Visas and Australian Missions

On January 14th, 2013, I took a red-eye flight to Canberra for the day to organise my Visas for entry into the countries I intend to visit, including Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos. I had been informed that Virgin had upgraded their booking system and that I might expect delays checking in. I left the house early on my BMW GS650, trying to get as much riding experience on the new bike as I could before I departed for exotic shores, cultures, and traffic.

I arrived at the airport to find I had forgotten my phone. After nearly 15 years of commuting to Canberra on red-eye flights, I have NEVER forgotten my phone. I must have been too excited in riding my motorcycle that I simply forgot it. Checking my watch and realising that I had just over an hour before my flight, I was sure I could make the 40 minute return trip before my flight left. Screaming home, I grabbed my phone and screamed back to the airport to find no lines at all at the Virgin check in area, just a mass of milling people.

One of the lovely attendents, noticing my confused expression and searching looks toward the front desks, approached to help and directed me to a line. As I stood there ready to check in, another attendent asked me if I were departing on a 5.55am flight. I told her that I was departing on a 5.30am flight and the startled look on her face told me all I needed to know. We then ran up and down the line of desks like a blue heeler chasing a postman along the fenceline.

Finally, with no check on luggage, they were able to get me onto the flight with only seconds before cut-off. I raced up stairs only to find the flight delayed by an hour. On arrival into Canberra, I met a nice Sheik gentleman who drove me in his taxi to the Cambodia embassy and gave me his mobile phone number so I could give him a call when I was finished.

The Cambodian embassy was a small house in a quiet street, with a converted garage acting as the entry point. The place was very quiet and in talking to the young man at the front desk, it seemed that a calm spirit pervaded all things. In nearly a whisper we talked about my requirements and plans and he had no problems with what I intended to do. My passport was returned to me within about 20 minutes with a visa stamp on the page giving me a three month single entry visa to Cambodia - better than I had hoped. It cost me $90 Australian dollars for the visa.

I phoned my helpful taxi driver who immediately picked me up to take me to the Vietnamese embassy and told me to give me a call when I was ready. Since the Lao (Laos) embassy was just around the corner, we agreed I would call him to pick me up from there when I was ready.

The Vietnamese embassy was a bustle of activity with people moving in and out of the much larger and more embassy-like front room. At first the kind, yet firm, gentleman behind the desk told me I could not drive in Vietnam at all. On talking to him a little more, he admitted that he only told me that because driving in Vietnam was dangerous for foreigners like myself. When I asked about bringing a motorcycle into Vietnam, he told me not Harley's would be let in, but then agreed that it would really be up to the border crossing and customs officials at the land border crossing.

After about 30 minutes where I was able to puruse the library of communist, socialist, and military history books, I was given my passport back with a one month Vietnam single-entry visa for $135 Australian dollars. The kind gentleman politely reminded me that it would be dangerous for a foreigner to drive in Vietnam and urged me to reconsider my plans. He also informed me that the UN International Drivers Permit (IDP) is not recognised in Vietnam and that I would need to organise a local license if I wanted to drive, but then told me that no one held a motorcycle license. I will need to do some more research regarding this, I suspect.

Walking down to the Lao(s) embassy, I note on the front of the embassy that it is for Lao, not Laos. I have since spoken to some people who have been unable to explain to me the difference in use of Lao and Laos. I shall have to investigate this a little more, too.

This embassy was busy, but calm at the same time. I really did feel like it was a middle point between the bustling and active Vietnamese embassy and the calm and collected, smiling Cambodian embassy. In discussion about my plans, the young man who staffed the front desk told me he was envious and wanted to know all about my tour plans. He could see no impediments to taking my own motorcycle into Laos for a tour and even said he would like to do the same some day. About 20 minutes later, I had paid $60 for my month long single-entry visa.

It was about this point that my phone decided to fail on me, after all my trouble getting it on the train and with me. My lunch appointment was difficult to arrange and I no longer had access to the kind taxi driver who had assisted me so far. I made my lunch appointment, juggled various other issues, and decided to drop into the Myanmar embassy on my way to the airport, in case there was any chance I could sort a Myanmar visa before I left.

The difference in this embassy was easy to notice from the driveway. I had to buzz at the front gate to be allowed onto the premises and then when I arrived at the embassy, I was told that it would take 4 months to get a visa to Myanmar from Canberra. I tried to plead my case for lenience and asked if there was any other way I could get the visa for Myanmar, but they were adamant it would not happen for this trip.

I tried to argue another direction and asked if I might be able to arrange it while I was already on my trip, say, from Singapore. The immediate response was that it would not work at all trying from Singapore, but it might work if I were to attempt to get the visa from Bangkok and that it might take as little as a day to arrange through this mechanism. I was amazed, but will try it when I get there to see if I can continue into Myanmar.

