How Did It All Start?

In 2002, I got admission at a university in Germany and sat on the PIA flight from Islamabad to Frankfurt. The plane took off, and after crossing Iran was cruising at 40,000 feet altitude somewhere above Turkey when looking through the plane window, I was mesmerised by the vastness and the landscape below. Rivers appeared … Read more

Happy Birthday Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras El Salvador

15th September is your Independence Day. Costa Rica, you are the greenest country I have ever cycled and also the most humid. Never in my entire life have I sweated so much as I did while pushing the bicycle on your steep slopes. Twice you broke my chainstay and made me walk many kilometres. I … Read more

Moraine Lake

At Moraine Lake, ten jagged peaks surround the turquoise blue waters as if they have crowned the lake as the Queen of the Canadian Rockies. The mountain tops cling to clouds of the fear of getting stripped naked in public. I sit atop a rock and take a deep breath. Space expands, and things get … Read more

Why Do We Travel?

Our foraging ancestors were constantly on the move in search of food and lived life as nomads migrating from one place to another. So migration and exploration are in our genes but after the agricultural revolution, humans began to settle down in permanent homes. Back in the time, travel served a specific purpose — mainly … Read more

Swimming In The Grinnell Glacier

After a long pause, I opened my eyes again. A panoramic view of the Grinnell Glacier was in front of me. The glacier was melting and had a turquoise pool in which small icebergs floated quietly. In the background, a vertical cliff overlooked the glacier. It appeared as if nature had sculpted a giant Batman … Read more

Santa Ana Volcano: On Travel

High above the clouds, in the volcanic range of El Salvador is the Santa Ana volcano which never sleeps. Inside the ring of nested calderas, a green boiling lake releases clouds of fumes into the air. From above it looks like the eye of a volcano which is full of rage but is holding back … Read more

Many Shapes of Quilotoa Lake

About four hours of drive from Quito there is a lake tucked away in the mountains. Located at over 3500-m altitude, this volcanic crater lake is filled with emerald green water. They call it Quilotoa Lake. Today, while sitting on the edge of the crater I look at the lake in its entirety. A soothing … Read more

Ushuaia

As the sun sets in the town, the howling wind becomes quiet. I can finally read the book of my mind. “What makes us travel to the far lands? Is it curiousity; the need to learn and experience different? What motivates us to expose ourselves to the tough situations? Is travelling a child’s play, or … Read more