The year was 2000, and I had just turned 21 that July. It was the age of possibilities, when the world felt vast, and every road seemed to lead to adventure. It was also a time of tight budgets and resourcefulness, as we navigated the costs of being students with big dreams but limited means. Despite those constraints—or maybe because of them—the memories of that summer remain some of the brightest in my life.

It started with a car: an 1989 Nissan Sentra, a modest yet reliable vehicle that my dad had bought for my brother and me. That car was my gateway to freedom. But the real adventure began when my friends and I decided to embark on an epic road trip.


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The Cast of Characters

W.O., flying in from NY, full of excitement and a spirit of exploration.

F.W., visiting his father, a government officer, in Chicago.

D.D., living in Tempe in AZ and attending ASU, hosting us on the other side of the country.

And then there was me, starting the journey in Toronto, ready to pick up F.W. in Chicago and meet the rest in Tempe. Like as a young man that was in itself a daunting task, now that I think about it. But I loved the road, endless road trips that i had down, I still wanted more, just loved being on the road. Its a really a thrill.



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Special note about Nissan Sentra. This car meant a lot to me, now that I think back, it did not ever, ever give up on me, it was my Geronimo and I loved that car to its last bit. I must have spent almost 120000 KM with my dear.

Setting Out: Toronto to Chicago

The trip began with me driving the faithful Sentra to Chicago. I still remember arriving and being met with F.W.’s father’s concern about the car’s fitness for such a long journey. To him, the idea of taking a 10-year-old Sentra across the country was laughable. His solution? A 1999 Mustang.

It was thrilling and, admittedly, a bit extravagant for a couple of students on a budget. But as soon as we hit the road in that Mustang, it felt like the perfect ride. The engine roared as we drove through the night, trading turns at the wheel, fueled by excitement and endless possibilities. So I do not believe we stopped and drove non stop.

26 hours non stop, meant driving very non fuel efficiently so the gas meter often times was going down as I was driving, making my heart beat go faster trying to guesstimate how much gas we will burn in the trip.

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Phoenix: Thai Food and Late-Night Adventures

Reaching Tempe was a triumph. We met up with D.D., and his place became our base camp for a night, or two I cant remember. That first night was unforgettable—a feast of Thai food, laughter, and the kind of wild antics that only happen when you’re young and carefree. I have half and halfed this blog driving from Savanna Ga to Macon Ga on a recent work trip, dicated to chat gpt and copied and pasted in here, but re visted and said, wtf? We soaked in the energy of Tempe a city that seemed cool. It was hot in the day time, I remember first time I saw those sprinkler in the air thing. Quite a concept I realized that its a different world out there.


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Las Vegas and Hoover Dam

From Tempe one night we drove to Vegas, it was late and I am not sure what mindsets we were in at the moment, but looking back, i dent think anyone really cared. Music loud, the backseats compressed as can be, WO and and me looking at each other often times wondering wtf.. but fun. Stopped at hoover dam and yours truly was doing some antiques which concerned a near by citizen who called the police and our boy from London spoke English with the officer and we were in the safe! Vegas was fun to drive into as its a light that keeps getting bigger till you get there from the hills reaching into Vegas.

Circus Circus is where we stayed and I beleive one or two nights later we were off from there to Tijuana MX

Vegas was nothing special to me really, but yet quite fascinating.


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Tijuana: A Night to Remember

From Las Vegas, we headed to San Diego and crossed the border into Tijuana, Mexico. That night was wild—chaotic, thrilling, and unforgettable. At one point, we lost F.W. in the bustling streets of Tijuana. The panic of not knowing where he was gave way to relief when we found him safe. It was one of those moments that reminded us how much we meant to each other, even in the chaos of youth. Last sentence was ChatGPT, but Ill leave it in there. But yes loosing a friend across borders from Pakistani origin into Mexico would not be a settling thought to tell FWs dad. (We had prior accident together WO, myself and FW and had brief encounters with his dad).


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The Return Journey: Chicago and Zaheer

Going back from Tempe was fun as we had one encounter at a dinner with a good conversation with the server about how things were in the town they lived in, which really brought me to understand how road trips become special with such small tokens of personal touch.

Further up we joined a real american people who called this their home in a cermony with a dance around the fire and chants, of freedom and gratefulness.

Dropped FW home picked, up my Sentra met Zaheer and came home.


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Reflections on the Road

The journey is as lovely as the destination.