Finally back at the airport, my non-flexible ticket meant I had to sit in the terminal for 3 hours before my flight was delayed for another hour. Delayed another 20 minutes in the air while we waited for a slot in the landing pattern, I relished getting onto the BMW to drive back home.

Things are starting to come together and if I don't manage to get the visas or entry permits required, I have enough time on my visas to make a good exploration of most of South-East Asia. Now I need to make it happen in practical terms.

Vaccinations

Going overseas means you come into contact with lots of things you wouldn't normally need to worry about. When it comes to vaccinations and immunisation, I made sure I spoke to my Doctor about what was needed to travel in South-East Asia before I left.

The list of things needed included:

• Japanese enchephalitis (injection)
• Hepatitis A & B (injection)
• Tetanus & Polio (injection)
• Rabies (injection)
• Typhoid (oral pill)
• Malaria (oral pill)

The injections cost between $80 and $120 each. The Typhoid pills (3 pills taken on day 1, 3, and 5) cost about $60. The Malaria tablets are required to be taken one per day for the duration of your stay in Malaria locations. These cost about $6 per tablet (so $6 per day) and you need to prime yourself three days before exposure. These prices are in Australian dollars.

My initial session at the doctors resulted in two injections: Japanese encephalitis and Hepatitis A & B. Of these, the Japanese encephalitis hurt the most. It stung when it was injected and then ached for a day or so afterwards and even left a bruise a week later.

The Typhoid pills gave me gas and caused some intestinal discomfort, but that means it is working, right?

I have not taken the Malaria pills yet, but will start a few days before I enter Singapore. I have been warned to take them in the morning and not at night because some people have seriously strange and disturbing dreams associated with them.

My final doctor session resulted in three needles. The first was the booster for the Hepatitis A & B, which stung when I got it as all needles do, but it was nothing compared to the other two. The Rabies shot, which only extends your requirement to get to a hospital for treatment by 12 hours, felt much deeper and consisted of significantly more liquid injected. It stung immediately and it took some time to inject the stuff into my arm. The sting died off relatively quickly.

However, the Tetanus and Polio shot was excruciatingly painful and it was not over after the needle was removed from my arm. It felt like I had been punched in the arm and could not sleep on it for two days after the injection. Even rubbing clothes over it hurt.

After these last three injections, I had a strange chemical taste in the back of my throat that I have had before with "serious" medication. It was also recommended that if I had the time, I should spread these immunisation treatments out over time, not to limit the pain and suffering, but to ensure there are no interactions between the various drugs being injected. The doctor made me wait for half an hour before I could leave to make sure I did not have an adverse reaction to the drugs.

So far, so good. I have not reacted badly, and will need to get my final Japanese encephalitis and Hepatitis A & B shot in Singapore. I have no idea how the health system works in Singapore, but I don't think I will have trouble finding a doctor to administer the required shots.

Stage 1 Route - First concept

This is the first concept for Stage 1 of the trip. There are some assumptions made about the motorcycle and the route, as well as the red-tape I shall be shredding in my wake. However, the plan is to follow this route as closely as possible, while allowing myself some time to get the lay of the land and talk to some people. I am going over there to see the countries as well, so the route needs to be flexible.

The idea is to land in Singapore on January 28, 2013. Get my motorcycle sorted out through customs on January 29, 2013 and then ride around the city for a few days, crossing into Malaysia on January 31 or February 1. From there I plan to spend at least 2 weeks in Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, back to Thailand, then into Myanmar before returning to Singapore and a flight home.

I will determine whether to progress to Stage 2 when I see how things are with Myanmar. Additionally, if my funding gets a boost before the May 27 return ticket, I might try to get into India and Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and then Turkey. If I have the time, money, and capability, Stage 2 will be initiated. I might be able to make it to ANZAC Day in Gallipoli, Turkey for April 25, but that would be just mad.

The routes will be entirely dictated by visa availability and use of the motorcycle. There have been instances when the roads must be specified for the trip to be approved with surface transport vehicles entering countries with visas. The further west you proceed, the more serious the requirement for visa and travel permits.

I will admit here and now, that if it is all really nasty, I may just extend my tour of Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia, or finalise a Chinese visa and head that direction. Flexibility will be the key.

I'll post maps of the intended route soon.

BMW GS650 G 2010

I have been researching motorcycles for the countries I will be in, but I must stress this is from talking to people and internet research, so it could be quite flawed when I get into the countries to see for myself.

The Japanese bikes are big in the South-East Asian environment, but there are Soviet "gaps" that result in a high incidence of Soviet Minsk bikes in Vietnam. The culture of riding seems to be much more a commuter rather than a recreational activity, and therefore the size of the bikes is also different with few above the 250cc mark. The Honda Shadow (or Phantom) is one of the larger bikes used in the area and up to 400cc and is common among the long-distance riders of Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Laos.

