31st May
It took over 6 hours waiting in 40C heat among a stack of containers but we finally drove out of the container yard at 6.00 last night. The hold up of course was another meeting for the customs bloke who was to sign the papers. As Joan said, perhaps if we had've offered a bribe things would have moved quicker. The whole process took 11 hours from the time we were picked up from the hotel till we drove back.
Still, it was great to see the same seal on the container, and no dents on the van as it was rolled out. Everything inside was as it was as well. After re connecting the battery it started first time.
The customs inspection was very perfunctory taking less than 3 minutes and even having a letter missing from the VIN number on their paperwork didn't faze them. At that point it was about 11am, the 2 inspectors then had to drive back to the Customs House and get the documentation signed. That was when the hiccup happened.
After a good night sleep, though a severe headache suggested dehydration, we will go down and buy a few provisions now and head off before lunch all being well.
Thanks for the birthday greetings, being on the road at last will be a pleasant birthday gift.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Frustration
Frustration
28th May
Well it has been that. Came back from Mamallapuram to get to the shipping agent by 9.30, he took my passport then said we might as well go back to the hotel until he hears from the customs. Of course we didn't get a phone call
Still, we had a couple of positives: finding a bank that accepted Flexicard Plus which meant we can access the account where our holiday funds were, and finding a shop where we could buy a gas cylinder to attach to our cooker. We had to leave our cylinder behind as it was a fire hazard on board ship.
Methylated spirits is the fuel we use for the normal cookers in the van. Before leaving I checked on the internet to see if it was available in India, it seemed to be, but on enquiring once we arrived found it was restricted to the medical profession. It seems to have been a popular drink with the alcoholics over here. The last place we tried said that that was the case in this state, Tamil Nadu, but should be available in other states. It's things like that you take for granted in your own country, being able to by something like meths.
You may think I spend l my time writing for my blogspot. Not so. I have my laptop with me and write what I want to say at some time during the day, copy it on to a memory card then plug that in when I get to a connection and transfer it to my blog. Now I'm getting the hang of it, the time involved is not great., Fills in time while waiting for the van to be cleared.
A couple of observations we have made since arriving though it mightn't be the case all over the country: the burgeoning middle class. Even when we were here 7 years ago it didn't seem so large, now the standard of living has risen, the variety of goods offered are expanding, the hotel eating places are filled with locals who seem to eat twice as much as ourselves, even the faithful Ambassador is now in a minority with small Hyundais, Suzukis and Hondas the preferred option of the middle class.
We see very few locals smoking. The government have put into place strict laws about smoking for civil servants with fines being handed out for 'scoundrels' who persist. Not sure on the rest of population but it is very noticeable.
The variety and hygiene of the food is much improved. Again I would say due to the middle class explosion. The Indian food is fantastic with that from the southern states still quite spicy but, although, thank goodness, we haven't seen any Macca's, there are other shops for western tastes. You can get sick of the local tucker after a while. Now there is a choice.
29th May.
After spending 4 hours waiting in the agent's office we were told, the customs formalities have been completed but the Director of Customs was at a conference and couldn't sign the clearance. We hope tomorrow morning is the day.
28th May
Well it has been that. Came back from Mamallapuram to get to the shipping agent by 9.30, he took my passport then said we might as well go back to the hotel until he hears from the customs. Of course we didn't get a phone call
Still, we had a couple of positives: finding a bank that accepted Flexicard Plus which meant we can access the account where our holiday funds were, and finding a shop where we could buy a gas cylinder to attach to our cooker. We had to leave our cylinder behind as it was a fire hazard on board ship.
Methylated spirits is the fuel we use for the normal cookers in the van. Before leaving I checked on the internet to see if it was available in India, it seemed to be, but on enquiring once we arrived found it was restricted to the medical profession. It seems to have been a popular drink with the alcoholics over here. The last place we tried said that that was the case in this state, Tamil Nadu, but should be available in other states. It's things like that you take for granted in your own country, being able to by something like meths.
You may think I spend l my time writing for my blogspot. Not so. I have my laptop with me and write what I want to say at some time during the day, copy it on to a memory card then plug that in when I get to a connection and transfer it to my blog. Now I'm getting the hang of it, the time involved is not great., Fills in time while waiting for the van to be cleared.
