6mo ago

TIL that before 1979, you could use the hippie trail to go from Western Europe to India without flying

www.wikipedia.org

Hippie trail - Wikipedia

cross-posted from: https://lemmit.online/post/5059842

30 comments

After 1979 -
The hippie trail largely ended in the late 1970s primarily due to both the Iranian Revolution resulting in an anti-Western government, and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, closing the route to Western travelers.
- Fascists ruin everything
  
  I mean before the revolution Iran had a CIA-installed puppet government so... Yeah.
- Was fixing to muse about the Iranian revolution putting a stop to folks just passing through. Makes sense.
- Europeans still use it
If you're there and you're full of zombie and you meet a strange lady, don't be nervous. She'll take you in and make you breakfast.
- Do you come from a vegemite sandwich?
  
  That ranks right up there with system.of a table.
- Of course, if you ever get out of there, you're going to Kathmandu.
- Pretty sure thats a different continent
  
  I hope the concept of humor comes to your world someday. We quite enjoy it on this planet.
Wdym before? People still take the hippie trail. Just US Americans can't because Iran doesn't let citizens of terrorist countries enter
My friends hitchhiked from Western Europe to India succefully in 2006.
- Way too many people believe you're going to get robbed, kidnapped, or killed 100% if you ever travel outside US-allied nations.
  
  The only bad thing that happened to them on the way was diarrhea - which sucks, but after a few days' stop at a pakistani hospital (one guy lost too much liquid and had to get an infusion) they continued happily.
Couldn't you now do that but go higher, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and then the central Asian -stans into Pakistan? Avoids both Iran and Afghanistan.
- You could, except that Azerbaijan has kept their land borders closed for entry since covid. You can depart on land, and you can arrive or depart by air, but you cannot arrive by land.
  
  Interesting. Are you allowed to jump over the border and claim that as by air?!
  Is there a reason for the closure, do you know?
- The only ways to get around the Caspian involve Russia or Iran, unless you plan on going across it. Does a ferry count as hitchhiking?
We need hot dog carts every 100-300 feet through this route. Let's proceed on this project immediately.
- I can see a few problems with getting pork sausages delivered to these regions, but I'm sure the Taliban will acquiesce given the importance.
- Is that not the expected outcome of hiking to India?

30 comments