The Road to Katmandu

In 1968 the author travelled overland from Istanbul to Kathmandu (I still smart from the American spelling they persist with).

I am a bit confused with the partly fictional side of things - the character Rat, who appears to be an amalgam of multiple people encountered during the authors travel, wrapped up into one to assist the narrative.

In general though, this tale of the hippie trail in the late 60s is entertaining and gives a historical context to some of the travel I have done, albeit in reverse some 30 years later. The nostalgia of Afghanistan in a time where it was open to others, and before it was devastated by the Soviet War, the internal wars, and of course the Taliban and their path of destruction. Of course, the route I followed omitted Afghanistan in favour of more time in Pakistan.

This book really shows up the ‘overlander' vs the tourist - the incredibly high opinion those travellers who cheat the locals, who bargain down to every cent, to beg food, and hitch rides rather than pay a meager bus fare. Yes, that mode of travel has a place, and it is still encountered regularly on the backpackers circuit, but with age and experience, everyone should grow out of it.

Persia was in any case an increasingly hostile country to overlanders. The traditions of its hospitality had been severely strained. Many Persians now asked “Why do these strong, rich people come here to live off us? Why does the West dispatch these infidel beggars with their blue eyes and the habit of talking to our children?”

I suspect it was not only Persia!

A couple of minor disappointments for me. One was that Pakistan was skipped over with less than a sentence (departing Kabul and arriving at Amritsar). The other was the lack of photos - would have added a lot, and the author talks about his companions photography a lot.

Still, 3 stars from me.