Daily Times

My humble beginnings started in a village in Pakistan. I came from a middle class family. I would never have thought that I would be where I am today when I was young. I always say that keep working hard at whatever you do, there may be many ups and downs, but keep trying and you will reach your goal. When I was 25, I wanted something new in my life. I decided to travel to Dubai, UAE and work there and start a fresh new life. The year was 1981, back then Dubai was unknown to the world and very underdeveloped. The climate was harsh and there was a language barrier, but I struggled through. Slowly working different odd jobs, I got a good job in the Dubai Army maintenance section. I worked in the Army for 13 years and during those years I learned about different cultures and grew a fascination about different places in the world.

In 2012, we immigrated to Vancouver, Canada. During my stay there, I did not do much and decided now was the time to start travelling by road. Me and my wife travelled to Canada and the United States including Alaska and Mexico by road around 95,000 kilometres between 2012 and 2018 in our Toyota Rav4

My first trip was to Thailand in 1988. Everything was different and unique from what I was accustomed to. That’s where my travel bug started to grow and over time I got the privilege to travel more than 80 countries, 200 cities around the world by air from 1988 till now. The only difference with me and other common travellers was that I have a Pakistani passport which is harder to travel with due to needing visas before travel. But because of my clean record I have lined my passport with colourful visas from around the world. Even with all this travelling I knew something was missing, I wasn’t getting the full picture. I wanted to travel the world the right way, by road. But during my army times to starting my new business I just dint have the funds necessary to do that, so my dream waited. Slowly over time my business, HINYAM STEEL, a steel fabrication factory based in Dubai grew and gave me the chance to achieve my dream. I think that travelling different countries is the biggest knowledge any person can receive because it opens your eyes to different cultures and makes your respect this amazing world we live in. I always sent my wife, son and daughter for tourism whenever I got the chance. I also sent my all staff to 4 countries on company expenses.

In 2012, we immigrated to Vancouver, Canada. During my stay there, I did not do much and decided now was the time to start travelling by road. Me and my wife travelled to Canada and the United States including Alaska and Mexico by road around 95,000 kilometres between 2012 and 2018 in our Toyota Rav4. No words can describe how amazing this experience is.

For my second tour I was in Dubai and decided to travel to Europe and back to Dubai. I thought hard, and long about which vehicle should I get for this trip and finally my mind was set on the Suzuki Jimny, one of the smallest and versatile 4x4s on the market. I converted the Jimny to a fully functional RV with a make shift bed, a kitchen, portable toilet, solar panels and many more things. My trip was around 30,000 kms, travelling 32 countries in 64 days.

And last year I purchased a Kia Pick up and transformed it to and actual RV at my steel factory. I was hoping to travel with it to my recent trip to Moscow back to Dubai but because of my tight Visa Schedule I had to choose my Jimny again. This trip was around 12,000kms, 8 countries and took me 43 days to complete. So far my total travel by road adds up to 151,000 kms and 51 countries.

My plan was to travel by my caravan to all of Pakistan but this feat is impossible on a vehicle. My humble request to the government of Pakistan is to allow by road commute to Pakistan

The writer can be reached at hinyam@ymail.com