Inside Ali Baba restaurant in San Diego, forks clink against the plates and middle eastern music plays in the background. I sit around a long table surrounded by a number of people. “What has been your favourite country on this trip so far?” someone asks me. As I think my eyes become smaller and focus … 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
The cathedral square in San Cristobal de Las Casas is a popular spot for both residents and visitors. Friends and families come here to pass time; couples lie in each others’ lap; indigenous women with babies on their backs and handicrafts in their arms walk all day long from one person to another and plead … 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
Marta is from San Antonio de Aguas Calientes and comes to Antigua every day to sell handicrafts here. A few of days ago, I took some photos of her and her friends at the Central Plaza in Antigua and promised that I would come back soon to give them the pictures. So today, after my … Read more
Today I entered Guatemala, my 40th country by bicycle. The border crossing was as easy as it gets. Apart from the long queue, the immigration itself didn’t take more than a minute on each side of the border. No security personnel patrolling the border and no sniper guns pointing at you from security posts. This … Read more
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
Hello from Honduras! Today I crossed the border from Nicaragua and entered Honduras, my 10th country on this route and 38th overall by bicycle. At the border, everything went smoothly, except when at the Honduras immigration, the officer wanted to see my Yellow Fever vaccination certificate. When I told him that I don’t have it … Read more
Greetings from Nicaragua! A few days ago, I left Costa Rica and entered Nicaragua, which is the country#37 I am travelling by bicycle. The Costa Rica/Nicaragua border at Las Tabillas was a low-key border without any high-security measures, not very different from any other border crossing in South/Central America. Besides, there was no queue and … Read more
In January 2016, I came to Ushuaia, Argentina with nothing but a wild dream to travel 26,000 km from Ushuaia to Alaska on a bicycle—a journey which spans the entire length of South and North America. Within months, I was out of money, and my journey had come to a dead halt. I somehow managed … Read more
Is suicide bombing a tradition in Pakistan? While cycling across South America, the first question I get on the road is, “where are you from?” When I tell people that I am from Pakistan, the first reaction is, “aaaah, it is very far!!!” Then there are more questions. Where is Pakistan? What is the weather … Read more
It was a crisp winter morning. My mum had bathed me and applied Surma (kohl) to my eyes. Then she made me wear brown pyjama pants and shirt with long yellow stripes which as a kid I was very shy to wear. I was only used to wear Shalwar Kameez. “If you wear this, I … Read more
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