Atacama Desert Night

As the half-moon rises above the hills, the Atacama desert glows in the soft moonlight. There is absolute silence. All I can hear is my breath. Thoughts begin to surface! “What brought me to this remote place?” If it is to be alone, then why my mind is occupied by thoughts of friends and family? … Read more

Film: Cycling the Dempster Highway in Canada

In June 2019, I cycled the Dempster Highway as a part of my bicycle trip from Ushuaia, Argentina to Alaska. It is the only road in Canada that takes you past the Arctic Circle. It is a 900 km unpaved road in Yukon and Northwest Territories crossing the tree line on to tundra and ending … Read more

Signpost: Mexico–Pakistan

If you draw a horizontal line on the world map at the 30.963280° latitude, somewhere this line is going to cross my hometown Layyah in Pakistan. During my bicycle trip from Argentina to Alaska bicycle tour, I crossed this latitude near San Felipe in Baja California, Mexico in January 2018 and thus, was in perfect … Read more

Alaska Is Calling

hree and a half years is what took me from Ushuaia, Argentina, to reach the border of Alaska. After spending one year in Canada and covering almost 6000 km, I had established so much emotional attachment with the country that I stopped just short of the border and kept staring at the landscape and the … Read more

Dempster Diary

January 14th, 2016 Facing north, I take my first pedal stroke at the end of the road in the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia in Argentina. For the next three and a half years, massive mountains, deserts, rivers, seas, high plains, tropical forests and megacities stand in my way, but I carry on, as … Read more

Terrace to Stewart BC

[aesop_video src=”youtube” id=”bViQbqasjj4″ width=”100%” align=”center” disable_for_mobile=”on” loop=”on” controls=”on” autoplay=”off” mute=”off” viewstart=”on” viewend=”on” revealfx=”off” overlay_revealfx=”off”] Leaving Terrace BC on 26th April, I was back on the saddle after six months. The next day I reached Kitwanga where I resumed my journey to the north. The bicycle was heavy and my mind, scattered. I questioned my journey … Read more

Beyond The Wall — US/Mexico

After cycling for 4500 km in Mexico over the course of five months, I hit a massive wall in Tijuana which halted my journey to the north. I have always been fascinated by international borders so I spent a few days in Tijuana to observe the US/Mexico wall. Read my full essay on Facebook.

Banff and Jasper National Parks, Canada

Little did I know, when I left Calgary two weeks ago, that summer was over in Alberta. Two days later, I found myself cycling in the rain and cold wind in Banff National Park. On the fourth day, I was stuck in Mosquito Creek for two days because of the heavy snow. Later, the weather … 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

Hola de El Salvador

Hola de El Salvador! Today I entered my next country El Salvador along the route. It is the 39th country I am travelling by bicycle. At the eastern border of El Salvador, the Goascoran River divides the country from Honduras. A bridge over the river connects the two countries at Amatillo. Crossing the border was a … Read more

Yellowstone National Park

Do you know what was the world’s first national park? The answer is Yellowstone National Park in the US. It took a photographer, a painter and a geological survey team to explore the region and convince the US Congress to withdraw this region from public auction. In 1872, Yellowstone was declared as—“a public park…for the … Read more

On Home!

In the Monument Valley, a group of sandstone buttes and mesas tower above the Colorado Plateau. A long road stretches out into the distance like a straight line on the sandpaper. This was the road where Forrest Gump decided to stop after running for three years, two months, 14 days and 16 hours. He quit … Read more

On Freedom!

At Horseshoe Bend, the Colorado River bends around the sandstone for almost 360-degrees, very much like my thoughts twisting around my head. I sit at the edge of the cliff and have an unobstructed view of Horseshoe Bend shimmering gold in the morning light. My feelings start to flutter around inside the cage of my … Read more

On Being Quiet!

After entering the US, I took two months off the bicycle, which is the longest break I have taken on this tour. I had my bicycle completely overhauled and my camera equipment upgraded. Meanwhile, I went to San Francisco Bay Area and spent a few days there where I would meet new people every day. … Read more