My General Info on Motorcycle Travel in Central Asia

If one read all my post on this blog, you will find most of the information but I guess most people would not read everything on this blog anyway. 

It is in a way a personal blog and not tailored for information mongering like other travel blog. Still sometimes I would be oblige to write some specific post such as this one for I feel the information should be shared just because .... just because

Malaysia Customs Country Code = 458

I as a traveler would have love to read something like this before going to Central Asia hence I feel obliged to write one.

OK so some general info. I traveled the following countries in Central Asia and this information is base on my own first hand experience

Country Traveled - Summer 2024
1. Kyrgyzstan
2. Tajikistan
3. Uzbekistan
4. Kazakhstan

Money Matters

1. Kyrgyzstan

- Most Banks ATM only accepts 4 digit pin
- Some Optima Bank ATM accepts 6 Digit pin (the newer ones) however they have a limit of 2000som per withdrawal. I tried and that small withdrawal of SGD 33 cost me a bank transaction fee of SGD 5 per withdrawal. A whooping 15% fee on top of bad exchange rate.
- Demir Bank ATM dispense USD currency but only at ATM that are attached to the bank itself and possibly only during office hours of the bank. Successful USD withdrawal at the following ATM location below
- https://maps.app.goo.gl/nG4dqnD6dKQEziLH7 – Naryn
- https://maps.app.goo.gl/ASSBbSap5uEmoUfT8 – Osh
- Credit Card works at larger establishment but its a 50% hit and miss

2. Tajikistan

- Most Bank ATM only accepts 4 digit pin
- For those going from East to West, entering from Kyzyl-Art Pass, there is no ATM from Murghab to Eskashem. We had to change USD to Tajik Som for the duration of the journey.
- Credit Card is almost useless unless in Dushanbe.

3. Uzbekistan

- Credit Card usage is widely accepted but they will add a surcharge to the bill.
- ATM withdrawal will incur ATM fee of 15,000 som for 1,000,000som. If withdrawing 2,000,000 will incur 20,000som etc.

4. Kazakhstan

- Credit Card is accepted everywhere almost to a point where cash is not required. There is also no surchage for using credit card so you pay what is shown on the bill.
- ATM accepts 4 digit & 6 digit pin

Tourist Visa
1. Kyrgyzstan
- Malaysian Visa Free :)

2. Tajikistan
- Malaysian Visa Free :)
- However if staying beyond 10 days in Tajikistan, one will need to further register at OVIR for a fee of USD 25

3. Uzbekistan
- Malaysian Visa Free :)

4. Kazakhstan
- Malaysian Visa Free :)

Miscellaneous Permits
1. Kyrgyzstan
- Kyzyl-Art Border Exit / Entry Permit is required in advance for crossing this particular border. I obtained it through a travel agency called Destination Pamir which is based in Osh. Cost of Permit USD 20
- Border Zone Permit. Only required if one is visiting special area near border zone. I did not use.

2. Tajikistan
- GBAO Permit. Required for travelling the Pamir Region. I obtained it through a travel agency called Destination Pamir which is based in Osh.

3. Uzbekistan
- Hotel Registration Slip. Every day a registration slip is printed and given from the hotels in Uzbekistan. This may or may not be checked upon exit. Possibility of fine if not comply. I had everything in order and immigration never even asked for it.

4. Kazakhstan
-NIL

Temporary Vehicle Import Permit for Motorcycle
1. Kyrgyzstan
- Validity of Temporary Vehicle Import Permit is one year. Free
- Temporary Vehicle Import Permit issued at Torugart Border (Entry)
- Temporary Vehicle Import Permit not issued nor retrived at Bishkek Border . Only keyed into system (Entry & Exit)
- Temporary Vehicle Import Permit was retrieved at Kyzyl-Art Border (Exit)

2. Tajikistan
- Validity of Temporary Vehicle Import Permit is 30 days (Need to request else they will issue a 15 days permit)
- Temporary Vehicle Import Permit issued at Kyzyl-Art Border (Entry) – Cost USD 10
- Temporary Vehicle Import Permit not retrieved at Panjakant Border (Exit). Only key into system for exit.

