Flipping through his passport during a Zoom call, he recalled seeing a total of 23 countries from November 2018 to August 2019. He went to places like China, North Korea, Iran, and Germany, while only riding trains, buses, cars, and boats. It wasn’t an easy feat. From Singapore, he went up to Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Across the Mekong River, he rode a boat. He went from China to North Korea, and back, then traveled across Central Asia, before making his way to Europe. When he reached Germany, he took a cargo ship across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States. Finally, he met his parents in New York and drove all the way to Montreal. Just in time for school.“I really wanted to do something that not many people have done, or maybe even no one has done before.”
Workers onboard the cargo ship. Photo: Courtesy of Ganesha Balakrishnan
Hitchhiking from The Czech Republic to Slovenia. Photo: Courtesy of Ganesha Balakrishnan
Hitchhiking in Turkey. Photo: Courtesy of Ganesha Balakrishnan
Hitchhiking in Istanbul, Turkey. Photo: Courtesy of Ganesha Balakrishnan
Camping at an abandoned section of the Great Wall. Photo: Courtesy of Ganesha Balakrishnan
Animal market in Kashgar, China. Photo: Courtesy of Ganesha Balakrishnan
The Silk Road city of Bukhara, Uzbekistan. Photo: Courtesy of Ganesha Balakrishnan
Women in Isfahan, Iran. Photo: Courtesy of Ganesha Balakrishnan
With toll stop workers in Turkey. Photo: Courtesy of Ganesha Balakrishnan
Last year, Balakrishnan wrote a book about his experience titled The Long Direction: A flightless journey from Singapore to Canada. With plenty of photos from his adventures, he now shares them on his Instagram account and Facebook page.After spending his winter break in Singapore, Balakrishnan is going back to school in Montreal to prepare for an exam. Despite his love for travel, he said he does not mind the restrictions in the new normal.“But I am looking forward to the day when there are less restrictions and more open borders, and I have the ability to travel again. I really want to visit Cuba, North Africa, and West Africa. I would also really like to do an overland trip back to Singapore.”“Prior to this trip, I never really did anything interesting, or courageous, or brave. But during this trip, I pushed myself as much as possible.”
