Category Archives: Paperwork

Stuff about paperwork, customs, borders, immigration officials and more red tape

Day 265 – Bye and Dubai

Leaving the International school in Sohar

Leaving the International school in Sohar

Smooth. Just the whole day went smoothly. We got up in time to have one last breakfast with Lina and Michael at their home in Sohar. After a thankfully brief scene of goodbyes we were alone and ready to pack up our stuff. Two hours after that, we handed the key back to Lina and were on the road for good.

The ride was good as always in Oman. The incoming summer heat was tamed a good bit by light cloud cover and we arrived at the border in no time. We crossed the border in record time. Chapeau to both the Omani and Emirati officials, this was the least painful border crossing yet. Continue reading →

Day 239 – Customs

We had a great breakfast among Afghan and Pakistani expats in a little restaurant near our hotel. Fresh bread, good coffee and tea all for 7 dirham (less than $3 NZ). Nina wisely ordered a second helping of flat bread to help us through the day should things not go to plan.

Pick-up of our passports with the visa in it!

Pick-up of our passports with the visa in it!

The Iranian embassy was a breeze – half an hour wait and we got our passports with the long desired visas back. We also met another overlander waiting there with us. He actually came from Iran with his family in a big truck but was now in the process of organizing to go back. His story was heartbreaking and another reminder that you just can’t plan for all that can happen on the road.

By the time we dropped off our rental car back at the airport, we had gotten an email status update on the bike. Unfortunately, it was a bit nondescript. Last night we were told it would take at least until noon to get it ready for pick up. Not sure what to do we decided on the half way solution of chilling for another hour and then getting over there to pick it up (which later turned out to have been a bad idea).

We knew that the bike needed to be picked up from cargo village further towards the inner city from the passenger terminal but we had no idea how far it would be. In the end, we decided on public transport because of our bags. After waiting 20 minutes on the right bus, we found out that it was only 5 minutes away. In the bus, I also landed my first cultural faux-pas by plonking down in the women and family section of the bus without realizing it. Another expat in the bus was kind enough to explain and I moved to the back of the bus before collecting a fine.

After wandering a bit in the massive area, we found ourselves in the equally massive customer service area of Emirates SkyCargo. We did not know whether or how much additional fees we would need to pay. 250 dirham was painful but still ok. After that we wandered conveniently over just across the corridor to the Emerati customs office to complete the import formalities.

This is where things went wrong for us. I knew that the U.A.E. is a carnet country and had all our documents ready. What I had not found out in time was that for us to be able to clear customs, I had to have insurance for the bike. The customs officer kindly directed us to a place in the next building where we could browse the internet to try and get Rocinante insured. It was made harder by the fact that we chose not to buy a SIM card for the two days in Dubai (we will sure never make that mistake again). We spent an hour but no insurance I found was willing to insure a non-resident. Defeated, we therefore went back to the customs officer. He was able to help us out and got us in contact with an insurance broker that would sell us one month worth of insurance.

Finally, we had made our way to the insurance company in a mall

Finally, we had made our way to the insurance company in a mall

From there, unfortunately, it took us almost two hours to get to the place where we could buy the insurance. In a series of follies we walked with all our luggage back to the terminal, did not find free WiFi, bought a SIM but realized that activation would take three hours, spent even more money on WiFi and finally hopped into a taxi to what we hoped would be the insurer’s office, with 40 minutes to go before they would close at 4 pm. Luckily, it was close to the airport and we got there in time.

Staff was lovely there and when one of the assistants heard about what we were doing, we got interviewed in-depth to the entertainment of all reception staff. This, together with the insurance certificate really lifted our spirits when we hopped into a taxi back to the Cargo Village.

This time we had all the required documents, but it was getting late. There had been a shift change in the meantime and the new customs officer got right to work. As often on our trip, we realized soon that we were the big exception in the way we travel. Having to deal with carnets does not seem to happen often. After the initial paperwork and payment of another 35 dirham, we were directed to the warehouse for a final inspection and to collect the stamps in the carnet.

Rocinante being delivered to us. Right afterwards, I was told off for taking pictures

Rocinante being delivered to us. Right afterwards, I was asked not to take any more pictures.

After all was said and done, the warehouse foreman looked at me and asked where my pick-up transport would be to get the bike delivered to. When I pointed at the bike he was confused, but soon I could get across that I was indeed intend on assembling the bike and riding it out. They dropped the pallet with the bike on an empty space outside and I got to work.