3. Uzbekistan
- No papers for Temporary Vehicle Import Permit. Only keyed into system for entry and exit.

4. Kazakhstan
- Temporary Vehicle Import Permit not issued nor retrieved at Korday Border. Only keyed into system (Entry & Exit)
- Temporary Vehicle Import Permit issued at Shymkent Border (Entry)

Vehicle Insurance
1. Kyrgyzstan
- Mandatory but not enforced.
- Purchase at Bishkek under Jubilee Insurance

2. Tajikistan
- Did not purchase.

3. Uzbekistan
- Did not purchase.

4. Kazakhstan
- Mandatory, partially enforced.
- Purchased at Almaty from Nomad Insurance

Petrol

1. Kyrgyzstan
- 95 Octane at bigger cities otherwise 92 Octane in small towns

2. Tajikistan
- Forget about 95 Octane petrol. 92 Octane is unavoidable.

3. Uzbekistan
- 95 Octane in main cities only and bigger stations. 92 Octane in small towns. Be wary of 91 Octane and 80 Octane.

4. Kazakhstan
- 95 Octane, 98 Octane ... No Fear in Kazakhstan for petrol other than long distance between points with desolated landscape.

Well that's the short summary. Check out the border crossing post if you want to know how it went. Or message me if you need some specific questions and I’ll try my best to answer them.

Traveled on: Summer 2024

My Motorcycle Packing List for A Long Journey

Packing list. There is never a right way to do it but its always interesting to see what people bring along for their overlanding journey. Even now on the road, when I see another overlander and we hang out we are always curious what the other vehicle is carrying and what kinda funky gadgets is in play.

This is my list in the beginning of the journey. The things I thought I would need and use the most but later during the travels, perspective would change and things would break so some added foot-notes to the list will be done for things that I would have changed if I would do it all over again with wisdom of being through the journey once.

Camping in Issyk-Kul - Kyrgyzstan 

Kick Off Packing List

Motorcycle Gear
1. Bike – GPX Legend Tiwn II 250
2. Helmet – LS2 Advant FF906
3. Maxto – Bluetooth Com’s + Camera
4. USB Charger
5. Universal Motorcycle Windshield
6. Taichi Air Parka RSJ328 – Riding Jacket
7. Sulaite Thermal + Waterproof Riding Pants
8. Komine PK718 Riding Jeans
9. Aluminium Top Box 65 Liters
10. Mad Fox Cavalry 35 Liters Soft Pannier Side Bags X 2
11. Magnetic Tank Pouch
12. Bungee Cable x 2
13. Mini Rear Tyre Side Jack
14. Tyre Air Compressor Pump
15. Tool Kit (Spannar, Screwdrivers, Allen-keys, Tyre Repair Kit, Clutch Cable + Stopper)
16. Handle Cover Set
17. Handle Warmer Set
18. Gloves x 3
19. Leg Gaiters
20. Arm Sleeves
21. Latex Rain Shoe Condoms
22. Pole Rain Coat Set
23. Bycycle Number Lock X 2

Camping Gear
25. Naturehike – Cloud Up 1 Person Tent
26. Karrimor Travelight 2 – Sleeping Bag
27. Pacoone – Sleeping Air Mat
28. Flextail X Pump
29. Camping Chair
30. Lixada Multifuel Stove + Fuel Bottle
31. Mini Fuel Pump
32. Pot-Kettle Set
33. Mini Fan
34. Nex Multi-tool (Knife, Scissors, Pliers, Can Opener, etc)

Clothings + Personal Items
35. Laptop
36. Universal Adapter
37. Bluetooth Earphones
38. Bluetooth Portable Speaker
39. Wireless Mouse
40. Crumpler Spring Peeper S – 40 Liter Duffle Bag
41. Sling Bag – 1 Liter
42. Northface Medium Fleace Jacket (A Fake but works like real ....^^)
43. Spare Spectacles
44. Heat Tag Shirt X 2
45. Heat Tag Leggings X 2
46. Toiletry Bag
47. Long Sleeve Jumper X 1
48. T-Shirt X 7
49. Long Pants X 1
50. Short Pants X 2
51. Underwear X 10
52. Socks X 3 pair
53. Travel Towel X 1
54. Bandana X 1

MISC + Consumables
55. Bag Rain Cover X 2
56. Food Container 8.4 Liters X 1
57. Food Container 2.9 Liters X 2
58. Liquid Dishwashing Soap in Hand Sanitizer Bottle X 1
59. Hydroflask Water Bottle
60. Luggage Strap for Duffle Bag X 2
61. Mini Number Travel Lock X 1
62. Belt Strap X 2
63. Mini Funnel
64. Chain Lube X 1
65. Engin Oil X 3
66. Alchohol Base 70% Wet Wipes X 2 pkt
67. Chicken Rendang X 4 Cans
68. Rolling Tobacco X 10 Pkt
69. Tobacco Slim Filter X 7 Pkt
70. Tobacco Rolling Paper X 21 pcs
71. Tiger Balm X 1
72. General Body Powder X 1
73. Cable Tie X 1 Bundle
74. Sunblock X 1

Well the above is the comprehensive list of things I started off with. Now for the wisdom of what I would do differently if I knew what I knew now then.