A couple of observations we have made since arriving though it mightn't be the case all over the country: the burgeoning middle class. Even when we were here 7 years ago it didn't seem so large, now the standard of living has risen, the variety of goods offered are expanding, the hotel eating places are filled with locals who seem to eat twice as much as ourselves, even the faithful Ambassador is now in a minority with small Hyundais, Suzukis and Hondas the preferred option of the middle class.
We see very few locals smoking. The government have put into place strict laws about smoking for civil servants with fines being handed out for 'scoundrels' who persist. Not sure on the rest of population but it is very noticeable.
The variety and hygiene of the food is much improved. Again I would say due to the middle class explosion. The Indian food is fantastic with that from the southern states still quite spicy but, although, thank goodness, we haven't seen any Macca's, there are other shops for western tastes. You can get sick of the local tucker after a while. Now there is a choice.
29th May.
After spending 4 hours waiting in the agent's office we were told, the customs formalities have been completed but the Director of Customs was at a conference and couldn't sign the clearance. We hope tomorrow morning is the day.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Arjuna's Penance
27th May
Well things didn't work out with the van on Friday. I think it was the customs being too busy, it's hard to work these things out sometimes. We therefore decided to go down to Mamallapuram for the weekend. Like many Indian cities the name has been changed from Mahabalipuram. We spent a week here 7 years ago when we met up with our English friends, Neil & Jenni. During the Boxing Day tsunami the town was less affected than many nearby towns by the solid buildings built just above the edge of the sand. They acted like a big breakwater
Not a very big town but a popular weekend destination for many Chennai inhabitants. It is famous for its Shore Temple and the massive stone reliefs carved into the granite rock. The stone carving they do here is also some of the best in the country. But this isn't the little Vishnu or Kali you put on the mantlepiece, these often stand over 2 metres tall and weigh several tonnes.
We headed off this morning before the weather became extreme. It's hotter down here than in Chennai, I would say it's in the low 40's. Luckily our hotel is not far from all the historical sites. The last time we were here they had just brought in a different pricing scheme for foreigners to all their monuments with the locals paying 1/25th of the tourists. There was a an outcry at the time and they did modify it after we had left. Now you get access to the two main sites for the price of one.
I have tried to include photos in with the text but haven't the right programme. Will therefore show them below this text.
Arjuna's Penance is a magnificent relief carved into the sold granite stone. Joan's fan club started with the little girl in white to Joan's right. As is often the case she wanted her photo taken and in 2 seconds there was a crowd.
I am having trouble getting the photos on the blog. Will keep on trying other means
27th May
Well things didn't work out with the van on Friday. I think it was the customs being too busy, it's hard to work these things out sometimes. We therefore decided to go down to Mamallapuram for the weekend. Like many Indian cities the name has been changed from Mahabalipuram. We spent a week here 7 years ago when we met up with our English friends, Neil & Jenni. During the Boxing Day tsunami the town was less affected than many nearby towns by the solid buildings built just above the edge of the sand. They acted like a big breakwater
Not a very big town but a popular weekend destination for many Chennai inhabitants. It is famous for its Shore Temple and the massive stone reliefs carved into the granite rock. The stone carving they do here is also some of the best in the country. But this isn't the little Vishnu or Kali you put on the mantlepiece, these often stand over 2 metres tall and weigh several tonnes.
We headed off this morning before the weather became extreme. It's hotter down here than in Chennai, I would say it's in the low 40's. Luckily our hotel is not far from all the historical sites. The last time we were here they had just brought in a different pricing scheme for foreigners to all their monuments with the locals paying 1/25th of the tourists. There was a an outcry at the time and they did modify it after we had left. Now you get access to the two main sites for the price of one.
I have tried to include photos in with the text but haven't the right programme. Will therefore show them below this text.
Arjuna's Penance is a magnificent relief carved into the sold granite stone. Joan's fan club started with the little girl in white to Joan's right. As is often the case she wanted her photo taken and in 2 seconds there was a crowd.
