Nagaland, India

Well, eastern India here I am.  I completed most of my repairs (Greta is still overheating in heavy traffic) and put on my new rear tire.  I have to make it to Moreh on the eastern most border between India and Myanmar to meet up with a group of other overlanders, a Myanmar ministry official, and a tour guide to cross Myanmar, and a short time to get there. The roads between Guwhati and Moreh are not good, to be more accurate, the roads between Impahle and Dimapur are horrendous.  The short stretch s just 201 km, but the well-traveled route is missing large sections of road. in its stead are potholes, dust pools, and thousands of trucks. The run took about 9 hours to complete, and during the ride, I inhaled about a pound of dust or more.

Fortunately, the roads from Impale to Moreh, the last section of the trip and the last section I would run in India, are quite beautiful and were a joy to ride.  This area is called Nagaland, and the parts of the region that are away from the cities and villages are just beautiful.  In the villages the faces have started to change to a more Indochinese appearance, but the same dirt and lack of cleanliness were ever present.

I will be out of India soon, and to be honest, I cannot wait.  The lack of basic hygienic food preparation, the discarding of refuse into every corner of every city, the over population, the lack of infrastructure planning, people shitting and pissing in the streets, and the awful smells, have all become too much. Now to be fair, I have met some wonderful people in this country, some of the best on my trip, but India has, by a large margin, been my least favorite country visited, either on or off this trip.  I do not see myself returning to India, which is something I have never said about any country I have ever visited.  This is all quite sad for me to admit, as India was one of the countries I was most looking forward to tour. 

Leg Distance: 371 mi (598 km)  

Total Distance Traveled by Motorcycle: 30,861 mi (49,776 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, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China (for 20 seconds), India, Nepal

Bangkok, Thailand (Side Trip)

Well, everything is figured out for my trip from Mumbai, India to Thailand.  I have a permit for five days in Myanmar (Burma) and 30 days in Thailand.  Unfortunately, Burma will require a tour guide and government representative to come along, which is the reason for the shortness of the leg.  I managed to score a 30 day "go-anywhere" permit for Thailand.  These permits are extremely difficult to get, so I got very lucky on that one.



The crossing into Burma is with a group of other overlanders we put together.  The cost is quite reasonable, $450 for 5 days and includes guide, government reps expenses, hotel, food and attractions.  The date of crossing is set for the 8 November.



Greta was in severe need of a new rear tire, being unable to locate one in Mumbai (BMW Motorrad of Mumbai could not locate one for her either), I jumped a flight to Thailand to pick one up.  In anticipation of numerous comments, I will answer the obvious question up front, "Hey moron, why not order one and have it sent to India?" Well, in a single word...customs.  India has some improvements to make in this area.  I had a buddy send a package me in India from the USA.  It took two days to get from the USA to New Delhi, three weeks to clear customs, and one week and over a dozen phone calls for FedEx of India to move the package to a sort facility so I could pick it up. So, off to Bangkok I went.  I also picked up some other things I hadn't had in a while, like beef, gummy bears and easy access to food that doesn't make one poop blood. Indians literally put chili peppers in EVERYTHING.  Apparently they prefer heartburn to flavor.

Proposed Route

I head back to Mumbai in two days (with a store of gummys in hand), and will immediately jump on Greta and head back this direction.  The proposed trip is going to be hot, long and arduous and all but Thailand will be done very quickly, but I guess if it were easy, it wouldn't be an adventure.

Leg Distance: 0 mi (0 km)

Total Distance Traveled by Motorcycle: 30,490 mi (49,178 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, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China (for 20 seconds), India, Nepal, Thailand

Trip Issues 10 - How to Get Through Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia is a very difficult part of the world to travel through by means of a personally owned motor vehicle.  The rules concerning document requirements and under what conditions vehicles are allowed entry into Asian countries are continually changing in the region.  As such, I have assembled the following map to keep things straight in my head (14-Oct-2018).  Please note, these requirements are in addition to the standard required documents (drivers license, international drivers licence, vehicle registration, passport and visa if applicable).

Carnet de Passage (Carnet)

Countries:
Required - India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal
Recommended - Laos, Cambodia

What is it?  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnet_de_Passages_en_Douane

Carnets can be expensive and costs vary by country.   Additionally, the carnet book and coupons MUST be returned to the issuer on time (365 days) or cash bond ($10,000 in my case) is forfeited.

Note:  Do not rely on the map in Wikipedia, I know for a fact that it is incorrect.

Must be on a Tour
Countries: Myanmar, Thailand

Two countries require all overlanders (ie, motorcycles, cars, etc.) that are passing through their respective countries to be on a tour, with a registered tour agency, a tour guide, and possibly a representative from the government to be in attendance.  One thing to note is that the more people that you can gather together, the cheaper the per/person price.  The Horizons Unlimited bulletin board (HUBB)(http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/) is a good place to find people.  I have found groups in less than a day.

Note:  Burma requires a permit. The permit is day and participant specific and a change in either will push your permit date out.

Extreme Difficulty 
Country: Bangladesh

I had been advised by many people (Bangladeshi residents and Overlanders) that the trip through Bangladesh is not worth the hassle.  As such, I decided, as most overlanders have, to bypass the country.

Note:  Rumor is that a carnet is also required in Bangladesh.

Not Gonna Happen
Country: Vietnam

Vietnam will not allow outside vehicles into the country...period.  However, they have very relaxed laws on who can buy and operate a motorcycle within the country, and insurance, registration, ownership papers, etc, seem to be a non requirement.  As such, there is a thriving bike swap/sales community in the country, and you should have no problem buying and disposing of a used bike, very inexpensively, while in country.  Most reports are that you can buy and sell a bike for the same price.

Laos-Thailand Border

Due to lack of Border Control. there is no way to legally to pass between Myanmar and Laos.  Overlanders MUST pass through Thailand.  The shortest route through the Country is 100 km in length and should take approximately two hours, but you must be on a tour and pay all fees associated with the tour including customs and registration fees (less than $200).  (https://www.google.com/maps/@19.8124294,100.5428134,7z)

UPDATE:  A border Just opened mid-November 2018.  At this writing, only locals are permitted through, but it will b a fully functional border in the not so distant future, or so I am told.