Wait, I thought we said Cape Town?
For those of you who skipped the post “Shipping Your Motorcycle from Chicago to Cape Town”, well, this is the follow up to that mess. Basically the firm AuctionExport lied to me saying that they did door-to-door shipping, but rather door-to-port-to-port and then a not so polite “GFY” when it comes to getting the bike cleared through customs, the police, and stored until I could actually pick it up in a city that is 1,700 kilometers (1,000+ miles) from the original and paid for destination or arrival location.
Luckily, there are some really great people out there. For one, Duncan from African Overlanders. Though he couldn’t initially help with the shipping from the US, he was able to provide support and recommendations throughout the process. What a solid guy. After discussing with him the situation I was in, he referred me to another absolutely amazing problem solver, Ryan at MANORA SA. This guy started right away with an intro from Duncan by giving me the straight story.
Turns out, other than the ridiculous delays, Ryan could handle everything I needed. Now the only thing left to do was secure the Carnet de Passages, get it to Durban, find a way to get my bike out of customs, and stored somewhere until I could arrive. Actually, the delays helped a little while I had to change my plans and alter logistics!
Carnet de Passages
So, the Carnet de Passages (CDP) is like a passport for your bike. Not all countries in the world accept it, but some won’t let you bring a vehicle in without it – no temporary import permit, no assignment, no nothing. Without it, your vehicle is simply not entering the country. Which ones specifically? Well, let’s start with South Africa!
Yes, I wouldn’t been able to get my bike out of the container without it. Luckily, I had been working with Leah from boomerang carnets:
Leah Ogryzek
N. American CPD Agent
Corporation for International Business
8715 Cary Algonquin Road, 2nd Floor
Cary, IL 60013
She was able to secure this and get it shipped to MANORA in Durban.
Why the name “boomerang”? Well, if you read the first part, my bike has to be returned to the origin or I forfeit my retainer/deposit, which was a lot.
Police Inspection
Turns out that even after clearing customs, the police wanted to take a look at the container and my bike. I received this from Ryan:
“Hi Tim, we got notification from the shipping line that the container is stopped for POLICE exam. attached notice of all the containers stopped by them for exam.”
So, a couple more days of delays, but whatever, that’s what the military teaches you – is methodical planning and the MDMP process and PACE, which was made popular in the movie “Rebel Ridge”. My Primary & Alternate were already shot, now I was on to Contingency. This plan basically was to arrive in Durban and use Ryan. Emergency would mean I would be the one doing all the work….
Bike Unloaded
Well, turns out…
And, I finally got the stamp!