I am having trouble getting the photos on the blog. Will keep on trying other means
Thursday, May 24, 2007
An Avalanche of Rupees
24th May
A quieter day today, did a bit of shopping at Spencer Plaza. Meant to be the biggest shopping plaza in the country. But the main event was changing money. We had been told the currency required to have the van cleared from the port was US$, and had bought a stack of those with us. But found, no, they would like it in rupees. There are 40 to the US$ at the moment and we needed 59,000 Rupees. We changed $US900 and ended up with a wad of notes. But that was only the beginning. We needed considerably more through the ATM's. This was where the fun started as some machines were limited to a maximum amount. This was R20000 at one bank and only R4000 at another and at the first bank that amount could only be withdrawn once in 24 hours. But most of the ATM withdrawals were in 100 Rupee notes meaning rupees were bulging from every pocket as we caught an autorickshaw back to the hotel. We had been offered comprehensive insurance for the van and had decided to take which meant further wads of notes. An armed guard wallah might be needed to sit shotgun in the autorickshaw tomorrow when we make our way to the shipping agent.
We love the Indian turn of phrase when they write. The secretary of the Automobile Association of Southern India, a Mr M K Subramanian, gave me their quarterly magazine to read. In the minutes of the last AGM was this gem: “The president informed the members that 16 members had expired during the last financial year and one minute silence was observed as mark of respect.” They must've had a dodgy member of the committee last year because in a later paragraph: ”He also appraised the AGM about an inspection done by ROC based on a complaint by an erstwhile committee member who was associated with the committee for a long number of years and was party to every decision and action of the committee who had become disgruntled. He also highlighted the fact that none of the false and baseless allegations of fraud, cheat and misappropriation levelled against him were true.” I love it.
Mr M K Subramanian was quite a character as well, one of the old school.
24th May
A quieter day today, did a bit of shopping at Spencer Plaza. Meant to be the biggest shopping plaza in the country. But the main event was changing money. We had been told the currency required to have the van cleared from the port was US$, and had bought a stack of those with us. But found, no, they would like it in rupees. There are 40 to the US$ at the moment and we needed 59,000 Rupees. We changed $US900 and ended up with a wad of notes. But that was only the beginning. We needed considerably more through the ATM's. This was where the fun started as some machines were limited to a maximum amount. This was R20000 at one bank and only R4000 at another and at the first bank that amount could only be withdrawn once in 24 hours. But most of the ATM withdrawals were in 100 Rupee notes meaning rupees were bulging from every pocket as we caught an autorickshaw back to the hotel. We had been offered comprehensive insurance for the van and had decided to take which meant further wads of notes. An armed guard wallah might be needed to sit shotgun in the autorickshaw tomorrow when we make our way to the shipping agent.
We love the Indian turn of phrase when they write. The secretary of the Automobile Association of Southern India, a Mr M K Subramanian, gave me their quarterly magazine to read. In the minutes of the last AGM was this gem: “The president informed the members that 16 members had expired during the last financial year and one minute silence was observed as mark of respect.” They must've had a dodgy member of the committee last year because in a later paragraph: ”He also appraised the AGM about an inspection done by ROC based on a complaint by an erstwhile committee member who was associated with the committee for a long number of years and was party to every decision and action of the committee who had become disgruntled. He also highlighted the fact that none of the false and baseless allegations of fraud, cheat and misappropriation levelled against him were true.” I love it.
Mr M K Subramanian was quite a character as well, one of the old school.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
The Shipping Double Agent
An uneventful flight to Bangkok where we stayed the night before reaching Chennai at lunchtime on the 23rd May. I must say though, it was a pleasant surprise to find the leg room they allotted you on Thai International. Puts all the other airlines to shame and makes all the difference to a flight.
Settled in to the Breeze Hotel then thought it time to start contacting the shipping agent. Unfortunately I had left the address of the Chennai branch back home, having only the head office in Mumbai. The Yellow Pages solved that problem and I was soon heading off in a taxi through the chaotic Chennai streets with frequent stops for the driver to ask for directions. Part of the problem was the authorities have changed the numbering of the buildings a while back and people don't know if they are the old numbers or the new. He finally dropped me off at No. 48 and headed off. I knew it was Number 48 as it had big lettering saying so on the outside. The building was pretty grotty but that wasn't surprising, the guard downstairs said SAI Shipping was on level 5, at level 5 I was told it was on level one, down there the news was that this wasn't No 48 at all, this was No 40. 48 was a few buildings along. I finally found it, up a few flights of stairs which had no lighting making negotiating the steps quite difficult. SAI shipping turned out to be a 2 man enterprise in quite a little office. Here I learnt that the crowd I wanted was SAI Freight Pvt Ltd. A complete different company. Luckily he said they were in walking distance in quite a well known street. Thinking back on the trouble I had finding the first place in a taxi, I thought it better to walk than explain to another person the address.
