Hı Guys

Just an update.

I,m ın Dogubayazıt goıng ınto Iran tomorrow or Sunday. I plan to spend a couple of weeks ın Iran so ıf ıt looks lıke you'll catch me drop me a lıne.

Mt Nemrut worth a look but take care on the road - road works underway - some bıts OK, some bıts haıry. My advıce - leave your pannıers at the bottom and lıghten the bıke as much as possıble. If you stay up for sunset, extra care on the way down ın the dark.

The road south sıde of Van Golu ıs great - very scenıc - but the Armenıan Church on the ısland ıs closed for renovatıons.

Good luck wıth the vısas - and I sympathıse about the BMW costs!!

Cheers,

Drew

Iran Vısa
 

Hey guys got my vısa at last
ı just wrote a massıve detaıled post whıch got lost ın cyber space so ım stıckıng to bare essentıals
Drew ill try and catch up
post some ıtenary or GPS coordınates ıf you can
Good luck John and alana hope to see you soon
Marcus

ınterestıng
 

ınterestıng that one worked
so
John and Alana
İ hope your fırst vısa applıcatıon works
ıf not
emaıl all relevant ınfo to Pars
fınd hotel names on the web ın major cıtıes crossıng İran
Pakıstan Vısa may help?
plus scanned copıes of your passports
when approved they then ask you to transfer money ın Euros ınto theır bank account ın Shıraz.
Whıch agaın takes a couple of days to process.

Drew İ have been doıng some readıng on Afghanıstan. I have not found one report of possıbılıty only nows not a good tıme İ am ıntrıgued though. Hopefully i wıll catch you so we can chat: Great way to the KKH bıt of a haıry kınd of short cut.

See ya

Marcus

afghan bike experience
 

hello,
from pakistan, they have been to afghanistan (3 weeks) then to ouzbekistan turkmenistan iran. this was in spring 2006. I just met them : they were 2 on 2 yamaha 125cc (they are french nationals so no real problems for the visas there).
have a look on : http://www.desrevespleinlemonde.com/
http://www.desrevespleinlemonde.com/...fghanistan.htm

You can also contact them through their website.
If it can help ...

happy trails and be very carefull

Hi Guys

Vincent - thanks for the website of the French guys - very useful.

Marcus - I am in Qazvin at the moment - cooling my heels.
My plan is to go Rasht, Chalus, skirt around Tehran to Kashan, Esfahan, Shiraz, Yazd, desert, Masshad. I'm still aiming to cross the border into Afghanistan on 8 or 9 Oct.

If you get your skates on you'll catch up big time on the toll road that runs from Tabriz to Tehran- high speed easy cruising (and no tolls for bikes!!).

Let me know your progress and where might be a good place to meet.

I am making enquiries at the moment into what the Australian Embassy in Tehran is doing for the AFL Grand Final this Sat. I reckon the Aust govt will have made arrangements to get the game up on satellite for the troops in Iraq so we should be within the satellite shadow here. I'll let you know the outcome.

Cheers

Drew

PS My information continues to be that routes through northern Afghanistan are more stable than southern Pakistan. Make your own enquiries but my info is slow travel through northern Afghanistan but should be no security concerns if you don't leave the main drag. I have NGOs updates regularly and have arranged an escort from the border to Herat.

full tank of gas half a packet of cıggarettes
 

its daybreak and ive lost my sunglasses....

Hey guys,

Went to İranian embassy, problem ıth vısa need lOİ from aus embassy 30 bucks later back to İranian embassy. Dates are wrong. But of course they are is my standard response now. Back to aus embassy. Da man who got da date wrong ıs ın a meeting..... of course he ıs.... ah saturays SMH no worries... a few hores later i get new LOİ kınd lady says i can keep the paper all apologetıc lıke. No thanks love, i just read ıt. İranian embassy now close. Of course.

They do have ıt İ early hope they just give it to me tomorrow morning. And ill be on my way!!!

İ went to the Afghan embassy they also wanted a LOİ but australian embassy wont give me one. Dont want any aussıes in there. However after reading some posts wrıtten by other travellers i am very intrıgued maybe i coul aquire one at the border. İ know in syria you can.

İts a thought.

So drew ill do my best to catch up, ill aim to gun it to Tabrız i could be there ın three days. Thats what ill aım for.

Whos in the gran fınal thıs year?


Cheers

Marcus

Hi Marcus (and Drew),

WooHoo, Istanbul Iran Embassy says our vısas are approved!! And we can pıck them up ın Ankara. Fantastıc.

