Dave’s Reise nach Osten

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My plan was to cross Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and to cycle to India like that in one line. Now, Pakistan seems to be a no-go area at the moment. A lot of refugees, attacks and a high chance of getting kidnapped. Watch the tele news attentive and you know what I am talking about.

When planning this trip, I always said: If the security situation in Pakistan does not get better, I just take the bus through the country. That does not sound good to me anymore too, as the Swiss department of foreign affairs recommended to visit Quetta only by airplane as the road should be too dangerous. That would have been the first bigger city on my path…

Some of you may wonder now why I am not just following the coast. Simple answer: the only border between Pakistan and India that is open is in the north, close to Lahore.

So what to do? The recommended option (green on the map) is to cross all the -stans: Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazahstan, then entering China. And then either over the Karakorum Highway into Pakistan and over the border (ok, Pakistan again, nogo) or via Nepal into India. The whole thing is a big administrative hassle, as the visa policies of the -stans are very strict and not tourist friendly. For Turkmenistan for example, if you want to enter as a tourist you need to engage a guide! It is also possible to just get a transit visa which for you don’t need to engage a guide, but only for 3, maybe 5 or even 7 days. Not a lot. But Central Asia should be a great place to visit, so travelling there is worth it despite all the organisation it takes. There is one big problem for me. It is called winter. I could be in Turkmenistan at the beginning of October when it is still possible to cycle. But to do the whole bow, I would either have to cycle on days with less than 10° Celsius (maybe less than -10°) or take buses.
So, right now the best option for me (violet on the map) seems to be taking a ferry from the Iran to the United Arabic Emirates and from there either search for a ship (does anyone knows something about ship connections between the UAE and India?) or a plane to India.

Show on a bigger map

I also thought of doing a complet different route, like cycling from Istanbul to Jerusalem or from the UAE through Oman, Jemen to Africa. But I realized that I really want to experience the Iran and that India is an integral part of my trip. I go there. Somehow.