More Pictures

ALVARO YA ESTA EN TAILANDIA ALVARO FROM THAILAND

Hello friends that's it I am in Thailand. I just arrived from Kathmandu, my bike arriving now (or at least that is what I expect) and tomorrow I will be clearing customs (crossed fingers to be smooth and easy). Now I am at my friends house Nirote and his wife Kai, lovely people, I feel like at home here. In few days time I will make a short summary, a list of the greatest people and the greatest bastards I met on my way, and some philosohpy you think about when you are driving. That's all, my trip is over, in less time that expected and although there have been some tough times (come on guys, you know I am not an expert on this...) the balance is quite positive. I am really happy today. Talk to you soon. Rgs

From the stairs of tonight hotel in Nepal

Hi all. I sleep tonight in Nepal. Internet conexion is not really good but enough to write some words. 1 Pakistan. Really not an easy country. Traffic jams are just crazy, most of the infrastructure at the cities is under constructon wich makes their live quitedifficult I travelled 4 days with Bezzho and Mazza 2 great iranian guys who made my live easier those days. In Pakistan there are places not permited for foreigners so we had to makemore km to skip same areas; on the other hand there are controls everywere and in some of the you have to wait for scort ( Baluchistan region, in Punjab no problems). However there were no problems at all with police. One night we had to camp, and we met great people ( really humble persons that even wantedto invite usto have dinner) that let us camp next to their houses. Once tents were fixed police came and told us we had to go to sleep to the police station as the place was no safe. After discussing 40 min And not convice the I was so tired that i went to sleep. 1 hour later I woke upand they had deceided to send 2 policemen to sleep there... I went to Sialkot ( I will write names properly once i have access to a computer and write the story properly). The point is that my friend Ignacio Gago gave me the address of a factory in Sialkot producing motorcycle jackets ( remember I was with no jacket after the bastards stole my new IXS Montevideo (great jacket by the way, I hope the bastards crash with the jacket on but with no helmet). Anyhow, I met the two owners of the factory, 2 great guys and businessmen. I chose a jacket and when I asked them for the price they told me it was a present. I was really emotionated and with not enough words to tell them thank you; they even asked one of his employees to solve me a proble with the lighter plug. So at the end of the day, Pakistan is a tough country but I met really nice people. After Pakistan, India. I crossed Delhi ( huge traffic jums) and went to Agra. As soon as I can I will upload the pictures of Taj Mahal. Really nice place. I went back to Delhi to send the bike to Bangkok ( Burma cannot be crossed with a foreign vehocle) after a new bastard tried to cheat me ( I will also write his name and company) I deceided to come to Nepal as I know here there are some serious companies used to crate and ship the bike. So tomorrow I head to Nepal capital to arrange the transportation. (hope tonight ghere are not any rats as in yesterday hotel , really funny picture with the hotel service people scarringthe rat to leave my room... Btw talkung about animals, in India you can see many monkeys on the road ( hi ... I am not jocking). The point is that I saw today one that was really huge crossing the road. Aprox 1.5 m tall. Really amazing. Others: border with Tibet no probem ( well just another bastard who wanted to play the game to get some money saying chassis number and the carnet du passage were different, I told him I didnt want to play that stupod game and I just left... Others: the police stop me in India one, getting dark and with no people around, my decision: run away. Around 5-8 km later ( I thought I had lost them they caught me in a traffic jam, as there were many people around I asked them their identification ( they never saw it) butpeopleconfirmed they were police. They really didnt know what to do when they saw so many people around, and they just told me to go. Did they have bad intentions? I dont know. Just to say thst this was the only time I was stopped by the police in India, and the other times when I passed police patrol there were just grretings and good mood. Btw sorry if this is ful of mistakes and not properly written. I am writting with my phone. I will try to do it properly once I have access to a computer. Best rgs

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures....

Bad experience with: Iranian police / Pasdaran / Thieves?

With the serenity that days always bring, I am writing down what happened to me in Iran.

Facts Summary

Date: Nov. 21st 2012  aprox. 10 o'clock

Place: Highway Fanemin (Humedan) to Saveh (close to the cows statue)

Car Model that stopped me: Samade colour gray. Not hundred percent sure but quite sure: dark glasses and red traffic plate.

Using a police radio indicate me to stop in the ditch. They asked for the usual questions: passport, where I was going, drugs, guns?   they asked to check my tank bag, they see one of the wallets with local money, they start checking me, jacket, trousers,.... they found the other wallet in my jacket and saw the money (euros). From that moment they started to become rude. One of the two went back to the car and a third person came out from the car with very bad behaviour. I realized they have removed my motorcycle keys. Situation becomes violent. They asked me to take off the jacket for inspection. They were checking it and suddenly got into their car and run away. I hold myself in the front car door until finally got off (thanks God I still had my helmet off(.

Result, Stolen Items:

- 1,050 euros

- 3 credit cards

- Driving license + ID card

- Several injures specially in my right arm.

- Partially broken helmet + Scratches + Torn clothes.

- Set of keys, motorcycle keys + bags keys.

