I crossed my first land border without paying a single
rupee (or dollar). Usually at every border crossing there
will be a lot of formalities to clear and offices to visit
and paperwork to be done. You also need to pay for
the local third party insurance for the bike and yourself.
I personally cleared everything on the Iran side though
it is the first time for me and in spite of the language
barrier.
priceless !!!
difficulties
So difficulties and disasters are the only common
things on journeys like this. You will get used to them.
I had to stop many times to repair my bike or a flat
tyre in the hot desert sun. You don't have to be an
automobile engineer, but you should know how to
service your bike and take care of minor repairs at the
least.
Great respite - entered Turkey - beautiful
Mt.Ararat in the background.
On Turkey side, I trapped an agent who thought he
trapped me. With all my wits, I got him to do all the
work. And when the time came to pay, I gave him a
credit card; he insisted on cash. By then I was cool as I
knew he can't undo all the work. Al the receipts were
generated.
He was at my mercy. So I told him to come with me to
the nearest city and I will withdraw cash and give him
(in Turkey my cards work). He finally agreed (what else
he could do?) and tried to sit on my bike but there was
no space and no taxis either. We decided on a meeting
point and I left. Later he got a lift from someone and
reached the designated spot sure of not seeing me
there. I never heard better music in my life than the
ATM counting my cash at that time. I paid him double
the money and he was happy.
You must know how to repair the bike or you
will be stranded in the middle of nowhere
Sometimes real disaster strikes and major
breakdowns happen and you may be stranded for
many days or even weeks. A large piece in my
crankcase broke and went into the gear box. Lucky
me, my bike could have done a few somersaults at
high speed if I hadn't noticed it at the right time. I got
used to the heartbeat of my bike and I can notice
when it skips a beat. I sensed something was very
wrong and stopped. I had to wait for 3 weeks in
Sydney while I imported a new crankcase from India
and got it fixed at a huge cost.
That's how an intelligent Indian can be ! After taking
one full day rest in a good hotel, I moved on and
camped the very next day. I was reluctant but it was
essential or I would forever be afraid of camping and
people.
and my journey continued..
From Iran to Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Greece, Italy,
France, UK, USA, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia,
Bangladesh, and back to India.
After 18 months of ride, 5 continents, 16 countries, and
around 47,000 kms, I came back home. This ride
changed me entirely and the experience I got was
The cold was my
worst enemy
Desert can kill you in
one hour if you are
careless.