A new adventurer!

Hi Guys!

Glad that I found this forum. I already read some very interesting articles. My plan is to travel through China on a motorbike. As I have read there are 3 issues to take care of:
1) Chinese driver's license: Not possible to drive with a international license. However, for me, this one might be relatively easy. Belgium (my country) is one of the few countries that has an agreement with China, in which it is stated that Belgian driver's licenses are valid in China!
2) Buy & register a motorbike in China. Because it appears that bringing a motorbike into (and out of) China is nearly impossible, I'll have to buy one in Kunming and have it registered on another person's name.
3) Get proper insurance. Very important as having an accident in China is likely and has severe consequences.

My route will start in Kunming and end in Kashgar going through Tibet (crazy, I know!:eekers:). Period of travel: July 2011

Anyway, nice to be here and maybe you have some suggestions for me?:clap:

Thanks!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by asia_traveller

My route will start in Kunming and end at the Tibet border :icon10:

---

But seriously, welcome to the site. Hope we can help out with your grand adventure. :thumbsup:

Lot's of good people in Kunming, and a great place to start from in China.

Cheers!
ChinaV

Let me know when you're in Kunming, beer is on me. Andre555 another MCM member is based in Kunming.
For Q#2: 2It's not a big place, so I think I already know all the bike related shops by now.
For Q#3: It's easy if you're buying a new bike, but I don't know about getting a used one. What's kind of visa do you have?

Regards,
Slabo

Hi and welcome! Glad you found the forum helpful!

Looks like you've done your homework and understand the difficulties of biking in china. The license thing is very lucky for you guys!!!

About crossing tibet, do you have a plan or some info that we don't know about; or are you just going to go for it and see what happens? Because there's a chance that your route from kunming to kashgar through tibet might end up looking something like this:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1275/...930000ed_b.jpg

Also are you constrained to july for the trip? If not, april or may will likely have much less rain!

Felix, are you suggesting with all those forays toward the T*betan Autonomous Region that asia_traveller would be rebuffed in every attempt to enter the TAR? It's probably true. Even if he does manage to enter the TAR, there are said to be lots of checkpoints where he'd be outed as a foreigner with no legal pass to enter, and sent packing on a truck to Qinghai, Xinjiang or Sichuan. I think RyanJPyle may have something to say about this itinerary, since he entered the TAR from the far west, and managed to ride a lot of the region before hitting a bureaucratic brick wall in Lh*sa. I imagine that yellow line along the T*betan border with India, Nepal and Bhutan describes much of Ryan's route.

I'll also be interested to see what a Chinese cop does when he encounters a Belgian driver's license, presumably written in Dutch or Flemish or French or German...

cheers!

Thanks all for your warm welcome! I appreciate your input!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by felix

Hi and welcome! Glad you found the forum helpful!

About crossing tibet, do you have a plan or some info that we don't know about; or are you just going to go for it and see what happens? Because there's a chance that your route from kunming to kashgar through tibet might end up looking something like this:

---

I am not yet familiar with the difficulties of going from China into Tibet (= also China right?). I'll delve further into this. I thought it was mainly problematic if you come from Nepal or India.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by euphonius

I'll also be interested to see what a Chinese cop does when he encounters a Belgian driver's license, presumably written in Dutch or Flemish or French or German...

---

I'll have it translated to Chinese.

BTW Funny that you note the difference between flemish and dutch (officially it's the same language). Are you familiar with Holland and Belgium?

Though Tibet is part of china, foreigners aren't allowed to wander in there freely. You must have a tour guide or be part of a tour group. There are (i'm told) big blocks at each main entrance where you will get turned around if you don't have a permit, as well as more blocks inside tibet itself. Some people have managed to sneak in before, but you have to consider the possibility that you won't get through.

It's a great source of dismay for all of us....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by felix

foreigners aren't allowed to wander in there freely

---

This chinese guy rided 6 routes connects TAR in '08 :eek2:

Yes, it's a lot easier for chinese people to go there...

I wonder how he was received by the locals with that on the back of his bike!

http://attachments.motorfans.com.cn/...YvJkC5Edij.jpg

The sneaked in fake Xinjianger --1986 :clap: http://www.mafengwo.cn/i/640543.html

Hi and another welcome to this place :icon10:

How much time do you take for this trip? IUf you have enough time, you may be able to do it. Tokiokid from this forum did a similar one last year, two up on a small bike, sneaking through the various checkpoints. Foreigners aren't too welcome, particular in the eastern part of tebiT and the natebiT areas of neighboring provinces.
I am sure the Kunming guys will be a great help for you to get a bike.

Regarding the driving license agreement between your and the Chinese government, I woulnd't be too sure of - TIC :confused1:

Good luck and keep us updated :riding:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by humanbeing

The sneaked in fake Xinjianger --1986 :clap: http://www.mafengwo.cn/i/640543.html

---

http://www.endless-highway.info/toky...es/mainmap.jpg
Thanks for the link humanbeing,
This is probably what first got me started about riding in China. 2 Aussies travel from Tokyo to London on a couple of used Honda TransAlps, in 1994! 1994, no {GPS, cellphones, roads in China, people who speak English...}. They may have been the first to enter China with foriegn bikes. A truely inspiring story.
But I can't understand this report from 1986, is there a report in English?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by slabo

But I can't understand this report from 1986, is there a report in English?

---

Written by a women about herself/ the "ex" / fake Xinjiang friend (US journalist w/ passable spoken Mandarin & near 0% chinese reading skill)'s roadtrip. That wonman lost contact with that foreign guy & heard he was working w/ Le Figaro in Paris.
Use translate.google.com for very rough translaton. The picture is most valuable:naughty:

Thanks.
Sorry, forgot to post link to the 1994 report. http://www.tokyotolondon.com/