Item 64 to 74 may seams weird for packing so much consumables that could be easily bought along the road such as tobacco or food or engine oil is actually one of my correct choices. 

It was meant to take up space during the initial stage so that if I needed to free up space, I just need to consume the items. In a way it is a space reserve tactic which also allows me to understand how much extra space I had left.

Item 7 Sulaite Thermal + Waterproof Riding Pants is one of those item that could be improved. I totally love it in Tibet and all the cold and wet region but after nearly three months now, it is no longer waterproof and there is a leak somewhere. Waterproof riding thermal pants are great but I would invest on a more better durability next time instead of the cheapest one I could find.

Item 9 Aluminum Top Box 65 Liters could be reduced to 45 liters. While I love the 65 liters, I have come to realized that the big box really is a burden to the racking frame of the bike. A smaller box would lessen that burden so much more preventing all the stress when the frame breaks and the box tumble off.

Item 21,38,39, is totally unused 99% of the time. I would leave it behind the next time

Item 56, 57, Food Container can use a smaller size. The large food box I have come to realized is not required and food can be bought for just one to two days capacity instead of storing 5 days capacity. Camping habit's also found me not doing continuous camping due to finding a shower every alternate day.

Things not on the initial list that I would carry from the start next time round.

1. Water Straw Filter
2. Two Part Metal Epoxy repair kit
3. A proper mini ratchet tool kit. Currently The one I have is a cheap and bulky set
4. Fix up spot lights ( Currently mine was added on midway through the journey )
5. Custom make some engine guard / crash bar
6. Don’t be stingy on camping gear. I opted alot for cheap gears in camping going to online shops buying mostly knockoff copycat version from China. There are cheap and dirt cheap variation and luckily the cheap was still fairly good but things weardown after awhile and camping gear replacement is hard to find on the road espescially specific types like multi-fuel burners

Traveled on: Summer 2024

My Partially Planned Journey with No Secure Route Home

This would be a first for me travelling with unfinnished planned route. I know route changed all the time but for me a rough route is usually done and then we fumble along the way enjoying the sponteneous travel but still within a guided mark post.

I have met some travellers along the years which boast the usual no plans just go with the flow vibe but talk a little longer the rough route plans are always there usually. 

It usually revolves around the passport Visa restriction such as duration and next country requirement. That's why when traveler tell me that they have no idea how long they will stay in a country, I usually call it bullshit.

Laem Son National Park - Thailand 

Apart from passport visa requirement, there was also the bike requirement this time round. I refused to get the expensive Carnet so more countries were crossed off the list. 

The tour to cross China from Laos to Kyrgyzstan was confirmed and that was the start of the journey. The issue was after Central Asia, what's next ?

It was too early to find a group going the opposite way from Central Asia to South East Asia, and then there was also the possibility of crossing into Europe and continuing on the journey but without knowing how to ship the bike back home as well.

The only sure thing I knew was that I had options this time round and a larger emergency budget to get home. My primary plan is to find a group later in the year to cross back from Central Asia through China to Laos. 

The secondary plan was to go over to Europe and later figure out how to ship the bike back to Malaysia. The third plan was to store the bike in Central Asia and backpack somewhere during winter and resume the ride the following year finding a way home.

One thing I knew for sure is that waiting for the whole plan to be full-proof before starting the journey was not going to happen. I hesitated last year and missed the season so this year the journey home would have to be figured out on the road.

Traveled on: Apr 2024

A Little Break with a Little Errend

Flying back to KL, the mini adventure that started on November 2023 ended. It was a good run backpacking through China then continuing with a bikepacking through Vietnam. I had practially no choice but to go home by Feb 2024. There was a few crucial things that needed to be done.

Firstly it was to be back home for Chinese New Year. While I had skip this important family gathering previously, there was no reason to skip it since I had to be back during this time anyway. 

A picture of Me & My Niece Back in 2020 where COVID-19 was still restricting travels. 

Meeting family and friends catching up it was a good mini holiday from my holiday. A different type of feeling and one that had two types of stories everyone was trying to extract from me.

How as your trip and whats the next trip ? This was generally the questions asked.

