Ch-ch-ch Changes

Looking at maps and talking to some bikers over here, I’ve come to decide on a few big changes to the plan for my trip post Christmas. Before then it remains fairly straightforward – around India and Nepal ending up in Kathmandu late December to fly home for a two week break over Christmas to catch up with friends and family. After then, the plan, originally riding to Bangladesh then South India, changes significantly. 

Tom, an Austrian who did the exact same ride from Kathmandu to Goa last year said it's two weeks of riding through fog bound desert environments for hours a day with relatively little to see. Adding to this I really don’t want to fly out of India to New Zealand, because the customs process has been a nightmare, much better everyone says, to fly out of Nepal as many people do with far less hassle. So that would involve another two week trip back up to North India, then Nepal, losing a total of 4 weeks to slogging cross country with little to see.

Recommendations over lunch one night from Tom, Praveen and Ashwani (local riders) suggested flying my bike home at Christmas time from Nepal (cheapest and easiest option). Then in early January flying back into Goa, hiring an Enfield for a while from there, then flying onto NZ and buying a bike locally over there, selling it when I’m done. 

Ashwani, Praveen, Tom & I with
Tom's big 1200GS

This solves so many problems in one go, and frees up so much time and money I can’t see any other way of doing things now. Apart from the fact I would love to have a ride on an Enfield anyway, they’re so full of character, I still get to motorcycle anywhere I choose, but without having the huge concern of shipping my bike to and from New Zealand when time will be more of an issue than I has been to date. 

So the next few weeks, once my bike is delivered from DHL (one week and waiting) is to ride a loop around northern India taking in plenty of touristy sights, move onto Nepal in late October for some riding and walking, then ship my bike to England, and fly back myself for Christmas. Storing my bike at Mum & Dad’s place hopefully, I’ll then fly back to Nepal, change for a short local flight to Goa saving a 2,000 mile slog, giving me January to March to explore southern India on an Enfield before returning the bike and flying to New Zealand with no hassle of crating and freighting a bike to a country with incredibly strict import requirements (no wooden crates I believe would be the first problem). 

I was planning to ship my bike back from the UK from India anyway as the cost of freighting to NZ, then back to the UK would be astronomical, I should imagine little change from £4,000 at least. With that much at play, I could buy a bike there (spotted a Yamaha v-max – one of my dream bikes!) and sell it when I’m done. Even anticipating a loss for a quick sale, it would be a fraction of the cost. 

This also gets around me having to renew my carnet which has a cost as it would expire when I’m in NZ, so really, I think the second 6 months of the trip will be more about using local transport than making a continuous trip with my bike. 

It comes at a cost of pride for not doing the whole thing on “my” bike, but the cash cost alone makes the argument sound.