I finally found SAI Freight after asking at least 20 people, dodging cow shit, stepping out of the way of motor cyclists, encountering a drunken senior citizen who almost tore up the bit of paper that had that so important address and trying hard to decipher the numbering in the street. This was apart from the stares of the street's inhabitants wondering what was an elderly white man doing here!
Finally there was a sign “SAI Freight” set out from the building. The staff at SAI Freight Pvt Ltd were young, and efficient. And the news was good.
The Kota Jaya had docked today and the containers were being unloaded. They would take care of the application for the customs inspection tomorrow, Thursday, and they hoped we would have the van by close of business Friday. Government offices are closed Sat. & Sun., we would have to wait until Monday if things didn't go smoothly.
They offered to take me back to the hotel in a taxi but the offer of riding pillion on one of the staff's motor bikes was more interesting. It gave me a first hand experience of riding in the melee. Quite interesting and surprisingly not too many close encounters.
It was quite a tiring day
An uneventful flight to Bangkok where we stayed the night before reaching Chennai at lunchtime on the 23rd May. I must say though, it was a pleasant surprise to find the leg room they allotted you on Thai International. Puts all the other airlines to shame and makes all the difference to a flight.
Settled in to the Breeze Hotel then thought it time to start contacting the shipping agent. Unfortunately I had left the address of the Chennai branch back home, having only the head office in Mumbai. The Yellow Pages solved that problem and I was soon heading off in a taxi through the chaotic Chennai streets with frequent stops for the driver to ask for directions. Part of the problem was the authorities have changed the numbering of the buildings a while back and people don't know if they are the old numbers or the new. He finally dropped me off at No. 48 and headed off. I knew it was Number 48 as it had big lettering saying so on the outside. The building was pretty grotty but that wasn't surprising, the guard downstairs said SAI Shipping was on level 5, at level 5 I was told it was on level one, down there the news was that this wasn't No 48 at all, this was No 40. 48 was a few buildings along. I finally found it, up a few flights of stairs which had no lighting making negotiating the steps quite difficult. SAI shipping turned out to be a 2 man enterprise in quite a little office. Here I learnt that the crowd I wanted was SAI Freight Pvt Ltd. A complete different company. Luckily he said they were in walking distance in quite a well known street. Thinking back on the trouble I had finding the first place in a taxi, I thought it better to walk than explain to another person the address.
I finally found SAI Freight after asking at least 20 people, dodging cow shit, stepping out of the way of motor cyclists, encountering a drunken senior citizen who almost tore up the bit of paper that had that so important address and trying hard to decipher the numbering in the street. This was apart from the stares of the street's inhabitants wondering what was an elderly white man doing here!
Finally there was a sign “SAI Freight” set out from the building. The staff at SAI Freight Pvt Ltd were young, and efficient. And the news was good.
The Kota Jaya had docked today and the containers were being unloaded. They would take care of the application for the customs inspection tomorrow, Thursday, and they hoped we would have the van by close of business Friday. Government offices are closed Sat. & Sun., we would have to wait until Monday if things didn't go smoothly.
They offered to take me back to the hotel in a taxi but the offer of riding pillion on one of the staff's motor bikes was more interesting. It gave me a first hand experience of riding in the melee. Quite interesting and surprisingly not too many close encounters.
It was quite a tiring day
Sunday, May 20, 2007
The Route
Hi there,
People have been asking exactly what route we will be taking. Nothing is definite yet, that is the joy of travelling independently. After we leave Chennai the aim is to cross to the west coast of India travelling over the Western Ghats and arriving on the coast north of Cochin, Then head north to Goa where we will spend a few days then on to Mumbai and after that Rajasthan province, Mind you it's going to be hot the next few weeks with temps at the moment in Chennai averaging 41C with a minimum about 28C. We might find it wise to rest up in one of the hill stations in the Ghats for a while then push on from there.
