|
Belgium, 20.8.2005
NAMASTE= Hi and welcome , soon form INDIA again,
to our world traveling site per 4x4mobilhome,
We, Jeanne (Dutch) & Luc (Belgian) are now soon on our way AGAIN to INDIA by plane, where our car waits for us at Chennai (ex-MADRAS) on the EastCoast. We're heavily preparing all kind of permits AND alternative routes, should one or other permit not arrive in time/
This is a REAL challenge, as we only have 3 alternative routes:
a) we'd LOVE to drive upnorth INDIA via ethnic minorities / ancient tribes of Orissa state into SIKKIM State for Himalayah views and Tibetia-like monasteries (permit OK), then via Assam state (wildlife park with Indian onehorn rinos and local ethnic villages) drive into MYANMAR (ex Birma), 4weeks for one of the last Asian countries full of rich unspoiled cultures, villages, nature... but still have NO permits despite 4 months of mails, letters etcetera.; then 2weeks into South China (Yunnan) for beautiful canyons, tribes, ... and into Vietnam, then crisscrossing via Laos, Vietnam, Cambodian and Thailand regions to discover more nature, culture, temples, and the world heritage sites enroute (and avoiding malaria, Japanese encephalitis and more dengue fevers!) before heading to Malaysia, then Indonesia where we'd love to travel all the islands, and ship eventually (end MAY 2006) to South Americas: HELAS, hélas, we HAVE to wait for Myanmar lieutenant colonels' decision to let us enter by car; IF we succeed, we''l be again one of the first ever tourists by OWN car to drive in and thru Myanmar!!
b) second option, failing Myanamar's OK: idem to Sikkim, and hoping for a permit to take the NEW border with China, at Nathu La, via a mountainroad (resembling what used to be the Karakoram Highway ages ago (so : full of mud, landslides, rocks, on a real mountaintrack over +5000m height ) into China, to visit mythical TIBET, then same as above: Yunnan, Vietnam....
c) shouLD that also fail, we decide latest 20.9.5 to then ship our car in a container boat to either Malaysia (safer, less bakshish) else Jakarta (JAVA, Indonesia) to do first all islands before the monsoon hits them by November, then driving the other way to Vietnam and Yunnan, etecetera, to come back by MAY to Malaysia to ship to South Americas for next 2 years of our worldtrip.
Indeed, as our readers will know, we intend to visit as travelers (not as tourists) per 4x4 mobilhome each continent during some 2 years EACH. sEE ALL ON DATE OF 12.6.5 WHEN WE STARTED THIS BLOG
All the best, keep intouch, thumbs up for those damned permits for us and our car, and we'll update again soon!
Lucas and Jeanne
This however, not without a necessary (summer)break in Europe from mid June to early September when we’ll return -each year- by plane to our ‘chambres d’hôtes’ residence Lou Castel (100ha private vally with mastervilla in splendid, sunny Southwest France (Tarn), which we also rent out per week for up to 12+2 persons - also see:
www. audetarnloucastel.com).
Our purpose was, is and will remain to meet different cultures, visit the main sites of importance from a point of view of history, nature and art, lifestyle and population.
The first 9 months (on a total of 80) which started in September 2004 (ending this FIRST PART April 2005) we discovered the major points of interest in:
Splendid India, 10.12 till 30.3.5 in +11.150km by car, 2.000km by plane and train, and +100km by rickshaw/taxi/tuktuk/bus in +15weeks: camels, bikes, dogs, monkeys, snakes & queens of the road, desert, dust, garbage, chaotic traffic, cheap but spicy food, friendly but oh so curious people;
- Punjab
- Rajasthan
-Agra, Varanasi, Khajuraho (train, plane, train)
-Mumbay, Goa
-Chennai, Lands’ End
-Kerala, and once more Tamil Nadu: Wildlife & Tea in Nilgiri Hills
-Karnataka and again Goa’s splendid ‘bounty’beaches
-Royal Hampi
-Chennai
* Bucolic Pakistan in 2.200km and 10days, bucolic land with lots of friendly people, + nice escorte by police with Kalashnikovs
* 1.001 Iranese dreams, 10.001 colours, 1.001 sites and 101 encounters in 6 weeks and 9.800km
* Turkish Delight, in 4.500km, with superb archeologic sites in beautiful landscape and nice people all around
Scheduled are the remaining 2*80 countries covering 3.000*80kilometers in our own Toyota:
* 2005-2006: rest of South EastASIA ;
* and then, always during +-2 years, in the most logical order, the continents of:
South and Central America; Africa and Middle East; Australia and New Zealand ;
* And later: The USA, China, Europe and countries/islands we couldn’t reach till then.
It is our aim to return safely (ourselves and car) by +-2015, with LOADS of interesting personal memories and 80*thousands of great contacts; but are realistic enough to know we’ll face at some point unpleasant things (mechanical or health problems, or caused by people else by the force of nature) . Nevertheless we are prepared to continue as long as possible.
With the creation of this BLOG (mid JUNE 2005) we like to offer a faster and easier way than our former website (www.80monthsww.com) in order to inform our friends and relatives or anyone interested in far way cultures.
This blog so far covers:
· some practical questions for anyone to answer regarding our preparations for next year’s travel in SoutEast Asia
· the scheduled worldtrip
· our reflections and impressions of, but also some background info following our first PART by car covering Turkey (4weeks), Iran (6weeks), Pakistan (10days) and of course India (almost 4 months) in a (chrono)logical reversed order
· to be followed soon by : some pictures and our roadmap.
It will be updated at the start off for PART II at the end of September, 2005 . Once on our way again in SouthEast Asia we hope to update it regularly (internet willing) to enable each one of you to follow our traces, Inch Allah (God willing).
L&J
Belgium, 12.6.2005
P.S. please have a look at our questions, maybe you have some answers??!! THANKS in advance!
11-06-2005 om 00:00
geschreven door lucas
|
