A photo taken when a bus carrying hippie tourists from England to India was stopped in the Khyber Gorge in Afghanistan...
Swagman and other bus companies started overland bus services from England to Afghanistan and Pakistan as early as 1958. Pakistan was an important stopover among the hippie travelers of that time. They came to India after passing through Europe, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Perhaps their journey extended as far as Kathmandu, Nepal. This route was known as the 'Hippie Trail'.
The hippie culture lasted from the mid-1950s until the late 1970s. There is no doubt that European hippies who lived in those decades have seen these cheap bags hanging from their shoulders.
These hippies are hypocrites who want to "go as far as possible for as little money as possible". These hippies loved to live away from their homes as much as possible. In the cities where these hippies stop, cheap hostels and hotels were built for them. The specialty of these hippies is that they mingle with local people more than other traditional western tourists.
The hippie tourist era ended after the late 1970s because of the Iranian Islamic Revolution and the Afghan-Soviet War. After the Iranian revolution, an environment and a government unfamiliar to Western nations emerged in Iran. And because of the Afghan-Soviet war, the road was closed.
Usually these hippie trails started in London, Copenhagen, West Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam or Milan. Hippies from the United States arrived in Luxembourg on Icelandic Airlines flights and left by land.
Almost all of them had to pass through Istanbul, Turkey. After that, some chose the northern route and some chose the southern route.
The northern route entered India via Tehran in Iran, Herat in Afghanistan, Kandahar, Kabul, Peshawar and Lahore.
Those who chose the southern route entered India through Pakistan after Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Iran. Those coming to Peshawar in Pakistan through Kabul in Afghanistan had to pass the Khyber Pass. They entered India through Ganda Singh Wala or Cultivation Border.
Their favorite destinations were Delhi, Varanasi, Goa, Bombay, Madras and Kathmandu in Nepal. Meet a street in Kathmandu still nicknamed Freak Street. Going further south, they came to the coast of Kovalam in Kerala and the island of Ceylon. Others went to Bangkok itself.
These Western European hippies who traveled eastward by bus, train, and random vehicles exchanged information in the hostels of the cities they met in the restaurants. Yener's Cafe, Pudding Shop in Istanbul, 'Siggy' in Chicken Street in Kabul, Afghanistan, 'Amir Kabir' in Tehran, Iran are the restaurants and hotels that met each other.
These hippies had light luggage. Sometimes they only had a rough idea of the journey. The direction of their journey changed in the past. They didn't care much about hotel reservations or money. Some also traveled in modified trucks. These sometimes had beds, garden furniture, bathrooms, and toilets.
The Iranian revolution of 1979 became the main reason for stopping these beautiful journeys. Pakistan fell into the hands of a military ruler. Chitral and Kashmir were no longer favorable places for them.
By now, the southern route through the Middle East would have been interrupted by the 1973 'Yom Kippur' war. Strict rules were imposed for visas from Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. In 1975, the Lebanon War began.
Many beautiful journeys came to an end. The 'Paharganj' bazaar in New Delhi and the Kathmandu bazaar are still alive and ready to cater to these tourists. There are still lively people markets. It's not just hippies coming overland. And brave. The person who leaves home and comes home deserves a medal.
My last visit to Ho Chi Minh City was unforgettable, and I advise all travelers to Southeast Asia to put Hanoi or HCMC on their bucket list. It was an eye-opening trip and a mind-blowing journey… trust me
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