An alternative is to head north to Shimla, in the foothills of the Himalayas to get away from the heat, just like the English colonials did during the Raj. They even governed from there for a few months every year.
We then cross into Pakistan at Wagah. This town is on the Indian side of the border, Lahore not far across the frontier on the Pakistani side. One diversion I have been looking forward to is the trip up the Karakoram highway that leads through the mountains into China. It is meant to be very spectacular. We then turn around and head south, bypassing Afghanistan ending up in Quetta the capital of the Baluchistan Province. This is in the tribal area and is quite unsettled at times. The Iran border is a further 600kms on over desert country. Other travellers have arranged an armed escort for this part of the trip. I will see what the situation is like when we arrive in Quetta and also if we have met up with any travellers going in the same direction.
Once in Iran there is a further 350kms across isolated country to Bam. This where a severe earthquake demolished the ancient citadel in 2004. We visited Bam 30 years ago, a lot of effort was being made at that time to rebuild the mud brick buildings, I can only imagine the devastation caused by the quake..
From Bam we more than likely will head to Shiraz then on to Esfahan. The Shiraz grape originally came from the this area many years ago. Now Iran is a dry country with being in the possession of alcohol a major offence. The Shah was in power when we were last here with a much more open society. I remember buying a couple of bottles of wine in Tehran, one was mediocre but the other was an excellent drop. It was a Shiraz if I can remember correctly.
I would like to bypass Tehran if possible, not too sure if that is feasible though, we might travel along the Caspian sea then come back to Tabriz and then cross into Turkey.
Not far over the border is a town called Agri. It mightn't be shown on the map but it's a town we won't forget because it was where we ended up after our near fatal accident on that last trip. With temperatures nearing -40C it was quite a shock for a family used to the Alice Springs heat. But that's another story.
We would like to spend a few weeks in Turkey but haven't looked very much into where we would like to go apart from Cappadocia. This should be taking us into early August which means all of northern Europe will have headed down to the sun. It could influence our route a little.
From Turkey we will revisit Greece, We both love the place although it won't be the best time of the year to be there. I think we will take the ferry across to Bari or Brindisi in Italy then head north to France.
Gary
People have been asking exactly what route we will be taking. Nothing is definite yet, that is the joy of travelling independently. After we leave Chennai the aim is to cross to the west coast of India travelling over the Western Ghats and arriving on the coast north of Cochin, Then head north to Goa where we will spend a few days then on to Mumbai and after that Rajasthan province, Mind you it's going to be hot the next few weeks with temps at the moment in Chennai averaging 41C with a minimum about 28C. We might find it wise to rest up in one of the hill stations in the Ghats for a while then push on from there.
An alternative is to head north to Shimla, in the foothills of the Himalayas to get away from the heat, just like the English colonials did during the Raj. They even governed from there for a few months every year.
We then cross into Pakistan at Wagah. This town is on the Indian side of the border, Lahore not far across the frontier on the Pakistani side. One diversion I have been looking forward to is the trip up the Karakoram highway that leads through the mountains into China. It is meant to be very spectacular. We then turn around and head south, bypassing Afghanistan ending up in Quetta the capital of the Baluchistan Province. This is in the tribal area and is quite unsettled at times. The Iran border is a further 600kms on over desert country. Other travellers have arranged an armed escort for this part of the trip. I will see what the situation is like when we arrive in Quetta and also if we have met up with any travellers going in the same direction.
Once in Iran there is a further 350kms across isolated country to Bam. This where a severe earthquake demolished the ancient citadel in 2004. We visited Bam 30 years ago, a lot of effort was being made at that time to rebuild the mud brick buildings, I can only imagine the devastation caused by the quake..
From Bam we more than likely will head to Shiraz then on to Esfahan. The Shiraz grape originally came from the this area many years ago. Now Iran is a dry country with being in the possession of alcohol a major offence. The Shah was in power when we were last here with a much more open society. I remember buying a couple of bottles of wine in Tehran, one was mediocre but the other was an excellent drop. It was a Shiraz if I can remember correctly.
I would like to bypass Tehran if possible, not too sure if that is feasible though, we might travel along the Caspian sea then come back to Tabriz and then cross into Turkey.
