Rohith Subramaniam at Ta Van in the picturesque valley of Muong Hoa, Vietnam

While riding from Cambodia to Laos in September this year, Rohith Subramaniam recalls being intercepted by security personnel while entering Laos.

"They looked at me, scanned my passport and claimed the man in the picture wasn't me!" he recalls. Incidentally, the passport-sized picture was clicked when Subramaniam was a fresh-faced 16-year-old, a far cry from his current rugged appearance.

"I haven't shaved my beard since the past one-and-a-half years, so I don't blame them. But, it was amusing because for the first time I had to prove to someone that I am me!" he laughs. After hours of hysterical conversation and earnest pleading, he was finally let into the country.