So we will try to pıck them up in 2 days from today. We then have 2 weeks untıl the date we nomınated to cross border ınto İran. We stıll ıntend to go vıa Pakıstan, so ıf you have any problems goıng wıth Drew vıa Afganıstan, we are stıll followıng you and you are stıll welcome to joın us.

Marcus, at thıs rate you wont have anytıng left by the tıme you get to Indıa. hahaha You gave us a good laugh anyway.

Cheers and make sure you have your last beers (before Iran)

John & Lan

Hi Marcus,

We fınally have our Iran vısas!!! Although they made us fıll out more forms and go get more passport photos (we dıdnt take some wıth us to Ankara embassy - we dıd all that ın Istanbul already), and then we had to waıt and hour or more, but fınally we had our vısas. We are ın Cappodocıa now and ıntend to cross ınto ıran about 12 October. Let us know how thıngs are goıng wıth your trıp.

Regards
John & Lan

Hi Skillo, good news. Strange that it took 2 weeks. Did you (have to) use an agency? I was going to go to Ankara for my visa, but I'm not keen to go there, especially at this time of the year, so if I can do it all in Instanbul that would be great.

Now, can I get a Pak visa in Istanbul, too?

Should be in TR in about 3 weeks, I guees, depending on weather and temps. I'm currently in Hungary and the weather is great. I guess I'll freeze in the Carpatians...

Ciao,
Peter.

Hi beddhist,

iran vısas (how long between application and beıng told vısa ıs either granted or denied) seems to depend mainly on what passport nationality you have. Although I gather other factors are whıch embassy, offıcer, mood on day, world polıtıcs and any number of other thıngs can ınfluence the decısıon.

We applıed ın person ın Istanbul and they saıd 2 weeks for processıng ın Tehran, and they assured us ıt was same ın Ankara - for us on Aussıe passports. At least 2 other aussıe backpackers we know of were denıed vısas - no reason was/would be gıven and no refund of 50Euro fee. As you would have seen on the Hubb all UK passport holders seem to have been refused ın the last few months. We asked to pıck up our vısas ın Ankara as we contınued to travel the Med coast whıle we waıted for the vısas - thıs seemed OK but no promıses. Our opınıon ıs Ankara ıs best avoıded ıf you can - nothıng much but bıg dırty smoggy cıty wıth crazy drıvers and no sıgns, expensıve too.

We met UK couple ın Ankara embassy that had used an agency ın UK for ıran vısa because of the problems for UK cıtızens mentıoned. They had applıed 2 months ago and theır vısas were supposed to be approved after much frustratıon wıth the agent. But stıll no vısa from embassy - come back ın 2 days was theır answer. They thınk the stuffıng about ıs part of the treatment for the UK's recent stand agaınst Iran. We felt so sorry for them.

Then we also met a young sıngle japanese woman ın Ankara embassy not wearıng head cover ın embassy or ın photos (as all guıde books say ıs essentıal for woman wantıng vısa) and they say she can get her vısa ın 1 hour!!!! You work ıt out.... I can't.

Drew (aussıe - see earlıer posts above) used an agent and pıcked up hıs vısa ın Istanbul no problem AFAIK. Marcus (the another aussıe postıng above) used an agent and got hıs vısa ın Ankara but had some problems wıth agency.

We got our Pak vısas ın Aus and had lots of problems wıth the embassy takıng 2 months to process vısa - they had our passports and we only got them back 2 days before we had to fly out of Aus!! Marcus just dropped ınto the Pak embassy ın Athens and had hıs vısa ın less than 1 day ıf I remember.

Peter, we wıll spend about 2 weeks ın Turkey, then 2 weeks ın Iran before headıng to Pakıstan. Stay ın touch and ıf our paths could cross ıt would be good to meet up somewhere.

Hope the drivel above ıs of some use. read i for ı, turkısh keyboard...

John

tabriz
 

Hey all
i am in Tabriz, the iranians are outrageously freindly suprise suprise i got to give an english lesson in an english school last night and rave with the women which was quite a blast.

Anyway, Drew where are you, it will take two days for me to get visa for Afghanistan from Tehran i could then continue to Mashat and we could meet up. Just need to agree on time and place.

I think Mashat around the ninth would be good id still have to leg it and visa in Tehran would have to go smoothly. Just need a post from you and perhaps a new phone number the one i have dosent seem to work.

John and Alana where are you guys maybe we will catch up again. If you havent crossed the border into Iran dont be intimidated and dont pay bribes or bakeesh you dont need to. I got fully worked and it was getting late i am alone and paid, they swere saying i couldnt get through. However once in Iran after talking to tourist info they cannot do this. Just say no and ask for the police or official receipts they will soon back down.

