[HH europe to asia] route, visas and climate

[nielba]

hello everyone..! im "planning" an HH long term trip to, let's say, SE asia.. solo male, schengen passport (italy)
i was thinking two general routes: via the silky road, to china and then SE asia or through iran, pakistan, india and then SE.. to me it doesnt really matter, i have never been in those countries so everything will be new and good, but..

the first route it seems "easy", regarding visas at least, until u have to deal with china.. while the second, with pakistan in between, its up to your luck i guess.. on the other hand im a bit concerned about the climate, i'll take off around april, going to greece then turkey etc soo i guess i'll have around 5/6 months to get to china or xinjang is already too cold in september/october..?! and what about the police there..?! i read its a bit tricky..



what would you or what do u suggest..?! thx everyone..

[emmeff]

Hitchhiking is not free in most of the countries you mention. Most drivers in Central Asia will stop to offer a lift, if you indicate that you want one, but you will have to negotiate a fee. The same rule applies in Iran.

Also, in many areas you cannot get to the border zone by hitching a ride. These areas are controlled and your movements will be regulated by the border guards. In particular, getting to the border beween Iran and Pakistan requires submitting yourself to the border guards on both sides.

On the Pakistan side, you will have to wait for the border guards to arrange transport for you along with a police escort for a journey to Quetta of perhaps three days, and you will be encouraged to pay for this service. Your movements will be restricted until you are escorted to the train or bus departing from Quetta -- you won't be allowed to hang around to wait for a ride.

Then there are visa issues. At this time, you must get your visa for Pakistan in your home country or try for a transit visa (which is intended for pilgrims) in Iran. If you apply for a visa for China and you indicate that you will enter the country from Central Asia you will be rejected. You will need to submit an itinerary that shows only travel in the eastern part of the country, and you may have to show flight bookings to back that up.

Good luck trying to hitch a ride from any Chinese border post.

I suggest that you need to do a lot more research into the practicalities before setting off. You can certainly travel the routes you have in mind, but you need to change your expectations significantly.

[nielba]

thx for the advises..!
that's why Pakistan in particular was just an idea, while I'm more into going through the stans and China..

submitting fake plans to Embassies is kind of normal, why do you think it might be a problem with china.?!
and what do you do to avoid hitching into borders which I know it can be troublesome most of the time.?! walk through and then once u pass it (hopefully) walk more to a place where u feel safe enough to try again right..?!

as well I'm not an HH integralist.. other than train or busses if possible or needed I'm willing to pay a fair amount for a ride, no big deal..

[yougidoug]

Hi
I'm planning a similar trip.
I found a lot of important informations about border crossing on this website. I have in mind cross to Tadjikistan / Kirghizistan to China. Actually there is 3 options : Irkeshtam pass, Torugart Pass (both Kirghizistan) and Qolma pass (Tadjikistan)
From what i read this is the most tricky stuff on the road to SE... Because of the Chinese visa particullary.

About what have been said earlier, i read a french Travel blog on which the lady hitchike on the silk road. Even if shared taxi are the common thing and in some place you have no choice (per exemple between Kirghiz border to Wuqia where there is immigration services) you Can still hitchike in most of the roads in Central Asia but indeed the driver need to understand you don't wanna pay for the lift.
Prepare a kind of paper with a short resume of your project in russian per exemple can be a good Idea...

[steven]

I think you guys will be fine, you will quickly figure it out on the road. Before, visas and border crossings were a problem for young travelers because they were not prepared and ended up getting stuck with no way out but to fly, but these days, visas are easy except for Turkmenistan, border crossings are almost all of them open, young people in the cities speak English, and possible issues are well documented online.

So if you don't feel like doing a lot of research, just go! Only the Chinese and Turkmen visa, you should have a good read about your options there.

[nielba]

thx Steven for your reply..!
yeah as u said considering visas and which borders are open or not not an issue anymore I think u can figure out quite quickly other potentially problems..

about the Chinese visa sure, I'll try to get one back home, 6 months validity if possible..

but I have another question now.. I was reading about Pamir highway and it sounds amazing sooo yeah I would like to try.. general plan is catching a ferry from Azerbaijan to Kazakhstan, immediately crossing to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kirghizistan, again Kazakhstan and then china..
is it possible to get two Kazakhstan stamps that close one to the other..?!
thx..



Visa runs: You can enter and re-enter visa-free as many times as you like, indefinitely. It is entirely possible to re-enter the same day. Every time you re-enter, you get a fresh 30 days.

well I guess this is my answer..

[steven]

Visa runs: You can enter and re-enter visa-free as many times as you like, indefinitely. It is entirely possible to re-enter the same day. Every time you re-enter, you get a fresh 30 days.

well I guess this is my answer..

I am way ahead of you