BARFistan 2014 - Come ride Pakistan with me!!!

[UDRider]

Please pencil me in for May/June.

 

[rebekahlynn]

I'm rereading the 2013 thread. Issues to address:

-visa
-shots (immunizations)
-timeline (ie. if we leave SFO Friday, arrive Sunday, do those 3 days count in the "two weeks" or is travel time in addition to the two weeks?)
-what to bring
-what customs to be aware of (ie. modest dress)
-flights

 

[Caddywumpus]

-visa

Moin will help with the Visas...

-shots (immunizations)

Start these now... I had 6 in one go and it was... rough...
-timeline (ie. if we leave SFO Friday, arrive Sunday, do those 3 days count in the "two weeks" or is travel time in addition to the two weeks?)

-what to bring

Gear, clothing, travel stuff.
-what customs to be aware of (ie. modest dress)

In the cities women dress ranging from very traditional to very modern. I would say err on the side of caution and not bring shorts...
-flights

 

[khan]

So what's the average overall cost for the entirety of the trip?

I'm interested, wanted to go last time but was uber broke. I have some cash saved up this time.

Im going to hear from the moto companies in a week hopefully, I'm not giving them more time.. but they on board or not the final cost that includes EVERYTHING including air fair, visa and the entire tour is going to cost less than $4500. keep a $500 cushion but it should be more than that.
Dont point a gun at me if you go a few dollar over
but i try to get the more out of this for you guys for the least amount of $$

$1000 per week, 2 weeks in Pakistan.
air fair $1300-1500
$1000-emergencies

roundtrip..

hopefully we'll pick dates soon, so we can start searching/watching flight prices.

i am picking dates soon, really soon, another week max. i really want to attend the polo festival with you guys, but the fasting month and the festival dates are still yet to be determined.. sometimes they finalize the dates 2 weeks before the festival and its impossible to attend that then.

so, if sponsorship for rentals becomes not available, do you think that total trip cost from SF can be be kept to under $4500 for two weeks from SF. not to dampen the spirit of the thing, but a girls got to be careful with the $, you know

scroll up,, it should not got over $4500.

again, the unknown cost is the bike rental , but, damn, this would awesome!!
the Great Game.

ill know this in a few days for sure. ill post up as soon as i figure it out.

Please pencil me in for May/June.

Done!

I'm rereading the 2013 thread. Issues to address:

-visa my experience says you get it in less than 2 weeks, cost $120
-shots (immunizations) Thumper/oceansides can you tell us what exactly you got for barfistan 13?
-timeline (ie. if we leave SFO Friday, arrive Sunday, do those 3 days count in the "two weeks" or is travel time in addition to the two weeks?)your two weeks start when i pick you up from the air port
-what to bring tooth brush
-what customs to be aware of (ie. modest dress) Jeans, pajamas, sweat pants etc. shirts t-shirts etc. In some places its better to have a shawl/scarf around your neck (wimmin). no shorts, no dresses, you'll have to to dress modestly for 2 weeks. i personally have never heard about any problems with women showing skin, but lets just try not to get too much attention on ourself.
-flights get the cheapest ones, I'm going to finalize dates ASAP and then we get flights and apply for visas. flights are anywhere from $1200 to $2200, depending what airlines you choose and what route you want. i will try to help you with this too, i have a friend who owns a travel agency, i will email him right away

i got a PM and thought it'll be better if i post it here and answer it.. so here it goes.


what type of insurance i need. Also, thinking of worse case scenarios, what would happen if someone gets injured or sick mid way and cant ride? Whats the expected plan for the group and what will it take to seek treatment? Thanks.

Im not sure what kind of insurance you should get, you should ask your insurance guys.
Medical bills in pakistan are not like they are in the US. nobody has health insurance there. mostly the emergencies are free or they take donations. but still over sees travel insurance is a good thing to have I'm guessing.

we will have 1 or maybe 2 support vehicles with us depending on how big the group is, the support vehicles are there for emergencies, there are hospitals in every town that are well equipment, Thanks to the western world for helping us out with those

in case you can't drive, the helpers in the support vehicle will hop on your bike and you relax in the support vehicle. if you get sick, we get you checked up, depending on the situation and if everyone else is not an ass hole :two finger we rest for a day or 2 and then move on.. if the situation is out of control and you need to be rushed to a bigger city for better treatment then the support vehicle will take you there over night, or get you to the closest airport and fly you to Islamabad where ill arrange someone who will help you out..

now all of this if is in extreme cases, Barfistan 2013 was the first tour and of course i lack experience so 2014 can only be better. 6-7 days Oceansides and Protokultur both got dehydrated or upset stomachs, and the doctor came to their hotel room in Kalaash and got the meds and an IV to hydrate them..

after that these guys were rockstars through out..




i hope this helps!

