Motorcycle RN
Pretty Vacant
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2007
- Location
- Modesto,CA
- Moto(s)
- '04 GSXR600, '85 RZ350, '88 TV250, Santa Cruz Superlight
- Name
- Scott
Stans 2025
I could write a long novel about this trip. The experiences we had and the people we met were amazing. The impetus for this trip started a few years ago, Moin Khan & I discussed the possibility of riding the Pamir Highway which goes through Tajikistan & Kyrgyzstan along the Afghan border. For thos not familiar with Moin, he’s been leading tours around Pakistan with his company “A Different Agenda” for several years. Smash cut to Winter 2025, Moin messaged me about doing the ‘Stans tour in the summer which would include Afghanistan. He asked me how I felt about it, I replied, ”Nervous”. After a shootout occurred in Modesto by Trader Joe’s where I shop, I texted him, “I’m in.”
I arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan on 6/24/25. The next day we went to the Afghan consulate for visas. We met with the ambassador who approved our visas. At first they gave us visas for air arrival only, we told them we needed land visas and they were accommodating. We asked for road permits and were told we could get them at the consulate in Peshawar.
The next day we rode to Peshawar. We met up with Moin’s friend Shah-baba who has a garage where we could store our bikes. We also met up with Dragos & Simona from Romania. They were riding from Romania on a trip around Asia. Moin met them the week before in Northern Pakistan. They would accompany us for most of our journey.
The next day we went to the Afghan consulate to get road permits. The answer was no. Apparently there’s no agreement for private vehicles to cross the Pakistan/ Afghan border. They told us that if we got Carnet they might issue road permits. We drove 6 hours to Lahore on a Saturday, waited for the auto club to open on Monday, and got carnet. We drove back to Peshawar arrived Tuesday AM, went to the Afghan consulate with our carnet and were once again denied road permits. A 5 hour staring contest with Taliban officials netted no results. Moin went back the next day to try again and still no-go. At dinner that night we came up with all manner of plans to cross into Afghanistan. The Romanians had already crossed Afghanistan and had road permits. We decided to take all of our paperwork to the border and try our luck.
The next morning on July 3rd we rode over Khyber Pass. We passed miles of trucks waiting to cross the border. We went through customs and passport control which took about 3 hours. We were given back our passports & paperwork and sent into no-man’s land with one official standing between us and the Afghan border. We elected Dragos to show him our paperwork. He convinced the guy to let us pass. On the Afghan side we expected the same long process. Within half an hour our passports were stamped and we were on our way. Our Central Asia trip was finally underway!
Once we’d crossed the border we rode on to Jalalabad. Because of the time we took at the border, most of the ride was in the dark. In Afghanistan lane choice and lighting are optional. After a few hours of white knuckle riding we arrived in Jalalabad. We found a nice hotel with a restaurant across the street. Dinner was was good and the owner didn’t want to charge us. I wound up paying him $11 because we had no Afghani cash.
I could write a long novel about this trip. The experiences we had and the people we met were amazing. The impetus for this trip started a few years ago, Moin Khan & I discussed the possibility of riding the Pamir Highway which goes through Tajikistan & Kyrgyzstan along the Afghan border. For thos not familiar with Moin, he’s been leading tours around Pakistan with his company “A Different Agenda” for several years. Smash cut to Winter 2025, Moin messaged me about doing the ‘Stans tour in the summer which would include Afghanistan. He asked me how I felt about it, I replied, ”Nervous”. After a shootout occurred in Modesto by Trader Joe’s where I shop, I texted him, “I’m in.”
I arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan on 6/24/25. The next day we went to the Afghan consulate for visas. We met with the ambassador who approved our visas. At first they gave us visas for air arrival only, we told them we needed land visas and they were accommodating. We asked for road permits and were told we could get them at the consulate in Peshawar.
The next day we rode to Peshawar. We met up with Moin’s friend Shah-baba who has a garage where we could store our bikes. We also met up with Dragos & Simona from Romania. They were riding from Romania on a trip around Asia. Moin met them the week before in Northern Pakistan. They would accompany us for most of our journey.
The next day we went to the Afghan consulate to get road permits. The answer was no. Apparently there’s no agreement for private vehicles to cross the Pakistan/ Afghan border. They told us that if we got Carnet they might issue road permits. We drove 6 hours to Lahore on a Saturday, waited for the auto club to open on Monday, and got carnet. We drove back to Peshawar arrived Tuesday AM, went to the Afghan consulate with our carnet and were once again denied road permits. A 5 hour staring contest with Taliban officials netted no results. Moin went back the next day to try again and still no-go. At dinner that night we came up with all manner of plans to cross into Afghanistan. The Romanians had already crossed Afghanistan and had road permits. We decided to take all of our paperwork to the border and try our luck.
The next morning on July 3rd we rode over Khyber Pass. We passed miles of trucks waiting to cross the border. We went through customs and passport control which took about 3 hours. We were given back our passports & paperwork and sent into no-man’s land with one official standing between us and the Afghan border. We elected Dragos to show him our paperwork. He convinced the guy to let us pass. On the Afghan side we expected the same long process. Within half an hour our passports were stamped and we were on our way. Our Central Asia trip was finally underway!
Once we’d crossed the border we rode on to Jalalabad. Because of the time we took at the border, most of the ride was in the dark. In Afghanistan lane choice and lighting are optional. After a few hours of white knuckle riding we arrived in Jalalabad. We found a nice hotel with a restaurant across the street. Dinner was was good and the owner didn’t want to charge us. I wound up paying him $11 because we had no Afghani cash.
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