Hitching the world

Amid Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, the author sits near Route R704
and watches Dadès River flow through Dadès Gorge.
and watches Dadès River flow through Dadès Gorge.
Paralysis prompts a nonprofit’s creation
It was the summer of 2011, and I was a typical 18-year-old kid freshly graduated from high school, constantly glued to the computer screen and rarely seen outside my Hong Kong flat. I took a gap year before university and managed to find work in a bar to earn some pocket money. But after several months, the work became tedious. I began to think that life had little to offer, slowly settling into an unhealthy lifestyle. It was a vicious cycle; I was so socially anxious that a 15-minute conversation with a stranger made me feel uncomfortable—so uncomfortable that I wanted to live a sheltered life. But instead, and without a driver’s license, I stuck out my thumb to travel the world’s roads where they would lead me.
Despite my anxieties, I always had a desire to travel; I was curious, had a thirst for adventure and was jealous of friends who did travel. So when I received the invitation to travel with some friends in China, I accepted despite my fears. During my first trip I was forced to leave my comfort zone on many occasions. I was always meeting new people, navigating my way through a country where I spoke little of the native language, and experiencing a plethora of lifestyle and cultural differences.
Most of this gear traveled often with the author. Including food and water, his backpack typically weighed 12 to 13 kilograms or 27 to 29 pounds.
The author celebrates reaching the highest point—2042 meters or 6,700 feet—of the Transfăgărășan, a highway crossing Romania’s Carpathian Mountains. Sportscar enthusiasts have described the highway as “an unbroken grey ribbon of automotive perfection.”
The author playfully mimics a wooden plank with both hands touching his legs—known as planking—on the Pakistani side of Khunjerab Pass, located on Karakoram Highway. The border gate sits on the Chinese side of the 1300-km (810-mile) road.
In addition to people, the road itself has created some incredible memories. One of my favorite border crossings is without doubt the Khunjerab Pass. Located between Pakistan and China and at an altitude of 4693 meters (15,397 feet), it is the highest paved international border crossing in the world. Part of the Karakoram Highway which forms the Silk Road, the road passes some impressive scenery through one of the world’s highest mountain ranges, with some reaching 8000+ meters (26,247 feet). In addition, the local languages and customs change dramatically in distances less than 100 kilometers (62 miles), and this diversity of culture along one historical road must be experienced before the steady march of globalization erodes it further. The road is also a symbol of friendship between the two nations; it passes through some virtually impassable terrain and requires constant maintenance, so it is no surprise that it is nicknamed “the China-Pakistan Friendship Road.” In 2010, a landslide formed a lake that submerged part of the road, but by mid-2015, a Chinese team had built a series of tunnels costing $275 million around the lake, proving their dedication to this friendship.
Although I have already seen much more than other people my age, I think my travel career is still at its infant stages. The fjords of Norway, the hospitality of the Turks, Indian weddings, downing vodka with Russian soldiers, hitching in the height of the Canadian winter; it seems like I have experienced it all, but the truth is that I have only visited four of the seven continents in the world, partly due to my aversion to flying.
I am currently focused on my master’s degree in Earth Science in London, but I do have ambitious plans for the future. I hope to work in Australia and later begin what will hopefully be my final big trip: hitching from Australia to Antarctica the long way round. This would involve making my way through Asia, Europe and Africa before finally hitching a boat across the Atlantic to the Americas. Rather than rushing my journey, there will be no time frame, no plan and no time stress. I will live and work in countries on the road to gain a better cultural understanding as well as funding for my trip.
The world is a stunning place, and I am extremely grateful to have seen so much of it. It is much more exciting to view life as an adventure; there can be no regret investing time to gain culture, compassion and knowledge. So if you have no routine in life, travel while you can. Even if you have a routine, try to make the time to take things slow, get out of your comfort zone and see things outside your bubble. It may seem daunting at first, but as I have learned, the most difficult thing is the first step.