Saigon - Cairo

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2/3

>>1205512
Looks nice, but how will you cross from Lebanon into Israel?

>>1205539
Is there no crossing that border? I didn't yet got into the details about visas and crossings, but of course I will have to.
If there's no way to cross there, what about Syria-Israel then?

>>1205549
Even worse I assume, unless you're Al Qaeda.

>>1205549
There are no border crossings. There are no direct flights either, but just for fun I looked at flights with one connection: the prices are absolutely exorbitant! Using Middle East Airlines to fly directly to Cyprus gets a bit cheaper but they don't fly everyday. And I bet Israeli immigration is gonna ask questions.

>>1205560
Maybe Syria-Jordan-Israel then?

>>1205569
You do not want to visit Syria. Your government is going to think you're a terrorist. You might die. And Israeli immigration is definitely going to ask questions.

>>1205571
What am I supposed to do, if I'm going by land? Go thru ISIS-ridden Iraq?

>>1205577
Not go by land. Syria is too dangerous, Iraq is too dangerous, Saudi Arabia won't let you in.

>>1205579
No, I decided to go by land. If there's a way at all, I'll tough it out no matter what. I intended to go through that war and see for myself.
WTF My question was about India mostly. What's better route?

>>1205583
Where are you from OP? The Visas you get depend on your citizenship.

>>1205589
From Russia, ironically enough,

ITT: spend 5 minutes dreaming, 30 minutes posting

>>1205577
The Syrian government wants foreign tourists to enter the country, but I don't know how easy it is to independenatly travel around. The coastal areas between the north of Lebanon and the southern tip of Turkey are quite safe. This should be no problem. Going from Lebanon to Damascus shouldn't be too dificult either. There is one border crossing with Jordan in Assad's hands. So in theory I think this should be feasable. Take a ferry from Jordan to Egypt, avoiding Israel alltogether.

>>1205593
Can I get with a car on that ferry?

>>1205591
Well the only way to get a Visa for Pakistan is in your Homecountry. So tough luck there. There is no avoiding Pakistan if you want to go overland granted you don't want to take the long way through China.

There are also rumors of Boats going from Mumbai to Dubai or even Oman
The guys made it in 2011
https://biketales.wordpress.com/2011/01/02/off-on-a-boat-to-india/

>>1205512
That route will be difficult overland. Going down the Syrian coast won't be too much of a hassle if you know what you're doing, but you can't cross Lebanon-Israel, so you have to enter Syria again, go to Damascus and then to the border crossing at Deraa. It's dangerous as fuck, and even if you make it, every country on Earth will want to know in detail why the fuck you were in Syria. The other route is going Iran-Basra-Kuwait-Saudi Arabia-Jordan, which is safe, but impossible, as neither Iraq nor Saudi gives out tourist visas easily, if at all.

There's a boat between Turkey and Northern Cyprus, and there is sometimes a boat between South Cyprus and Haifa, but it's sporadic at best. Unless you are willing to hop on a plane for your final journey leg, it's just not possible mate, sorry. Egypt is just cut off from the east and west at the moment.

Note: It's not the airstrikes or crossfire that you should fear in Syria, but kidnapping. Read up on the poor fucks who have been kidnapped by ISIS (doesn't matter who you're kidnapped by, ISIS will eventually buy you and you will end up in a prison in Raqqa), it's not pretty. It's basically round the clock torture for a year, until they realize your shit government won't cash out for you, then they kill you. It's really not worth the risk.

>>1205594
Shit nigga, how should I know? I have never been to any of these countries you want to visit. Only Iran.

>>1205596
FUCK
Well i guess, i'll have to get around Pakistan or enter illegally.
Thanks, m8 that's important info

>>1205604
I would not enter Pakistan illegally in a million years mate.

You could try and mail your passport to friends in Russia, but being stuck in India for weeks without a passport could turn to be quiet shitty.

>>1205609
You really have no clue how russian post works. It will be late at best. And very possibly, lost

>>1205614
Well you are done goofed. I heard Kazakhstan is amazing this time of the year.

Alright, folks. Pakistan is off-limits to me, so I'm looking for a way around it by land at first. How do I go from India (preferably Kasmir) to Afganistan? Picrelated is my idea how to do that. Is this possible or will I have to go through Nepal to China? Either way is fine to me.
Also is crossing China-Tajikistan in this place possible?