The BMW GS650 and adventure-tourer class motorcycles are common for the sorts of treks I am about to make. They are designed for enduring harsh environments, both on and off road (dual road, which is a new term for me). These bikes have been used all over the place and, probably most famously, in Long Way Around/Down (although with larger CC ratings). I only found out about this recently and have gobbled up all the visual information I can. Although these are getting a little old now and often are not quite where I will be, they are extremely useful for getting a handle on the scope and potential glitches along the way.

I had initially considered taking my Honda CBR 250RR (1996) into Singapore and travelling north from there, however the Singaporean laws on motor vehicles are extremely strict and generally will not allow any motor vehicle over 10 years old on the roads. I could see myself pushing my CBR to the Malaysian border before I rode it anywhere. Further, the CBR is a road bike. I have had some experience with it off-road, usually to recover from something on-road, and have found it to be extremely difficult to ride. The bike is just not an off-road bike.

Having taken a look at some of the roads through video footage, satellite images, and talking to people who have been to some of the places I will be visiting, it seems that in general, the main connecting roads across the region are very good. The US military apparently put a lot of effort into getting these built in the region, however, many of the smaller roads are dirt or worse. I even had one guy tell me that he received directions on Pakistan to follow the valley until he found the grass that bent both ways ... indicating the road between the bent grass.

That scared me for a few reasons. I have now added GPS as a potential requirement for some of the later phases. Additionally, the CBR is just not cut out for these sorts of roads. I suspect it would be plain dangerous to even try with a backpack and kit along unfamiliar not-really-roads, even should the weather be perfect. As soon as you added rain or mist, it would make it a real adrenalin rush likely to end in broken bones at least, and that is without any other traffic. So, now that I have painted that wonderful picture for my family, I will continue.

I have been looking around Australia for a BMW GS650 to test drive and found only one at TeamMoto Springwood with photos. This is where I purchased my original CBR so many years ago. There were no others out there for me to take a look at. I upgraded my motorcycle license and undertook defensive driver training at Slacks Creek, but the rider training was just so intense that I didn't even have time on my lunch break to race up to see them. Managing to get a day clear to go and take a look at the bike, I checked the details on the TeamMoto website and found the bike had been moved to TeamMoto Enoggera.

On Thursday, January 10, I strolled in and interrupted Allen May at his lunch, demanding he show me some motorcycles that would do what I needed. We had a look at the Yamaha adventure-tourers, but many of these were too large for me to ride. I am short chap. The only one I felt mildly comfortable sitting on was about three times more than I intended to spend, although it was a very nice and powerful unit.

I raised with Allen that I had seen the BMW GS650 turn up at TeamMoto Enoggera from Springwood online (but had lost all the photos) and he checked for me. Before long, I signed the documents for a test drive and Allen took me for a loop around Enoggera and Everton Hills. It took me a few minutes to get used to the clutch and gears, but once that was sorted, I found the motorcycle was at times more responsive than the CBR and much more gentle in acceleration. It certainly had more grunt than the CBR, but it was not as punchy. I was sure I could kill myself in new and creative ways on this motorcycle, but no longer worry about ploughing myself into the back of a truck by accident or lifting the front wheel taking off at the lights with a heavy load.

Don't get me wrong on the handling here. There is no doubt I could lift the nose of the GS650 if I needed to, but it would be vastly more stable to do so. I even had an instance at the lights where I was able to balance on just two wheels without touching the ground for thirty seconds. Although not put to the test yet, the GS650 seems to have much better handling than the CBR250.

Allen May did me an excellent deal at TeamMoto Enoggera

The guys at TeamMoto Enoggera gave me a great trade in on my CBR250 RR (1996) and helped me sort all the paperwork in order to ride away the next day, including the additional installation of a switch to turn the lights off in some countries where this is considered to be "impersonating an officer". This is certainly something I do NOT want to have happen on my trip. However, although the parking light and headlights are on different power lines, the switch installed only dims the headlights, not the parker. As explained to me, this shouldn't be an issue, because I can simply remove the parker bulb from the front headlight and then the switch will work so there is no front light. After purchase, one of the mechanics came out to explain all the bits and pieces.

On a slightly different, but more exciting note. In some of the countries I will be riding in, the use of lights on a motor vehicle at night is not compulsory.

My new BMW GS650 G 2010

This picture shows the new BMW GS650 G (2010) sitting behind my old Honda CBR 250RR (1996) model. I have to admit I was a little sad to see my old motorcycle go as I have been riding it for about 12 years. My pets and partners got used to the sound and would rush to meet me when I came home... well, the pets, at least.

I also tested my camera for taking quick roving video. I will get better with setup, zoom, focus, and aesthetics over time. Having a good camera makes some of my photos look brilliant, but it is all the tool, not the tool behind the camera. Setting the camera up over the road, I drove off and then came back for it, but it has been snipped to make it look professional. Allen even gives me a wave off.

