Day 42+21 weeks: Hamburg - Braunschweig

Alright, we are almost there! 145 days after leaving behind my C-Trek in Kashgar I was allowed to drive it again, even if only for a short time. So it is here in Braunschweig since today, after 4.800 km on trucks through China and around 11.000 miles as container freight around the world. Still, the engine started like nothing had happened. Even unloading from the container worked fine — but I have to admit that reversing out of a narrow 20 foot container onto the flatbed of a towing truck is a slightly scary feeling…

Now everything is about receiving the customs release later this week before I can drive it off the freight yard. Even my car insurance is ready so that I’m allowed to drive around still with the Chinese numberplate so I can finally take the real finishing photo during a visit in Freiburg. Next challenge, later this year: Getting an individual technical approval for the car so that I can register it actually with a Germany numberplate…

Thank you so much to everyone who helped making this possible — there were enough points in time where I didn’t believe this actually could work out…

Day 42+10 weeks: Kashgar - Nanjing - Bremerhaven - Braunschweig

Almost ten weeks after leaving behind my car in Kashgar it has started moving again! I have finally found a solution to get it transported to Germany now, first on a truck through China, then via container sea freight to Germany.

 

Thanks to the super helpful hotel staff, my colleagues in Beijing, and the guys from the trucking company my C-Trek left Kashgar already yesterday. It even had my spare parts box from Beijing on board besides all the luggage I had to leave behind. Last but not least, the car even started without problems after the ten week wait in the hotel garage!

I’ll keep you posted if it all works out like planned - the whole procedure may take around two months depending on how well it goes through...