 

[wakked1]

Very, very tempted.

For those of you all-in, go visit http://www.sfcdcp.org/aitc.html or your local equivalent. Do it now. Some vaccines take many months to take effect so don't wait till a week before your trip or they will not be able to help you.

Also buy medevac insurance so you can get to a real hospital, and medical transport insurance so you can get back to the US if its really serious.

 

[Cabrito]

Subscribing for the heck of it.

Don't think I can actually do it though.

Would be a cool trip for sure.

 

[rebekahlynn]

Im going to hear from the moto companies in a week ....

Awesome, all of it. I can definitely be modest and polite for 2 weeks. I won't be that American. I'll leave that to lunchbox

I am so excited! I downloaded an urdu iphone app today and am practicing! 6 months should give me just enough time to learn some phrases, gain some confidence, and make an ass outta myself when I land

can't wait, can't wait, can't wait! arty

 

[rebekahlynn]

Very, very tempted.

For those of you all-in, go visit http://www.sfcdcp.org/aitc.html or your local equivalent. Do it now. Some vaccines take many months to take effect so don't wait till a week before your trip or they will not be able to help you.

Also buy medevac insurance so you can get to a real hospital, and medical transport insurance so you can get back to the US if its really serious.

Hey Luke- hope you can make it! and thanks for the suggestions, I'll definitely look into insurance. Btw, loving the F4

 

[Caddywumpus]

RE: Medical

We really didnt need it. In our case of minor dehydration the doctor came to the hotel, and we were right as rain.

Travel insurance sometimes has medical policies ect. The one I had had medical and medical transit included.

 

[Lunch Box]

Awesome, all of it. I can definitely be modest and polite for 2 weeks. I won't be that American. I'll leave that to lunchbox

Hey now! Believe it or not, I can be very well-behaved when I travel.

 

[Momo-san]

Awaiting dates...

 

[Caddywumpus]

If you can do this... do it. Its really awesome. Moin has an awesome crew of people. If anyone has any questions or wants to meet and talk about the trip, id be glad to.

Moin- is Altaf returning for the next tour?

 

[?authority]

July!! for me...pencil me in please

 

[dtrav748]

sign me up for may/june

 

[khan]

If you can do this... do it. Its really awesome. Moin has an awesome crew of people. If anyone has any questions or wants to meet and talk about the trip, id be glad to.

Moin- is Altaf returning for the next tour?

Thanks Kyle for the awesome offer, guys post question here in this thread and kyle is going to help me answer them and give you his view at the preparation as well.

btw Altaf and Mahmood both are onboard.

July!! for me...pencil me in please

Done

sign me up for may/june

Done

 

[protokultur]

This is wonderful. Each tour has sections that are a trip of a lifetime. Days of breathtaking, unspoiled beauty, then next thing you know, you're chilling out in Karimabad in the shadow of Rakaposhi.

Choose your gear wisely. I think the dehydration was made worse by the Cycle Gear Heat Out stuff. Bad choice. Makes you sweat like crazy, and we were riding all day in heat and then high altitude, and then re-hydrating with bottled water. I've never had severe dehydration hit me that suddenly before, so I didn't realize that what we needed was just some ORS or electrolytes. Lesson learned.

I'm in SF and if anyone wants to talk about ride conditions and/or preparation, I'd be happy to talk about it over some drinks or just PM.

 

[Lunch Box]

I'm in SF and if anyone wants to talk about ride conditions and/or preparation, I'd be happy to talk about it over some drinks or just PM.

I will most definitely be taking you up on this offer

 

[Hybridchemistry]

/cry I do want this for the July trip, but I don't think I can swing it this year
stupidcollegetakingupallmymoneyandtime

 

[UDRider]

/cry I do want this for the July trip, but I don't think I can swing it this year
stupidcollegetakingupallmymoneyandtime

Look at it this way time you put in now, will pay in spades later when you actually have free time and money.

... unless you are majoring in basket weaving.

 

[rzypvs]

I'm in SF and if anyone wants to talk about ride conditions and/or preparation, I'd be happy to talk about it over some drinks or just PM.

I'd be interested in a sit down drinks meeting as well....can we set something up in a couple of weeks?