Srinagar, Aug. 19 -- Arezoo Eskandari has spent the past several months turning a bicycle into a passport.

The Iranian clinical psychologist, mountaineer and tourism ambassador for Isfahan has cycled through 10 countries, including Vietnam, Malaysia, Laos, Thailand and India, with Kashmir becoming one of the most meaningful stops on a journey that began with a simple idea: slow down enough to see the people around you.

Her bicycle, which she calls "Afra," the Persian word for maple tree, has become part vehicle, part diary. She has painted personal messages on its handles, including one that reads, "slow down and open your eyes to see the world around."

The sentence captures much of what she says she has learned on the road.

Eskandari...