Nina’s worries that we would not be able to put the bike together were quickly dispersed. A bunch of warehouse workers were eager and helpful in uncrating and assembling the bike. By the time we finished, it was quarter to seven and the sun was about to set. What should we do?

I was keen on getting on the road. After putting Lina and Michael’s address into the GPS, I even thought we should stick with our initial plan and ride there all the way. After all, it was only 230 km. The only uncertainty was if the border would be open all night. Riding in the dark was far less of an issue. We saw from the plane that all major highways are lit at night.

Roadside fast food...really necessary as we skipped lunch

Roadside fast food…really necessary as we skipped lunch

We rode out of the Cargo Village and stopped at the next petrol station to fill up. The attached Pizza Hut provided the long overdue dinner and a chance to check with Lina regarding the border. By now, our phone was activated and we had 3G – wohoo! The border turned out to be open 24/7, so by 7.15 pm we were finally on our way (we planned to leave at 2 pm).

Just as we were finally cruising on the motorway, another issue came up. The ABS light was on and I suddenly realised why: The front sensor was not working … because I put the front wheel in the wrong way. So we pulled over in front of some car wash places and with the help of some volunteered Indian expats flipped the front wheel around in record time.

The road was smooth, in perfect condition and well lit.

Good roads, well lit, almost no traffic. We made good progress

Good roads, well lit, almost no traffic. We made good progress

We made it to the U.A.E. border in a little bit more than an hour. Leaving took a bit of time since we only found out after getting our passport stamped that the customs check point was actually before the immigration one.

Next up was Oman. The visa on arrival was straight forward – if a little painful for our strained wallets at this point. We decided to play it safe and went for the 30 day visa instead of the 10 day one. One last check of our bike insurance and we finally made it through at 11.45 pm.

Knackered but happy we arrived at our friends’ place. With just a hint of terror, we pushed the door bell of the flat we thought would be the right one. Luckily, regarding that it was 12.30 am, it was the right one. We got a warm welcome and collapsed soon after into an incredibly comfortable bed …

Day 238 – Sleepless in Dubai

The night on the plane was long. Not uncomfortable but long. I mean, the flight time between Bangkok and Muscat where we had to switch planes was just 5 1/2 hours. Given that we both watched a movie, were fed snacks, our real vegetarian dinner, water and coffee, it did not make for a lot of uninterrupted sleep. At all.

Muscat was just more waiting at the gate for us. Transfer passengers don’t even get to see much of the airport itself. So we waited, hoped on the next plane and I fell asleep immediately. The woman sitting behind us woke us up when she asked Flo if we know why we are delayed. Until then, blissfully asleep, we hadn’t realized that we were off to a late start. The pilot explained at some point that we were still waiting on some passengers (probably a connecting flight) but I couldn’t care less as I got to sleep in a comfy airplane.

The flight from Muscat to Dubai is incredibly short with a flight time of 37 minutes. During that time, we received water and snacks. A lot of snacks. So many in fact that we saved the sandwiches for lunch time because we had already feasted on bread sticks and hummus, a chocolate brownie and chocolate chip cookies.

Arriving at Dubai at the local time of 3am, we stood in line for “foreign passports” for a bit before a staff person got us out and told us to stand a much shorter line. Germans get 30 days visa exempt so we got stamped in and that was that. Picking up our one checked in luggage bag and we arrived in the UAE.

Cute car, was even reasonably affordable for us

Cute car, was even reasonably affordable for us

It was still 4.30am though. And I was really really tired. There was nowhere we had to be yet so we slept for another hour or so in the arrival hall at the airport. At 6am, we decided to have breakfast in an airport cafe. My inner clock told me that it is time for breakfast as in Bangkok it would have been 9am. Checking with the help desk, we found out that the general consulate of Iran opens at 8am and thus, we had more time to spend. At 7.30am Flo rented a car so that we could get around in the city (mathematically that will be cheaper than taxis) and off we went.

Snood as an improvised headscarf to get into the embassy.

Snood as an improvised headscarf to get into the embassy.