Now I just need to learn how to ride the motorcycle.

Planning

I started a mindmap titled "Escape". It grew into two mindmaps, with the extracted information coming under the title of Australia.

As an aside, I always cringe when I have to tell someone I am Australian. I automatically start thinking of this Monty Python sketch. "Awstraya! Awstraya! Awstraya!"

In the Australia mindmap, shown below, I had to consider all the things that needed to be organised or planned prior to leaving, as well as anything that needed to be maintained or managed while I was away for Australian activities, such as storage of my gear while I am away and financial management.

Things related to Australia and pre-departure

The Explore mindmap, shown below, starts to create an itinerary as well as required kit, transport, accommodation, and telecommunication requirements. It defines personal protective equipment, like first aid kits, and phases of the exploration, providing for a return to Singapore if there is no passage West from Pakistan.
 

Things related to the trip (escape) itself

I won't bore you with too many of the details. I can always write a book to do that.

The decision made to progress with the plan for a motorcycle tour of South East Asia and beyond made in the early days of the 2013 New Year looks to be quite an effort of planning and management. I upgraded my motorcycle skills and completed an entry-level English as a Foreign Language course. I have been completing dental work to ensure nothing comes loose during the expedition as well as enduring a punishing immunisation regime.

My 132 tabs of Malaria medication arrived today, which I picked up with my Typhoid pills. While I wasn't looking I was jabbed for innoculations of Japanese Encephelitis and Hepatitis A and B. Still to come are the Rabies, Polio, and more. It all makes sense that I need a passport for my body, my bike, and my immune system.

Me riding back from Big Day Out 2011 (Honda CBR 250RR 1996)

I have been investigating different motorcycle options currently with a default position that I will take my Honda CBR 250RR 1996. The TeamMoto Enoggera guys have a really nice motorcycle there that looks like it will do exactly what I need it to do, a BMW GS650 G with some additional modifications. A friend suggested I should investigate sponsorship opportunities before I leave. Perhaps they will be interested.

I have my trip to the Foreign Missions on Monday to secure land border entry visas (with motorcycle) for a number of countries. More updates then.

Adventure begins

Life is a strange thing that seems to center around attachments to people, places, objects, and memory. When those attachments are severed for whatever reason, you are left with a choice of whether to attempt to reattach or to let go.

Although I knew my marriage had issues, I thought these were resolvable. My personal work ethic of being a 'Yes' person had resulted in a steady degradation of all my social relationships as I took on more responsibility than I ever wanted. There are some positions you get offered you just can't turn down - and I'm a 'Yes' person. I had no idea it would result in such pain and chaos for myself, my family, my colleagues and friends.

With a finalised divorce, property settlement concluded, and original career goals fulfilled, I spent time soul searching. I wrote two half novels. One was a dark and violent cyberpunk novel set in Brisbane in the 2030s, telling the story of a corporate orphan who brings about the downfall of a corrupt regime. The other, a military science fiction, tells the story of an admiral afraid of dying who survives the greatest space battle of the age, killing the enemy hero, but losing the battle. I started to draft a third science fiction/space opera novel consisting of the first trilogy about the fall of Earth to an insidious alien race infiltrating human governments, technocrats and industrialists and the story of an American President and Australian Prime Minister who make harsh decisions to save the planet. See my other blogs for more information on these.

They were green and so was (am) I, but I was (am) prepared to put in the time and effort to perfect them. Writing workshops and writer's conferences later, joining critique groups, testing my new skills on short stories, and finding people who believed in what I wanted to do, I know I can write. Now it is a matter of finding the inspiration. The short stories and novels in progress come from continued smoldering creativity that will never wane.

I also invested time writing a 30 page letter documenting all my boundaries, beliefs, and quirks that ended up looking like a User Manual in three sections (physical, mental/emotional, and spiritual). This identified a raft of questions and aspects of my internal state that were not clear, as well as some obvious clashes between past and present.

I looked unsuccessfully for these answers.

My friends and family tell me that what I seek is not here in Australia.

With no further attachment to my old career and my previous, childless marriage, I have been given the opportunity to explore.

My current plan is to make landfall at Singapore in late January 2013 and acclimatise in Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam with motorcycle and getting my legs before turning left and heading West through Myanmar, India, and Pakistan. I am hoping to get to the Middle East and if I make it there, then I see no reason why I couldn't continue to Europe and see my ancestral home of Scotland.

My ultimate goal would be Glasgow, not for any specific reason, other than it is a long way from Singapore and happens to be in my line of travel north-west.


This is my 40th year.

I will be using this blog to document the adventure. Some of it will be mundane, hopefully most of it will be interesting. There will be pictures and perhaps some video, and there will definately be How-To information if I happen across anything useful.