Driving to Japan
Discussion
Just seen Bald and Bankrupt has just been to Kyrgyzstan for his latest video, they were pulled over for 'speeding' and fined $200 but he was able to negotiate this down to $30 as he is fluent in Russian.
Your going to need a shakedown fund for the Stans but I would brush up on your Russian to make it go further
Your going to need a shakedown fund for the Stans but I would brush up on your Russian to make it go further
We were stopped numerous times on our trip through Iraq, Iran, most of the stans, Russia and mongolia and didn't pay a penny in bribes.
We were pulled over plenty of times, but being friendly, staying calm and polite and pretending not to understand what they meant and looking relatively poor and dishevelled meant they soon get bored. I can only remember one policeman who got properly angry and that was in the mountains in a fairly remote part of Iran. Maybe easier when there's a few of you in the car but we just sat it out and pretended to make a call to the embassy. He soon left us to it as well.
We were pulled over plenty of times, but being friendly, staying calm and polite and pretending not to understand what they meant and looking relatively poor and dishevelled meant they soon get bored. I can only remember one policeman who got properly angry and that was in the mountains in a fairly remote part of Iran. Maybe easier when there's a few of you in the car but we just sat it out and pretended to make a call to the embassy. He soon left us to it as well.
I'm thinking next year. I'm in Japan for three months this autumn, then we might go to Korea touring for a month in winter, by which time we'll be into 2025 anyway and it might be too soon to return, especially cost wise. Probably go in 2026, by which time there may be some change? Though doubtful.
The van can stay in Japan for a year on the carnet, but it might not actually be worth bringing it back the following year, 2027. I could just abandon it, which would be a shame, I don't really want to do that, or my son could have it, though it might prove difficult to register there due to age & condition. Japan is full of abandoned things though, cars, houses, businesses, schools, whole towns, villages etc. If it's going to sit and rot though when it's spent, I'd rather it did that at the bottom of my garden under the apple tree, after a trip like that.
The van can stay in Japan for a year on the carnet, but it might not actually be worth bringing it back the following year, 2027. I could just abandon it, which would be a shame, I don't really want to do that, or my son could have it, though it might prove difficult to register there due to age & condition. Japan is full of abandoned things though, cars, houses, businesses, schools, whole towns, villages etc. If it's going to sit and rot though when it's spent, I'd rather it did that at the bottom of my garden under the apple tree, after a trip like that.
ecsrobin said:
Have you thought about shipping it back? If you’re not concerned about time (which I believe your not) then to have it back might not be to bad cost wise (although far more expensive than abandoning it).
Have a look at how the carnet works, if you don't re-export it you don't get that final stamp and will be on the hook for import duty. IIRC for Egypt that's 3 times the new value. I did manage to abandon my 2CV with customs in Mumbai and get stamped out but I suspect the Japanese are a tad tougher on the rules.21st Century Man said:
Please tell us you drove a 2CV to India, and where can we read about it? Is there a book?
Nepal, but yes. A pub conversation that got out of hand. My friend Dave had a friend who'd flown to Nepal with Royal Nepali Airlines. He said it was so awful he'd rather have driven and at the time he drove a 2CV...Once we'd got there (via E Europe, Turkey, Iran and Pakistan) Dave flew home and I carried on and met up with my then gf, now wife, in Goa for a couple of weeks. By that stage it was pretty knackered and the exhaust had fallen off so I drove back to Mumbai with big roll earplugs in.
Any thoughts on Iran, Pakistan, India and through to Malaysia?
There's a British couple in a UK campervan I'm following on YouTube (TREAD the globe) doing it in reverse. UK to USA, then they crossed the Pacific to Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand. Though they couldn't cross Myanmar. They've got to India so far and are working their way back to Europe and home.
I think that might be too long, complex and expensive for me though, and whilst I fancy Indian and Pakistan, I also don't fancy India and Pakistan. It's also involved lots of shipping for them too, rather than overland driving point to point.
Driving to Vladivostok and getting on a ferry seems an awful lot simpler, and was even simpler a few years ago.
There's a British couple in a UK campervan I'm following on YouTube (TREAD the globe) doing it in reverse. UK to USA, then they crossed the Pacific to Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand. Though they couldn't cross Myanmar. They've got to India so far and are working their way back to Europe and home.
I think that might be too long, complex and expensive for me though, and whilst I fancy Indian and Pakistan, I also don't fancy India and Pakistan. It's also involved lots of shipping for them too, rather than overland driving point to point.
Driving to Vladivostok and getting on a ferry seems an awful lot simpler, and was even simpler a few years ago.
Suspect Iran might be off the list unless calmer heads prevail. And Pakistan was pretty lawless when we did it in '97. Baluchistan was definite travel in the day, preferably with others, and sleep in UN compounds. But since then AIUI (not looked into it in ages TBF) Islamic fundamentalism is rife in the sticks so the risks are bad. Incredible country (like Iran) with great people though.
It wouldn't be awful to ship from India to Malaysia. You need to look into the costs of a chaperone in China. It's galling (We had one in Libya, camping in the car park while your guide sleeps in a hotel bed gets dull pretty quickly!) but might be the best way.
It wouldn't be awful to ship from India to Malaysia. You need to look into the costs of a chaperone in China. It's galling (We had one in Libya, camping in the car park while your guide sleeps in a hotel bed gets dull pretty quickly!
) but might be the best way.From some of the videos I have seen a tourist can't access every part of Pakistan (they were British passport holders) I suspect it was the northern area close to Afghanistan.
To be fair they were treated very well with no shakedowns etc but security was high with frequent checkpoints.
You could enter from Tajikistan while avoiding the Afghan border, head south through Pakistan and then into India?
I suspect Iran right now would be worse than Russia, how about Turkey, Iraq and Saudi Arabia with the aim of getting a ferry across to Pakistan or India.
The other option could be Greece, ferry to the islands and then onto Egypt. There was a ferry from Cyprus to Cairo but not getting much information on it still running
To be fair they were treated very well with no shakedowns etc but security was high with frequent checkpoints.
You could enter from Tajikistan while avoiding the Afghan border, head south through Pakistan and then into India?
I suspect Iran right now would be worse than Russia, how about Turkey, Iraq and Saudi Arabia with the aim of getting a ferry across to Pakistan or India.
The other option could be Greece, ferry to the islands and then onto Egypt. There was a ferry from Cyprus to Cairo but not getting much information on it still running
Following with interest. I was looking at doing something vaguely similar just before it all kicked off.
I was looking at cycling/ driving the bit your not sure about (Russia) west to east and finish in Kamchatka.
Have a Russian working with me so good source of info, was helping learn basic language aswell.
Watched Bald and Eli from Russia on youtube. Both good for where to/ or not visit.
I,ve always wanted to visit Russia, so vast, so many different cultures, so many different ways of living.
All the youtube vids and people who have visited paint a different picture of the people than us westerners think.
Get the impression they are mostly friendly people.
Most people see Russia and just think Moscow, there all the same.
Would really like to visit one day.
Keep us updated how you get on.
I was looking at cycling/ driving the bit your not sure about (Russia) west to east and finish in Kamchatka.
Have a Russian working with me so good source of info, was helping learn basic language aswell.
Watched Bald and Eli from Russia on youtube. Both good for where to/ or not visit.
I,ve always wanted to visit Russia, so vast, so many different cultures, so many different ways of living.
All the youtube vids and people who have visited paint a different picture of the people than us westerners think.
Get the impression they are mostly friendly people.
Most people see Russia and just think Moscow, there all the same.
Would really like to visit one day.
Keep us updated how you get on.
Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff