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This family of four travels Asia on a bus: this is their story

2023-02-08T20:50:40.128Z


Nina and Kai Schakat decided to embark on a long journey through Asia with their two teenage children on board a bus. This is how your journey goes.


(CNN) --

Packing up and going on a long road trip was something Nina and Kai Schakat, both Germans, had envisioned doing together in retirement.


But following the death of Nina's father and the impact of the global covid-19 pandemic, the couple, who have two children, Ben, 11, and Leni, 10, decided they couldn't wait any longer.

"We were wondering why everyone waits until they retire," Nina tells CNN Travel.

"And we set ourselves the challenge of thinking about whether a trip like this is possible to enjoy with children when they are at the right age to understand the trip and still want to travel with their parents."

The Schakats took a "test" trip to Oman shortly before embarking on their big adventure.

Credit: 8feet6wheels

When they began to investigate a possible trip to Asia, the Schakats, who have lived in Dubai for about 15 years, quickly realized that they would have a very difficult time paying for accommodation and flights for four people and began to look for means of transport. alternatives.

Realizing that a van would be too small, since their children are "a bit taller," they opted for a bus.

The Schakats then bought an old bus from an Indian vehicle manufacturer called Ashok Leyland for $6,000 and set about turning it into a fully equipped home on wheels.

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Trip by bus

The Schakats spent $40,000 to convert this bus into a fully equipped home on wheels for travel.

Credit: 8ft6wheels

Over about nine months, they outfitted the 40-foot-long and 8-foot-wide vehicle with a dining and living area, two bunk beds, a shower room, and a master suite.

They also installed solar panels and a large water tank.

A look inside the Schakat family bus.

Credit: 8feet6wheels

Lastly, the couple hired an artist friend to paint a colorful mural outside for a more fun and kid-friendly twist.

According to the Schakats, the total cost of the renovation was about $40,000.

"We have a fully equipped kitchen with a big fridge, freezer and washing machine," explains Kai, who worked as a truck driver for several years and got his bus license before the trip.

"We have everything [we need]. We can spend a week somewhere without needing water or electricity, and we have enough supplies [to last us]."

The Schakats began their journey in Iran and ended up returning to the country after diverting to Turkey.

Credit: 8feet6wheels

Before fully committing to the trip, the family took a test drive from Dubai to Oman, both "to see if they liked it" and to check that all the new fixtures and fittings on the bus were running smoothly.

"We had to work out a few hiccups," Nina admits.

Once satisfied, the Schakats dedicated themselves to preparing the trip and putting everything in order to be able to park their lives in Dubai for 13 months.

“It was exhausting,” Nina admits, adding that both she and Kai worked until the day before they left.

"There were thousands of things to take care of."

After sending the bus to Iran last August, the Schakats traveled to the country by ferry to collect their vehicle, climbed aboard and set off on the journey they had dreamed of for years.

Although they had initially planned to drive from Iran to Pakistan, heavy flooding in parts of Pakistan since late summer last year forced them to abandon that route.

Instead, they chose to drive to Turkey and spend a few weeks in the central region of Cappadocia, famous for its "fairy chimney" landscapes, before returning to Iran and trying to cross into Pakistan again.

The Schakats in a traditional Punjabi wrestling match in Lahore, Pakistan last year.

Credit: 8feet6wheels

Unfortunately, the political situation in Iran had changed a lot during his stay in Turkey, and his second visit turned out to be a very different experience.

The death of a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish girl had sparked protests, and the authorities were trying to contain the spread of the protests by cutting off the internet.

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This meant mobile networks were largely shut down and access to Instagram and WhatsApp, which the family relied on to keep friends and family up to date on their whereabouts, had been restricted.

"We crossed Iran very quickly, because we didn't have internet," explains Nina.

"Before, we were always in touch with family and friends. But suddenly, we were completely out of reach and no one knew where we were."

Cope with setbacks

Kai, Ben, Leni and Nina in the Bagh-e Fin garden in Iran.

Credit: 8feet6wheels

They had no choice but to stay in the country for about two weeks as their visas to enter Pakistan could not be processed and the borders were closed due to the political situation.

After about 10 days of driving around Iran waiting for their visas to be processed, they had almost given up hope and were making plans to send their bus back to Dubai.

Just in time, however, the Schakats got their visas for Pakistan in mid-October.

