Anyway this is the story of how things happens and somehow just falls into place allowing me to commence the fouth break or travel .... I dun know how to call it anymore, sabbatical does not cut it anymore and a long holiday seams wrong now that this is obviously going to be a recuring thing. A Break it is ....
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| Setting Off - Test Run China |
Usually there are many things to prepare and get ready for a big trip which usually starts with a plan, A Graaaand Plan ! or a target which is like the main course of the long disaperarence. The first trip main back in 2011 focused was backpacking europe and USA while the second trip in 2015 was backpacking South America and the third in 2018 was motorbiking South East Asia, thou I only manage to really explore 4 countries in SEA.
This time around the trip is way more ambiguous than usual. I had not planned it out throughly, but my bank account was fat enaugh due to working throughout COVID-19. I was sick of working .... the soul was really tearing inside from the confinement of not exploring and then suddenly China was open to the world.
I was considering travelling with Bluey through China to Europe then after a few research hit a snag trying to get into arjerbaijan. Then there is the issue of how to get back home. So biking long distance seams very challanging so at one point I was really considering backpacking again throughout China but then by some luck while dropping email bombs everywhere I got a DM back.
The Facebook Overlanding Asia has always been a precious source of information and this time due to the Myanmar Junta closing off its border for overland travellers, there appear more people trying to go through China even with the high guided tour cost. I email a few of the tour agency and everyone seams to have trips going from west to east. Non-from east-to west.
This I presume was due to the recent reopenning of China after Covid-19 so most of them that are stucked in europe or Kyrgystan now have the opportunity to really transverse China to South East Asia, while those in South East Asia is almost non existance. Regardless the case .... no luck on finding a group going west, Yet one tour group after asking around connected me to a Malaysian group that was going to do China 10 days loop. Meaning they would enter and exit back into Laos which solve one main issue for me ... getting back home. The downside to this trip was, it was only 10 days.
I had to decide fast as the Malaysian group was planning this trip back in 2020 when Covid-19 hit. For them this was a long awaited postponed adventure. For me finding out last minute with barely any information of their trip, I decided it will have to do as a test run. Made fast contact, so fast that I presume the captain did not really think I was serius in joining until I laid down the deposit for the guided tour.
Things moved very fast then, resigning from my job, handing over duties, shuffling all my stuff again and gearing up the bike and all the traveling hacks that I had shelved over the years. Bluey was no where near the travel worthy state as well since he was being heavily used everyday for work. Luckily I just bought a new bike, GPX Legend 250 Twin which I named “Bragge”. Bragge was suppose to be for work so I could leave Bluey in the workshop for upgrading but the China trip came so fast I now had to use Bragge to do the trip. A month later I realized even if I fixed up Bluey, he probably wont make the trip as well due to the high altitude which would screw up the old school carb engin.
While it looks like China is the theme for this trip, it really izzin. For the guided tour is only 10 Days in China covering just one small part of one province, Yunnan. In two months it would be done and over once started and I would be without a plan again. No subsequent trip line up, no follow up to connecting adventure. Back to Malaysia and back to the drawing board.
For now, iI’m calling it Test Run CHINA .... aclimatize to the altitude, weather and the great firewall of China.
After that, I have a few option listed so far which is still not set in stone really but in leaning order :
Genral Plan 1
Pay the heavy price and find a group ... Ride again Through China to Krygstan ... explore Kyrgyzstan, Ubekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan through summer ... this would have to be in early 2024. then somehow, figure out how to get back home ....
Options to get back home :
Option 1
Get a Russia Visa – Ride to Mongolia then Vladistock – RORO boat to South Korea then RORO boat to Japan and RORO back to South Korea, shipping bike back to Malaysia. This path still require a lot of Red Tape nagivation and a high risk of being stranded.
Option 2
Get a Russia Visa – Ride to Mongolia – Joint another guided tour through China going different route back to Laos ... Luck to find a group will play a huge part in this plan.
Option 3
To infinity and Beyond, Get a Russia Visa – ride to Geogia, ride through Turkey and hello Europe ... somehow take a boat to Morroco maybe and figure out Africa and my bank balance which is not prepared for this kind of extended trip ... and I have no idea how to get back from that point.
General Plan 2
Fly to Vietnam, rent a bike, explore the whole of vietnam, drop the rental and cross into china backpacking all the way up to Beijing then boat over the Taiwan or Korea. Explore the whole country of Taiwan or Korea via backpacking and train then fly back home. Optional bonus for Korea would be to extend trip by boating to Japan and exploring Japan on a Backpack.
General Plan 3
Get a friend help, buy a bike in India ... and ride India and Nepal for a year, ditch the bike, cross by land into Pakistan and backpack through Iran to turkey and somehow swim over to middle east to explore all backpacking style.
General Plan 4
Fly to Indonesia, rent a bike and explore
One thing for sure, once I picked a route, it will be a while before I can reset and pick another. For now its Test Run China.
P.S .... I’ll choose luck ...
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