Riding the world without driver license

Being at home, I am gonna tell you something funny about my trip. I’ve been riding a motorcycle across 17 countries without driver licence; or better said, with a fake driver licence. The story is as follows: an international driver licence is like a little book with few pages where the information is translated to some languages and in the last page, the most important one, is the drivers picture and his or her name, surname and other details. After my African trip my international driver licence was over used and the last page was ripped from the main part. In Ukraine the policemen were so corrupt and they pulled me over many times just to get the bribes. I was really annoyed because every time you should produce all the documents, including de driver licence. Once, they gave me back the main part of my licence but they forgot to give back the last part and I didn’t check it because I was so fed up and craving for be on my way. 500 km later I realised I didn’t have driver licence because the main part with no identification details is not a valid document.

What to do? Going back home to get a new IDL? No way. I kept riding East and praying for not find any clever policeman who could easily notice the paper I handle was real bullshit. Can you believe I crossed Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan with no problems at all about my IDL even being pulled over every day? I could had shown them my shopping list and they would probably have accepted it. Anyway, when I reached Tashkent, Uzbekistan capital, I visited the Spanish Consulate. I wrote my name in the IDL, put a picture on it, and asked the Consol abut putting a stamp. He did it although that kind of stamp had no validity at all, but Ok, a Stamp is a Stamp and in these countries they really love stamps.

I crossed Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan again, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan with my self made fake IDL and no one wondered what kind of official document could be one written by hand using a blue biro. But the most wonderful issue about the fake IDL happened in one of the most exigent country: Israel. They checked really well all the documents to allow people going into. I was about to die of nervous when they asked for “your driver licence, please”. I gave them my dirty and broken fake IDL... and it worked! If you have a look at the picture where are the fake IDL and the right one, you will say the same I said then to myself: It is impossible.

But it was possible. The World is crazy. I am back home after riding 23.000 km and 17 countries with no driver licence. Life is so weird.