From Istanbul to Kathmandu: On the Hippie Trail with Rick Steves

Rick Steves in 1978 and the book about the "trip" of his life.

“Travel with abandon,” Rick Steves told a rapt, overflow audience at the Barnes & Noble on E. 17 St. in Manhattan on Feb. 3. Steves was there to promote his new book, On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer.

In 1978, fresh out of college, the 23-year-old Steves and a high school friend of his decided to head to Asia for what he calls “the trip of my life.” Steves had yet to become the famous travel writer who mostly focuses on Europe he is today. He was actually a piano teacher with a case of “wanderlust.”

Steves, now 69, was a hippie back then as you can see from his bushy red locks and beard in the photo. Hippie travelers (including this writer) toured the world in those years (the ‘60s and ‘70s) looking for adventure, like Steppenwolf sang on “Born to Be Wild.” While many went south to Mexico and Central America, Steves went East to Istanbul where the so-called hippie trail began. The goal was to road trip all the way from Turkey to Nepal, a distance of 4,200 miles.

The publicity material for the book notes:

“Rick made the trek, and like a travel writer in training, he documented everything along the way: jumping off a moving train, making friends in Tehran, getting lost in Lahore, getting high for the first time in Herat, battling leeches in Pokhara and much more. The experience ignited his love of travel and forever broadened his perspective on the world.”

Lacking the guide books that exist today, Steves set out on his life-changing journey. "Everything was a mystery,” he said. “We were hungry for information.”

The Hippie Trail

Steves documented the trip in journals that added up to 60,000 words. “This book contains edited selections from Rick's journal and travel photos with a 45-years-later preface and postscript reflecting on how the journey changed his life,” is how it’s described.

From Istanbul, Steves took buses and trains and also hitchhiked to Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and finally Nepal. "It was kind of miserable at times,” he noted. “But we kept pushing forward.” Border crossings were particularly harrowing. “It was pretty lawless. People kept trying to sell us drugs."

Highlights included:

• “The Khyber Pass, gateway to India.”

• “Kathmandu, the end of the rainbow. This was the capitol of freakdom.”

Hippies congested the streets of Kathmandu. By that time, Steves, who was still a “marijuana virgin” before taking the trip, had discovered hash and cannabis in cities like Herat in Afghanistan. “Marijuana was popular for backpackers,” he explained. “It felt just right.”

Some 30 years later Steves would become an advocate for marijuana legalization in his home state of Washington and around the country. He’s currently a member of the board of NORML.

India was Steves' favorite place on the trail and still is. “I love India,” he said, pointing out how English spoken there made it much easier for Western travelers. He also raved about “elegant boating hotels” of Kashmir. “These were some of the happiest moments of my life. There’s still a little bit of the hippie trail in me."

 

Travel vs. Tourism

Being a tourist is anathema to Steves. “Travelers try to become temporary locals,” which is his preferred modus operandi. Pilgrims even stick around longer. “Tourist, traveler or pilgrim? It’s good to mix it up.”

He made the point of comparing the choice of visiting Mazatlán on the Pacific Coast of Mexico or Managua, the capitol of Nicaragua further South.

“Where are you going to learn more?” Steves asked. “Mazatlán is tourism, not travel.”

Another pet peeve of Steves’:

“It went from saying ‘bon voyage’ to ‘have a safe trip.’ Where did this come from? Say 'have a good trip,' and then, 'bon voyage.’”

 

State of the U.S.

Steves took a moment to comment about recent developments in the United States since Donald Trump aggressively returned the White House for his second term:

"Our government is being dick-ish. There is stuff that we need to speak out about right now. There is nothing to be proud about. We’re being a bully."

 

Where to Travel?

Steves recommended “underrated Europe countries” like Romania and Bulgaria, and suggested “second cities” like Lyon and Hamburg. "Don’t go to places everyone is going to.”

Steves on Tour

New York was the first of many stops for Steves on his Hippie Trail book tour. Here’s the upcoming schedule:

• Feb. 6: Rancho Mirage Writers Festival, Rancho Mirage, CA

• Feb. 8: JAMS Performing Center, Los Angeles, CA

• Feb. 17: Hopkins Center for the Arts, Minneapolis, MN

• Feb. 18: Free Library, Philadelphia, PA

• Feb. 19: Cuyahoga Public Library, Cleveland, OH

• Feb. 20: Central Library Consortium, Columbus, OH

• Feb. 23: First Congregational Church, Los Angeles, CA

• Feb. 24: Bellingham High School, Bellingham, WA

• Feb. 25: Third Place Books, Seattle, WA

• Feb. 26: Town Hall, Seattle, WA

• Mar. 15: Dominican University, San Rafael, CA

• Mar. 16: Rio Theater, Santa Cruz, CA

• Apr. 24: The Egyptian Theater, Boise, ID

 

More Steves

Diagnosed with Prostate Cancer

"Vote Yes on Marijuana"

Elected to NORML's Board

 

Become a Patron!

 

Steve Bloom

Steve Bloom

Publisher of CelebStoner.com, former editor of High Times and Freedom Leaf and co-author of Pot Culture and Reefer Movie Madness.