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China International Sports Travel manager@cist.com
helped us arrange the entire China portion of our expedition and every
aspect was professional and courteous. They can probably arrange a bike
trip as well. Although I had built it up in my mind to be a huge task,
the whole process was actually quite simple to arrange and we made all
of the arrangements in less than one month using e-mail extensively to
communicate. BTW, I don't get anything if you go with them. This is a
genuine good nature referral. Same goes for Iran. Hire a tour company
to get you safely through. We used Pasargad Tours in Iran and they were
top notch info@pasargad-tour.com
These two will let you dictate you itinerary.
Haggle on price (we didn't). It doesn't cost as much as you might think.
We found both companies to be very honest and straightforward when it
came to price. While on the road, if our schedule deviated from the plan
they will charge extra but never did they gouge us like some of the stories
we've heard about other companies.
In Pakistan you can get by without a tour
company, contact the Consulate in Lahore, tell them what you're doing
and request advice.
The number one question people have asked
about our expedition isnıt what you would expect. No itıs not "What was
the most fascinating place you visited?" or "How was the food?" Nope it
was, "How were you able to take that much time off?" For me it was simple.
I quit my job.
"but how did you pay your bills? What did
you do with all your stuff?" Simple, we pre-paid our bills in advance
writing checks and sticking them in addressed, stamped envelopes. Chandaıs
mom mailed them for us when they were due and I wrote a MAIL BY date on
the back of each one to ensure they wouldnıt be late. We continued to
pay rent and utilities. Thatıs not difficult either. Many utilities allow
pre-payment for service. I just sent in a big check to create a credit
balance with the ones that allow this. Oh, the second most asked question
about the expedition was, "Are you going to carry a gun?" Which I think
is an absurd question but I will answer it since so many ask. There arenıt
many countries that will allow you to carry a concealed (permitted or
not) weapon. Most will immediately confiscate it. And most require you
"declare" firearms upon entry. So, if declaration results in confiscation
and failure to declare results in confiscation and penalties (including
imprisonment) itıs just not worth it. Not to mention the argument that
you are probably safer and better off without a gun. They have a tendency
to escalate situations to the point where they are used. Diplomacy is
my weapon. Still, we did consider security an important issue so we put
Doug in charge of security. Heıs a former Navy Soldier and understands
the mindset of would-be bad-doers. He made sure there were always objects
within arms reach to defend ourselves.
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