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>>1205846
Forgot pic

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>>1205510
>I'm going to embark on an epic journey from Saigon to Cairo and beyond
no you're not.

>>1205849
If you're not going to contribute to the thread, leave and hide it. It's not a lie or trolling. I just need to find acceptable route.

>>1205846
>>1205847
Let me list a few things that make this impossible

1. China/India border crossings are impossible
2. China/Nepal border crossings are impossible
3. Travelling in Afghanistan in general is dangerous as a white person, but doing it without a car is literal suicide.

This guy tried a couple of years ago in a 4x4 but never made it to Kabul because he realised it was too dangerous, you can read about it here.

http://archive.4plebs.org/trv/thread/1053050/#1053194

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>>1205918
>1. China/India border crossings are impossible
Seems legit

>2. China/Nepal border crossings are impossible
Source? As far as I can tell after some googling, it is an option and a common one, since there's no direct crossing China-Nepal

>3. Travelling in Afghanistan in general is dangerous as a white person, but doing it without a car is literal suicide.
I might have motorcycle by then. I have one now. The only problem is that I don't have driving licence which is totally fine in SE Asia, but will get worse farther West. So if I have one, I can pass entire countries in a matter of days (at least 3 for Afgan provided I won't encounter trouble which is unlikely of course).
But let's say I avoid Afgan and go through Tajikistan (or maybe Kyrgyzstan), Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan to Iran. I'm not exactly anxious to return to post-soviet dumps but hey it might not be that bad after all.

>http://archive.4plebs.org/trv/thread/1053050/#1053194
Thanks for the link, m8, I have heard about this thread but didn't see for myself before.

>>1205926
caravanistan.com for more travel info on this part of the world.

>>1205918
>>1205926
>1. China/India border crossings are impossible
this is true. You could cross from Myanmar though.

>2. China/Nepal border crossings are impossible
As far as I know you can do this but you have to go trough Tibet which means that you can only do this with a guided Tour, which costs alot of dollars especially if you want to drive by yourself.

>3. Travelling in Afghanistan in general is dangerous as a white person, but doing it without a car is literal suicide.
Also true. Afghanistan is way to volatile to be navigated. Roads are often randomly closed and the Taliban are still a thing.

Also acquiring Visas for Tajikistan Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan is a nightmare. The most possible Stan to go through is Kazakhstan. You can cross the Caspian Sea from there into Azerbaijan.

>>1205962
>As far as I know you can do this but you have to go trough Tibet which means that you can only do this with a guided Tour, which costs alot of dollars especially if you want to drive by yourself.

I can hitchhike, I guess. Also what about acquiring a motorcicle there or bringing one from Nepal? Is it possible considering my lack of driving license?

>>1205962
Kyrgyzstan is pretty easy to get into, people from Europe/USA/Canada/Australia/NZ don't need a visa

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>>1205927
Thanks, good source

>>1205962
>Also acquiring Visas for Tajikistan Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan is a nightmare
According to aforementioned caravanistan.com russian residents don't need visas for any Stan except Turkmenistan which may be dealt with by getting transit visa. So this seems like a way to go.

Also, important question, where and how I can get international driving licence on the route? I'd rather not go all the way north to Russia to get one.

>>1205978
>I can hitchhike, I guess
You can't really, The chinese goberment wants every second you spend in Tibet to be supervised. You will have to book a tour that takes you from kathmandu via bus to lhasa. From Lhasa you can only take a train or plane and the closest train stop you can get out is Xining, You can most likely buy a bike there.

But you should keep in mind that getting caught in China without a license can get you up to 14 days of Chinese prison, foreigners are more likely to be checked by police and there a lot of control checkpoints

You would have to take a driving test in a major city because China wont even accept the international drivers license.

Also the roads in Western China are terrible, the Chinese drive like shit and travel insurance won't pay for your hospital if you drive without license.

>>1205987
>You can't really, The chinese goberment wants every second you spend in Tibet to be supervised
Well I don't care what they want. I know I need to have a booked tour to get the visa in Kathmandu. I've read that it can arranged for less than 500$. It's expensive as fuck but I can afford it (yet). And after the tour is finished, I'm on my own, right? So I turn West and go to Tajikistan.

>From Lhasa you can only take a train or plane and the closest train stop you can get out is Xining
Dude, I'm not going to Xining, it's the opposite direction, check out the map above.

