INSPIRATION: "I think I can do that." Those are the thoughts I had while I sat across the table from Katja and Mark, two bike tourers I had met on top of a beautiful crater in Ecuador. They said they were planning to travel all of South America by bike. I thought they were crazy but I loved the idea. I knew nothing about bikes. I honestly just knew how to pedal. I figured I was the type of person who learns on the job, so why not?! Two years later, I bought a second hand 1980's touring bike and embarked on my first adventure.
FAMILY: My family is Egyptian, but my two older brothers and I were raised in Toronto, Canada. To my parents (and I am sure many immigrant parents), the concept of longterm travel was crazy, rebellious even. And well, the concept of sleeping outside in a tent every night was absolutely preposterous! But I am hooked, despite the tension that I have created. Wanderlust has consumed every part of me.
PURPOSE: On my journeys, I kept meeting people whose stories were worth telling, whose kindness could not go unrecognized. So I decided to write about it. This is my platform for immortalizing the generosity of strangers. I hope that my stories break some of the stereotypes that we have and ultimately inspire others, especially women, to travel and start creating their own tales.
Mariam Besada