Not far over the border is a town called Agri. It mightn't be shown on the map but it's a town we won't forget because it was where we ended up after our near fatal accident on that last trip. With temperatures nearing -40C it was quite a shock for a family used to the Alice Springs heat. But that's another story.
We would like to spend a few weeks in Turkey but haven't looked very much into where we would like to go apart from Cappadocia. This should be taking us into early August which means all of northern Europe will have headed down to the sun. It could influence our route a little.
From Turkey we will revisit Greece, We both love the place although it won't be the best time of the year to be there. I think we will take the ferry across to Bari or Brindisi in Italy then head north to France.
Gary
Friday, May 18, 2007
Last Few Days
Originally the van was meant to go on another vessel some 9 days earlier, however, we decided those extra few days might make a difference with the last minute organizing which proved the case. Our Green Card insurance for Europe arrived yesterday as did the tickets for the Rugby World Cup. We had more time to arrange for our International Driving Permits and our International Camping Card as well. Emma arrives back two days before we leave, we would've missed her if we had gone earlier. It also gave my leg a further time to heal before the heat and humidity of the Indian south. It seems the temps in Chennai this next week are in the 42max-28min range. Don't think we will be needing our doona.
The tickets were a surprise as the RWC crowd had said they wouldn't be sent out until a few weeks before the games started. I had arranged to have them sent to the NZ Embassy in Rome. Now we can bypass that traffic confusion.
Contact has been made with the shipping agents in Chennai, we now have a name and address to help us when we arrive. Like the way any emails from India start with a “Welcome to India”. It's such a fascinating country and we are really looking forward to our month there.
There will be more photos on the blog once we get to Chennai and on the road. Too many words can be a bit boring.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
My Favourite.
Ithaca
When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the angry Poseidon -- do not fear them:
You will never find such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
emotion touches your spirit and your body.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your soul does not set them up before you.
Pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many, when,
with such pleasure, with such joy
you will enter ports seen for the first time;
stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensual perfumes of all kinds,
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
visit many Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from scholars.
Always keep Ithaca in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for many years;
and to anchor at the island when you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.
Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would have never set out on the road.
She has nothing more to give you.
And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you.
Wise as you have become, with so much experience,
you must already have understood what Ithacas mean.
Constantine P. Cavafy (1911)
[ Greek original ]
Back to [ Cavafy | George's H
Sunday, May 6, 2007
France Overland
I had spoken about taking our new VW T5 Frontline conversion van up through SE Asia and into China, across to the old Soviet states on a few occassions before but work and commitments prevented such a trip. This time however, with tickets to the Rugby World Cup in France later this year and a different arrangement at home the opportunity was there for doing something in that vein. However, time was not on our side to arrange such a trip but another overland route through the Middle East was an appealling option.
We had made a similar trip over 30 years ago when, with a young family, starting from the UK we travelled overland on the southern route to India where we spent a short time before heading back to England on a northern route via Afghanistan. The children were aged 5 and 1 and Joan was well into her pregnancy with our third child. On that trip our vehicle was a Bedford with a Dormobile conversion.
Due to the Iraqi situation our planned route ths time was to have the van shipped to Chennai (Madras) in India, from where we would travel around Western India for a month before crossing into Pakistan, travelling up the Karakoram Highway into the Himalayas then turning around and head south to Quetta in Baluchistan before crossing into Iran at Zahedan. Our route would then be north west entering Turkey after Tabriz. This route keeps us clear of both Iraq and Afghanistan though there would be an area in southern Pakistan that would need care and perhaps an escort to travel with us. We would then spend a couple of weeks in Turkey visiting places we hadn't been to and then head through Greece and Italy arriving in Marseille for the first All Black game on the 7th Sept
The internet is a wonderful thing, whereas 30 years ago there weren't even Lonely Planet books to advise on such a trip, now all the information is but a click away. The first thing was to see if the old Hippy Trail was still functioning, yes it is, and is it possible to take your own vehicle across, again yes.
The paperwork is not as hard as it seems though there are a few things to remember if you are planning such a trip and one of the main ones is insurance. Third Party Compulsory has to be taken out at the border for each country in Asia. Fully comprehensive would be nice but is very hard to obtain and very expensive if you do find a company that will cover you. A bit like yachts heading overseas, many are not insured because of the cost.