The consulate of Iran was straight forward with the process of obtaining a visa. Since we already had a confirmation code, we just had to fill out the visa forms, leave passport pictures with the forms, pay and leave our fingerprints. Everyone was nice and seemed generally excited that we would visit Iran for the first time. I only had a tiny problem…I haven’t bought a headscarf yet so we had to improvise one. In the end, I used Flo’s black cotton motorbike snood as a make-shift hijab which worked surprisingly well but was way too hot.

Everything is ... big.

Everything is … big.

Once we had the application out of the way, we went to Dubai Mall at the foot of Burj Dubai. It’s a mall. Gigantic. Full of things and people and…we didn’t have the money for any of it. Taking pictures was still fun and we saw a lot but mall fatigue set in rather quickly. After three hours, ready for another nap, we left. This time towards our hotel, we hoped to be able to check in around lunch time. Our hotel was on the cheap side (for Dubai) and turned out to be in a quarter where many of the migrant workers live.

I had to take a nap first, then we explored the surroundings. So many flavours of the world. Tiny stalls selling flat breads which just came out of the oven. Falafel and hummus for dinner. So yummy!

Surprised by the fact that the ratio of men to women that we saw walking on the streets changed so drastically, I’d guess that the crowds we saw consisted of 80% men and only 20% women.

Day 237 – Launch day

Time to use the train to the airport!

Time to use the train to the airport!

Today was an extremely relaxed day. Our flight would leave that night at 8.40 pm and we had nothing else planned on that day. In the end, we actually stuck around at our guesthouse until 3 pm, with a bit of coffee and lunch in between to kill the time.

The trip to the airport was pleasantly uneventful. The taxi driver for once did not try to fleece us and the train link out of town is new, clean and efficient.

Waiting at the gate

Waiting at the gate

There was one surprise waiting on us at the airport, though. We went to the check-in counter first thing to find out why we were unable to use the online check in. They told us that they would need to verify out credit card to get the boarding cards. This turned out to be code for “trying to find how you will leave again”. When obviously no onward flights were found, I had to explain myself. The check-in staff was pretty surprised by the explanation and all of a sudden seemed mighty impressed. Someone must have checked out if there really is a ferry going into Iran in the background and when this came back positive, we were sent on our way with temporary boarding cards. We did get the final ones at the gate, much to Nina’s relief.

OmanAir was pretty amazing as far as airlines go. We were on a brand new Dreamliner, with plenty of leg space, top in-flight entertainment and plenty of decent food. So with the soundtrack of “Creed”, we launched into the night.

Goodbye Southeast Asia!

Day 233 – Tiger Cage

Arriving early to stay for the whole process

Arriving early to stay for the whole process

The warehouse would open at 8.30 am and was only 3 km away as the crow flies, giving us ample time to pack and have a leisurely breakfast. There was a beautiful grey cat with sky blue eyes living at the resort, and she joined us in the hope for scraps. Only one of us was disappointed in the end 😉

Both our resort and the warehouse were at the eastern edge of town, where rice paddies and wooden huts mix with motorways and industrial development on a lot by lot basis. Luckily the GPS was un-phased and we had the coordinates for the place. I sometimes wonder how people found anything in places like this before good maps and GPS …

Battery has to be disconnected. Also note that the wind screen and mirrors are gone

Battery has to be disconnected. Also note that the wind screen and mirrors are gone

At the packing place, people were already busy at work. I was determined to stick around and make sure the box ends up as small as possible, after the disaster in Auckland. Since it was only for sea freight then, the enormous box only lost us about $100, but this time the story was different. I knew how small the bike could be packed from the crate I built for when we shipped the bike to New Zealand. The difference between these two crates would be $1500 NZ in air freight fares, so I was not about to leave that to chance.

Sure enough, the first suggestion from the master crate maker was comically huge – coming out at a volume weight of 550 kg. So with some pointing and an old picture of the bike in the crate I made, he agreed to these measurements – resulting in a crate with 375 kg volume weight.

Third step: Secure the front fork so the bike can't move

Third step: Secure the front fork so the bike can’t move

We had to wait a little while for the guys to finish an urgent order of some 15 pallets – all build from scratch – to finish. That gave us just enough time to finish the paperwork. But soon enough, the base pallet was assembled and I joined the guys in getting the bike in place. Getting the front wheel out was a bit of a mission without a jack, but it worked. Some re-positioning and the bike was being secured on the pallet.

