Bicycle touring as a path to personal growth: Kamran's insights
Santos Rider Kamran is on a journey from the Middle East to Africa. He shares his stunning photographs and inner thoughts along the way. Join him as he reflects on the transformative power of bicycle touring.
Kamran Ali
Santos Travelmaster 3+
Bicycle touring embodies freedom, adventure, and connection with the world. As you pedal along the road, you become attuned to the earth, the wind, and the sky above you, experiencing a sense of oneness with the world around you.
Bicycle touring teaches you to let go of your worldly possessions. You can only carry so much in your bags. You have to prioritize what is of utmost importance to you in life. The rest is merely inessential. If you add something, you must first remove something. You cannot accumulate even if they are precious gifts or souvenirs.
Bicycle travel teaches you to be in a moment. It frees your mind from worries so you can focus on your inner journey. The sound of the wheels spinning creates a meditative rhythm that soothes the soul and gives a deep appreciation of life. By being vulnerable on the road, you discover kindness among strangers. It restores your faith in humanity.
It is a Sufi way of wandering. No matter if a place is beautiful or a heap of trash, no matter if it is hostile or cozy, you arrive one day and leave the other. Even if the person you have just met becomes a close friend, you must say goodbye to them soon. Be it feeling at home at some place, momentarily falling in love, or having the urge to spend a little more time with someone, you must continue – for another world, another person, and another experience awaits you next. Like a river, you must flow, listening to people's life songs and then singing them to the people you meet in the future.
Kamran Ali
Santos Rijder Kamran, ook bekend als KamranOnBike, is een Pakistaanse wereldfietser. Tot nu toe heeft hij ruim 63.000 kilometer gefietst door 58 landen en de teller loopt nog steeds op. Samen met zijn Travelmaster 3+ is hij nu onderweg van het Midden-Oosten naar het zuiden van Afrika. Hij heeft zichzelf geen tijdslimiet gesteld maar laat zich vooral leiden door de natuur en de inspirerende mensen die hij onderweg ontmoet. Dat bepaalt zijn route.
Begin 2000 studeerde Kamran in Duitsland en vatte toen het plan op om ooit terug naar Pakistan te fietsen. Het duurde maar liefst tien jaar voordat hij dat ook daadwerkelijk deed. Inmiddels is fietsen zijn manier van leven geworden: “It is about leaving the materialistic world behind and becoming nothing. It is about embracing the unknown and discovering strength in vulnerability.”