Then there is the Carnet de Passage. This is a document guaranteeing the relevant country that you will export your vehicle from that country and if you don't are liable to a fine of up to 4.7 times the value of the vehicle. Each country has a different rate but the guarantee has to be for the maximum amount asked by any country. In our case Iran where it was 470%.
The AAA here in Australia arrange the Carnet and the guarantee can be arranged in 3 ways: deposit the amount with the AAA who release it once the Carnet is no longer required, arrange an insurance cover but that is costly and the full penalty still has to be paid if you forfeit, or obtain a bank guarantee for the amount. We decided on the latter.
The ideal arrangement is to take an older vehicle with you, this cuts the amount of guarantee that has to be left. Or get a lower valuation on the vehicle though it has to be realistic. We had ours values at $35,000 which would have been lower than its true value but not to such a degree that raises questions with the AAA.
The Green Card which is is International Third Party Insurance that covers most of Europe had become the most problematical part of organizing the trip. If a vehicle is registered in the EU it is easy, however for ones registered outside that area problems can arise. Having a relative over there can be a help
Being a new van and on the advice of VW no spare parts were taken though enquires were made on VW agents along the way, They were scarce in India and Pakistan with a few in Iran and plentiful in Turkey. The roads we were to drive on were bad 30 years ago but, by what other travellers have said, have improved. The traffic s another matter and we are anticipating that experience with some trepidation. On our last trip colliding with a truck in Turkey in a landscape of snow and ice with temperatures of near -40C almost cost us our lives. We visited southern India 6 years ago, the traffic was diabolical then, I am sure it won't have improved.
During the last few years I have driven in countries as varied as Morocco, East Timor, Indonesia, Italy and the Czech Republic. Apart from the major cities I don't find it difficult. Common sense and a good navigator are important though. Some GPS units have the European countries as an additional disc you can buy before leaving. We had 3 months to get across to France which meant time to take a break from time to time.
The size of the container restricts the type of vehicle that can be shipped. Our VW had a pop top roof with solar panels fitted. There was a 100mm clearance at the container door with about 250mm on either side of the vehicle. The actual inside measurements of a standard container are: L5.9 mtrs, W2.35, H2.59. Door opening: W2.33, H2.28.
Australian Customs didn't inspect the van which was a Godsend as I believe they have the right to insist on an empty vehicle exported, not one full of personal items, tools etc. Flammable and explosive objects are a no no meaning we had to leave behind the meths for our cooker, gas bottle and even the fire extinguisher. There should be no problems replacing these in Chennai though
For ourselves visas were required for India, Pakistan and Iran. As we didn't have onward ticketing I felt it necessary to explain our plans and route to them. This must have done the trick as the visas for India and Pakistan were quickly forthcoming. The Iran visa though can take up to 6 weeks to obtain and as it only has a 3 month life, it has to be obtained last. However, there are agents in Tehran through whom it's possible to get an authorisation number which is sent to the relevant embassy. This speeds up the process and a visa can be then obtained in a matter of days. This authorisation is meant to only take a couple of weeks but took us well over 2 months. The only advantage in doing it this way was we could get the actual visa a week or so before we left.The agency is also a travel agent which can be handy if you want to arrange a guide in some of the cities.
I had spoken about taking our new VW T5 Frontline conversion van up through SE Asia and into China, across to the old Soviet states on a few occassions before but work and commitments prevented such a trip. This time however, with tickets to the Rugby World Cup in France later this year and a different arrangement at home the opportunity was there for doing something in that vein. However, time was not on our side to arrange such a trip but another overland route through the Middle East was an appealling option.
We had made a similar trip over 30 years ago when, with a young family, starting from the UK we travelled overland on the southern route to India where we spent a short time before heading back to England on a northern route via Afghanistan. The children were aged 5 and 1 and Joan was well into her pregnancy with our third child. On that trip our vehicle was a Bedford with a Dormobile conversion.
