S’porean eyes local and Asia records after crossing 3 African countries via public transport in half a day
Crossing three international borders in around 12 hours might seem like a remarkable feat for many people.
But for Singaporean solo traveller Ashok Kumar Thilak Dharshan, it was just another chapter in his grand mission: visiting all 195 countries in the world.
The 22-year-old, who has visited 14 countries so far, said he completed a “triple border crossing” on March 9, travelling from Lesotho to South Africa and then Eswatini — countries in Southern Africa — entirely via local public transport.
He also identified himself as the first Singaporean to cross into Mozambique via the remote Goba mountain border route — a feat he is currently seeking recognition for through the Singapore Book of Records and Asia Book of Records.
3 borders in half a day
According to Dharshan, he left Lesotho at around 9am and reached Eswatini at about 10pm after crossing through South Africa.
“It wasn’t me trying to race against a clock or thinking, ‘I shall cross three borders today just to get into a record book,’” he told Stomp.
“It purely came down to budget,” he explained, adding that staying overnight in Johannesburg, South Africa, would have added costs he could not afford.
“To save money, I just had to grit my teeth and push through the transit in one continuous run.”
Dharshan said the journey involved navigating local minibuses and commuter transport solo across Southern Africa.
Dharshan told Stomp he nearly got scammed by customs officials while entering Mozambique via the remote Goba border crossing. He also had to navigate black-market currency exchange situations in Johannesburg.
Still, he said the journey reinforced his belief that travel does not have to be expensive.
“Anyone can do luxury travel if they have the budget,” he said.
“But the real challenge is pulling off a four-country backpacking journey on just $3,000, inclusive of round-trip flights.”
Not about breaking records
Dharshan said the trip was never originally about breaking records. His ultimate goal is to visit all 195 countries, and Africa felt like a logical starting point.
“The African continent felt impossible to go,” he said.
“But then I looked at the map and realised there are two landlocked sovereign nations — Lesotho and Eswatini — inside South Africa.”
His original route was meant to cover South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. He later changed it to South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini — with Mozambique later added because of its proximity.
“While researching, I found out there was no record of anyone from Singapore crossing the Goba border, so I thought: that’s the way I’m taking.”
He has since submitted an application to the Asia Book of Records, which he said is currently verifying his travel logs as of June 3.
More adventures to come
Dharshan hopes to complete a solo overland backpacking route from Panama to the United States through countries including Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize and Mexico.
His estimated budget? About $13,000.
He told Stomp that he is in the processing of saving for the trip and aims to embark on it within six years.
“My ultimate life mission is to hit all 195 countries, summit Mount Everest, and walk the entire length of the Great Wall of China,” he said.
“If I can cross those off, I will die with absolutely no regrets.”
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