Short description of the policemen / thieves:

1. Driver  1,75 m thinner, around 50, rotten teeth.

2. Beard, darker skin, 1,65m aprox, rotten teeth.

3. Around 30-35  frekles, rotten teeth

(please take into account that in Iran no so many people have rotten teeth, on the other hand among other things, smoking oppium produces rotten teeths)

They fortunately could not remove the tank bag (passport and extra key set). I stood up aprox. 60 meters from my bike, I took the extra keys, switched on the bike and tried to catch them (of course it had passed time so it was quite difficult) in just few km (2 aprox) there was a police patrol

In the police station / s  (In 3 different police stations)

I tried to explained the situation, quite difficult as they dont speak any english (I dont speak farsi). They take me to their police station were they cure my injures. They try to find out some one speaking english. They phone someone that speaks spanish wich I have to say seemed to be an honest guy. I talked to him just for few minutes and he gives me his phone number. I explained them I want to talk to my embassy. They asked me to wait. They take me to a second police station I leave my bike there and from there to a third police station. Nobody speak english but they clearly understand I want to call my embassy.

3rd police station: I talk to someone on the phone that can speak english and tell me he wants to talk to me in person so I have to wait for him. 4 o'clock in the afternoon: I asked to call the spanish embassy many times, also to talk to the guy that speaks spanish again. I get nothing.

4 o'clock: Mr ?? appears, I tried to talk to him but he tells me to wait, they were speaking in farsi. He asked me about what happened. He doestn ask about the description of the 3 policemen / thieves. He says there is not enough information.

They checked my tank bag staff, take pictures, made several reports, I had to write a short report and they made several reports. I was suggested to write that  the police did what they could and asked me to signed several reports including one in farsi. I explain them that I cannot read farsi. They insist. it is around 19h in the evening (from 10 oclock in the morning) I just wanted to leave. They -suggested- me to write I was not going to take it to court. .... I signed all documents.

I asked them copy of the report, they told me that was internal police documentation and they cannot provide me with a copy. I insist, they tell me they can give a copy of the doc. I wrote.   That is what I got.

I asked the name and contact data of the english speaking policeman, he tells me: tomorrow, I explained him I am leaving tomorrow, ... no answer. 

They take me to a cybercafe at 8.30 in the evening and tell me I can send an email to my wife (I had requested them many times to call my embassy of my wife in Spain)  They let me call the embassy from the cybercafe, obiously at that time it was close (I didnt have the embassy emergency phone number).

They took me to a hotel.   end of story.

Btw: In the police station they behave properly with me and even offered me some drink and food.

Next day I went to the spanish embassy in Teheran. They treat me well but couldnt do much for me.. However their support and talking to them was quite positive for me. So thank you 

My Opinion / Feeling  Please, take it as it is, that means, my personal opinion:

It was real police /pasdaran:

- They had great expertise looking for things.

- They were not in a hurry at all, in a road full of police patrols. (in just 2 km I met one)

- After the rubbery, the following days I met 2 different groups of foreigners that have been living in the country many years, all of them said it is the police   (Please understand I dont give names of these people) one of them says they are pasdaran members which are involve in drug and petrol smugling. He told me that the road were the rubbery happened is used by drug smugglers.

- 2 iranians I met at the Pakistan border say they dont think it is the police but fake police.

- After taking to some people I know now 5 similar recent cases.

After the experience, how to act:

- People I talked told  me never try to run away, you can get in serious problems. Better ask to go to police station.   (btw holding the car was really stupid, I even think of it, was just instinct and was useless and just caused me several injures(

I will try to upload pictures.

After the incident I must say I thought to leave the trip. Thanks God I didnt do it. I feel ok now, in Pakistan, in Sialkot, I will by a jacket tomorrow (they produce good jackets here. I have crossed Iran with no jacket...quite cold. ) and in short in India.   

Thx all for your support specially thx Arancha.

rgs

Pakistan - Soon in India

This is Arancha again. Three weeks have passed since Alvaro started his adventure trip and he has already arrived to Pakistan. He has driven more than 8.000 kms and the VStrom is behaving perfectly.

I just can tell you that right now he is in the city of Multan and soon he will arrive to India. People are very nice and friendly here. The landscape is starting to change, when crossing from Iran to Pakistan wherever you look you could only see a huge desert plain as the one in the picture.

In Iran, he had a very nasty experience that he will explain with much more detail as soon as he has access to a computer. The 21st, while driving in a main road, he was robbed, the thieves stole him, among other things, the jacket and the motorbike keys. It's a good thing the weather is not very cold there and, thanks God, he had another set of keys. The most important thing is that he is fine, he didn't suffer major injuries, only some brushes as he hanged on the thieves' car. As the days have passed the shock & anger have gone.

Now that he is in Pakistan, he is going to buy a jacket, thanks Ignacio for the help and contacts, and I'm completely sure that this will be the only sad memory of this great journey.

Alvaro will tell you the whole story once he is back to the civilisation. In the meantime we hope you enjoy some pictures from Pakistan.