>>1205992
After the tour is finished you are in Lhasa and as I said you can only get out of there via plane or train or with a tour guide .

You can't just turn West and move freely through Tibet. There are military road blocks everywhere and if they catch you without a tourguide and/or expired Tibet Visa they will deport your ass back to Nepal and ban you from entering again.

I know Xining is the opposite direction, but it's the first stop when you leave from Lhasa via train.

There are Tours that go West from Lhasa to Kashgar but those are extremely rare and expensive going for upwards 10000 Dollaroos.

>>1205992
You're not very good at taking advice. He tells you how something is and you're all "well I don't care xDD". When he's talking about Xining it's because he know's exactly where you are going, and tells you how futile your plan is. There's really no need to be rude, they're all just trying to help you.

Anyway, independent travel in Tibet is illegal, and hence risky to say the least, getting caught means fines, prison or deportation. Either sort out the Pakistani visa before you set off, or swallow your pride and take a short plane ride through this particular region. Actually contemplating going to fucking Kabul and beyond (you should google Kunduz just to see exactly how stupid of an idea this is) just to avoid flying tells me you're either A) extremely well travelled and know exactly what you're doing or B) inexperienced but hell-bent on following through with your pipe dream. If it's A, go ahead, but then you don't really need advice either. If it's B, listen to people who know this shit and adjust your plans accordingly.

>>1206002
>>1205992
OP disregard what I said about Xining being the first station.
You can only book tickets to Xining or further but there are more stations before that and you could just get out on one of those i guess.

>>1206002
Well shit. I didn't expect it to be watched this closely. The route West is getting fucking ridiculous at this point. Why the hell the chinese placed these restrictions anyway? I'll need to check the train routes for myself anyway tho.
Also, is this part of China worth visiting?

>>1206006
Wasn't trying to be rude, m8.

>>1206013
>is this part of China worth visiting?

Do you mean Western China

Well Xinjiang region is mostly Desert and sparsely populated by the Chinese Muslim Uygur minority. If that's your thing. It has some beautiful sights and landscapes

Quinghai has some Tibetian Settlements, Temples, Mosques, Nature and such.

It all depends on what you like


Chinese are paranoid towards visitors. You will have to get a Tibet Visa and a China Visa and n order to get a China Visa the consulate will want to have a detailed itinerary from you with flight and hotel bookings for each day you want to stay. But once they hand you the Visa you can just cancel your bookings. Nobody will check weather you stay true to your itinerary

>>1206027
>It all depends on what you like
Mostly nature and local culture. Tibet and Himalayas are very promising in both ways so this is why I'm unwilling to go by sea or air.

>Chinese are paranoid towards visitors. You will have to get a Tibet Visa and a China Visa and n order to get a China Visa the consulate will want to have a detailed itinerary from you with flight and hotel bookings for each day you want to stay. But once they hand you the Visa you can just cancel your bookings. Nobody will check weather you stay true to your itinerary
Can I just make shit up about bookings or will they check somehow? It's not that I want to hang around in China too much. Just a means to an end. So I guess I could actually plan it in detail knowing train schedules and such.

>>1206034
>Can I just make shit up about bookings or will they check somehow?

You can just make shit up. Never tell them that you want to visit the muslim part though. Don't wear any clothing with muslim scripture at a boarder crossing either. Carry nothing muslim related.

Just book a flight to a major city and book a few hotels for a 2 weeks or so. you can cancel all that shit later. You will get a 30 day tourist visa that expires after 3 months.

>>1206038
Nobody likes muslims, huh? Well, no wonder.

>>1206012
I'm thinking about getting off the train in Golmud and then going to Kashgar by bus or train again. Sounds good?

>>1205987
>You would have to take a driving test in a major city because China wont even accept the international drivers license.
W-what? I was actually thinking of traveling by motorbike from Europe to Beijing in a few years.

>>1206044
Well there is no train from Glomud to Kashgar that doesn't also go through Xining.

I don't know about the Bus or Road connections, but you would have to cross some deserts and very sparsely populated regions.

>>1206051
Well some some police will just let it slide if you have an international license, but if they don't it's chinese jail for you.

You can transform your international license into a provisional 3 months license though, but only in major cities.

