Magic Bus Istanbul to Delhi 1971
When I was 17 I went overland from Istanbul to Delhi, it was a cheap and popular adventure.1971, No Taliban, no Russians, no Ayatollahs. The ‘magic bus’ from Istanbul didn’t make it to Ankara, even with us pushing it. Catch a train to Tehran, and then on to Meshad where it is a short hop to Herat. Look at tourqoise in Meshad and witness professional US merchants haggling. In Afghanistan everyone wants to do business, the border guard gets a dollar so you don’t have to have vaccinations. All the soldiers uniforms looked over sized. The locals just go around the official border post. Once into Herat or Kabul, I am offered every form of Hash and ways to carry it. On one crowded bus journey I get off to go to the loo, when I get back to this crowded bus, my bag is still there everything is normal. Till the terminal, I discover my bag is filled with newspapers. The whole bus must have witnessed it. Finally through the Khyber pass where they offer guns that look like a Pen, actually there is nothing they didn’t offer, over Pakistan and into India. Now they want to buy my passport or travelers cheques. They would come to me more than anyone else. Somehow nothing has changed. |