Next step was getting all the other bits and bobs on and shrink wrap it all up like Spiderman’s wildest dream. While taking some pictures, we realised just in time that we had left the surface in one pannier. I rushed down and saved it from the clutches of the wrapper just in time.

The final product: Rocinante in a tiger cage

The final product: Rocinante in a tiger cage

The crate was nice and solid in the end and came in at about 1/4 of what we payed in New Zealand. Then again, also came with an annoyance in the end. Once everything was done, master crater Bob realized that he forgot to take the pallet itself into account and the box ended up 10 cm higher. I once again scold myself for being respectful and nice and suffering the fool in the end. So here we are, with a crate slightly bigger than the one I build myself – costing us another 200 euro in freight more than it needed to.

The whole affair took us less than 2.5 hrs. By 11 am, we were in a taxi on our way to central Bangkok. We even got to use the cursed elevated highways for the meager fee of 75 baht – since this time we were in a vehicle with the “appropriate” number of wheels.

Expensive but moldy "superior" room in central Bangkok...disappointed

Expensive but moldy “superior” room in central Bangkok…disappointed

Our hotel ended up as quite the disappointment. We chose a recommendation from the lonely planet, and it was not cheap (by our standards). Even though the room was big, it was damp, moldy and smelly and overall a lot tourist trappy in its feel.

For lunch, we went to a recommended vegetarian Thai restaurant, but were a bit disappointed again. The area here, near Khao San Road, is called a “backpacker ghetto” by some and we are learning why. Here more than anywhere else, we get the feeling that a lot of the economy is based on whities fresh from the plane with no idea of what things should cost. It is not uncommon that you can get a pad thai of similar quality for 40 bath in one place and 140 baht next door.

One of Bangkok's canals in evening light during our food hunt

One of Bangkok’s canals in evening light during our food hunt

That night we also went through the ordeal of buying flights for Dubai. Initially we wanted to leave on Saturday, but there were no good deals available any more. Only Emirates flies directly and their prices are about 50% more than any other one stop would cost. We ended up with a good compromise with an overnight flight Sunday to Monday via Muscat that was about 10% more than the cheapest flights but would save us one night in a hotel. But just when we wanted to buy it, it was not available anymore! From previous experiences I knew that researching flights can lead to increased prices or even offers being gone entirely because every site locks the flight for 15 minutes or so to complete your booking. Looking at more than one site at once can lead to gridlock. Lucky for us, just waiting an hour to release all the reservation did the trick and we were able to book. Dubai, here we come!

Day 227 – Stats 108 Laos

The small test ride I did today does not really justify a full blog post on its own. Therefore, it is time and we have the space for another stats post.

Country data #8: Laos

Full screen version of the map

  • 3228 km in total. 2979 km traveled, 249 km towed (2923 km of GPS tracked)
  • 13 travel days, 23 days total
  • $18.89 Average cost per night (23x room, no invitation)
  • 151l of standard fuel for $  214.25 (5.1 l / 100km)
  • ~$31.62 for food every day, always eating out with no invitations
  • ~$2,900 in total – $900 to be refunded by the insurance

All $ values are converted to NZD.

Day 224 – All in one day

Tuk-Tuk to the hospital

Tuk-Tuk to the hospital

We had organized breakfast last night already, with chocolate croissants waiting for us in the morning. Thus, we were ready to go to the hospital before 8am. Flo called both possible hospitals beforehand, ruled out the one where the people on the phone didn’t speak English and decided that we would take a tuk-tuk taxi to the McCormick hospital.

Arriving there, we were flabbergasted by the difference: This was a proper hospital. Gigantic compared to anything facility we had been to lately. However, size and professionalism of a hospital come with another western achievement…bureaucracy. Thus, the first thing to do was register as a patient. Which turned out to be not that straight-forward without a Thai insurance. Despite having our Insurance Certificate with us and despite having our insurance give the hospital a guarantee of payment via email, it was not enough. A THAI insurance needs to give this guarantee, not an international one. So we ended up paying for the treatment upfront and will claim back the expenses.