>>1205962
>>1205978
>>1205987
>>1205992
>>1206002
>>1206006
>>1206012
>>1206013
>>1206027
>>1206034
>>1206038
This is all completely irrelevant. He won't be able to get into China via Nepal because the border between the 2 has been closed for 2 years since the earthquake.

This journey is only possible if you go direct into china then into Kazakhstan and around to the caucuses.

Sounds pretty great. If you're up for a real adventure, do it on a motorcycle.

>>1206089
Really, I had no idea. Googling now I see you are correct. Thanks for the update.

>>1206089
Well shit he is right. Border won't be open until Summer probably

>>1205583
it'll be fine. take some pictures while you're there and post to /trv/ please.

>>1206089
>>1206112
>>1206213
Damn. I thought they have already opened it but it seems they haven't. Still, I'm not in a hurry and actually gonna make it there in the Summer so I just might get lucky here. I can even wait in Nepal if the border opening is imminent in month or so.
If not, there's still India-Oman boat which will save me a lot of money, time and trouble but won't be nearly as exciting.

>>1206103
I'd be happy to, but I've got no driving license and it's sometimes really problematic to take your own vehicle across the border. Not to say that much borders. For instance, I'll have to sell my current bike in Cambodia since they won't let me take it to Thailand. I will most likely buy a new one there to make it across the country but I'm still unaware if I can take it to Myanmar and beyond.

It always puzzles me when someone makes a thread with an elaborate, challenging itinerary and then has to rely on random internet people to point out 2 or 3 separate fatal flaws with regards to impossible border crossings, it's like you had this idea pop into your head and an hour later you made the thread.

>>1206344
>boat
This devaluates the whole trip. Is it "just by land" or not? If not and you are ok with taking shortcuts, just buy a plane ticket to Cairo and don't brag how you will *go through war* just to keep your "just by land" rule. Otherwise, keep looking for a WAY (pro tip: not online) to pass those borders. Most of them can be passed illegally (just don't mess with China).

>>1206438
>This devaluates the whole trip.
Yeah, I know that. If I'm forced to abandon land-only restrictions that would suck, but my purpose is to get there so get there I will by any means necessary.
I feel the need to make clear that I do not intend to impress you guys. If I change plans due to circumstances - oh well, this is life.
About illegal crossing Pakistan border - I'm okay with that but how do I then enter Iran legally? I'm sure they will look for Pakistani visa if I'm crossing from there.

Hi

Have gone around this area by land before. You can ask questions.

I can say, it will be near impossible, but interested to see how exactly you plan to do it.

>>1206447
What route are you talking about? Since the start of this thread, exact route from India to Iran changed dramatically. All because I can't get visa to fucking Pakistan anywhere but Moscow which is out of question obviously.

>>1206438
A boat is still better then just buying a plane ticket and arriving at your destination almost instantly.

You will still experience the distance you covered and it's still way more interesting then flying.

>>1206459
My thoughts exactly. Plus, I get to see Oman and maybe neighbouring countries. But I prefer the land-only policy of course. Despite all the trouble I now really want to visit Himalayas.

>>1205846
>Syria
>Kashmir
>Afghanistan

Buddy you have a death wish

Hope for your sake you make it through alive

>>1207870
Plans may change, but yeah, i'd like to see these places too.
P.S. I should have already started but now I'm delayed by my bike being broken and all mechanics are on Tet holiday, dammit

>>1205510
>(I'm in no hurry, hence there will be pauses in places I find pleasant).
Where between Saigon and Cairo could possibly be called "pleasant"?

>>1208903
You'd be surprised. Thailand has a lot of nice places. Even Vietnam does, although I absolutely hate Vietnam and its fucking holydays already

>>1208902
>bike is broken
>doesn't know how to fix it himself
>is doing a 1000 mile trip through backworld shithole

BRUH.
You cool

>>1208983
Bra, how am I supposed to fix destroyed engine (literally shattered piston and shaft) without even one working store for a fucking week? I can repair minor problems with what tools I have but I'm not by any means independent from mechanics having a shitbike like this.

>>1208987
>shattered piston and shaft
You get the spare parts, if the cylinder is fucked you get it rebored. Fit the parts and go back at it.

>>1209022
>You get the spare parts
I would if I could. The vietnamese celebrate Tet (New Year), therefore every shop is closed. There's no way to get the parts for at least 3 days now.