I plan to use them and fly from Timur to Darwin.

Well, that's it for now.
CU on the road.
Maarten

Am joýnýng the dýscussýons rather late ýn the day but may have some useful ýnfo.
We left the Uk on September 21st headýng for Indýa and then SE Asýa and Afrýca. We are currently ýn Eastern Turkey where ýt ýs cold but not unbearable - we have so far managed to avoýd the raýn and the snow. We plan to cross ýnto Iran ýn the next week.
Our websýte www.chasingthesun.org has full detaýls of our trýp so far - but ýf you have any specýfýc querýes please emaýl us.
Safe and Happy Rýdýng
Lisa

We're currently in S.Africa aiming to be in Zambia for Xmas then continue North for the middle east.

All's going well so far, with the exception of a few cuts and bruises after dumping the bike last week our trip has started well.

To those in the thinking about it and planning stage we'd say don't let ANYTHING dampen your spirits. It took us four years to plan and the agro is well worth it.

Anyone want to meet up on the way? We should be hitting the Middle East early part of next year then trying to avoid the rain in India.

Goose www.gooseontheloose.com

friends,

will arrive in melb. april, 24th. for some outback-riding towards the center. if anybody want to join for some time, you can send me an email

-=helmut=-
=======================
email address removed by Grant - see http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/faq.shtml#notify for why.

[This message has been edited by Grant Johnson (edited 22 January 2002).]

After a number of problems which forced me to forgot my trip for a while, I am back to the initial planning again, hopeing to set off next november or so (no fixed plans as yet).

I want to travel from the UK, through France, Spain and then around Africa, leaving Eygpt, back to Europe, through Asia onto Australia.

Does any once have any advice on routes, on the best places to enter / leave Africa and the best route through Europe / Asia onto Oz?

Any help is appreciated http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif

check out www.twinadventurers.com
3 guys are doing this trip on Africa Twins and are currently in Khatmandu / Thailand organising freight for the bikes.
Good site with travel diary and lots of usefull info

i am now in kirghistan
will be in iran pakistan in november 2002
hope to see you on the road :-)
i m doing my iran and pakistan visas here in bishkek

happy trails
http://vincent.danna.free.fr/

hi
i will be in iran in november 2002, after turkmenistan, now in ouzbekistan
then pakistan on a transit or toursit visa, even on a boat from iran to india, depending on the dangers
then india
see u somewhere
happy trails

vincent.danna@free.fr
http://vincent.danna.free.fr/