Due to the Iraqi situation our planned route ths time was to have the van shipped to Chennai (Madras) in India, from where we would travel around Western India for a month before crossing into Pakistan, travelling up the Karakoram Highway into the Himalayas then turning around and head south to Quetta in Baluchistan before crossing into Iran at Zahedan. Our route would then be north west entering Turkey after Tabriz. This route keeps us clear of both Iraq and Afghanistan though there would be an area in southern Pakistan that would need care and perhaps an escort to travel with us. We would then spend a couple of weeks in Turkey visiting places we hadn't been to and then head through Greece and Italy arriving in Marseille for the first All Black game on the 7th Sept
The internet is a wonderful thing, whereas 30 years ago there weren't even Lonely Planet books to advise on such a trip, now all the information is but a click away. The first thing was to see if the old Hippy Trail was still functioning, yes it is, and is it possible to take your own vehicle across, again yes.
The paperwork is not as hard as it seems though there are a few things to remember if you are planning such a trip and one of the main ones is insurance. Third Party Compulsory has to be taken out at the border for each country in Asia. Fully comprehensive would be nice but is very hard to obtain and very expensive if you do find a company that will cover you. A bit like yachts heading overseas, many are not insured because of the cost.
Then there is the Carnet de Passage. This is a document guaranteeing the relevant country that you will export your vehicle from that country and if you don't are liable to a fine of up to 4.7 times the value of the vehicle. Each country has a different rate but the guarantee has to be for the maximum amount asked by any country. In our case Iran where it was 470%.
The AAA here in Australia arrange the Carnet and the guarantee can be arranged in 3 ways: deposit the amount with the AAA who release it once the Carnet is no longer required, arrange an insurance cover but that is costly and the full penalty still has to be paid if you forfeit, or obtain a bank guarantee for the amount. We decided on the latter.
The ideal arrangement is to take an older vehicle with you, this cuts the amount of guarantee that has to be left. Or get a lower valuation on the vehicle though it has to be realistic. We had ours values at $35,000 which would have been lower than its true value but not to such a degree that raises questions with the AAA.
The Green Card which is is International Third Party Insurance that covers most of Europe had become the most problematical part of organizing the trip. If a vehicle is registered in the EU it is easy, however for ones registered outside that area problems can arise. Having a relative over there can be a help
Being a new van and on the advice of VW no spare parts were taken though enquires were made on VW agents along the way, They were scarce in India and Pakistan with a few in Iran and plentiful in Turkey. The roads we were to drive on were bad 30 years ago but, by what other travellers have said, have improved. The traffic s another matter and we are anticipating that experience with some trepidation. On our last trip colliding with a truck in Turkey in a landscape of snow and ice with temperatures of near -40C almost cost us our lives. We visited southern India 6 years ago, the traffic was diabolical then, I am sure it won't have improved.
During the last few years I have driven in countries as varied as Morocco, East Timor, Indonesia, Italy and the Czech Republic. Apart from the major cities I don't find it difficult. Common sense and a good navigator are important though. Some GPS units have the European countries as an additional disc you can buy before leaving. We had 3 months to get across to France which meant time to take a break from time to time.
The size of the container restricts the type of vehicle that can be shipped. Our VW had a pop top roof with solar panels fitted. There was a 100mm clearance at the container door with about 250mm on either side of the vehicle. The actual inside measurements of a standard container are: L5.9 mtrs, W2.35, H2.59. Door opening: W2.33, H2.28.
Australian Customs didn't inspect the van which was a Godsend as I believe they have the right to insist on an empty vehicle exported, not one full of personal items, tools etc. Flammable and explosive objects are a no no meaning we had to leave behind the meths for our cooker, gas bottle and even the fire extinguisher. There should be no problems replacing these in Chennai though
For ourselves visas were required for India, Pakistan and Iran. As we didn't have onward ticketing I felt it necessary to explain our plans and route to them. This must have done the trick as the visas for India and Pakistan were quickly forthcoming. The Iran visa though can take up to 6 weeks to obtain and as it only has a 3 month life, it has to be obtained last. However, there are agents in Tehran through whom it's possible to get an authorisation number which is sent to the relevant embassy. This speeds up the process and a visa can be then obtained in a matter of days. This authorisation is meant to only take a couple of weeks but took us well over 2 months. The only advantage in doing it this way was we could get the actual visa a week or so before we left.The agency is also a travel agent which can be handy if you want to arrange a guide in some of the cities.
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