What was once thought improbable, has just been achieved, and I owe it to an online travel blog (the Travel Tramp http://www.travel-tramp.com/how-to-get-an-uzbekistan-visa-in-baku/). The blog detailed how easy it was to get a visa for Uzbekistan here in Baku, Azerbaijan. The detailed methodology was standard, just go to the embassy, but I had read about requirements that applicants needed to be on an official tour (aka government minders) like in China or Iran or needed official letters of invitation (LOI) like Russia or Kazakhstan back when I last visited there, but this blog dismisses that nonsense. So I did in fact go to the embassy, and in 4 days I was approved for the visa, no tour requirements, no LOI, just a nice guy who was very helpful. At $160, the levy is pretty steep, but this amount is a very common charge for US citizens when applying to many countries, Why is that you ask? Well, this is what we charge to go through our visa process, so basically it is a reciprocity fee. The fee to the United Kingdom is $70, so I assume that is what the UK charge for their visa process.
The issue now at hand is how to get to the other side of the Caspian Sea. Since there is no way to drive there (Iran to the south and Russia to the north), the only way across is by boat. I have found a cargo ship that will take passengers and motorcycles. The trip time is 30 hours, the cost is $70. Included in the cost is a cabin and three meals, so not too bad. At $110, the motorcycle on the other hand is expensive. I assume the higher fee is due to loading and unloading charges.
The issue now at hand is how to get to the other side of the Caspian Sea. Since there is no way to drive there (Iran to the south and Russia to the north), the only way across is by boat. I have found a cargo ship that will take passengers and motorcycles. The trip time is 30 hours, the cost is $70. Included in the cost is a cabin and three meals, so not too bad. At $110, the motorcycle on the other hand is expensive. I assume the higher fee is due to loading and unloading charges.
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| Cargo Ship From Alat, Azerbaijan to Aktau, Kazakhstan |
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| Issues Map |
I now have almost every issue resolved to get through this very difficult part of the world. The one outstanding issue, and I have no idea how to solve it, is how to get through China. Will they let me in? Yes. Will they let Greta in? Yes. Will they charge about $600 a day to cross their country? Yes. Is there an overland route around China? No. With Pakistan refusing my visa, I will need to go from Kyrgyzstan, through China, and all the way to Nepal. The trip will take about 15 days, and thus cost at least $9,000, so that won't happen. I will make another attempt at a Pakistan visa while I am in Kyrgyzstan. If I get it, that will be fantastic. Not only will my trip through China be far shorter, but there are plenty of people driving this route, and the fees that China charges can be shared. So that is my current, although no too realistic, plan. The countries where overlanders queue up to cross China (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan), total 115 days of visa free tourism, so I have time to adjust my plan if required.
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Total Distance Traveled by Motorcycle: 24,124 mi (38,794 km)
Countries/Territories Visited: USA, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Canada, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Gibraltar, France, Monaco, Italy, Vatican City, San Marino, Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Transnistria, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan
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