Finally, a modern hospital

Finally, a modern hospital

With all the bureaucracy b******t out of the way, Flo had a first examination. The doctor spoke English quite well, wrote an accident report and proceeded to test Flo’s arm. The elbow was much better already but the rotation of the arm resulted in screaming and Flo giving it a 9 out of 10 on a pain scala. Just to be absolutely sure, the doctor ordered another x-ray, this time of the forearm. The x-ray was digital this time, of a much better quality and ready in no time. Still, nothing is broken. The doctor suggested about another week for recovery and recommended physical therapy to help the process. So I hung around the hospital some more while Flo had physical therapy. I have to say, he was not quite convinced afterwards which bugged me a bit as I know how effective it can be. I haven’t worked in a physio therapy office for four years without picking up one or two things. At least, the therapist was able to give a slightly better diagnosis: The elbow is sprained while the muscle between the two forearm bones is strained.

The truly amazing Peter and Leonie from Amsterdam to ... Anywhere

The truly amazing Peter and Leonie from Amsterdam to … Anywhere

Afterwards, we had lunch and relaxed for a while before having some cake and coffee in the late afternoon. Then, we met up with Leonie and Peter of Amsterdam to Anywhere. They had contacted us a while back but we hadn’t managed to actually meet yet. So we had this lovely evening with food from a local market and then a drink at the Rider’s corner. Flo tells me that the Rider’s Corner in Chiang Mai is one of THE places to meet overlanders, so that was fitting. We clicked pretty straight away so that great conversation ensued. All of us are going to be in town for a while longer so we made tomorrow evening another date. 🙂

 

 

 

Day 223 – Pick up line

The owner of our guesthouse organised a pick-up truck to drive us to the border himself

The owner of our guesthouse organised a pick-up truck to drive us to the border himself

Well, here we were. Ready to load the bike onto the back of our guesthouse owner’s Hillux and to leave Laos for good. It hurts – also quite literally, which works as a constant reminder of the rational to leave via truck. Still, skipping almost 400 km, or at least traveling by other means, feels like a little defeat.

We even had to ask Marten to interrupt his morning routine to come help load up the bike. Everything was tied down pretty solid, I got the money from an ATM and off we went. The Hillux was a good mode of transport, however, comfortable back seats meant that the hatch didn’t fully close while Rocinante was back there.

Saying good-bye to the guesthouse owner at the border

Saying good-bye to the guesthouse owner at the border

The road towards the border town of Houay Xai was a lovely mountain road, if in a bit of disrepair in places. The first two rough bits still let our heads snap round to the back, but Rocinante was tied down quite well. Only 191 km, but the windy road and careful driving meant that it took quite a while. Including a brief coffee break on the roadside, the whole leg took a bit more than three hours.

Getting the bike down at the border was exhausting in the heat. We did bring a ramp but three people, Flo with his arm in a sling, weren’t enough for a safe affair. When I went to recruit two “strong” guys to help unload, all four guys around felt that could only mean them. All the better. 🙂

Flo had to ride for the bit in between borders

Flo had to ride for the bit in between borders

The border posts are on opposite sides of the Mekong river, connected by Friendship Bridge number 4. This meant that I did have to ride the bike, at least for the 2 km between borders. A fact that got Nina pretty nervous to begin with. I took an Ibuprofen and bit down the pain.

Border crossing was a smooth affair, if a bit tiresome. Heaps of bureaucratic procedure meant that we would need the whole of two hours. Nina had to fill out all the forms as I simply cannot write with my left hand. All the while, our pickup was waiting only 10 meters away, just in sight.

Our pick-up on the left...with no ramp

Our pick-up on the left…with no ramp

Said pickup was provided by a young couple and their Isuzu truck.  They did not bring any kind of ramp or recruited help, so getting the bike up took another moment. Some workmen came past and we used a pile of dirt on a building site nearby as a ramp. At least the bed of the truck was long enough to get all of the bike in and close the latch. On the downside, the rear seats in the cabin had that much less space and would rather qualify as “emergency seats”. Ah well.

Again, no ramp but lots of manpower this time

Again, no ramp but lots of manpower this time

In the end, it took us another 5 hours to reach our pre-booked guesthouse in Chiang Mai. All we had to eat since breakfast were a round of snacks from a 7eleven. The guesthouse sure lived up to its reviews. The staff was supremely helpful and eager. They lifted the bike of the back even without a ramp and carried all our stuff up to the third floor to our lovely room.

It was late, 8 pm by the time we shambled out one last time in search for food. The big weekend market was on, so we walked all the way to the center of the old town for some nice street food treats and an interesting chat with a pair of German expats.