Lynden ships SUV to Central Asia and back for blogger

Above left, Moe Chigani and his wife Junko in Samarkland, Asia. Above right, taken on Moe’s trip across China.

Lynden ships hundreds of vehicles a year between Seattle and Alaska, to Hawaii and to locations in the Arctic region. Rarely does a customer ask for the car to be return shipped. Last year, Dallas customer Moe Chigani booked a shipment of a Lexus SUV from Dallas to Turkey and then requested return shipment from China back to Dallas six months later. Moe hosts a blog and website featuring his cross-country expeditions across various countries. The car Lynden shipped was used for a six-month cross-country adventure across Caucasus and Central Asia.

"We had this project lined up for some time," says Mark Dudley, Global Logistics Specialist with Lynden Logistics in Seattle. "It definitely brought its share of challenges, including customs delays and contraband searches getting the vehicle through seaports." Lynden’s involvement came about through Moe booking a Central Asia trip through MIR Corporation, a Seattle-based travel agency that has worked with Lynden for many years. Since 2005, Moe and his wife Junko take an international trip every two years. In 2024 they settled on the Silk Road, originally traveled by camel.

"I want to see the culture, food, music and history on the other side of the world," he says. "My website shows my point of view through pictures, but I let the visitor draw their own conclusions from the posts. It’s easy to get on a plane and go airport to airport, but you don’t get to see much. When you are driving you get to see the real people and the real country."

Moe’s SUV was loaded into a container at his home in Dallas and traveled by train to Houston where it was loaded onto a container ship bound for Turkey. Once he arrived there, Moe picked up the car at the port to begin his road trip.

He said he was especially grateful for Lynden’s partner in Turkey, Borusan Logistik, as the car cleared customs. "They did a fantastic job of sticking with the process, even when it involved traveling to different offices to secure approvals," Moe says. "They saw it through."

"Our international partners provide exceptional service to our customers all over the world," Mark says. "In addition to Borusan in Turkey, our China partner LAF ASIA also did an excellent job of managing the car’s return shipment out of Tianjin, China, back to Dallas." This required booking, various filings and communications, and updates along the way.

"I was the first person since 2016 to drive that route from Turkey to China, so I attracted attention. I was stopped by police every 50 kilometers or so to pay road tolls," Moe explains. "The trips are always an adventure, and it makes you grateful for the systems we have established in the U.S. when you get back home." Moe moved to the U.S. in 1976 from Iran and his wife is from Japan, which gives them a broad and global perspective when they travel. To follow Moe’s trips to 52 countries, visit www.chigani.com.