A Dunedin couple have travelled from Darwin to Iran on postie bikes. Shawn McAvinue caught up with them as they waited for parts in Pakistan before their final push.
Dunedin couple Stephen Hogg (30) and Celia Neilson (31) bought two Honda CT110 motorbikes in Darwin and travelled with them by boat to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
The couple have since ridden the motorbikes through Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, India, Nepal, Kashmir and Pakistan to Iran.
The couple celebrated being away a year on December 13.
In that time they had spent about $800 on petrol for both bikes and had travelled about 20,000km.
The plan was to complete the trip in a year but they had made it to just over half way.
``In Southeast Asia and Central Asia we were not going that fast,'' Mr Hogg said.
``There's too many bad bits of road, animals, or crazy drivers,'' he said.
The bikes had taken them across a lot of different terrain.
``We've done it all: we've been in the snow, in thunderstorms, river crossings, across boulders and sand,'' Mr Hogg said.
``It's a heap of fun.'' Miss Neilson said.
The motorbikes had ``struggled'' at altitude in the Himalayas because of the lack of air.
``They start to struggle around the 4000m mark,'' Mr Hogg said.
Speaking to the Otago Daily Times via Skype from Lahore, the capital city of the Pakistani province of Punjab, the couple were waiting for motorcycle parts to arrive in the post to give the bike engines an ``overhaul'' before travelling towards Iran.
Mr Hogg said the couple did not want to get caught out anywhere between Lahore and the Iranian border because of the security concerns.
``We will have to have 24/7 police escorts through southern Pakistan so we don't want them to be dragging around mechanics with us,'' Miss Neilson.
Pakistani police insisted on the armed escorts, even in safe areas, Mr Hogg said.
``It seems like it's a bit of a novelty for them to have some foreigners to chat with,'' he said.
``It makes us feel special ... they enjoy chaperoning us, more so than being a legitimate security concern.''
The hospitality in Pakistan had been ``incredible'', Mr Hogg said.
Pakistan was ``the best country'' they had visited, Miss Neilson said.
``It's a shame how Pakistan is portrayed in the media because it's really great,'' she said.
Pakistani residents often paid for meals, mechanic bills, and even offered free accommodation.
``You can't pay for anything, everyone is so, so nice,'' Mr Hogg said.
Since talking to the ODT, the parts have arrived and they have made it to Iran.
The plan was to travel from Iran to Turkey. Weather conditions would dictate the travel plan through Europe before returning home.
The couple expected to return to Dunedin in about six months and said they were looking forward to seeing blue cheese, reliable hot water and family.
Follow their travels on:
www.postietraumaticstress.com.
