Talking around table and a cup of tea today and my brother fancies going across Russia and ending up in Singapore.

Any one suggest a route?

I said I might go with him when the 90 is finished and take a towbar in case his Mazda crew cab should give up enroute

Are we mad?

Just googled the route

Nightmare trip, have to go Mongolia or Iran/Pakistan, the Landy should be ok in Mongolia but not sure about the slitty Mazda

Just take plenty of tea bags and biscuits you will be fine

Easiest route would be Kyrgyzstan through to China then Laos. From there Thailand and down the Malay Peninsula.

China will require a guide and fixed itinery usually in a group and you I think, need a Carnet for Loas and other countries in SE Asia. Shipping out of KL or Singapore shouldn't be a problem. Expensive trip though.

G

Griffdowg said:

Easiest route would be Kyrgyzstan through to China then Laos. From there Thailand and down the Malay Peninsula.

China will require a guide and fixed itinery usually in a group and you I think, need a Carnet for Loas and other countries in SE Asia. Shipping out of KL or Singapore shouldn't be a problem. Expensive trip though.

G

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I prefer to tour Ireland meself

Cant see it coming off, tooo dangerous especially if he goes alone, you can miss china if you go via Mongolia but not a lot of roads that way

Probably best you dont go if you think you can get to Singapore via Mongolia but not through China!

We went alone. The world isn't a dangerous place for individual's really. I guess it depends how much you want it

G

Griffdowg said:

Easiest route would be Kyrgyzstan through to China then Laos. From there Thailand and down the Malay Peninsula.

China will require a guide and fixed itinery usually in a group and you I think, need a Carnet for Loas and other countries in SE Asia. Shipping out of KL or Singapore shouldn't be a problem. Expensive trip though.

G

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This year I went to Mongolia for the second time.
Last year I went to Mongolia not by choice as we were going through the route That Griff suggested above but the Chinese would not allow transit from Kashkar province into any other part of China so we had to exit into Mongolia and reenter into China via another route .
3 days before we were meant to reenter the Chinese stopped our vehicle permits so we were stuck in Mongolia without Russian visas.
The Motor Bikes that I was travelling with flew them to Bankok but I had to arrange a transit visa though Russia and it was only 10 days so had to cover 6000 miles in 10 days.
When I was in Mongolia this year the Tourget pass was closed to tourists as there were Riots in Turpan.
So the moral of this story is no matter how well your trip is planned the Chinese can stuff you about.
You do not need a Carnet for Laos but you do need one for Iran and Pakistan
when driving though China you have to carry a guide with you and has to be arranged though a Chinese tour company If you dont have room for a giude in your car then you have to hire a 4wheel drive and driver to carry the guide.
on the whole its expensive and although you can camp most times the guide will direct you to selected hotels that are allowed to cater for tourists.
As for Singapore for shipping out your vehicle it would be better to ship out from Kula Lumpor as getting your car into Singapore is expensive.

I have also been to Russia 5 times ( the first in 1998) and it is the most friendly place I have been and the people are most helpful if you should happen to break down in remote places.
The changes I have seen in the roads are amazing but they have bypassed all the little villages where the way of life has not changed but you dont get to interact with the people in the markets as there are supermarkets there now. when we first went there we had to sus out where the shops were as there were no signs for them.
The attitude then was if you dont know where to go you should not be there (that applied to Russians but not to us as every one told us where to go)
I hope to go back there again.

Ok, no carnet for Laos but you would for shipping out of Malaysia (KL) and for Singapore.

Did you get your gearbox sorted in the end David? It was good to meet you in UB, took me a while to put 2 and 2 together!

Griffdowg said:

Ok, no carnet for Laos but you would for shipping out of Malaysia (KL) and for Singapore.

Did you get your gearbox sorted in the end David? It was good to meet you in UB, took me a while to put 2 and 2 together!

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Yes I got a reconed box shipped out from UK and fitted it and managed to do the southern route in Mongolia and then through the Alti and back to the UK.
Have also spent a few weeks in the Czech republic and will probably be back in Aus for Christmas but who knows.
when will you be there ?

Were in Indonesia at the moment, flights booked to Melbourne for 24th November, landy arrives on 5th Dec

Griffdowg said:

Probably best you dont go if you think you can get to Singapore via Mongolia but not through China!

We went alone. The world isn't a dangerous place for individual's really. I guess it depends how much you want it

G

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You're probably right

Thanks for your info, appreciated

Think going right across to Vladivostok would be more of an adventure, then turn around and come back

landowner said:

You're probably right

Thanks for your info, appreciated

Think going right across to Vladivostok would be more of an adventure, then turn around and come back

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Now its a superhighway across Russia. you have start going to places like Ust Kut and Jakuts to get a bit of interesting roads and something out of the ordinary.