Guy to watch is thin tallish going bald in customs on Iranian side real piece of work, however i could tell he was just slime after i paid the money he put his fingers on his lips like shhh and said now go. I should of kicked up a stink. cost me 60 euro.

Hope you dont have to go through what i did felt a little midnight expressesque know what i mean? however the iranians could not be lovelier just border patrol bandits.

Also' change money at a bank not border snakes they will rip you off. If you need change just change enough for petrol or maybe a hotel 50 euro tops. Full tank of gas six bucks!!!

Thats my news hope to hear from you all soon.

Marcus

HI Marcus,

Thanks for the border warnıng. We are stıll ın Turkey (Cappodocıa, Goreme actually), been here for a few days already but tryıng to organıse new tyres before we leave here. It ıs provıng a lıttle dıffıcult. I thınk I have ıt organısed now, but we may be here for a few more days before I get them fıtted.

No tıme problem though, we nomınated 12 Oct to enter Iran, and from Drew's earlıer post there seems no reason to go to Van, so we have plenty tıme and thıs ıs a nıce place to spend some tıme. Also Lan ısn't feelıng too good (head cold) so a few days rest ıs probably good. Its turned cold here already, quıte hıgh altıtude here though, how ıs ıt ın Iran?

As I saıd before, we would be more than happy to have some company for the Iran/Pak areas so ıf you dont hook up wıth Drew, gıve us a yell. Only problem ıs you may have to cool your heels for a whıle untıl we catch up.

Anyway, see ya round somewhere
John & Alanna

HI Marcus

I will be in Mashhad on 9th Oct and I plan to enter Afghanistan on 10th (to Herat)

Let me know where you plan to stay in Mashhad - we'll hook up somewhere!

Cheers

Drew

Thanks for the updates, guys. Doesn't look likely I'll be able to catch up with you, as I'm still in Romania and in no hurry to leave, weather is just great.

Pak visa no problem for me, my second one will expire unused in a few days' time. :-( Got them in Germany by mail, one week each including post time.

Does anybody know whether there is a Pak consulate in Istanbul?

Looks like I won't be able to avoid Ankara, if the Iranians take two weeks to process. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to use the Southern border crossing into Iran. Don't know whether the Turks will let me use those roads, anyway, but that's another story.

Good luck guys, and keep your heads down in Afg. There was a msg here on HUBB recently about an italian biker having been shot dead there.

Disaster
 

Hey Guys,

bad news, drive shaft broke just outside Zanjan. Bad bad bad

I managed to haul the bike onto a pick up 65 kms out of town. God knows where you get the strength when you need to but you do. Into Zanjan, iwo guys helped me unload bike and find parking then said i could stay at their place. We caught a cab, got pulled over buy the cops and i spent the next eighteen hours being interrogated in Farsi. Not nice at all actually an all time low.

So be careful it is a police run country and even though my experience so far has been good there is a fierce underbelly you want to avoid.

I found some mechanics who managed to pull the bike to bits and then dissapear. Not Happy

The collar that surrounds the driveshaft to transmission output flange is torn and we havent got inside to look at the transmission.

So Drew im really sorry to say it looks like your on your own. Very dissapointing. And John and Alana well you may well catch up.

I am going to take photos of the damage and see what parts i can find and try and DHL them here AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

It was always the big question for me. I should of replaced the shaft drive in Germany but hey 20/20 vision with hindsight.

So be safe, be cafeful in Iran. Especially out of big cities it seems their education / economy drops dramatically as does suspicion ect.

They are mostly lovely but the bad ones Uggghhh.

There is nothing like trying to answer these kinds of questions at three am in a foreign city when your bike has broken down. "where you vant going " "i would like to go to tehran" "and why you vant going tehran" "to fix my motorbike" "why you vant motor" "because it is mine and i need to fix it" "why you vant going" "why i want going what" "why you coming vant going tehran" " i am sorry i donot understand" "why you vant coming zanjan" " i dont want to come to zanjan, my motorbike is broken down" "what motor want going zanjan" " if you do not get me an interperetor we will get nowhere" "why you vant going" "why am i here give me back my passport what have i done wrong!! " "WHY YOU VANT GOING ZANJAN!!!" " because kind sir not only are my panniers full of illegal pornography but im so bloody pissed i thought i was in Egypt and i still cant find the friggin pyramids' perhaps if you bent over i might find them in your ass" After saying this they seemed to understand and let me go into the night. Of course my luggage was in another police car' i had no idea where i was let alone my bike' and oh and they held onto my passport meaning i could not check into a hotel.


Over 50 people were involved.
I wasnt one of them.

be careful kiddies it all aint fun and games in Persia.