After CNY I bassicly had to run a few errends.

1. Apply Visa for China

Slogging through the endless forms to fill for China Visa application then making an appointment at the Visa Center, this was the most important errend of all. Everything else I did in between but this was the key.

2. Tune up Bragge.

The top Cam shaft had a leaking oil seal so I had to get back to the dealership to fix it since it was still under waranty. Then it was a modification of the spokret ratio and chain. I change up the ratio to 15-41-428 instead of the original 13-38-520. 

Bike Jargon I know to most people, so the basic principle was that I made the bike faster by sacrificing power. I could now cruise at a higher top speed but climbing steep slopes would be slow with lesser torque.

3. Shopping & Packing up.

This time round I had new side pannier bags that I successfully shopped in Vietnam. My friend helped me carry it back since he had more carry on capacity that me and after meeting up during CNY I now had a new toy. 

I did much shopping as well buying sleeping mat, side jack, food container, canned food, and all sort of stuff to be packed for the long Central Asia road trip.

While I did No.2 and No.3 in between the process of obtaining No.1, I can say that effectively once I gotten the Visa for China, I had hit the road a few days later effectively starting the trip for a long long journey.

Traveled on: Feb 2024

How I Write My Blogs + A Broken Hardisk While Travelling

One of the many questions that friends and people who meet me on the road usually ask when they know about my blogging activities is how do I recall all the excitement and experience to put it in words.

It may sound like a dumb question but those that had tried blogging while doing a long travel stint or even video blogging will tell you that it is seriusly time consuming. It’s actually one of the main reason I avoid making youtube videos. The effort, time and energy spend editing the video would cut into the travelling time making one missing out the “moment”.

A Random Double Rainbow - Balkash Kazakhstan 

Hence I stick to blogging and it has serve me well for over the years since I started in 2012. Still those that follow this blog knows that I tend to have a lag time during travels and that lag time usually starts at one month and grows larger the longer I travel.

Recently in 2024 while in Bukhara my laptop hardisk decided to go Kaput. It was not a blue screen but rather a blank screen and there was nothing I could do despite all the online methods playing with the power button for 8 seconds, 60 seconds, flip the laptop upsidedown and turn it on, nothing worked to revive the laptop.

Why am I writing this?

Well just to give some insight on how I generate post for blogs and the agony I had to go through recently due to the Kaput laptop hardisk.

Normally during travels, I carry around my laptop and its not an everyday thing that you will see me playing with laptop while one the road. Nope. Usually it’s like 4 days to a week and I find a nice quiet spot where there is no major travel activity and I open my laptop just smashing away the keyboard on what happened the last few days.

There are times however when crisis happens during travels. A missing luggage, a fall from the bike, a hospital adventure, just those crazy things that one cant predict and it’s so emotionally heart wrenching that I would almost open the laptop the first chance I get to pen down my emotional trouma together with the experience.

These are the raw writing, which I do not care in the world what grammer is nor how the platiconic structure works but just smash that keyboard away to try and put all that emotion and memory into letters.

Next which is usually a few months away, I would start to reorganized the blog post. Many raw writing are usually boring. I almost always cut these all away. Throughout the years some of the more lazy post even get myself baffled when I look back.

Example 1

“Today I go to the supermarket and finally found a body shower that is just the right bottle size. I had been searching for this nearly three countries and everyone had only big bottle or super small bottles. You want the body shower to last approximately 2 weeks so that you dont need to keep finding new bottles but you also dont want a too big bottle coz it just takes up precious space”

Example 2

“No idea what I am doing in this stupid town. Moving on.”

So the second part is me reorganizing a raw entry or combining a few raw entry to make a topic for a blog post. i.e Title. This part is where I can become lazy usually and take a few weeks to a few months before it even goes online and since I tend to do the blog post chronologically, the time lag gets longer and longer.

The important thing is, regardless of how long the time lag is, with the initial raw entry that I constantly do during travel, I could recall my own emotions then and with photos taken usually the post would flow out somewhat.

Anyway this ranting is to give some background for that broken hardisk in Bukhara wiped out all my raw files from the beginning of 2024 up to Bukhara. Means that the initial kick off in March or April 2024, drifting through Malaysia – Thailand - Cambodia – Laos – then really starting the trip to China – Kyrgystan – Kazakhstan – Kyrgystan – Tajikistan is lost completly.

I lost a good four months of raw travel write up. While I try to recall as much as I could, it would not be the same. Arrgh ...

Traveled on: Summer 2024