My time in Mexico is over, but the journey continues. Over the past five months and a distance of some 4500 km from the south-east to the northwest of the country, I received a lot of help from the locals. Countless people invited me into their homes and opened their hearts to me. On the … Read more
It is my last day in Mexico. I spend another day along the Mexico-US border wall in Tijuana and cycle west to the coast. My journey takes me to the beach where the border fence meets the Pacific ocean. There, a historical monument marks the initial point of the boundary between the United States and … Read more
After cycling for 4500 km in Mexico over the past five months, I hit a massive wall in Tijuana which brings a halt to my journey to the north. I walk and cycle for hours along the wall, and at one location, stop to take a peek over the rusted panels. The colour of the … Read more
If you draw a horizontal line on the world map at the 30.963280° latitude, somewhere this line is going to cross Layyah city in Pakistan. About 9 km south of San Felipe in Baja California, I push my bicycle through the desert. After half an hour of walking in the soft sand, I take a … Read more
It is another night in Baja California and the desert is my home. A cactus tree stands beside my tent like a guard. I sit on a rock looking at the stars wondering who has set the wheel of the sky in motion? Is the universe dancing in unison with a whirling dervish? What are … Read more
Exactly two years ago, I started pedalling from the southernmost city in the world, and today, just a few km before Loreto in Baja California Sur, I reached the 20,000 km mark on my journey through the Americas. On this special occasion, nature treated me with a serene view of the coastline of Gulf of … Read more
As darkness fell upon the Baja California desert in Mexico, cacti silhouettes appeared like giant hands of a skeleton rising out of the sand. I set up my tent near a cactus and sat in the door. The sky was full of stars. It reminisced me of my childhood when I used to count stars … Read more
Dear Santa, I wrote you a message before Christmas. It was the first time ever I asked you for something, but all I received on this Christmas was one new like on my page. Maybe, the new page like came from you, but that is gone too. What can I say on this except that … Read more
Chichimecas were nomadic people who lived north of the Valley of Mexico. They lived by hunting and did not occupy a fixed place. The Spanish described them as barbarous people who fiercely fought against the foreign intruders. Despite the forty-year-long Chichimeca War, which was the Spanish Empire’s longest and most expensive war against any indigenous … Read more
Today I crossed into Mexico (my country#42 by bicycle) and finally began my ride in North America! The border crossing between Belize and Mexico is located on a river bridge. I rubbed my eyes when I saw the “Welcome to Mexico” sign over the bridge. It has taken me about 20 months of cycling to … Read more
It is my second day in Belize. The sun is relentless, beating down on my head all day long. The month of September is supposed to be the peak of the rainy season but there is no rain at all. It feels unusually hot because of high humidity and lack of wind. The locals say … Read more
I push the bicycle through streets and follow the distant sound of music. Soon I reach the central square where loudspeakers are blasting live Marimba music. In front of me are the backs of hundreds of people who are looking over each other’s shoulders. Unable to see anything, I park my bicycle on the side … Read more
Somewhere in the Guatemalan Highlands, there is a lake which goes by the name Lago Atitlan. Considered by many the most beautiful lake in the world, the Lago Atitlan is surrounded by a number of Maya villages, with Santiago de Atitlan being the largest of them. In Santiago de Atitlan, an elderly man guides me … Read more
Carmen is one of the many people who travel from San Antonio de Aguas Calientes to Antigua every day to sell handicrafts. She is of Maya descent and speaks the Maya language Kaqchikel as a native language and Spanish as a second language. Despite half a century of European dominance in Guatemala, most of the … Read more
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