It takes two to three months to organise the official Chinese guide for the journey through China. They require all my personal details and the vehicle details well in advance. Apparently not only are there national authorisations to obtain but also regional. For that reason I will not get the trip done this year.
There are several official 'guide' companies that provide this service. I have contacted several of them and the cost of their services appears to be reasonably uniform. The cost is around the $13,000 mark which covers the guide, the vehicle as well as all the other expenses not including my own hotel accommodation, meals, fuel, etc. The cost can be reduced to about $10,000 if you have your own vehicle that the guide can be seated in.
It is very expensive and out of the reach of most although some European companies charge mega dollars if you join them on one of their tours. They seem to find customers with the money to spend. Their tours are probably worth every cent but not for me.
If you want to go with a large tour company the link below may be of interest to you.
One such tour company
Even $10,000 is a huge cost for a single motorcyclist to pay for travel across one country. That cost would be reasonable if shared between several independent riders. The 'guide' companies I have registered with will try to find another group I can join. We have several months so lets hope it happens or if you want to go and are reading this contact me -
dsta3028@gmail.com
So not this year but next year a big possibility. Need others to join me or join other customers the guides may find.
Keep smiling because it is only a delay - next year it will happen.