They provided them with an armed escort during the journey from Pakistan to India, which lasted about six days.

Since leaving Pakistan, the Schakats have been traveling around India, "going around the country in an anti-clockwise direction."

"We lived through it all together," says Kai.

"There aren't really any new stories to tell. But we still have a lot to talk about."

Credit: 8feet6wheels

Nina admits that her children Ben and Leni, whom she describes as "very social", have had a bit of a hard time adjusting to life on the road.

"Suddenly you're on a bus with four people, two almost teenagers, 24/7," he says.

"You learn how far you can challenge the kids."

She admits that it has been difficult for everyone having to keep up with online studies while traveling, especially the children, who miss hanging out with their school friends.

"You get distracted all the time because you want to explore the area, and then you need to sit down with a kid for a couple of hours a day to do the work, because there are deadlines," he adds.

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And while the Schakats have enjoyed their company most of the time, they can't help but miss being around other people.

"We lived through it all together," says Kai.

"Actually, there are no new stories to tell. But we still have a lot to talk about."

Luckily, the family's flashy bus has served as a conversation starter and has led them to meet lots of new people.

"It has helped us a lot," Nina explains.

"It opens the doors to communication and connecting with people. It's very child-friendly. Everyone sees that we travel with children."

One of the highlights of his trip so far has been spending Christmas on a "lonely beach" between Mumbai and Goa with five other exploring families.

For their part, Ben and Leni were impressed by Hampi, an ancient village in the southern Indian state of Karnataka.

"I think it's her favorite place so far," says Nina.

"It's like something out of an Indiana Jones movie, with all the temples and monkeys and rock formations in the landscape. It's just amazing."

Of course, there's no getting around the fact that driving a huge bus can spell trouble at times, and the family has had its fair share of mishaps.

"Every day you have a heart attack," says Nina, before describing some of the run-ins they've had with motorbikes while driving on busy roads.

"My husband is a superstar bus driver. The amount of hours he's spent behind the wheel is insane. I think he's gotten a couple of gray hairs on the journey."

Reduce speed

At the top of the Zigana pass in northeastern Turkey.

Credit: 8feet6wheels

Although Nina had hoped to be able to take over some of the driving during the trip, she says she finds it difficult to maneuver the gear stick, as well as driving on the left, which is the law in India, in a right-hand drive bus.

"I've tried, but I think it's probably best that I don't [drive]," he says.

To take the pressure off Kai, who got his truck driving license in 1999, the family now tries to make shorter trips, which in the end means spending more time than planned at each new destination.

They have also had to change routes several times for various reasons.

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Nina explains that they "lost a month and a half" due to the long stay in Iran and the unforeseen detour to Turkey.


Although they had hoped to visit Myanmar at some point, Nina says they have accepted that the months-closed India-Myanmar border is unlikely to reopen anytime soon.

"We should have traveled much faster if we wanted to continue through Southeast Asia," he says.

"But at a certain point we knew that Myanmar was a 'no'."

"Also, the cost of shipping the bus would have been very expensive. We just couldn't have afforded it."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nina Schakat (@8feet6wheels)

They recently had to tell Ben and Leni that they won't be able to go to two of the destinations that were at the top of their wish lists.

"My daughter wanted to go to South Korea and my son to Japan," Nina explains.

"I promised them that we will do it on a separate vacation, but we can't with so many kilometers and so much country. That ship has already sailed."

Although the list of countries they will visit in the coming months is likely to be shorter than they originally expected, Nina finds that going slowly and spending more time in each place has been more rewarding.

They are currently in Kochi and plan to drive to Chennai, before visiting Cambodia and Laos and returning to India.

Nina walking through the dunes during her stay in Iran.

Credit: 8feet6wheels

From here they want to go to Jaipur, Uttar Pradesh, where they will enter Nepal and return to Pakistan via New Delhi or Agrar.

Although they plan to return to Dubai this summer, the Schakats are already thinking about their next big trip, looking forward to driving across North and South America in the future.

However, Nina, who is currently on sabbatical from her job as a project manager, insists that these types of road trips are expensive, especially when traveling as a foursome, and this may have to be a one-of-a-kind adventure. in life for his family.

"I think we have to look at our finances and earn some money," he adds.

"We'll see what we can do and how we manage."

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2023-02-08

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